I finally found it! I have been on a quest to find agar agar flakes/powder ever since Katie wrote about the wonderful pudding and creams you can make.
While I was playing in a tournament over Thanksgiving, I came across a wonderful Hong Kong Market. They sold anything imaginable there: spiky fruits, seafood, dried seafood, chopsticks, and even purple sweet potatoes (we’ll talk more about this one later)!!!
I scoured the aisles for agar, and I found it for a good price. At the health food store they were going to charge me $20 for a package of agar agar, but at the Hong Kong market I bought it for $1.50. Yeah, I definitely bought more than one pack!
Agar Agar Base
~This is the base you use to make any of the treats listed below!
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon agar agar powder (if you are using agar agar flakes, use 1 Tablespoon)
- 2 cups of liquid (juice or milk substitute)
- Optional: add ins like vanilla extract, cocoa powder, chocolate chips, fruit chunks, nuts, be creative!
In a saucepan, heat up the liquid (not boiling), then add the agar agar. Stir well and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, and simmer, stirring often, for about 5 minutes or until the agar has dissolved.
Next, pour the liquid into a container and place in the refrigerator. Let the agar base set for about 20 minutes until jelly-like.
Note: It does not thicken while heated. The mix only thickens if chilled. The first time I made this I expected it to thicken like regular pudding, so I kept adding more and more agar agar. When I put it in the fridge, it was rick-solid!
You can make Vegan Fruit-Sweetened Jello…
You can make Pudding…
You can make Whipped Cream…
You can make Vegan Yogurt…
Meg made this wonderful vegan yogurt by mixing a probiotic capsule into the agar base. Brilliant, Meg! Can’t wait to try this!
You can make some yourself…
I am going to giveaway one of my packets of agar agar powder to one lucky winner, so you don’t have to score the aisles of every grocery store. Each packet contains 25 servings of agar. This will make about 13 cups of jello, pudding, yogurt, or whipped cream. Think of this as a Christmas giveaway 🙂
To enter:
- Leave a comment telling me what you would make first with the agar agar powder
- Become a fan of Spoonful of Sugar Free on Facebook, and leave a comment back here telling me.
- Subscribe to me by email by entering your email address in the box to the right. Leave a comment here telling me you did.
- Answer these questions for fun and more entries!
- What is your favorite holiday treat?
- How are you spending the Holidays?
The Giveaway ends this Friday the 17th. Good Luck! THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED.
Hey pretty lady!
You don’t have to enter me (as I want others to have a better chance). Just wanted to say hi and yay for spreading the agar love!
Hi Katie!!! Are you sure you don’t want to be entered??? I know how you like your agar-based puddings!
I’m thinking pumpkin butterscotch pudding may be in order.
Already suscribe to your posts. 🙂
mmmm pudding! or a pudding pie, with whipped cream on top, of course!
Hi – just found your blog recently and am enjoying it! I need to find a market like you did – how exciting to find products like the agar at a fraction of the price charged at more popular stores.
Friended you on Facebook.
Would make a nut butter pudding base to throw into an oat bran pie crust (saw this linked from HEAB) and then top with chocolate coconut butter – an allergy-free version of a chocolate peanut butter pie hopefully.
I’d also want to explore some more vegan cheesecake recipes that are still gluten, soy, and corn-free. Surely the agar could help! I miss cheesecake…
Have a great day!
Brandae
Hi Mama4health! I am so glad you enjoy my blog!
That pie sounds very good 🙂 I once saw someone take Magic Banana Ice Cream (in my desserts under the recipes page) and put it into a crust. It was like a banana cream pie! I bet that Bran crust would taste really good with that, too!
I’m going to jump in even though I have a deathly fear of gelatinous consistencies. Even too much Xanthan Gum makes me gaggy, but I’d be willing to try it if I win!
Haha! That is kinda funny 🙂 But not funny at the same time…How can you live without the childhoos memory of jello shapes??
The first thing I would make is that chocolate pudding in your picture! Ohmygosh, I’m obsessed with chocolate pudding <3
And I guess that I can also add that my favourite holiday treat is sweet potatoes 🙂
I know, I know, it’s not really a treat and it’s not limited to the holidays but hey, I just love sweet potatoes 😀
Thanks so much for the giveaway! I’ve been dying to try it since I can’t have guar gum/xanthan gum (I’m intolerant sadly.) I would use it in my protein shakes!
