Coffee Agar Jelly

When the humidex is humidex-ing, I’m taking my afternoon coffee in the form of refreshing COFFEE AGAR JELLY! It is served with a chilled sweet milk but a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top is highly encouraged too if you’re an affogato girlie.

I saw these coffee agar jelly desserts sell for $6 while I was picking up Japanese food staples at J-Town and balked at the price, knowing how easy they are to make, needing only 4 ingredients for the coffee jelly and 2 for the chilled sweet cream to serve! A là mode or on its own, COFFEE AGAR JELLY with chilled sweet milk is the delicious hot weather coffee reprieve you deserve.

Let me know if you make this in comments below or by tagging me on instagram because I love to see your re-creations 💛

Eat well + be well,

Sonia x


coffee agar jelly - recipe head notes:

  1. can I substitute Espresso with coffee?

    Yes, you can be substitute the espresso and water with 2 cups of strong brewed coffee.

  2. What is Agar agar?

    Agar agar is made from a sea algae and often described as the plant-based version of gelatin which is made of animal collagen. Agar agar must be dissolved and cooked first to activate its gelling properties whereas gelatin does not require cooking as long as it is well dissolved. When compared, a jelly made with agar agar has a slightly firmer and “crisp” mouth feel versus a jelly made with gelatin. Agar agar comes in various forms – powder, flakes and strands. I use powder or flakes. In my experience, the powder form is easiest to find online (or buy at most health food stores) so that is what I call for in this recipe. The different forms can be used interchangeably if measured by weight on a kitchen scale. Without a scale, flakes are fluffier so you must use approximately 3x the volume which, for this recipe, is 3 teaspoons of agar agar flakes. 

  3. can I substitute gelatin for agar agar?

    Yes, Follow the gelatin package directions for setting. For example, a 7g pouch of Knox gelatin powder sets 2 cups of liquid. Therefore, for this recipe, use one pouch of Knox gelatin. Make sure gelatin is dissolved properly but it does not require cooking so you can skip the 1-minute simmer in step 2.

COFFEE AGAR JELLY

2-3 servings.

INGREDIENTS

For the Coffee Jelly:

3 shots of espresso plus enough water to make 2 cups of liquid (470ml) – note 1

¼ C (45g) sugar

1 tsp (3 g) agar agar powder (notes 2 and 3)

For the Sweet Milk:

¾ C (180ml) condensed milk – regular or oat/coconut condensed milk for dairy free

¾ C (180ml) oat milk or any milk of choice

Optional: scoop of vanilla ice cream

METHOD.

1. Into a 2-cup measuring cup, add espresso, sugar, agar agar and enough water to bring it up to the 2-cup level (470ml). Transfer into a small pot and bring mixture to a simmer, whisking constantly to fully dissolve the sugar and agar agar.

2. Simmer gently for 1 minute to activate agar. Check on the back of a metal spoon that no granules remain.

3. Pour into a mold – I used a 7½” x 5” rectangular dish. Let cool at room temperature 30 minutes. Transfer to refrigerate for 3 hrs or until fully set.

4. Meanwhile, mix condensed milk and milk. Chill in fridge.

5. Once coffee jelly is set, use a spatula or small knife to run around the edge and cut jelly into approximately ½” cubes.

6. Serve in glassware and pour chilled sweet milk on top to serve. Optional – top with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Enjoy!



🎥 watch coffee agar jelly video:

Did you make this recipe? Tag me on Instagram at saltnpepperhere so I can see! Or let me know in comments below what you think of this recipe or if you have any questions. I am happy to help! x