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 up to 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 and 1/2 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 up to 3 times as strong as agar agar flakes. So if the recipe calls for powder and you have flakes, use up to 3 times as much. Easy as that. Update: I have since made this recipe using agar agar powder and found it takes a little more than 1/2 tsp, so the calculation is close but not exact! Directions for both inside the recipe card.
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 rate the recipe too, thanks! 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. Oh wait, vegan jello shots of course! But eating it as is, is pretty fun too.
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Vegan Jello
Ingredients
For Red Jello:
- 1 and 1/2 tsp Agar Agar Flakes or if using Agar Agar Powder, use 3/4 tsp
- 1 cup Red Grape Juice (240ml) 100% fruit juice
- 1 cup Water (240ml)
- 1/4 cup White Granulated Sugar (50g)
For Green Jello:
- 1 and 1/2 tsp Agar Agar Flakes or if using Agar Agar Powder, use 3/4 tsp
- 1 cup Green Apple Juice (240ml) 100% fruit juice
- 1 cup Water (240ml)
- 1/4 cup White Granulated Sugar (50g)
- A few drops Green Food Color optional*
Instructions
- For the red jello: Add the agar agar flakes or powder, 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.
Video
Notes
- The green food coloring is added in to get the green color because green apple juice is more cloudy in color than green. However, if you don't like using food coloring you can omit this step. Some brands of green food coloring I've used up to 1/4 tsp of color before it gets to the right shade, other brands are stronger and I've only needed a couple of drops, so go slow if you're adding it in.
- Each batch (green or red) makes around 2 cups of jello.
- To make jello shots, check out our recipe for Vegan Jello Shots.
- Adapted from Manjula's Kitchen
HOW DO I SUBSTITUTE THE SWEETENER?
Does anyone know how much extra water to add if I substitute concentrated liquid sweetener (Stevia or monk fruit extract) for the 1/4 cup of sugar?
BTW, I love this recipe. For juice, I used Apple & Eve Organic 100% juice Fruit Punch. Purple in the bottle, but red in the Jello (or should I say Agaro?). Delicious!
Hi David, I wouldn’t add any extra water, just add sweetener to taste.
Thanks, Alison. I will try it next time. (This time I stuck with sugar, just to be sure that it would come out).
SUCCESS! I substituted 1/2 tsp of NOW Organic Monk Fruit liquid sweetener for 1/4 cup of sugar. The texture is unchanged.
I mentioned the brand “NOW” because each brand, and each form of monk fruit extract within that brand, have different substitution charts. (Plus, I prefer organic ingredients).
Some people like Stevia, but others (including myself) feel that it has a bitter after-taste. Monk fruit, on the other hand, is tasty for everyone, with no after-taste.
Now I have a way of hydrating an 80-year old senior, without the questionable ingredients of Jello and expensive hydration balls. And without worrying about giving her copious amounts of sugar.
Plus, it is a tasty dessert for the whole family!
Thank you Alison.
Awesome! So glad it worked out, thanks for sharing David!
Really good!
Hi Alison. Would this recipe work without the added sugar? Thanks!
I haven’t tried it that way, but I think it would work!
Hi, thank you for the recipe.
How long does it take for it to set?
An hour or two.
This is exactly the recipe that I was hoping for.
Mostly all natural, although I might change the sweetener, and use McCormick Nature’s Inspiration Food Color which is made from fruits and vegetables (no dye).
And I can experiment with other fruit juices besides just green apple juice and and red grape juice.
So glad you liked it David! Thanks for the great review!
I also think using all good quality natural lemonade or homemade, and no added water ofc, would be a nice flavor. Limeade, too.
Hi Alison,
Can I use gelatin powder instead of agar agar?
Not sure, I haven’t used that.
If you use gelatin, you are basically making Jello. The package of gelatin should have instructions. Just substitute good ingredients for whatever they suggest.
Prashanthi,
Since you came to this web site, I assume that you are possibly vegetarian. If so, you would want to be aware that gelatin is not vegetarian. It is obtained by boiling parts of pigs or cows.
Agar, however, is completely vegan. It is obtained from seaweed.
Hi there!! I just made this today with the agar agar flakes. How long does it take to set? It’s been about 9 hours and it’s still liquify. Thanks! 🙂
It shouldn’t take that long, so that doesn’t sound good for it setting.
Hi Ana,
I also made these the other day using the agar agar powder. Mine never set either. I didn’t see that Alison answered your question however I would suggest using more Agar agar flakes. I’m going to remake mine using more of the agar agar powder, hoping they will set!
So happy to have come across your recipe. Can’t wait to try this for my son who loves jelly. I love to use your recipes because it is not so easy to find vegan ingredients in South Africa, the struggle is real. Are you able to advise where your best place or online store is to buy ingredients from. Thanks!
Hi Tarryn, Dischem is a good place to get ingredients like agar agar etc. Otherwise Wellness Warehouse is a good option for online stuff. 🙂
Hi there
Try any Indian spice shops
You should find it there
Chohans spice
Gorimas
Shan
Etc
You’re a god send… I’ve been heartbroken by the way my vegan jello turned out as I’ve been using like really large quantities of the Agar agar powder (mentioned in the recipe in fact). Came across this and just used a teaspoon for 500ml of juice + water. It’s amazing! Thank you so much
So happy to hear that! Thanks for the great review. 🙂
Hi Alison, absolutely. Please would you have any idea of how to turn these to gummy bears? Should a bit harder still chewy.
Hmmm, sorry no idea at all! I imagine it would require a lot more agar agar but other than that I don’t know.
I am wondering if i could use corn starch instead of agar agar flakes?
Definitely not in this instance.
Followed the recipe exactly and it hasn’t set (been in the fridge for 6 hours now). Not sure why it didn’t work but it’s pretty disappointing. I am going to try reboiling it in the morning with more Agar Agar and see if that works.
Hi Sakura, check your agar agar, it should be pure agar agar and not mixed with other ingredients.