Well this Christmas I am spending it working- but I work with severely mentally retarded/medically fragile kids, so I’m so excited to spend the day with them!
Ah, I have definitely been trying to find agar too! I want to make whipped cream with it! 🙂
I want to make a cream pie for my dad! Hmm…coconut, lemon, or peppermint? The choices!
I’ve wanted to try agar for a long time. What’s in like in comparison to guar/xanthan gums, if you’ve tried either?
I have tried xantham, but not guar. I have to say that I like agar agar a lot more than xantham because xantham has kind of a gooey taste too me. Agar makes it stick together like a real jello or pudding without leaving it gooey.
I think you should start with a coconut cream pie!!! Mmm…
My favorite holiday treat is easily molten chocolate cake…because I only get it when I’m back at my favorite steakhouse that I always go to on Christmas Eve!
I’m heading home to be with my family…before heading off to London for a semester. Woo!
damn girl, you have been busy with the agar agar!! haha good for you! I should get in on that…
If I won, I would make some punkin puddin’ 😉
Also – my favorite holiday treat is peppermint mochas and pumpki spice lattes! and I am spending the holidays in Austin and NEw Zealand, as you know. What are you doing?!
I would make some sort of coconut cream pie filling with it, providing I find a recipe! haha. I would also make whipped “cream” to top my Christmas pies with. Oh, and soy-free pudding. 🙂
I have you on my Google Reader. Does that count as subscribing or should I go ahead and do the email subscription, too? 🙂
Yeah, That’s fine!
I became a fan on Facebook!
1. My favorite holiday treat that my family makes is White Trash. It’s the same thing as Puppy Chow and oh man, it is so good!
I’m just spending the holidays with my little family. 🙂 We’re enjoying our time together.
aw man! I was just about to buy agar at the health food store last weekend, but chickened out!
Umm…as I went through a period of my life where I had to eat pudding every day or else I felt a serious void in my stomach (now I just WISH I ate pudding every day)…clearly, I would make pudding.
Then I would probably turn it into an eclair cake.
haha! You are too funny 😉
Purple sweet potatoes!! We had those in Hawaii, amazing!!
I’ve seen agar pudding on Katie’s blog! I would definitely make some chocolate pudding! Thanks for the giveaway, Alex! I don’t think I’d ever find agar flakes!
I think they are Hawaiian sweet potatoes. I googled it. It’s called Okinawan
Ha! It sounds like Star Wars…
My favorite holiday treat is peanut butter roll or pumpkin roll. Oh, and pudding is awesome! I ate it every single day in college. I’d love to win so I could make it on my own.
Did you say peanut butter roll??! Yum! I am an avid peanut-butter lover! Must find this recipe. I have made a healthy version of a kind of Pumpkin roll breakfast, did you see it?
I plan to spend Christmas with my family. This Christmas my Mom will be hosting all of our family. Usually it is at my Aunt’s house. I really enjoy the leftovers!! Plus, we don’t have to drive anywhere and I get to cook and bake!!
OH YUM! the first thing I would make is the vegan yogurt! i miss yogurt so much after quitting dairy. this would be an amazing way to enjoy it!
my absolute favorite holiday treat is a tie between pumpkin pie and peppermint bark! i LOVE both and usually end up having both. choosing is just too hard!
i am going to spend the holidays with my parents and best friend. really, i can’t think of a better way to celebrate the seasons than to be around loved ones!
This looks great! I’ve seen agar agar in the Asia store, but have never used it so far. Exciting! 😀
I used to make a strawberry creme pie with the agar base mixed in the blender with vanilla, fresh strawberries and blueberries. I’d make the usual graham crackers on the bottom with sliced banana. Pour the pudding on top, refridgerate. Light and refreshing. Favorite Christmas treat: sicilian fig cookies: a not very sweet vanilla cookie dough rolled around a mixture of figs, candied fruits, a cut up orange, cinnammon, all spice, cloves, some people add chocolate. Sort of like a fig ruggeleh. Everyone makes them different, some people add walnuts, almonds, some add pignoli nuts ( but I don’t like them ). I think some kind of whisky or cognac is added to the fig mixture. I have not made them in years, it’s sticky and alot of work. I purchased a few this weekend, they are pretty good but could be better. As for activities, just hanging with the family. My daughter is coming home from school. She’s a 3rd year veterinary student. We are looking forward to seeing her and of course, cooking alot of the meals she likes. Agar is so good for you, you feel good eating it and enjoy the dish even more. Can’t say the same for the bakery fig cookies.
