4 Easy Ways to Make Sea Moss Gel at Home

Last updated on October 28, 2022

Homemade Strawberry-infused sea moss gel

Sea moss gel is an excellent source of nutrients. With only two tablespoons a day, you can considerably improve your overall health and wellness and prevent or treat numerous health conditions.

So, let’s learn how to make your own sea moss gel and reap its nutritional benefits!

What is Sea Moss Gel?

Sea moss gel, also referred to as carrageenan gum, is a jelly-like substance obtained from sea moss. This seaweed, scientifically known as Chondrus crispus or Irish moss, is absolutely loaded with healthy nutrients, minerals, and vitamins. 

While sea moss is one of the best superfoods to add to your diet, not everyone enjoys eating seaweed. A great alternative, then, is to have sea moss gel. It's almost tasteless and can be added to any food or drink recipe, such as smoothies.

Besides, 2 to 4 tablespoons of sea moss a day are enough to reap all its health benefits! 

You can purchase ready-to-eat sea moss gel. But if you like experimenting in the kitchen, you'll love preparing your own!

Related article: How to make sea moss gummies

Organics Nature Premium Sea Moss Gel is 100% Organic and Wildcrafted

How to Make Sea Moss Gel: Recipe

Sea moss gel is made by blending rehydrated sea moss with water. The carrageenan it naturally contains gives it its jelly-like consistency. There are no other ingredients than sea moss and water in sea moss gel.

You can also make sea moss gel by boiling dried sea moss. But while the boiling method is popular in Jamaica, we do not recommend it. Exposing sea moss to high temperatures can kill its nutrients and considerably reduce its benefits.

Here’s a 3-step easy recipe to turn sea moss into a gel without boiling it. Basically, you need to clean it, soak it, and blend it.

1. Clean the sea moss

To make your own sea moss gel, you need pure raw dehydrated sea moss alga. You can purchase 100% organic and wildcrafted dried sea moss at Organics Nature.

Organics Nature Raw Dry Sea Moss from Saint Lucia  (4 oz)

Dried sea moss may contain a bit of sand, dirt, and remains from the sea. So, you first need to clean it. Here’s how to clean sea moss properly: 

1. First, remove a handful of the dried sea moss from the package.
2. Then, rinse it thoroughly in a sink.
3. Ensure you've removed as much sand and dirt as possible.

2. Soak sea moss in water

Before you can turn sea moss into gel, you must soak it in water for a few hours. Irish moss must rehydrate, expand in size, and become slimy before making gel. Here’s how to soak your sea moss in water:

1. Put your clean sea moss in a glass container.
2. Add spring or filtered water until the seaweed is fully covered.
3. At this stage, you can add juice or slices of lemon or lime to the soaking water. It helps take the bitterness and saltiness away.
4. Let the sea moss soak in that water for 4 to 10 hours. You may soak it for longer but give it at least 4 hours.

When you notice that the sea moss is a clear color and has expanded in size (about twice its original volume!), it’s ready to be turned into gel!

If there’s excess water, do not drain it or throw it away! The water in which sea moss has soaked is packed with minerals and vitamins. It’s nutritional gold! You can either drink it, use it as a base for food or drink recipes, or use it in the following steps to make the gel.

3. Turn sea moss into gel

After prepping your sea moss and soaking it, you can move on to making sea moss gel. Here’s how to proceed:

1. Add the expanded sea moss at the bottom of a blender.
2. Cover it with water. We recommend using the excess soaking water if there is any. Otherwise, add spring or filtered water.
3. Blend until the mix is completely smooth and looks like a jelly-like substance.
4. Stir with a spoon to make sure there are no clumps lefts.
5. At this stage, you can adjust the consistency of your sea moss gel. If it’s too thick, add more water and blend again. If it’s too liquid, you can add some more clean and soaked sea moss until you reach the desired consistency.
6. Pour your homemade sea moss gel into a glass container with an airtight lid.
7. It’s now ready for consumption!

Sea moss gel has no preservatives. It must be kept in the fridge and consumed within 3 to 4 weeks. Always keep the lid on.

Sea Moss Gel Recipe: Tutorial Video!

Here’s a tutorial video we’ve made to show you how to make sea moss gel:

How to Make Sea Moss Gel Without a Blender?

Making sea moss gel without a blender is a bit tricky, but you can achieve it through three different methods.

Making sea moss gel on a stove

The stove method is probably the easiest, but it involves boiling, which may destroy nutrients and reduce sea moss's health benefits.

