Fruit caviar is a delightful creation that adds a burst of color and flavor to your desserts and drinks. This vegan alternative to traditional caviar is customizable and fun to make. In this article, we’ll guide you through the process, share some essential tips, and even provide a few creative juice combinations for your own fruit caviar. Let’s dive in!
Ingredients:
To get started, you only need three key ingredients.
Fruit Juice: This ingredient serves as the foundation of your fruit caviar, lending it both flavor and color. Be cautious, though, as some fruits like kiwifruit, papayas, pineapple, peaches, mangoes, guavas, and figs contain an enzyme called bromelin, which can interfere with agar’s setting process.
Agar Agar Powder: Agar-agar is a plant-based gelatin derived from seaweed, making it a perfect choice for vegans. You can find it in various forms, but powdered agar is the most convenient and cost-effective option, as it dissolves quickly. If you’d like to explore other gorgeous agar agar creations check out our watermelon fruit jello!
Oil: Chilled oil is essential for crafting your fruit caviar. Most oils work, but avoid those that would be solid when chilled, such as virgin coconut oil.
How to Make Vegan Fruit Caviar:
Begin by placing a generous amount of oil in a tall glass and chilling it in the freezer for 30 minutes. Remember, you can reuse the oil afterwords.
After 20 minutes, you can start preparing the fruit jelly. In a small saucepan, combine 1/2 cup of fruit juice with agar agar powder. If your juice is highly acidic, use 3/4 tsp of agar agar powder; for more basic juices, opt for 1/2 tsp. Stir the mixture and then heat it over medium-high heat, stirring nearly continuously. Bring the mixture to a boil till fully disolved, about three minutes.
Then, remove the saucepan from the heat and let the jelly cool for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, grab your glass of chilled oil and an oral syringe or dropper. Carefully release small drops of the juice into the oil, so as to ensure they are not too close to prevent larger spheres from forming. The chilled oil will help the jelly balls firm up as they descend. If the jelly starts to firm up in the saucepan, simply return it to the stove to reheat.
Once you’ve created your fruit caviar, strain it through a fine mesh strainer. Store the fruit jelly in a covered container in the fridge, where it will stay fresh for up to seven days. Before serving, rinse the fruit caviar with water to remove any lingering oil.
Colorful Fruit Caviar Combinations Tested:
Red: 1/2 cup of Cranberry Juice and 1/2 tsp of agar agar. Rating: 2/5, the spheres set too soft, as a result I recommend using 3/4 tsp of agar agar powder.
Pink: 1/2 cup of Ruby red grapefruit juice and 3/4 tsp of agar agar powder. Rating: 5/5.
Orange: 1/2 cup of mango juice and 1/2 tsp of agar agar powder. Rating: 4/5, while the mango caviar turned out great, mango contains an enzyme that can cause agar jelly not to set so results will vary.
Yellow: 1/2 cup of orange juice and 3/4 tsp of agar agar powder rating: 5/5.
Green: 1/2 cup of Orange Juice, 3/4 tsp of agar agar powder, and 1/2 tsp of blue spirulina (added before cooking). Rating: 5/5.
Blue: 1/2 cup of Orange Juice, 3/4 tsp of agar agar powder, and 1 tsp of blue spirulina (added after cooking). Rating: 5/5.
Indigo/Violet: 2 tbsp of elderberry syrup, 6 tbsp of water, and 1/2 tsp of agar agar powder. Rating; 5/5.
Conclusion:
Creating your own plant-based fruit caviar is an exciting adventure in the world of vegan culinary artistry. Customize your caviar with various fruit juices to suit your taste, and enjoy it with sweets and drinks. Share your experience with us by leaving a review, and let us know what fruit combinations you use! The possibilities are endless, so have fun crafting your vibrant fruit caviar!
Fruit Caviar
Course: DessertDifficulty: Easy8
servings5
minutes45
minutesThis isn’t your average caviar. These vibrant spheres are made from fruit juice! They add a burst of color and flavor to your treats and drinks, with just three ingredients!
Ingredients
1/2 cup of fruit juice
1/2 tsp agar agar powder for low acidic fruit juice
or
3/4 tsp agar agar powder for highly acidic fruit juice2 cups of oil (excluding oils that are solid when chilled)
Directions
- Chill the oil in a tall glass inside the freezer for 30 minutes.
- In a saucepan, combine agar powder and juice, then bring to a boil, while stirring almost constantly.
- Boil until the agar agar powder is fully dissolved, approximately 3 minutes.
- Allow the juice to cool for 5 minutes.
- Using an oral syringe or dropper, carefully release individual drops of juice into the chilled oil. If the jelly starts to firm up in the saucepan, simply return it to the stove to reheat.
- Strain the juice caviar gently using a fine mesh strainer. You can reuse the oil.
- Rinse the fruit caviar with water before serving. Enjoy!
Notes
- It’s best to avoid kiwifruit, papayas, pineapple, peaches, mangoes, guavas, and figs as they contain an enzyme called bromelin, which can interfere with agar’s setting process.
- You cannot substitute gelatin for agar agar powder here.
