Love all things coffee? This chilled coffee jelly is a lovely treat on a hot summer day. Enjoy with a dollop of whipped cream and aromatic coffee bean.
Coffee Jelly (コーヒーゼリー) is a refreshing Japanese dessert which is popular in Japan as well as in some other Asian countries. It’s usually made of black coffee, gelatin powder, and sugar, but today I used kanten powder instead of gelatin to make it vegetarian friendly.
Watch How to Make Coffee Jelly
Refreshing chilled coffee jelly recipe topped with delightful whipped cream and coffee bean.
Ways to Enjoy Coffee Jelly
This refreshing dessert can be served solid in glass dishes like how I made them today, or you can pour the coffee mixture in a baking pan, cut into cubes and serve them in a bowl. These half translucent cubes of coffee jelly are sometimes added to milkshakes, ice cream float, or sundaes for additional flavor and texture, and they make the desserts even prettier.
My favorite way to serve coffee jelly is with whipped cream on top. Want a healthier option? Try it with a few tablespoons of half & half instead. You can also serve it with vanilla ice cream to make it into a sundae or with flavored coffee cream.
Coffee jelly is often served in many restaurants and cafes in Japan and you can also find pre-made coffee jelly in an individual plastic cup in supermarkets and convenience stores. However, this coffee jelly recipe is very easy to make and I hope you will try making this dessert from scratch at home!
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Coffee Jelly
Video
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cup water
- 1 ½ tsp kanten powder (See Notes; If you are going to substitute powdered kanten with gelatin powder or agar, use a double portion and see if it sets. Each brand/kind of gelatin or kanten or agar sets differently, so please test. Gelatin won't solidify if you heat the mixture too long while kanten requires cooking for 2-3 minutes.)
- 5 Tbsp sugar
- 2 Tbsp instant coffee
Instructions
- Gather all the ingredients.
- In a small saucepan, combine water and kanten powder and whisk together. Then bring the liquid to a boil over high heat.
- Once boiling, turn down the heat to simmer. Add sugar and instant coffee and cook stirring occasionally for 2 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and let cool for 5 minutes.
- Pour into serving dishes. Scoop up any bubbles on the surface with a spoon and discard. Once the coffee jelly cools down, wrap with plastic wrap and keep in the refrigerator for 4-5 hours.
To Serve
- Serve with whipped cream, mint, and a coffee bean on top. It's not vegan-friendly, but the coffee jelly is great with 1-2 Tbsp of half & half poured on top.
To Store
- You can keep the coffee jelly in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
Notes
- Kanten powder = 1 tsp (2 g)
- Kanten stick = ½ stick (4 g)
- Kanten thread = 12 threads (4 g)
