How to Use Agar Agar in Cooking

The trends of global sustainability are changing. Switching to meatless foods is driving the choice of new products in culinary arts. Of these, one of the most important might be Agar Agar, a natural-based ingredient that is a perfect replacement for gelatin and common vegetable gel. 

Agar agar is a gelling agent that stems from seaweed itself which is why it is becoming an essential product for any kitchen that wants to enjoy a plant-based meal. This blog has been crafted to help you learn how to use agar agar effectively in your home cooking.

What is Agar Agar?

Why is agar agar important? The most common gelling agent in existence is gelatin. However, gelatin is derived from animal collagen, which makes it unusable for people with religious or dietary restrictions. 

Agar agar is purely plant-based making it the ideal choice for vegetarians and vegans alike. The market is now flooded with many variations of agar agar. The most common forms of agar agar are:

1. Agar agar Strips: these are featured best in Asian cuisines. These strips have to be soaked and then boiled for maximum effectiveness.
2. Powder agar agar: it is the easiest to measure and dissolve making it the most popular form of agar agar.
3. Agar agar Flakes: flakes are larger particles than powdered agar agar. They take longer to dissolve.

 Every form of agar agar has its own unique properties. However, they all share a key ability to bind with liquids to create a gelatinous structure making it perfect for many sweet recipes like cheesecake, sweet jellies, and puddings.

Measuring agar can be tricky if you are new to it. Using too much can make your mixture too rigid. Using too little can make your mixture runny and ruin your end result. 

Here’s how you can measure out the perfect amount of agar agar for your recipes.

1. Measuring agar agar powder

A little powder can go a long way especially when measuring agar agar powder. 

As a general measurement, 1 to 1.5 teaspoons of agar agar can coagulate around 2 cups of liquid. If you use more than that, your mixture might become too rigid rendering it unusable.

You can experiment with the amount in order to get rougher or softer textures of the agar agar gel mixture for your recipes.

2. Measuring agar agar strips

Agar agar strips require a bit more work to prepare for your recipes. 

Typically, 1 tablespoon of agar agar strips can be dissolved to coagulate 1 cup of liquid (usually water).

It needs to be soaked in water prior to dissolving. This additional step means that it takes a bit more preparation time to use strips over agar agar powder.

How to Dissolve Agar Agar

1/ Dissolving agar agar powder

Dissolving agar agar powder is relatively easy. So you can stop wondering how to use agar powder in your recipes.

Add the powder to cold water (or other liquid) and boil it stir well to ensure that it mixes well. Stir until the powder is evenly dispersed so that you can avoid forming clumps in your mixture. 

2/ Dissolving agar agar strips

In order to dissolve agar agar strips, you have to allow the strips to soak in the liquid water, milk, tea, etc.

Soak it for 15 minutes or more in cold liquid, and then bring the mixture up to a full boil. Let it simmer for 5 minutes, and keep stirring until the strips are completely dissolved in the liquid. 

Pro tip: Do NOT add agar agar to boiling water or liquid this will make it form clumps that are unusable for cooking.

Using Agar Agar Powder Recipes

The most important and consistent application of agar agar is in making a variety of dessert dishes. Although it does have limited applications in savoury foods, it is more suitable for use in various desserts.

Using Agar Agar in desserts

Agar agar is a powerful gelling agent and the most desired substitute for gelatin in dessert recipes. It creates firm structures for creative dessert explorations. 

Agar agar is a suitable agent for making 

• Jellies
• Jams
• Tarts
• Puddings
• Fruit caviar
• And many more

Pro tip: By itself, the agar agar mixture has a consistency that closely resembles boiled egg whites. If that is not the consistency you are looking for, then you might want to combine it with other bonding agents like locust bean gum or guar gum to change the way it works.

Using Agar Agar as a Gelatin Alternative

The reason agar agar has risen in popularity is that it is a viable plant-based alternative to gelatin which is animal-based. 

Therefore, with the right alterations to your baking and cooking recipes, you can rely on agar agar as a reliable gelling agent in your home cooking.

1 teaspoon of agar agar powder is not exactly equivalent to 1 teaspoon of gelatin. If you want to substitute for gelatin, try the following measurement:

• For 1.75 cups of water that requires 1.5 teaspoons of gelatin—use 0.5 teaspoons of agar agar for best results

In terms of texture, agar agar is a bit stiffer than gelatin, so the end result will be more crumbly, but the taste will not be affected to a great extent—not much to worry about, so give it a try!

Tips for using Agar Agar in Cooking

• Agar agar is best for simpler recipes.
• Be careful when approaching setting time because agar agar can set quickly at room temperature.
• Don’t simmer the agar agar solution for too long. About 4 to 5 minutes is more than enough for it to activate.
• Make sure to whisk thoroughly until no particles or strands of the agar agar are left behind to ensure complete immersion and dissolution of the substance in the liquid. 

Key Takeaways

• Agar agar is an effective vegan substitute for gelatin in many cooking cases especially with desserts.
• There are many types of agar agar products on the market like flakes, powders, strings, etc.
• Measuring agar agar powder and strips can vary in the process, so you should follow instructions as closely as possible for the best results.
• The process for dissolving agar agar can vary depending on the product type.
• Agar agar is a great alternative for gelatin in vegan recipes it is especially suitable for cooking simple desserts without relying on gelatin or other gelling agents.
• You can find a wide range of agar agar products in our online store that are suitable for cooking up all sorts of desserts and sweet treats.