Wow, it took me quite a long time to nail this vegan jello recipe.
I’m not much of a jello person really, which is good because it’s not something you find vegan varieties of very often. Usually jello’s use gelatine which is a by-product of the meat industry.
But I decided to rise to the challenge of making a vegan jello because I wanted to make a Christmas Trifle!
And in South Africa a Christmas Trifle almost always contains jello. Or what we call ‘jelly’. Green and red jelly/jello to be precise. You know, lovely Christmas colors!
Everything I read online told me that agar agar was the magic ingredient in vegan jello. So off I went to find some.
An organic/health food store had some in stock, but only the flakes version (and at first I didn’t know there was any other version to get!).
So off I went and tried to make a recipe that I got from PETA, that advises to use 2 Tbsp of agar agar along with fruit juice and a little sugar. Well…. if jello is meant to be a rock hard brick, then sure!
But there was no jiggle in that jello and that’s just not jello in my view!
So… back to the drawing board.
I found another recipe that said to use half fruit juice and half water and only 1/2 tsp of agar agar. Needless to say that is a HUGE difference.
But when I tried it that way my jello didn’t set at all.
Again…back to the drawing board. And that’s when I found out from this article that agar agar is either in flakes OR in powder form. When it’s in the flake form you need 3 times as much as if it was in the powder form.
OH! I see! The penny droppeth!
So I then used the same recipe but adjusting for the fact that I was using agar agar flakes and not powder, so using 1.5 tsp instead of 1/2 tsp and then the magic happened. Perfectly textured, delicious tasting jello!
Absolutely perfect to use in a recipe calling for jello – like my Trifle – or to enjoy as is!
So remember this lovely people! Agar agar powder is 3 times as strong as agar agar flakes. So if the recipe calls for powder and you have flakes, use 3 times as much. Easy as that.
You will love this vegan jello, it is exactly like the ‘real thing’! It’s:
- Fruity
- Jiggly
- Perfectly textured
- Sweet
- Perfect for use in desserts
- Only 4-ingredients!
Enjoy it as a dessert or use it in a recipe that requires jello. You can mix and match flavors just by switching out the fruit juice you use. Pretty cool.
Let me know in the comments what you think of this vegan jello! And if you’re going to use it in another dessert recipe, let me know where you’ll use it. Other than a trifle I’m not sure what else I would put it in. But eating it as is, is pretty fun too, so it’s not like it’s a problem!
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- For Red Jello:
- 1.5 tsp Agar Agar Flakes (if using Agar Agar Powder, use ½ tsp)
- 1 cup (240ml) Red Grape Juice (100% fruit juice)
- 1 cup (240ml) Water
- ¼ cup (50g) Sugar
- For Green Jello:
- 1.5 tsp Agar Agar Flakes (if using Agar Agar Powder, use ½ tsp)
- 1 cup (240ml) Green Apple Juice (100% fruit juice)
- 1 cup (240ml) Water
- ¼ cup (50g) Sugar
- ¼ tsp Green Food Color*
- For the red jello: Add the agar agar flakes, water, fruit juice and sugar to a pot on the stove. Bring to the boil stirring regularly. Allow to boil for 2 minutes.
- Pour out into serving bowls or glasses.
- Refrigerate to set.
- For the green jello: Follow the steps as above, but after boiling for 2 minutes, remove from the heat and stir in the green food coloring. Pour into serving bowls or glasses and refrigerate to set.
*Each batch (green or red) makes around 2 cups of jello.
*Adapted from Manjula's Kitchen
Never realised one could make jelly for vegans! This must be a first – amazing!
I’m so excited to make this with my kids. I didn’t know it was even possible to get a vegan version of jello. Thanks so much!
I made this but mine turned out grainy. The texture wasn’t good at all. I used the powder. Not sure what I did wrong.
Sorry to hear that! Did you let it boil for 2 minutes? This is crucial in getting it to the right texture. If you already did that, then I have no idea what went wrong.
My daughter and I made this today and it turned out perfectly! Same texture that I remembered from non-vegan jello, and the taste may be a little bit better!
Thanks so much for posting this!
So glad to hear it turned out well! Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Wonder how it would work if I wanted to make Jell-O shots? Less water?
Hey Samantha, I’m not sure really! I guess it would be an experimentation! Maybe using a little less water to account for adding alcohol and then adding the alcohol before chilling. But I am really shooting in the dark here, no idea! Good luck and let us know how it turns out if you do try it!