Clean and soak your dry sea moss as instructed in the recipe above. Put it in a pot and cover it with water. Cook on the stove on low heat for about 30 minutes until it starts boiling.

Let it cool down, and strain the liquid. Store the liquid part in the fridge until it thickens (it won't get as thick as sea moss gel made with the blender method). Then, you can eat the jelly-like liquid and the sea moss itself.

Mashing sea moss into gel 

Another alternative sea moss gel recipe without a blender is the mashing method. 

First, clean your dry sea moss properly, and let it soak in water for at least 24 hours. The more it soaks, the easier it gets to mash later. 

Drain the water off and ardently mash the seaweed with a fork (or a potato masher). Add the drained water slowly and keep mashing until you reach the desired consistency. 

The mashing method does not involve boiling, so you'll still be able to reap all the natural properties of sea moss. However, the gel won’t have such a smooth consistency as the one obtained with a blender.

Preparing sea moss gel with sea moss powder

You can also make sea moss gel with sea moss powder. It's probably the easiest method. Mix 2 tbsp of sea moss powder (from sea moss capsules, for example) with warm water (not boiling!). Stir well and keep in the fridge for 6 to 8 hours until the gel is set and ready. 

 

Organics Nature Sea Moss Capsules, Enriched with Bladderwrack and Burdock Root

Preparing Sea Moss Gel: FAQs

While making your own sea moss gel is easy, beginners may fail to make the recipe at home or encounter some difficulties.

The consistency, taste, and nutritional value of sea moss gel are highly affected by the quality of the dry seaweed. So, first, make sure you purchase real wildcrafted Chondrus crispus and stay away from fake pool-grown sea moss.

Here's a series of FAQs about making sea moss gel our team of experts answers for you. Don't hesitate to ask yours in the comment section below this article!

How to clean sea moss? 

Sea moss must be appropriately cleaned before consumption. You can wash it in the sink, colander, or a bowl. Thoroughly rinse it under cold water to remove all traces of sand, sea salts, and debris.

Taste it with your tongue to ensure there’s no more salty taste before consuming straight or making sea moss gel. Some people add slices of lime or some lime juice to clean sea moss, which helps reduce the bitterness and ocean taste. You can also use lemons.

How long to soak sea moss? 

How long you should soak sea moss depends on many factors, including the quality of your sea moss and the time you want to dedicate to it. Generally, sea moss can be soaked in water for anything between 4 to 48 hours.

The longer it soaks, the better the consistency of the gel will be. But soaking sea moss for too long (over 48 hours) can spoil it and make it go bad. So we usually recommend soaking our dry organic sea moss for 8 to 12 hours before making sea moss gel.

My sea moss did not gel...

While quite unusual, it may occur that your sea moss does not gel. Most of the time, it's because it's too watery and you've put too much water or not enough sea moss. But keep your mixture! Add more sea moss (cleaned and soaked) and blend again until it becomes a gel.

A failed attempt to make sea moss gel may also be caused by poor-quality or fake sea moss that does not contain enough carrageenan.

How much gel does 1 pound of sea moss make?

How much sea moss gel you'll get from a pound of sea moss depends on the desired consistency and the quality of the sea moss. Generally, one ounce (1 oz) of dehydrated sea moss makes about half a cup of gel.

With one pouch of Organics Nature raw wildcrafted gold sea moss (4oz), you can get from 2 to 4 cups of sea moss gel.

How to make flavored sea moss gel? 

Sea moss gel is almost tasteless and won't alter the taste of your food or drink when added. But some people like to eat sea moss gel on its own. Flavoring your sea moss gel is easy. You can do it naturally by adding fruits or sweeteners into the blender before turning the sea moss into gel.

Related article: How to make fruit-infused sea moss

How to store sea moss gel?

Sea moss gel is made from natural seaweeds, and like any other food or vegetable, it degrades and spoils with time.

To keep your gel the longest possible and prevent it from going bad, store it in an airtight glass container with a lid. It’s good for about one month if kept in the refrigerator or for 4 to 6 months in the freezer. 

How much sea moss gel can you have daily?

Sea moss is a 100% natural ingredient, but it does not make it completely harmless. Like any superfood, it's very potent and nutrient-rich. Although very rare, the main risk of consuming too much sea moss gel is iodine poisoning.  

An adult can safely eat 2 to 4 tablespoons of sea moss gel daily. However, always make sure to stick to the daily recommended dosage.

Have you tried to make your own sea moss gel at home? Share your experience and recipes below!