Wow! Those sound really good! Thanks for the idea, Anita! I hope you have a good time with your daughter 🙂
I have some agar agar in my cabinet right now! I haven’t really figured out what to do with it yet… so I’ll have to try some of these recipes!!
I would definitely make the yogurt recipe! I have been experiencing discomfort with dairy and soy, so this would be the perfect sub. to satisfy my yogurt cravings! I am also going gluten-free to aid in my IBS, so your blog is SOOOOO helpful! 🙂
Oh yeah! I totally know what that feels like. I don’t eat dairy, corn, or gluten anymore! And I don’t really like to eat soy because I’ve heard it is not good for you unless fermented!
I became a fan on FB! 🙂
I subscribed! 🙂
My favorite holiday treats are COOKIES! I will be making some Gluten-free, dairy-free cookies this year. 🙂
Did you see my recipe for sugar-free monsters? Look under the dessert recipes page!
For the holidays I will be with my mom’s side of the family on Christmas -eating and gift exchanging! On Christmas Eve I will be with my dad, sister, and brother. Sometime, either on Christmas Eve or day, I will be spending some quality time with my boyfriend. No gifts this year. I think we will just cook a simple dinner, eat some coconut milk ice cream and some sort of baked good that I will make for him, and watch a Christmas movie. 🙂
I would make pumpkin pudding. My husband loves it and I can’t bear to make it out of Jello because of all the funky stuff they put in it. This would be great! Love your blog, thanks!
I think Strawberry pudding and put it in a low fat graham cracker crust.
I joined you on Facebook.
My favorite holiday treat… too many but I suppose peanut butter balls
I will be spending my holidays with my family and friends.. Hopefully my brother that had a motorcycle wreck in June will be able to get out of the nursing home to join us at my moms home for Christmas Day. We have figured out a way to get his wheelchair in the house … YAY
I don’t even know what I’d make! I’ve never even heard of it before! I’m very curious though and would love to try it!
and I liked you on facebook 🙂
I would love to use this for pudding! I just found your blog and I love it!!!! you have AMAZING recipes!
it’s amazing what you can find for an extremely lower price at asian markets! i’d definitely use this agar to make some simple puddings!
Would you mind sharing your Hong Kong connection with us for the agar agar powder?
I would make chocolate pudding!!!!!! My kids and I LOVE chocolate pudding, but it is so full of junk when bought at the store. I’m already subscribed by email.
I’m spending the holidays with my family in NC. Our favorite treats are Christmas cookies!!! YUM.
Hmm….i actually dont love traditional “holiday” treats….but I do love potato latkes (which is a jewish holiday treat, so not sure that counts….).
I’m spending the holidays taking care of my dad. We were supposed to go to Israel but we had to put that on hold when his health scare happened.
I’d make some jello!
I would make a panna cotta. I have been dying to make one ever since I saw it on Top Chef last season. But it requires gelatin to set. I heard that you can use this agar agar instead of gelatin and it will be okay.
I would make whipped cream to go with all the holiday desserts.
Thanks for the chance to win!
–Liza
ejm6x (at) yahoo (dot) com
I would make a pudding with the agar agar powder. 🙂
I would make yogurt first – have always wanted to try that!
I haven’t yet tried agar agar but never thought to look for it at my local asian store. I absolutely LOVE purple potatoes/yams by the way. I go to the asian store just for those!
I know! They are amazing! Not as yam-y flavored, but sweet! tastes so good with almond butter!
You can find agar in the baking section of most asian stores 🙂
I would try to make that yogurt! I’m on a huge yogurt kick lately so I think it would be perfect 🙂
I would make chocolate pudding! Yum.
I liked your facebook page. 🙂
Hey there! I would love to make vegan banana pie yogurt! Or perhaps make some cream and top a pumpkin pie! I’ve yet to find a premade kind thats vegan that I like but I’m sure homemade is always better.
Thanks!!!
Maggie
mybreakfastblog.com
Hey cousin – nice job on spreading the healthy belly good word! Keep it up!
I love how Asian places have everything cheaper! 😀 great blog btw! I’m still wondering WHAT exactly agar is though~i shall google it. 🙂 have a great day!
Hi! I was just wondering, where is this Hong Kong market that you found the agar powder?? I’m dying to try it!!
Hi Claire,
It was just a small asian market in Atlanta I think. It was a while ago, so I don’t remember exactly. Sorry!