Fruit Jelly フルーツ寒天

When I think about summer desserts, this homemade chilled Fruit Jelly is always the first thing that pops into my mind. It’s colorful, refreshing, and light—perfect for making use of seasonal fruits!

What are your favorite sweets to enjoy and cool down with on hot summer days? One of my favorites is this translucent fruit jelly. The see-through jelly reminds me of ice cubes and instantly makes me feel cool as I imagine the chilled jelly with refreshing fruits in my mouth.

I made this jelly in my upstairs office when we had our kitchen remodeled, as it requires only a portable stove, a small saucepan, a cutting board, a knife, and a mold. So, if you live in a tiny apartment or a dorm with limited kitchen space, you can make this dessert too! Let me show you how.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Super easy to make, portable, and attractive! That means it makes an ideal dessert to serve at a part or for a potluck. Kids and adults love it.
• A healthy, guilt-free dessert that is also dairy- and gluten-free. There’s no artificial flavors, colors, or additives either.

Ingredients for Fruit Jelly

You need just a few ingredients to make fruit jelly!

• Water
• Kantan powder — This is a vegan-friendly gelatinous substance we use for making jelly. You can sub it with agar-agar or gelatin, but kantan is the best. More details below.
• Sugar
• Fruits of your choice — Oranges, strawberries, blueberries, and kiwi work well

How to Make Fruit Jelly

1. In a small saucepan, add water and kanten (agar) powder. Whisk to combine and bring to a boil.
2. Once boiling, lower the heat and cook for 2 minutes, whisking occasionally to dissolve the kanten powder. After 2 minutes, remove from heat.
3. Add sugar and whisk until completely dissolved.
4. Pour the liquid into the mold (or nagashikan). Let it cool in the refrigerator or at room temperature.
5. Cut the fruits. When the bottom layer is slightly set, place the fruits on top. Then, pour the rest of the mixture into the mold. Keep in the fridge until the jelly has set completely. It’s now ready to be cut and served!

Quick Note on Kanten

Kanten (寒天)—commonly used in Japanese desserts—is a white and semi-translucent gelatinous substance obtained from algae. Just like gelatin, it solidifies liquid and is the key ingredient we use for making jelly.

The benefit of using kanten is that it’s vegetarian- and vegan-friendly, making it a great alternative to animal- or chemical-based gelatin. There are three types of kanten (powder, stick, and thread), and you can use any one of them. I used kanten powder for this recipe.

For conversion from 2 tsp (4 g) kanten powder, you will need:

• Kanten stick = 1 stick (8 g)
• Kanten thread = 24 threads (8 g)

You can find it in Japanese and most Asian grocery stores, or online at Mitsuwa or Marukai (for US residents). If you can’t find kanten in your area, you can substitute it with agar-agar or gelatin.

If you want to use agar or gelatin instead, you will need 4 teaspoons of agar or powdered gelatin (8 g). Please remember the jelly made with gelatin will quickly melt in the summertime, while kanten will not melt at room temperature (read more here).

Useful Equipment for Making Jelly

Nagashikan – A Mold with a Removable Inner Tray

To make this fruit jelly recipe, you can use a mold or a baking pan with a higher rim and place plastic wrap on the bottom to un-mold easily.

Since I regularly make jelly in the summer, I bought a traditional Japanese stainless steel mold with a removable inner tray called nagashikan (流し缶). This removable inner tray makes it easy to un-mold the food if it easily sticks to the container. The mold is available for purchase on Amazon (this is the bigger size) or Rakuten.

We also use it to make Tamago Tofu (玉子豆腐) and traditional cold treats like Yokan (羊羹, azuki bean jelly).

Another option is to cut all the fruits into small cubes and serve this dessert in individual glass cups. I usually make my fruit jelly that way, and it looks pretty in a glass container.

If you serve this jelly in individual cups, reduce the kanten powder to 2 grams. That way, the jelly is softer and jiggly. Today’s recipe requires us to cut around the fruits, so the jelly is designed to set firmer and won’t jiggle as much.

Helpful Tips

1. Texture of the jelly 

If you prefer a softer jelly texture that is not as firm, like my fruit jelly today, you can reduce the amount of kanten powder to 2 grams (half the package).

If you do so, I highly recommend chopping the fruits into smaller cubes, making the jelly in individual cups or a large baking pan, and serving with a spoon.

