# Are there any good vegetarian alternatives to gelatine? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 4, 2006, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-good-vegetarian-alternatives-to-gelatine/338442 "2006-01-04T19:29:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_Panic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/don_t_panic/32/398_2.png) [@Don\_t\_Panic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_Panic)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2006, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-good-vegetarian-alternatives-to-gelatine/338442/1 "2006-01-04T19:29:35Z")
Today I found myself in my kitchen, whipping up (as single men who live alone often do) some nice panna cotta with pomegranate sauce. Now, of course, the recipe calls for gelatine, which left me a bit uneasy. I’m by no means a straight vegetarian, I eat fish (less and less frequently, though) and some animal products - take away my blue cheese and fried eggs at your peril (however, I do try to go for the ecological varieties). I just happen to find the idea of eating meat pretty repulsive, I just can’t seem to think of it as food, and I have effectively avoided it for the past ten years. Stuff like gelatine, however, is something that I usually can’t be arsed to avoid, as long as I don’t come across it every day. On this occation, however, today, in my kitchen, I must have been in a fragile emotional state. Suddenly I was haunted by the ghost of the friendly and unsuspecting cow who gave up her life of happy chewing and mooing just so that I might have my creamy dessert. It just didn’t seem fair. I’ll probably still eat my panna cotta, if it comes out well, but I’d like to be able to do so without having to listen to those wailing moos from the other side. So, dear dopers of a culinary persuation, are there any good vegetarian alternatives to gelatine? My google skills, that usually serve me well, have so far left me fruitless and all meaty. I have been able to confirm that some such things probably do exist, but not just excactly what they are. Any ideas? ---
**Author:** ![aeropl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f05b48/32.png) [@aeropl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aeropl)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2006, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-good-vegetarian-alternatives-to-gelatine/338442/2 "2006-01-04T20:09:44Z")
The article on [gelatin](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gelatin) in Wikipedia suggests that “vegetarians and vegans may substitute similar gelling agents such as agar, pectin, or konnyaku.” It might be tough to find these things as I have never seen them for sale. If you live in a big city I bet a Japanese grocery would carry agar or konnyaku. I have never had panna cotta. Perhaps you can try the recipe without geltin and see how it turns out? ---
**Author:** ![Nametag](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nametag/32/406_2.png) [@Nametag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nametag)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2006, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-good-vegetarian-alternatives-to-gelatine/338442/3 "2006-01-04T20:11:27Z")
Well, panna cotta is supposed to be made with fish glue, which you might find less objectionable (morally speaking). You might try agar-agar instead. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2006, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-good-vegetarian-alternatives-to-gelatine/338442/4 "2006-01-04T20:14:01Z")
I first read the header as: **Are there any good vegetarian alternatives to _gasoline_?** And I was all set to suggest used french fry oil, too. Hmph. :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Cerowyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/82dd89/32.png) [@Cerowyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cerowyn)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2006, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-good-vegetarian-alternatives-to-gelatine/338442/5 "2006-01-04T20:17:29Z")
> [@aeropl](#): > > “vegetarians and vegans may substitute similar gelling agents such as agar, pectin, or konnyaku.” It might be tough to find these things as I have never seen them for sale. Pectin is available in almost any North American grocery store. It is used in canning (jams, jellies, etc.). ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2006, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-good-vegetarian-alternatives-to-gelatine/338442/6 "2006-01-04T20:35:32Z")
I always use agar-agar. But if I don’t have enough of it on hand, then I just use agar. ---
**Author:** ![tygerbryght](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a9a28c/32.png) [@tygerbryght](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tygerbryght)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2006, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-good-vegetarian-alternatives-to-gelatine/338442/7 "2006-01-04T22:03:06Z")
I did a search on “kosher gelatin”, looking for a site where you could get something that qualified (i.e., if it _was_ animal based, it would at least be cruelty-free). It appears you can get it [here](http://www.differentdaisy.com/nexternalhtml/emes-plain-kosher-gelatin-substitute-.htm), although I didn’t click on it, as whoever set up that site’s pages is nuts for writes to cookies (only 3 cookies, but with 9 zillion writes to them). My altruism in finding you a product didn’t extend to clicking for a second set of seemingly numberless cookie writes, especially for a site I’ll probably never visit again. :dubious: Ingredients are listed as: \>Contains: Carageenan, Locust Bean Gum and Malto-Dextrin. It therefore appears not to contain any animal products whatever. Have fun. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2006, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-good-vegetarian-alternatives-to-gelatine/338442/8 "2006-01-04T22:51:07Z")
