John Myers
Especially in vegetarian and vegan cuisine, gelatine is not an option due to its animal origin. If you want to do without it, you can find good plant-based alternatives such as pectin or locust bean gum.
How to replace gelatine
Edible gelatine is made from the connective tissue of animals – mostly cattle and pigs. Not everyone likes this idea, especially in the vegetarian and vegan diet alternatives to the animal gelling agent are in demand. This applies not only to pure gelatine, which is available as fine flakes or powder but also to many other products. Gelatin is found in many foods. While this is still obvious with cake glaze, gummy bears, and marshmallows, many are not aware that fruit juices, cornflakes, whipped cream, cream cheese or salad dressings can also contain gelatine. A closer look at the list of ingredients helps here. How to conjure up marshmallow recipes without gelatine? We’ll tell you.
Pectin, agar-agar, and carrageen as vegetable gelling agents
You are on the safe side if you make vegan desserts, cakes or jam yourself. The dishes turn out just as well with plant-based gelatin substitutes. Pectin, which also has similar processing properties, is very suitable for gelling. So it cannot be touched cold, but has to be heated. This also applies to agar-agar and carrageenan, which can also be used as vegan gelatine. They are obtained from algae and can easily replace the animal variant in recipes. When dosing, follow the instructions on the packaging, because the gelling power of the plant-based alternatives is higher. And: Do not reheat the gelled food again, because then the plant-based gelatine substitute will liquefy again.
Bake with gelatin substitute
A cornstarch substitute with good binding power is required for baking vegan biscuits and other delicacies; gelling ability is secondary here. A good choice as a plant-based gelatine substitute is locust bean gum or guar gum: They don’t form a jelly, but they thicken food very well. The alternatives can be processed without boiling and are tasteless themselves. Guar gum promotes a creamy consistency and is therefore ideal for making vegan ice cream or sauces. When baking with gluten-free flour, locust bean gum can replace the binding power of the gluten protein. You can use tapioca, chia seeds, psyllium, xanthan gum, potato starch, and corn starch as another gelatine substitute with a high binding capacity.
