Best Alum Thickeners of 2025

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Alum thickeners are an essential ingredient in the world of textile printing. They are commonly used to thicken dye solutions and create a more viscous consistency, which helps to prevent the dye from running or bleeding. Alum thickeners are typically made from a combination of aluminum sulfate and sodium bicarbonate, and they are available in both liquid and powder forms. They are highly effective at producing vibrant and long-lasting prints, and they are also non-toxic and environmentally friendly. Whether you're a professional textile printer or a hobbyist, alum thickeners are a must-have tool for achieving beautiful and consistent results.
At a Glance: Our Top Picks
Top 10 Alum Thickeners
MB Herbals Granulated Alum Powder
MB Herbals Alum Powder is a food-grade potassium alum that comes in a convenient granulated form. This high-quality powder is perfect for preserving your favorite foods like pickles, cucumbers, and tomatoes, ensuring they maintain their crispiness. It's also effective as a natural food preservative, helping you keep your vegetables and processed items fresh longer. Additionally, this alum powder serves multiple purposes, including water purification and reducing foot and body odor. You can even use it in cosmetics as a preservative, making it a versatile addition to your home.
McCormick Alum
McCormick Alum is a premium quality alum that guarantees a fresh flavor and keeps pickles, fruits, and vegetables firm and crispy. It belongs to the Alum Thickeners category.
AYURVEDASHREE Alum Powder 200 Gm
AYURVEDASHREE Alum Powder 200 Gm is a natural and food grade potassium alum powder that is perfect for preserving pickles and maintaining crispiness of vegetables and processed food items. It is also used as a water purifier and fabric mordant, and can help relieve canker sores and reduce foot and body odor. This high quality purified alum powder is made in India and can also be used as a skin firmer and shaving alum.
MB Herbals 5 lb Alum Powder
MB Herbals Alum Powder is a versatile 5 lb bulk pack of food-grade potassium alum. This granulated powder is perfect for preserving pickles, cucumbers, and tomatoes, helping you maintain the crispiness of your favorite foods. Additionally, it serves as a natural food preservative, ensuring your vegetables and processed items stay fresh longer. Beyond food preservation, this alum powder can purify water and reduce body odor, making it a handy addition to your household. With its high-quality, purified formulation, you can also use it as a fabric mordant for dyeing projects.
Medley Hills Farm Food Grade Alum Powder
Medley Hills Farm Alum Powder is a versatile food-grade potassium alum that serves multiple purposes. If you enjoy pickling, this powder can enhance the crunch and flavor of your homemade pickles. For those interested in skincare, it offers antiseptic benefits and can be used to soothe canker sores, making it a valuable addition to your beauty routine. Additionally, if you're into fabric dyeing, this product acts as a reliable mordant, ensuring bright and long-lasting colors. Its broad usability makes it a convenient choice for various applications, from gardening to culinary needs.
Medley Hills Farm Alum Granulated Powder (Food Grade) 3.5 lbs.
Medley Hills Farm Alum Granulated Powder is a 3.5 lbs. pack of food grade powder that is packaged in a sealed and resealable Ziploc bag. It is made in the USA and traditionally called for in old pickle recipes. This powder is often used to firm and crispen pickles by letting them soak in a sealed brine solution of water, vinegar, salt, spices, and alum powder for several weeks. Cucumbers should be pickled at the peak of freshness and the powder should be stored at room temperature for up to 1 year.
ALEBRIXES Alum Powder 100g
ALEBRIXES Alum Powder is a versatile addition to your kitchen and personal care routine. This all-natural granulated potassium alum is perfect for pickling, ensuring your vegetables maintain their crunch and flavor. You can also use it to create homemade deodorants, allowing you to control what goes on your skin. Its applications extend beyond food preservation; it’s great for various household tasks and artisanal crafts. By choosing this premium product, you bring the authentic quality and tradition from Mexico into your home, enhancing your DIY projects and culinary creations.
Tone's Alum, 1.30 oz
Tone's Alum is a versatile ingredient for your kitchen. You can use it in pickling recipes to enhance the flavor and ensure your fruits and vegetables stay crisp. This natural preservative helps maintain the texture of your produce, making your pickled items more enjoyable. Additionally, it can be a handy tool for those who want to extend the shelf life of their fruits and veggies. With Tone's Alum, you can create delicious pickles while keeping your ingredients fresh and crunchy, adding both taste and quality to your meals.
