Vegan Strawberry Peach Aspic Is A Refreshing, Easy Summer Dessert

Vegan Strawberry Peach Aspic is sooo refreshing, healthy, and easy to prepare.  It's the ideal Summer Diet dessert. 

Fruit aspics, sometimes called Kanten, are made using agar agar (powder, flakes, or sticks), derived from a red algae plant, used in lieu of gelatin, which is made from the hooves, cartilage, skin and bones of livestock animals, typically from bovine (pigs).   Hence, it's vegan, and in my opinion, so much softer, lighter and more enjoyable.


Vegan Strawberry Peach AspicVegan Strawberry Peach Aspic (before chilling)


Fruit aspics, sometimes called Kanten, are a great way to take advantage of fresh, seasonal summer fruits, although pre-sliced frozen or organic canned fruit makes this summer dessert super easy to prepare.  

I made this Vegan Strawberry Peach Aspic on the fly recently  for a quick, last minute dessert.  The heat was on outside, and a friend drove in from out of town to join us for lunch.  I made a Soba Noodle and Vegetable Salad with Tofu (sure wish I took pictures!) as the main entrée, and had the Vegan Strawberry Peach Aspic for dessert, a perfect combination for a hot summer day to help us stay cool.  It received two big thumbs up by all three of us!!!


Health Benefits of Agar Agar

Studies have found agar agar (or just agar) to be beneficial for aiding weight loss because of its high fiber content.  One study found that adding agar to a reduced calorie, conventional Japanese diet helped obese patients with impaired glucose tolerance and type 2 diabetes have marked weight loss (more than those given a similar diet, without the agar), with improvements in many health markers, including a reduction in HbA(1)c, visceral fat area, subcutaneous fat area, total body fat, and total cholesterol.

Agar is rich in soluble fiber, which aids digestion, and helps to control appetite and prevent the body from storing excess fat.  According to this article on Pacific Harvest,  "It’s claimed that some Japanese women use agar every spring to cleanse their bodies (to lose a little extra weight and for general well being), by adding half a teaspoon of Agar to their tea and drinking it 10 minutes before the evening meal." 

Since agar is a sea vegetable, it is also a great source of many minerals and essential fatty acids.  It can be used in a variety of ways, whether as a fruit aspic, pudding, or more savory vegetable dishes.  

Once you see how easy it is to use, you'll be wanting to keep some agar on hand for quick refreshing, crowd pleasing desserts.


Vegan Strawberry Peach Aspic Ingredients

Where to find agar agar for making sweet & savory aspics

Agar agar comes in a few forms, most commonly as flakes or powder, but also as sticks. There are many sources online.  Here is the agar agar page on Amazon.

We use Eden Agar Agar Flakes.  We found it in a 4-pack of 1 oz. size pouches.  You may be able to find it in Asian sections of Fresh Thyme, Sprouts, or other stores, or purchase from Amazon or Vitacost.com.  

I've not used the powder, but it's similar.  Generally, you use 1 Tbsp. of agar agar per 1 cup of liquid.  It must be boiled and simmered to totally dissolve the powder or flakes.  Instructions should be on your packet.  

The It's Just Agar Agar Powder is pretty economical and has great reviews.  

If you plan to use a lot,  Micro Ingredients Agar Agar, comes in a 16 oz. size.  MicroIngredients is a brand I trust.


Vegan Strawberry Peach AspicVegan Strawberry Peach Aspic, before chilling (on R) and once set (L); Far back picture is small extra bowl of plain Strawberry Aspic with Shredded Coconut
Vegan Strawberry Peach Aspic

Vegan Strawberry Peach Aspic Recipe

Vegan Strawberry Peach Aspic Recipe Ingredients & Steps  (Makes about 6 servings)

  • 3 cups juice of choice - I used Simple Truth Organic Passion Fruit which I recommend for this particular recipe, however, apple juice, mango juice or others could be used
  • 3 Tbsp. agar agar flakes
  • Around 2 cups of fresh or frozen and thawed sliced strawberries 
  • 1-2 sliced nectarines
  • 1 can Simple Truth Organic Canned Sliced Peaches in Juice, drained, reserving juice
  • About 1 tsp. almond extract
  • 1 Tbsp. organic cane sugar (I use Zulka Morena 100% pure, non-GMO (vegan) cane sugar)
  • Couple pinches of sea salt
  • Shredded coconut to sprinkle on top, optional - and best if ground first (see notes)


  1. Measure enough juice and juice from canned fruit to get 3 cups.
  2. Whisk juice and agar in a pot, and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, and let simmer 5 minutes, covered.  Whisk it here and there to prevent sticking.
  3. Meanwhile place fruit in a large enough bowl or jello mold.  
  4. Remove juice and agar from heat, and stir in extract, sugar and salt.
  5. Pour over fruit.  Stir a bit to evenly distribute the juice mixture.  Sprinkle with shredded (or ground) coconut if using, then cover (I cover my bowl with a plate) and refrigerate until set.  It should be ready in about 2 hours, depending on the size of the bowl or mold used.  It will look firm, but not quite as solidly firm and springy as jello.  

Vegan Strawberry Peach Aspic Notes

Vegan Strawberry Aspic with CoconutStrawberry Aspic with Shredded Coconut + Strawberry Peach Aspic (see notes, below)
  1. As mentioned above, be sure to dissolve the agar agar flakes (or powder) in juice until completely smooth by bringing to a boil, then simmering 5 minutes.
  2. I ended up with more juice / agar mixture than would fit in my bowl, so I quickly created a second smaller bowl with some more strawberries, and topped that bowl with some shredded coconut.  I would do that again, however, I would grind the coconut flakes up into smaller pieces first.  The Trader Joe's Coconut Flakes are a bit too thick flaked for my preferences.  
  3. Use whatever juice and fruit combo you like, including apple juice and strawberries, or a berry or cherry juice with blueberries or cherries.  
  4. Canned fruit works well for this dessert and saves time, especially if already sliced.  Simple Truth has canned mango, pear and peaches.  I may try using mango next time.
  5. I think adding a touch of sweetener helps, but it's optional.  Sub as per your preferences.  I'm thinking monk fruit would work, but I personally enjoy the organic cane sugar.  It comes to 1/2 tsp. per serving.


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