Homemade Vegetarian Fondant Recipe From Scratch

This homemade vegetarian fondant recipe is without gelatin. This simple and easy recipe uses agar-agar which is plant-based. The recipe is adapted from my most popular homemade fondant recipe. In addition, this vegetarian fondant is also vegan, eggless, dairy-free and Parve and can be used to cover cakes, cookies or cupcakes.

While my homemade Fondant recipe is very popular, it also contains gelatin. Thus, it's unsuitable for people who are vegetarian. And, I also have tons of people requesting how to change or substitute it to vegetarian fondant. So, of course, I had to go and figure out how it would work out without gelatin.

So, finally I did test my recipe and am happy to say this is what works best for the vegetarian version of the fondant. In fact, this recipe is basically adapted from my homemade fondant recipe. And, as you can see, most of the ingredients are the same with changes only made to the amounts. So, try and keep the amounts mentioned in this recipe accurate.

Below, is the cake I made with this vegetarian fondant. I did not take any progress pictures because the method is exactly the same as my Homemade Fondant recipe.

Agar Agar

This is vegetarian seaweed-based gelatin that comes in powder form. And, it works quite the same as gelatin. However, there are different qualities in the market, some better than others. So keep that in mind.

And, those of you in India, can also get agar-agar in the form of China grass. I think that's what the term is. In fact, it is agar-agar but very diluted and does not set in the same manner. So, if you use it you may find that the fondant is less stretch or elastic.

Ingredients and substitutes

• Water - Water is the easiest to dissolve agar-agar. Having said that, I often use fresh cream (just like my homemade fondant recipe). And yet, not everyone seems to have success using fresh cream to dissolve agar agar. So, to keep things easy - let's just do water.
• Light corn syrup - Can be found in any cake decorating store. And, if you cannot find light corn syrup, you can also use glucose. Use the same quantity the only difference is glucose is thicker than light corn syrup. That's ok.
• Agar Agar - You can also use 1 tbsp of vegetarian gelatin instead. I made a special note about agar-agar  - please read above. 
• Glycerin - Please use only edible glycerin found at most cake decorating stores or pharmacy.
• Clear vanilla - The purpose of clear vanilla is to maintain the white color of the fondant. And, if you cannot find clear vanilla, you can also use rose extract or almond extract.
• Powdered sugar - Also called confectioners sugar or icing sugar. I highly recommend using powdered sugar made with cane sugar, not beet sugar. Since, beet sugar has a tendency to be very grainy.
  So, make sure you do not have lumps in your powder sugar. And, if necessary sift the sugar.

Here is another cake I made using this fondant

Step by step instructions

• First, prepare a bowl with 400 grams of powdered sugar, salt, and tylose powder.
• Next, make a hollow in the center ready for our agar agar mixture.

Dissolve Agar Agar

• Dissolve agar-agar in water - let sit for 5 minutes.
• Then, add light corn syrup after the agar-agar has soaked in the water.
• Place on the stovetop on medium-low heat (takes time but it will dissolve).
• Stir continuously until well dissolved.
• Note: keep the heat to med-low or the water will all evaporate. And, if the mixture becomes to thick add a few tablespoons of water.
• Next, add glycerine and stir well.
  Tip - If you find the agar-agar is setting - place it back on the heat to ensure it's melted again.
• While still warm and liquid, pour right the mixture immediately into the bowl with powdered sugar.
• Note - if the agar-agar is not completely dissolved - pour the mixture thru a sieve so you won't have grains in the finished product.

Combine well

• Working quickly.
• Use a wooden spoon to combine the powdered sugar and liquid.
• Then, knead with your hand - adding additional powdered sugar to make a pliable dough. Also, add in the tylose powder and knead it in
• Note: Do not add too much of the powdered sugar as the fondant will firm as it rests in the fridge.
• You want it to be pliable but not sticky. And, you don't want it to be stiff. In fact, you can add more powdered sugar later too.

Rest until set

• Divide the mixture into two (or more) portions and place in a ziplock bag.
• Then, place these zip lock bags in a plastic container to prevent drying.
• Let rest in the fridge for a couple of hours or overnight.

Using the fondant

• First, bring fondant to room temperature by leaving it out for a couple of hours.
• Once set, fondant can be stored at room temperature (see storage).
• And, knead well before you use. Kneading is key to getting a smooth fondant covered cake.
• And, if the fondant is too stiff - a 5 sec burst in the microwave works great.

