As a vegan, I miss jello salads, but who wants to eat animal bone gelatin? Ick. Then I saw Susan’s recipe for Red, White, and Blue Fruit Terrine on FatFree Vegan Kitchen. It was so beautiful that I had to try it. Her recipe called for agar powder. I had never used agar until this recipe, and now I am a huge fan!
I did a little research and here is my “Ode to Agar-Agar”:
Agar-agar is an odorless, tasteless, vegetable gelatin made from certain species of red algae. It has been used in Japan since the 15th century. Available flaked, powdered, or in bars, agar-agar can be used as a gelling agent to make jellies, puddings, custards, etc.
So what is up with saying agar twice? It comes from the Malay word agar-agar meaning jelly. Many refer to it simply as “agar,” but I found a website that described different types of agars used in laboratories, and they were just plain nasty, so using the full word “agar-agar” is a good thing.
Not only is agar-agar a great vegan substitute for gelatin, but agar-agar gels more firmly than gelatin, and it sets and melts at a higher temperature. Agar-agar gels at approximately 88ºF, but once formed, it does not melt until 136ºF. Your “jello” mold will stay firm and beautiful at the picnic even in the summer heat.
Agar-agar is considered a health food. It is comprised of over 80% soluble fiber. It is high in iodine, contains trace amounts of calcium, iron, and magnesium, and is calorie free! The “kanten diet” (kanten is the Japanese word for agar-agar) recommends eating agar as a simple way to feel full. It works by expanding in the stomach, which means you eat less. And a study in Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism showed the agar diet resulted in marked weight loss due to the reduced calorie intake.
To use agar-agar, add it to your liquid of choice (usually fruit juice), bring it to a gentle boil, then simmer while stirring until it completely dissolves (about 5 minutes). The liquid will gel as it cools.
Here’s a general guide on how to use agar in recipes:
- Substitute agar powder for gelatin using equal amounts.
- 1 tablespoon of agar-agar flakes is equal to 1 teaspoon of agar powder.
- To set 1 cup of liquid, use 1 teaspoon of agar powder or 1 tablespoon of agar-agar flakes.
- It is important to note that more acidic foods may require a higher agar to liquid ratio.
As for the Red, White, and Blue Fruit Terrine, I followed Susan’s recipe exactly except I couldn’t find agar powder, so I bought Eden Foods’ Agar Agar Sea Vegetable Flakes. I used 2 tablespoons of flakes for the recipe. With agar-agar, there are endless possibilities of pretty fruit dishes and vegan jello recipes! YUM!!
Hehe, that’s so funny looking! (in a good way of course!)
Very festive! I wondered what agar agar was. Now I don’t have to google it lol.
My very first gelatin desserts were agar-agar with a thin layer of coconut milk on top. This fruit one looks delicious!
Wow, what do ya know! I’ve had a couple instances lately where I had to turn down Jello shots at a party, and of course I had to explain what gelatin was made from.
Maybe I’ll bring my own “agar agar shots” to an upcoming Halloween party, bet they’d never know the difference!
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ive been a vegetarian for many years but have not done much at all with baking with things like agar-agar. i LOVE marshmallows but im seeing mixed reviews when making them using agar-agar, so first question is whether you have had luck with this? second question – my mom makes this jell-o recipe and it sounds gross, but its very tasty. i am a culinary student and even if i wasnt a vegetarian, now that i know where gelatin comes from i wouldnt eat it anyway. i want to know if you can help me change the jell-o part so i can eat it again. thanks for the info!
mix 1 box green jell-o (DRY) with tub of cool whip, tub of cottage cheese and can of drained, crushed pineapple. delicious but idk how to flavor agar-agar and keep it dry. please help!
Hi Trink – I have not made anything with agar-agar other than the “jello” in this post. Pre-vegan, I used to make a similar jell-o recipe with cool whip and pineapple, and it was quite yummy. In my recipe I used the pudding jell-o and did not include cottage cheese. I believe there is vegan pudding mix at health food stores (not green, but vanilla may work) and a healthier version of cool whip. Maybe you could try that? Good luck! Let us know if you veganize it.
@trink
I know the dish you’re speaking of and it is delicious. I usually add mandarin oranges and orange jello. Assuming you’re vegetarian and not vegan, there are vegan “jello” substitutes you can use for the flavoring. You wouldn’t use agar agar because if you’re talking about the same dish I am, the salad isn’t supposed to gel.
The Largest Agar Agar Manufacturer of India since 1982.