A lot of desserts that call for gelatin or agar-agar need to be prepared carefully. Even a slightest mistake can cost you your whole dessert. Follow these simple tips to ensure success every time.
By Kavitha Iyengar
China grass or Agar Agar or Kanten is a sea weed and completely vegetarian. It gives a smooth, glossy finish and many chefs prefer to use it over gelatin. China grass, if used properly sets easily at room temperature. The method of using Agar Agar or Gelatin (which is derived from the collagen inside animals’ skin and bones) may be the same. Agar agar comes in flakes or powders.
Be careful to follow the recipe correctly to get the desired texture. These are some useful tips to cook with agar agar, china grass or kanten: 
- They need to be broken into pieces and softened by soaking in cold water for about 10-15 minutes.
- Heat in low flame for them to melt completely. Never heat on a high or even medium flame.
- When you boil agar agar, stir continuously or the flakes/powder will set in the bottom.
- Do not over cook the agar agar mixture as it tends to set while cooking.
- The agar agar mixture has to be added to another hot mixture immediately. Both the mixtures have to be HOT for the agar agar to set properly. If any one of them is cold, then your dessert will not set properly
- In case the agar agar mixture solidifies before you add to another hot mixture, reheat in low flame until it melts again completely and then add it.
i want to make a mousse with agar agar. Is it necessary to heat the blended fruit mixture before I add the hot agar agar?
hi.. you’d essentially use the agar agar just like you would use gelatin. Now i don’t know what recipe you’re following so I wouldn’t know whether to heat or not
Do you substitute the same amount of agar agar in a recipe that calls for gelatin?
Hey, Yes, I do.
Hey I want to use agar agar / china grass to make cheese cake ..pls tell me if it ll set properly or no
depends on the recipe.. for any recipe that calls for gelatin, you can use agar agar in the exact same quantity and use as instructed.. it will work
I m using agar agar strands so what ll b the quantity instead of gelatin powder ? Pls help its urgent
Hi,
Im making a vegan cheese and the recipe im using calls for agar agar powder, could i substitute flakes ? and if so whats the conversion from flakes to powder vice versa.
Thank You
I would just pass these flakes through a spice mixer / food processor to break it up & make a powder.
Could I use agar agar as I do gelatine in my smoothies, currently I just put a packet of gelatine in a blender full of smoothie for the benefits of gelatine could I add agar Agar in the same way. I’m not using it as a thickening agent just as a health benefit so would I need to heat it first or soak it, so unsure what to do any help would be great, cheers.
Maggie@expatbrazil
I’d definitely say moisten it in water for a couple minutes before adding to smoothie. I’ve never used it just like that before.
I can’t find agar – agar anywhere…. Can I use china grass instead of gelatine in. Cheesecake and in what quantity?
YEs, but see that it is flavorless
I have purchased a .25g packet of china grass but there are no instructions on how to use this .. I understand that I have to heat this slowly but don’t know how much water should be used with this one packet, would be grateful for some help please.
1 packet of gelatine, how many cups of water and sugar, I want the ratio of water and sugar
Thanks
Dear kavitha..
Thank you for this information. I want to know how to add powder agar with vergan cheese with milk or after be cheese.
With My greeting
Malik
What if I want to set something that cannot be heated?
Hi As the person Amrita asked in April I would like to do a cold savoury mousse dish using agar agar. Your introduction says it has to be HOT to HOT and it will not work in a cold dish? What can I do here the dish is chilled not heated? Thank you
How much china grass is required in replacement of 1tblsp agar agar piwder or 1 tbsp gelatin powder?
Hi. I am looking for some advice on using agar agar to set equal quantities of fruit puree and granulated sugar. Some fruit (gooseberry) is higher in pectin that others (pears). I am struggling to get a firm set, like pate de fruit or fruit paste. I want to cut it into shapes after cooking/cooling so I need a firm set. Any pointers? Can you actually use too much agar agar? Thx
Hi,is there any way to add it to a cool or cold fruit puree? I am making a layered cake with coconut cream and top it with mango puree. if i heated the mango puree and pour it over the cream of coconut it would probably melt the coconut. what is your advice?
How can I use agar agar if I am using whipping cream and cream cheese in my dessert
Thanks for the explanation.
Will i be able to use agar agar in cheesecakes?. Because then there is the problem of the mixture im adding it to not being hot.
In a no bake cheesecake recipe yest, i added hot agar agar liquid to cream cheese. But then it already solidified within the mixture and just made alot of curdles.
Alot of cheesecake calls for gelatin. Is gelatin better an ingredient?
Achhi jaankari hai thanks. Aap bata sakte hai ki 01 kg mango puree Ke mixture me kitna agar agar powder use kar sakte hain.
If a recipe asks for 1T falooda powder but I want to use gelatine how do u convert.
I made mango cheese cake using agar agar
But it did not set
I added 25 GM of agar agar in 500 of cream cheese mixture
Thanks !
Very useful info, thanks. If adding fruit puree like mango or coconut milk, can we wait till china grass cools moderately and then add? Since fruit can only be at room temperature.
My recipe calls for 20 grams of Agar Agar, which I cannot find anywhere. I have flavorless gelatin, how much gelatin should I use in the recipe?
Thank you!