If transparency is not an absolute requirement and if the liquid to be set is allowed to be simmered, you can get quite good results from cornflour (called cornstarch in the USA, I believe). I make bilberry(like blueberries) tart by simmering one pound of the fruit with the juice of one lemon and some sugar (variable to taste) - the berries release quite a lot of juice and when this _just_ comes to the boil, I pour in three heaped tablespoons of cornflour that I have mixed to milk consistency in a little water; I stir vigorously to prevent lumps - the mixture turns magenta, then it turns dark purple as the starch cooks and swells; a little more simmering and the mixture is poured into the pastry case. Left overnight in the fridge, it will set to quite a jelly-like texture (although it’s more ‘silky’ and less ‘bouncy’ that gelatin based jellies, but I like that) ---
**Author:** ![R.P.McMurphy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7993a0/32.png) [@R.P.McMurphy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/R.P.McMurphy)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2006, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-good-vegetarian-alternatives-to-gelatine/338442/9 "2006-01-04T23:30:08Z")
Your cow was mooing in thanks for you having to help give it life in the first place. Without the need for all of that gelatine, that cow would not have been given life in the first place. How would the sacred creature ever have realized such a superior state of enlightenment had not the evil carnivores decided that having lots of cows is useful to the process of other inferior beings who would someday like to attain their sacred status? ---
**Author:** ![ouryL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ouryl/32/6067_2.png) [@ouryL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ouryL)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2006, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-good-vegetarian-alternatives-to-gelatine/338442/10 "2006-01-05T05:32:58Z")
> [@Johanna](#): > > I always use agar-agar. But if I don’t have enough of it on hand, then I just use agar. :mad: ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2006, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-good-vegetarian-alternatives-to-gelatine/338442/11 "2006-01-05T06:08:39Z")
**Mangetout** have you tried baked rice as a thickening agent. I really dislike flour and cornflour in delicately flavoured dishes as they impart a distinct, to my mind unpleasant, taste. From Asian cooking I learned to use baked rice: You just chuck a layer of rice on a baking tray in the oven or under the grill for 10 - 15 minutes until slightly golden. Then grind how you like - a coffee grinder is good. It keeps OK in a jar, is a better thickener than flour and is very neutral in taste. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2006, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-good-vegetarian-alternatives-to-gelatine/338442/12 "2006-01-05T06:41:39Z")
I once lived in Malaysia. In the Malay language they just say _agar_ once. The reduplicated form is used for plurals. If you had a whole bunch of different agar varieties, like in a gourmet shop in Kuala Lumpur’s Central Market, maybe the sign would say _agar-agar_. I have a theory that borrowed words for trade commodities tend to reflect the conditions of shipping, inventory keeping, and commerce. For example, _mango_ comes from Malay _mangga_, from Tamil _man-kay_. The Tamil word is a compound of _man_ ‘mango’ and _kay_ ‘unripe fruit’. When Tamil people eat mangoes, they call them _mam-pazham_, because _pazham_ means ripe fruit. But foreigners heard them called unripe, because that’s how merchants had to ship them. ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2006, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-good-vegetarian-alternatives-to-gelatine/338442/13 "2006-01-05T13:55:43Z")
You know how they have the pollution commodity exchange markets, right? One can purchase and sell pollution credits – typically CO2 – so that you can either (a) earn money by not poluting or (b) polute more but spend to do so or © purchase credits and destroy them so that they’re never, ever used (read about this last one today). In that spirit, if you were to pay me, say, $100 into my PayPal account, I’d happily avoid geletins (yes, I’ll read product labels, too) for the next month. Then you’ll be free to indulge without guilt, since geletin demand won’t have increased for the next month. ---
**Author:** ![Miss\_Violaceous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/2bfe46/32.png) [@Miss\_Violaceous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Violaceous)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2006, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-good-vegetarian-alternatives-to-gelatine/338442/14 "2006-01-05T15:40:28Z")
I can easily find agar-agar in powdered form at most asian grocery stores. Look for small plastic pouches full of white powder with red and/or blue text, called “Telephone Brand.” Be careful, though, agar powder can’t be used in the same quantities as powdered gelatin. It has quite a bit more kick to it. I haven’t played around with it enough to find out the exact ratio you need to get something like jello, but if you experiment you should be able to figure it out. ---
**Author:** ![xbuckeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9e8a1a/32.png) [@xbuckeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xbuckeye)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2006, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-good-vegetarian-alternatives-to-gelatine/338442/15 "2006-01-05T16:19:44Z")
Gelatin from animal bones, Kosher gelatin is from fish bones If you are OK with fish consumption, I’d go kosher. ---
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_Panic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/don_t_panic/32/398_2.png) [@Don\_t\_Panic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_Panic)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2006, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-good-vegetarian-alternatives-to-gelatine/338442/16 "2006-01-05T20:12:19Z")
I’ve bought pectin! I feel much better now. Haven’t tried it out yet, though, we’ll see how it goes. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2006, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-good-vegetarian-alternatives-to-gelatine/338442/17 "2006-01-08T22:44:40Z")
That’s right, **Miss Violaceous** , once I tried making rose petal jam using carrageen in the same amount as gelatin. Turned the stuff solid as a rock. Go easy on those marine botanicals.