Hoosier Hill Farm Alum Powder
Hoosier Hill Alum Powder is a versatile ingredient that can enhance your cooking and DIY projects. It helps keep fruits and vegetables crisp during pickling, ensuring they maintain their texture. You can also use it for baking, as it aids in leavening, giving your baked goods a delightful rise. Additionally, this pure, granulated powder is perfect for making homemade toothpaste or even play dough, adding convenience to your daily routines. For those looking for a soothing aftershave, alum powder can be applied topically to help refresh and calm the skin.
Herbs Botanica Potassium Alum Powder
Herbs Botanica Alum Powder offers a range of benefits for everyday use. Its water purification properties make it an excellent choice for ensuring clean drinking water. As a food-grade product, it’s perfect for preserving pickles and other vegetables, helping you maintain their crispiness and freshness. Additionally, this granulated potassium alum serves as a natural food preservative, extending the shelf life of your favorite foods. You can also use it to reduce foot and body odor, making it a versatile addition to your personal care routine.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. Is alum safe for food?
Alum is generally safe for consumption in small quantities. However, consuming large amounts, such as an ounce or more, can be toxic to humans. It is important to use alum in food in moderation and follow recommended guidelines.
2. Why is alum used in food?
Alum powder, which is crystallized potassium aluminum sulfate, is commonly used in pickling recipes to retain crispness. It acts as an astringent and helps maintain the texture of pickles. Additionally, alum is also an ingredient in baking powder and provides a faintly metallic taste.
3. What is alum powder for pickles?
Alum powder is a key component in pickling recipes. It is added to a gallon of water, boiled, and then poured over pickles. After letting it stand overnight, the pickles are drained, rinsed, and prepared according to the pickle recipe.
4. What are the side effects of alum in food?
The side effects of consuming alum in food can include dry skin, skin irritation, burns, dizziness, throat tightness, fluid accumulation around the eye, hives, hypersensitivity reactions, allergic reactions, puffy face from water retention, skin ulcers, and throat swelling. It is important to be cautious when using alum in food and to monitor any adverse reactions.
5. Is alum FDA approved?
Potassium alum, which is an inorganic salt, is generally recognized as safe (GRAS) by the FDA. It is commonly used in various applications, including food. Potassium alum is predominantly produced in the dodecahydrate form and is considered safe when used according to recommended guidelines.
6. Why is alum not recommended?
Alum is no longer recommended for consumption in pickles because the aluminum in the product may be unsafe to consume. Excess consumption of aluminum can have negative health effects. Therefore, other alternatives, such as pickling lime, are preferred for pickling processes.
7. What does alum do to your body?
Alum has astringent properties and can cause cells to shrink. This makes it effective for reducing acne scars and pigmentation marks on the skin. It is also known for its strong healing activity and is sometimes used topically for mouth ulcers. However, it is important to use alum in moderation and follow recommended usage guidelines.
8. Why is alum no longer recommended for pickles?
Alum is no longer recommended for pickles because the aluminum in the product may be unsafe to consume. Additionally, pickles made with alum that are stored for too long may not maintain quality and could harbor bacteria, which can cause softening in the pickles. As a result, other alternatives, like pickling lime, are preferred for pickling processes.
During our alum thickener research, we found 24 alum thickener products and shortlisted 10 quality products. We collected and analyzed 26,815 customer reviews through our big data system to write the alum thickeners list. We found that most customers choose alum thickeners with an average price of $9.58.
The alum thickeners are available for purchase. We have researched hundreds of brands and picked the top brands of alum thickeners, including MB Herbals, McCormick, AYURVEDASHREE, Medley Hills Farm, ALEBRIXES. The seller of top 1 product has received honest feedback from 396 consumers with an average rating of 4.9.

Ashley Abels is a former restaurant executive and has worked in the restaurant industry for 15 years. She is also a gourmet who loves tasting different cuisines and trying out all kinds of cooking methods. The food she writes about will make you want to try it!
Alum Thickeners Comparison Table
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Brand | MB Herbals | McCormick | AYURVEDASHREE | MB Herbals | Medley Hills Farm | Medley Hills Farm | ALEBRIXES | Tone's | Hoosier Hill Farm | Herbs Botanica |
Unit Count | 3.5 Ounce | 1.9 Ounce | - | 80.0 Ounce | 32.0 Ounce | 56.0 Ounce | 3.5 Ounce | 1.3 Ounce | 16.0 Ounce | 8.0 Ounce |
Item Weight | 100 Grams | - | 224 Grams | - | 2 Pounds | 3.5 Pounds | 3.5 Ounces | - | 1 Pounds | - |
Item Form | Powder | Solid | - | Powder | - | - | - | Powder | - | Powder |
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