Less kanten powder will result in a jelly that jiggles (プルプルって感じ) and goes down your throat smoothly. If you prefer to make this “ice cube” style, keep the ratio as it is.

2. Choice of fruits

Besides the fruits I used for this recipe, you can use cherries, raspberries, apples, grapes, mango, and peaches. Canned mandarin oranges and peaches or pineapple are excellent choices, as the syrup adds sweetness. I recommend an assortment of colorful fruits that will look pretty suspended in the jelly.

3. Amount of sugar

This recipe uses 4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) of sugar. To call this dish a ‘dessert,’ this amount is necessary.

If you want to omit the sugar or use less, the fruits you use must be super sweet or canned in syrup. Use 4 tablespoons for a healthier jelly, and 6-8 tablespoons for a ‘dessert’ fruit jelly. Please adjust the sugar amount to your liking.

More Summer Desserts You’ll Enjoy

• Japanese Strawberry Milk
• Plum Cake (Blueberry and Peach, Too)
• Best Cherry Bars with Brown Butter
• Mango Lassi Popsicles
• Chocolate Gateau (Chocolate Cake)

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Fruit Jelly

4.86 from 42 votes

When I think about summer desserts, this homemade chilled Fruit Jelly is always the first thing that pops into my mind. It’s colorful, refreshing, and light—perfect to make use of the seasonal fruits!

Print Pin

Prep Time: 10 minutes mins

Cook Time: 3 minutes mins

Chilling Time: 6 hours hrs

Total Time: 6 hours hrs 13 minutes mins

Servings: 9 pieces

Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 2 cups water
• ▢ 4 g kanten (agar) powder (1 package, 2 tsp)
• ▢ ¼ cup sugar (4 Tbsp for “healthy“ and 6–8 Tbsp for “dessert;“ please read the post)
• ▢ fruits of your choice (oranges, strawberries, blueberries, and kiwi work well)

Japanese Ingredient Substitution: If you want substitutes for Japanese condiments and ingredients, click here.

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Instructions

 

• Gather all the ingredients. You will need a nagashikan (6 x 5.1 x 1.8 inches, 15 x 13 x 4.5 cm) or a similar-sized container lined with plastic wrap.
  
• In a small saucepan, add 2 cups water and 4 g kanten (agar) powder. Whisk to combine and bring it to a boil.
  
• Once boiling, lower the heat and cook for 2 minutes. Whisk occasionally and make sure the kanten powder has completely dissolved. After 2 minutes, remove from the heat.
  
• Add ¼ cup sugar and whisk until sugar is completely dissolved.
  
• Run water in the mold (or nagashikan) and pour the liquid until there is about ⅓ inch (8 mm) in the mold (so that the fruit won‘t touch the bottom). Using a spoon or toothpick, move the bubbles on the liquid to the corner and remove them. Let cool in the refrigerator for just under 10 minutes or at room temperature for a little longer time.
  
• Meanwhile, cut the fruits of your choice for the jelly.
  
• The thickness of the fruit should be about the same.
  
• When the bottom layer is slightly set (neither liquid nor completely set), place the fruits on top. If the bottom layer set too firm, the top layer will not attach to the bottom layer well and the fruit jelly will separate into the top and bottom layers when you cut. The liquid in the saucepan should not be solidified since the saucepan is still warm and it has more liquid in there. If solidified, then reheat until it turns to liquid. 
  
• Then, pour the rest of the mixture in the mold. Pop and remove the bubbles. Keep in the fridge until the jelly has set completely.
  

To Serve

• Run a knife around the mold and gently flip and unmold the jelly. If you’re using the nagashikan, run a knife around the mold and pull up the handles.
  
• Cut the jelly around the fruit so they look prettier. Serve chilled on a plate.
  

To Store

• You can keep the jelly in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

Nutrition

Calories: 26 kcal · Carbohydrates: 7 g · Protein: 1 g · Fat: 1 g · Saturated Fat: 1 g · Sodium: 1 mg · Potassium: 11 mg · Fiber: 1 g · Sugar: 6 g · Vitamin A: 20 IU · Vitamin C: 1 mg · Calcium: 11 mg · Iron: 1 mg

Author: Namiko Hirasawa Chen

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Japanese

Keyword: wagashi

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