Home baking is one of the easiest ways to know exactly what you're eating. Most recipes are halal as written. A handful of ingredients aren't, and each one has a simple swap.
Gelatine
Recipes for cheesecake, mousse, panna cotta, marshmallows and jelly often call for gelatine leaves or powder. This can be pork or unspecified gelatine.
Swap for:
- Agar agar (E406), from seaweed. It sets firmer than gelatine and has to be boiled briefly to work. Brands differ in strength, so follow the pack for quantities.
- Fish gelatine, or beef gelatine with a halal certificate. Both are sold in halal shops and online, and are used like ordinary gelatine.
- Pectin (E440) for jams and fruit jellies.
Vanilla extract
Real vanilla extract is made by soaking vanilla pods in alcohol. Scholars differ on whether the small amount left after baking matters; our vanilla extract answer covers both views.
Swap for: vanilla paste labelled alcohol-free, vanilla powder, the seeds from a vanilla pod, or vanillin (vanilla flavouring), which contains no alcohol.
Alcohol in recipes
Rum in fruit cakes, brandy in Christmas cake, Marsala in tiramisu, liqueur in truffles.
Swap for: orange or apple juice for soaking fruit, strong coffee for tiramisu, and alcohol-free flavourings. Avoid "rum flavouring" unless it says alcohol-free; see alcoholic drink flavouring.
Lard and suet
Old pastry and pudding recipes use lard or beef suet.
Swap for: butter, vegetable shortening or vegetable suet. Butter gives the best flavour in shortcrust pastry; a mix of butter and vegetable shortening gives a flakier crust.
Cheese
Cheesecakes and savoury bakes may use cheese made with animal rennet. Cream cheese and mascarpone can be made with acid or cultures, but check the pack. For hard cheeses, choose ones labelled suitable for vegetarians. See is cheese halal?
Shop-bought shortcuts
Ready-made pastry, icing and decorations save time, but check them:
- Ready-rolled pastry: check whether the fat is vegetable or butter and what the pack says about emulsifiers.
- Sprinkles: may contain carmine (E120) or shellac (E904).
- Ready-made frosting: sometimes contains E471 from an unstated source.
When in doubt, scan the barcode and the checker will tell you what needs a closer look.
Common questions
Can I use agar in a no-bake cheesecake? It can be done: dissolve the agar in a little hot liquid, boil it briefly and whisk it into the mixture while it is still warm, as agar sets as it cools. Follow your agar's instructions for amounts.
Is baking powder halal? Bicarbonate of soda is a mineral. Baking powder adds an acid and a starch, and where the acid is cream of tartar (E336) our checker marks it Doubtful, because it is usually recovered from winemaking by-products.
What about food colouring gels? Most are synthetic and fine. Red and pink ones occasionally use carmine, so check the label.
