The short answer. Use two tablespoons of aquafaba, which is one fluid ounce, in place of one egg white. Dry shake first without ice to build the foam, then add ice and shake again.
Egg white does two things in a cocktail. It builds a head, and it gives the drink a rounder, softer texture. Aquafaba does both, and it comes out of a carton instead of a shell.
If you have been making sours at home and you are tired of separating eggs, or you are behind a bar and would rather not keep raw egg in the well, this is the working guide.
In this guide
Why use aquafaba instead of egg white
The practical reasons come up fast once you have made more than a couple of drinks.
- No raw egg to handle. Nothing to separate, nothing to crack to order, nothing sitting in the well waiting to be used.
- No waste from the other half. An egg white drink leaves you with a yolk. Aquafaba leaves you with aquafaba.
- It pours. You measure it like any other liquid ingredient, straight into the tin.
- It works for guests who do not eat eggs. A sour stops being off the menu.
The texture is the part people are surprised by. Aquafaba builds a genuinely dense head, not a thin layer of bubbles that collapses before the drink reaches the table.
How much aquafaba per cocktail
Two tablespoons of aquafaba replaces one egg white. That is one fluid ounce, or about 30 ml.
For a standard sour built on two ounces of spirit, that is the amount you want. Use the same measure for a fizz. If you are making a drink that would normally take a whole egg, like a flip, use three tablespoons.
| What the recipe calls for | Aquafaba to use |
|---|---|
| 1 egg white | 2 tablespoons (1 fl oz) |
| 1 whole egg | 3 tablespoons |
| Half an egg white | 1 tablespoon |
A one liter carton is roughly 30 drinks worth at one ounce each, which is a useful number if you are batching for a party or a service.
The dry shake, step by step
The technique is the same one you would use with egg white. Nothing to relearn.
- Build the drink in the tin without ice. Spirit, citrus, sweetener, and two tablespoons of aquafaba.
- Seal and shake hard for 10 to 15 seconds. This is the shake that does the work. You are aerating, not chilling, so shake like you mean it.
- Open, add ice, and shake again for 10 to 12 seconds. This chills and dilutes to the right point.
- Double strain into the glass. A fine strainer keeps ice shards out of the head so the foam stays smooth.
- Let it settle for a few seconds before garnishing. The foam will climb and set. Bitters dropped on a settled head hold their shape far better than on a moving one.
Reverse dry shake. Some bartenders shake with ice first, strain the liquid off, then shake again without ice. It takes an extra step but tends to give a tighter, denser head. Worth trying both and keeping whichever you prefer.
Getting a foam that holds
If your head is collapsing, it is almost always one of four things.
- The dry shake was too short. Ten seconds feels long when you are doing it. Count it out.
- There is not enough acid in the drink. Citrus helps the foam set. A drink with no lemon or lime will hold less structure.
- The tin was wet or oily. Any residual fat knocks foam down. This is true of egg white too.
- You poured too slowly. Strain with intent so the foam lifts into the glass rather than settling in the tin.
Temperature matters less than people expect. Straight from the refrigerator is fine.
Which drinks it works in
Anywhere a recipe calls for egg white, aquafaba goes in at the same measure.
- Sours. Whiskey, amaretto, pisco. The classic home for it.
- Fizzes. Gin fizz and its longer relatives, where the head is most of the point.
- Flips and nogs. These take a whole egg, so use three tablespoons.
- Modern sours. Anything built on citrus, sweetener and spirit where you want a soft top.
- Zero proof drinks. A citrus and syrup build with foam on top gets a lot more interesting, and nobody has to explain why the non-drinker got the boring glass.
Using it behind a bar
A few notes for anyone using this in service rather than at home.
Storage. An unopened carton is shelf stable and lives in dry storage for 15 months. Once you open it, refrigerate and use within 3 to 5 days. Full detail is in our guide to aquafaba shelf life and storage.
Decanting. A squeeze bottle in the rail works well for volume service. Keep it cold, keep it capped, and refill from the carton rather than topping up.
Consistency. Every pour out of the carton is the same as the last one, so the drink you build at the start of service is the drink you build at the end of it.
Volume. If you are running aquafaba drinks regularly, the 12-pack is the sensible format. For larger operations there is a wholesale option.
Where to buy aquafaba for cocktails
You have three routes.
Drain a can of chickpeas. Free, and it works, but a can gives you a small amount and you are left with the chickpeas and a container of liquid to use within a few days.
Buy it as a powder. Shelf stable and compact, though it needs mixing with water before you can use it. We compared the two in aquafaba powder vs liquid.
Buy it ready to pour. Plant Whip is liquid aquafaba in a one liter carton, made from water and chickpeas. You open it and measure it, the same as any other bottle on the back bar.
For the full comparison of every option, see where to buy aquafaba.
One carton, about 30 drinks
Ready-to-pour liquid aquafaba. Two ingredients, no separating, no leftover yolks.
Shop Plant WhipFrequently asked questions
How much aquafaba do you use in a cocktail?
Two tablespoons, which is one fluid ounce or about 30 ml, replaces one egg white. That is the standard amount for a single sour, fizz or flip.
Does aquafaba foam like egg white in a cocktail?
Yes. Aquafaba builds a dense, stable head when you dry shake it, and it holds through the strain and into the glass.
What is a dry shake?
Shaking the drink without ice first so the foam builds, then adding ice and shaking again to chill and dilute. The first shake does the aerating, the second does the cooling.
Does aquafaba change the taste of a cocktail?
It is mild and neutral in the amounts a cocktail uses. In a sour with citrus, sugar and spirit, it sits in the background the way egg white does.
Can you use aquafaba in cocktails without raw egg?
That is the main reason bartenders reach for it. Aquafaba gives you the foam and texture of an egg white drink with no raw egg to handle, store or separate.
Where can you buy aquafaba for cocktails?
Plant Whip is ready-to-pour liquid aquafaba in a one liter carton, available directly from plantwhipfoods.com. One carton is roughly 30 cocktails worth of foam.