Storage

• Regular Fondant can last for months if kept properly.
• In fact, the high quantity of powdered sugar works as a preservative.
• Also, this fondant can stay at room temperature for about a month on the counter. I usually portion mine into 1 kg / 2-pound bags.
  Having said that, in the interest of safety If you are not using your fondant it’s best to keep it in the fridge rather than on the counter especially in summer months. If you have hot and humid weather it's best to keep the fondant in the fridge if not using for a few days just to be safe and ensure good preservation.
• You can also place them in the fridge for up to 3 months. If you need to keep it longer store it in the freezer. Thaw it in the fridge Just take it out a couple of hours or the night before you need it.
• Being a cake decorator my fondant doesn’t usually stay long. I make a couple of batches in one month. So if you do have any information to share please put a comment at the bottom of this post so it will help the other users.

Using the fondant

Lastly, when ready to use. Remove from the fridge and let it reach room temperature. Once at room temperature, knead well until soft, and yet not sticky. Now, you can also add more powdered sugar if needed. Can you see the elasticity? You should be able to pull it like this - like taffy.

How do you color homemade rolled fondant

Being a cake decorator, I have tons of posts related to fondant, including tutorials. So I won't bore you by repeating myself. Therefore, I shared two detailed posts one was 14 must-know tips for working with fondant and the other being How to color fondant. In addition, I'll also give you a few important tips here.

• Always use edible food color gels for coloring fondant. Because they will not make your fondant softer in consistency since they are very concentrated in color.
• And if you don't have food color gels - you can also use liquid color at the beginning of the recipe while reducing the original quantity of liquid in the recipe.
• Food color gels will intensify over time. So if you color it ahead of time - make it one shade lighter and keep it for a few days. That way you won't have to add more white or use too much color gel.
• Also, color gels can dye your hands. So it's best to use gloves when coloring fondant. In addition, rubbing veg shortening on your gloved hands also helps. Personally, I find that working with gloves is not easy, especially with sticky fondant. So, I work with fondant by just rubbing my hand with vegetable shortening, and then washing them clean with a cream-based detergent.

How much fondant do I need for my cake?

The chart below is based on 4 inch tall cakes. For shorter height you will need less and tall cakes will obviously need more.
Having said that, this presumes rolling fondant closer to ⅛" thickness. If you roll fondant too thick closer to ¼" inch thick you will need more.

Round	Square	Metric	lbs	OZ
6-inch	5-inch	600 g	1.3 lbs	18 oz
7-inch	6-inch	750 g	1.6 lbs	20 oz
8-inch	7-inch	900 g	2 lbs	24 oz
9-inch	8-inch	1 kg	2.2 lbs	30 oz
10-inch	9-inch	1.2 kg	2.6 lbs	36 oz
11-inch	10-inch	1.5 kg	3.4 lbs	40 oz
12-inch	11-inch	1.7 kg	3.7 lbs	48 oz
14"inch	12-inch	2.5 kg	5.5 lbs	72 oz
	14-inch	2.7 kg	6 lbs	108 oz

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Frequently asked questions

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Troubleshooting

My rolled fondant is cracking when rolled?

Often the issue here is that too much powdered sugar has been added.

Why is my rolled fondant tearing on the cake?

Fondant needs to be rolled between ¼" to ⅛" thick. In fact, ¼" is too thick. And, it can cause the fondant to break with its own weight. And, ⅛" is thin and can cause the fondant to tear as you stretch it. However, finding that right thickness that works for you comes with practice, so don't give up.

My homemade fondant is too sticky?

If you are making homemade fondant and the fondant is still too sticky - you probably need more fondant. And, if you live in a hot humid place and over-knead the fondant it can also become sticky. In this case, you need to let the fondant rest and then roll again later. Or place in the fridge until it cools off a bit.

My fondant is too hard what can I do?

First, thaw the fondant in the fridge for 10 seconds so you can knead it. Then, add a teaspoon or two of glycerin to help soften it. Next, add vegetable shortening and knead it some more.
And, if this still does not work, its best to use this fondant for decorative purposes and decorations. Then, make a fresh batch for covering the cake.

What other fondant can I make if I don't have these ingredients?

This homemade fondant uses a few ingredients. And yet, there are also others with fewer ingredients. For example, a marshmallow fondant uses two main ingredients and is just as easy to use.

And, if you plan to make a cake that needs brown fondant, then perhaps make chocolate fondant. That way, you can skip the process of coloring, and it's chocolate. And who doesn't like chocolate? In addition, I also have two brown fondant recipes for you, and one made with chocolate marshmallow fondant.

And, if you need a black fondant, I would prefer to make a black fondant from scratch rather than just add colors. In addition, you do need a lot, and the result is a very soft fondant.