GF Deep Fried Jello
Deep fried jello, made famous at the Utah State Fair by The Fry Guy, is an creative Fair Food. Use your favorite flavor, and be careful!
GF Deep Fried Jello
Serves: 12 | Prep Time: 2 days | Cook Time: 10 min
Ingredients
Super Gelled Gelatin
- 2 (3oz) packages sugar free Jello (we used green jello) or vegan sugar free jello-style commercial dessert blend
- 3 tsp (6g) agar powder. It’s important to use the agar powder in this – you can’t skip it!!
- 1/2 c (118ml) boiling water
Fry Batter
- 2 cups Better Batter Pancake Mix* plus additional as needed (choose one):
- 224 g Original Pancake Mix, with oil (blue box) OR
- 200 g New Oil Free Pancake Mix (bag) + 2 Tbsp (24g) oil, mixed
- 1/2 cup (120g) extra fine caster sugar
- 2 cups (473ml) milk or DF sub
- 2 eggs, optional
Additional Ingredients/Tools
- oil, for deep frying
- Heavy pot for frying
- skewers
Instructions:
Prepare Super Gelled Gelatin. This step is best done the night before you intend to fry the jello. In a small saucepan, stir together the gelatin/or jello dessert and agar until completely mixed. Add the boiling water, stir well, and allow to sit for 10 minutes, to allow the mixture to ‘bloom’ (ie soften). Place the pan on medium heat and bring to a simmer. Simmer, stirring constantly, for 3-4 minutes, or until the gelatin/agar dissolves completely and is smooth and clear. Remove from heat. Pour gelatin into a small (1qt) container and cover tightly. Place in fridge and allow to set, at least 1 hour and up to 2 days.
Prepare gelatin for frying. Remove gelatin from fridge and cut into 1/2 inch cubes. You may make them larger if you wish, but no larger than 1 inch. Separate into cubes and skewer. Place into freezer.
Prepare batter. Place Better Batter Gluten Free Pancake and Biscuit mix into a deep liquid measuring cup, pitcher, or mixing bowl. You want the depth of batter in your container to be deep enough to coat the gelatin. In a separate bowl, whisk together extra fine sugar, water, oil - if using new pancake mix, and optional eggs. Whisk until the sugar dissolves completely, about 3 minutes. Pour wet mixture over pancake mix and whisk quickly to combine, about 30 seconds. Mixture should be between the texture of heavy cream and pancake batter and will thicken as it sits, but if it is too thin, add just a bit of pancake mix to the batter and stir gently, until proper texture is achieved. If batter is too thick, you may add additional eggs or milk - keep in mind, adding too much water will cause your structure of your coating to deteriorate (become gummy) or fall apart in the oil. See special notes* in next step for how to make use of a thick batter without adding liquids*.
Coat Gelatin. Remove cubes of gelatin from freezer one at a time and quickly dip into batter. Return to freezer for 4 more hours or until frozen, up to 2 days, if tightly covered.
Fry Gelatin. Heat oil to a depth of 3 inches or more, to 375F. Prepare a rack for draining. Remove gelatin from freezer - we suggest removing only a few pieces at a time, and plunge it into the hot oil to fry until the exterior is golden brown. Drain on a rack, and allow at least 5 minutes to cool before eating. This will be VERY hot, so be careful!!
SPECIAL NOTES ON THICK BATTER! If you find your batter has thickened to the texture of dough, you can still use it without adding liquid! To do so, add just enough pancake mix to the dough to make a texture between drop biscuits and rolled biscuits, then scoop by 1-2 tbsp measures into your hand (it may help to wet your hands, to prevent sticking. Flatten the dough to a disk about 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick, and about 3 - 4 inches wide, and wrap the dough around the frozen gelatin, pressing to adhere to the skewer.
This recipe was originally tested and adapted from a recipe published by Naomi Poe in July 2013. Original photo of food by Naomi Poe, with background created via AI generative technology.
