I've used agar-agar in place of gelatin, and the package should give you conversion information for whatever you decide to use. Read the label and contents very closely. Some "vegetarian" versions of agar-agar have beef stock added to enhance the growth medium, clearly for a laboratory setting.
Thank you so much for your answer! I didn't realize that agar-agar sometimes had beef stock added and wouldn't have thought to look for that. Much appreciated!
You can try agar agar which is a seaweed. Unfortunately, I don't have much experience swapping out gelatin for something vegetarian. It is a matter of trial and error.
Courtney C - Updated, more complete info. When I wrote earlier, I thought kosher gelatin was plant-based. Turns out I was wrong. Sorry for mis-directing you. Kosher gelatin products are mostly derived from fish, and occasionally from kosher meat species.
This paragraph from a review of kosher gelatin provides more info on plant-based gelling agents, with their pluses & minuses (long story short: most don't provide the same firmness as regular gelatin, and sometimes the cooked product is loose in texture and/or watery):
here are other gelatin substitutes that are not animal or fish based, which have properties similar to gelatin and can serve in its stead. Common among them are Agar Agar and Carrageenan, made from sea vegetation. Agar Agar or Katen is derived from a red algae known as gelidium comeum. Agar Agar has strong setting properties similar to gelatin. In fact, unlike gelatin which needs refrigeration to set, Agar Agar will gel at room temperature. Gels made from Agar Agar are affected by acidity more than gelatin. Thus, one may find that fruity deserts made with Agar Agar are more likely to turn watery. Carrageenan, also known as Irish Moss, is a reddish purple seaweed. Its gel is not as stiff as gelatin or Agar Agar, but it is quite useful as an emulsifier as well as a gelling or thickening additive. There are other vegetable derivatives that can serve to replace gelatin as stabilizers, emulsifiers, or thickeners. Pectin, used in jams and jellies, is a complex carbohydrate extracted from apple pulp and citrus rinds. There are many other vegetable gums that can be used, as well. Amongst them are the gums of Guar, Carob, Gum Arabic, Tragacanth, and Karaya. Guar is a legume commonly found in Pakistan and India. Gum Arabic is derived from the sap of acacia trees found in the Sudan and West Africa. Locust bean gum extracted from carob beans (Buxser) is common in the Middle-East and the Mediterranean. Tragacanth gum is gathered from the sap of the astragalus shrub common to Asia. Karaya or sterculia gum is from the sterculia tree found in India. Xantham Gum, often seen as an ingredient in kosher salad dressings and the like, is not of plant origin. It is produced by the microbial fermentation of a carbohydrate with the xanthomonas campestris organism. Gelatin substitutes are also making headway in the field of vitamin and medicinal capsules.So, when you want to get into the thick of it, or if you want you dessert to gel, there are alternatives that do not compromise good kashrus standards. https://www.star-k.org/articles/kashrus-kurrents/1404/getting-into-continued-on-page-4-the-thick-of-things-gelatin/?gclid=CjwKCAjw2qHsBRAGEiwAMbPoDJonWdfryhrV1cnCNbJ_xSs7V5RFM71aj38tVbE8G4FZ6QSlpsoXuRoCwj4QAvD_BwE
Thank you so much for this very thorough response! I will have to do some testing to determine which would work best. I have always struggled with recipes that use gelatin as it does do its job very well. I'll make myself a few bellinis and try out the pie :-). Thanks again!
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Otherwise order on line.
Updated, more complete info.
When I wrote earlier, I thought kosher gelatin was plant-based. Turns out I was wrong. Sorry for mis-directing you.
Kosher gelatin products are mostly derived from fish, and occasionally from kosher meat species.
This paragraph from a review of kosher gelatin provides more info on plant-based gelling agents, with their pluses & minuses (long story short: most don't provide the same firmness as regular gelatin, and sometimes the cooked product is loose in texture and/or watery):
here are other gelatin substitutes that are not animal or fish based, which have properties similar to gelatin and can serve in its stead. Common among them are Agar Agar and Carrageenan, made from sea vegetation. Agar Agar or Katen is derived from a red algae known as gelidium comeum. Agar Agar has strong setting properties similar to gelatin. In fact, unlike gelatin which needs refrigeration to set, Agar Agar will gel at room temperature. Gels made from Agar Agar are affected by acidity more than gelatin. Thus, one may find that fruity deserts made with Agar Agar are more likely to turn watery. Carrageenan, also known as Irish Moss, is a reddish purple seaweed. Its gel is not as stiff as gelatin or Agar Agar, but it is quite useful as an emulsifier as well as a gelling or thickening additive. There are other vegetable derivatives that can serve to replace gelatin as stabilizers, emulsifiers, or thickeners. Pectin, used in jams and jellies, is a complex carbohydrate extracted from apple pulp and citrus rinds. There are many other vegetable gums that can be used, as well. Amongst them are the gums of Guar, Carob, Gum Arabic, Tragacanth, and Karaya. Guar is a legume commonly found in Pakistan and India. Gum Arabic is derived from the sap of acacia trees found in the Sudan and West Africa. Locust bean gum extracted from carob beans (Buxser) is common in the Middle-East and the Mediterranean. Tragacanth gum is gathered from the sap of the astragalus shrub common to Asia. Karaya or sterculia gum is from the sterculia tree found in India. Xantham Gum, often seen as an ingredient in kosher salad dressings and the like, is not of plant origin. It is produced by the microbial fermentation of a carbohydrate with the xanthomonas campestris organism. Gelatin substitutes are also making headway in the field of vitamin and medicinal capsules.So, when you want to get into the thick of it, or if you want you dessert to gel, there are alternatives that do not compromise good kashrus standards.
https://www.star-k.org/articles/kashrus-kurrents/1404/getting-into-continued-on-page-4-the-thick-of-things-gelatin/?gclid=CjwKCAjw2qHsBRAGEiwAMbPoDJonWdfryhrV1cnCNbJ_xSs7V5RFM71aj38tVbE8G4FZ6QSlpsoXuRoCwj4QAvD_BwE