Calling all coffee enthusiasts! If you’re seeking a delightful and unique way to enjoy your favorite beverage, coffee jelly is a must-try treat. This easy-to-make dessert combines the rich flavors of coffee with the delightful texture of jelly, creating a refreshing and indulgent experience!

Making coffee jelly requires instant coffee, sugar, unflavored jelly powder, cream, a can of condensed milk, and evaporated milk. Coffee jelly exists in various styles, and the method may vary slightly. You can make it sweet, spicy, bitter, and crunchy, or add vanilla or an alcoholic twist.

Coffee jelly is an exquisite treat that will keep you coming back for more! Its flexibility allows you to adjust the sweetness or bitterness or add a lovely crunchy texture to compliment your taste buds!

What Is Coffee Jelly, And Where Did It Come From?

It first came to light in a cookbook in England in 1817 and required animal calves to make the jelly. Japanese coffee jelly followed suit during the Taishō period (1912–1926). It appealed to modern young men with tastes for Western delicacies and rose in popularity along with café culture.

By 1963, coffee jelly’s popularity soared in Japan. A coffee shop called Mikado Coffee introduced it as a summer dessert. It was also a popular item in supermarkets since 1970.

Coffee Jelly Recipe

Despite its bitter-sweet disposition, coffee jelly is flexible if you ever want to transform it and add a unique twist! For now, we’ll keep it straightforward and slowly add extras to keep it interesting! Here’s what you’ll need to get started:

• Instant coffee (40g)
• Five cups of cold water
• White or Brown sugar (1/2 cup)
• White or black Gulaman unflavored jelly powder (one sachet)
• Box of Nestlé cream (250ml)
• Can of condensed milk
• Evaporated milk (1/2 cup)
• Saucepan
• Tablespoon
• Knife
• Wooden spoon
• Scooping spoon
• Larege, flat pan or container
• Mixing bowl

Add Instant Coffee, Sugar, Water, And Jelly Powder

Add 2 – 4 tablespoons of instant coffee into a saucepan, depending on how strong you want to make the coffee taste! As a baseline, include 1 ½ cups of water for every 2 tablespoons of instant coffee. For instance:

• For 2 teaspoons of coffee per 1 1/2 cups of water, you need 7 tablespoons/16.2g of coffee
• For 4 teaspoons of coffee per 1 1/2 cups of water, you need 3 tablespoons/31.8g of coffee

1 tablespoon is equivalent to 6 grams of coffee.

Add 1/2 a cup of white or brown sugar. You’re free to add more or less sugar according to the bitterness of the coffee.

There’s no rule regarding adding sugar because our taste buds are different. Instead, you should experiment with your instant coffee and sugar mixture. Do a couple of taste tests until it is to your liking before adding the jelly powder.

Pour five cups of cold water into your saucepan. Mix your instant coffee and sugar well until the sugar is well distributed and the coffee is not visibly floating on the surface.  

Add one sachet of white or black Mr. Gulaman unflavored jelly powder into your saucepan. Add it gradually without dunking it all in, and continue stirring it.

Bring Your Mixture To A Boil

Place your coffee mixture on high heat and let it boil for 2 – 5 minutes. Continue stirring it so that it doesn’t burn to the saucepan. You’ll know it’s time to take it off the stove because it’ll look like the cup of joe in your favorite mug, minus the milk.

Transfer Your Coffee Mixture To A Flat Container

Pour the boiling coffee mixture gently into a flat pan or container. Be careful of the water and steam – it’s scorching hot! When pouring, ensure that the saucepan and steam slant away from you.

Wait for it to cool down and let it sit overnight in the refrigerator to harden.

Create The Sweetened, Coffee Creamy Sauce

There’s no official name for this deviously delicious sauce, but perhaps you can give it a fancy French name! What about Café au lait sauce – it reflects the combination of coffee and milk in the sauce. 

To make it, pour 250ml of Nestlé cream into a mixing bowl. Add 1 tablespoon of instant coffee to give it a tasty coffee flavor! Mix them well so that the cream turns slightly brown and you can no longer see any traces of coffee.

Add a whole can of condensed milk to sweeten the deal. Grab your nearest whisk and give it a good mix so you can no longer distinguish different hues of color.

Alternatively, you can use whipped cream as a simple topping for your coffee jelly. You can whip up your own cream by mixing sugar, heavy cream, and an electric mixer. Keep at it until stiff peaks form. Otherwise, you can use store-bought whipped cream.

If you’re feeling adventurous, be creative and use other toppings for your jelly, such as chocolate sauce, caramel sauce, ice cream, or flavored coffee creamer. The choice is yours!

Next, pour 1/2 cup of evaporated milk and mix well. It’s an excellent substitute for fresh milk or creamer for your coffee, as it gives a milky flavor and a creamy texture without adding too much water.

Let your coffee cream sauce chill in the refrigerator for 30 – 60 minutes to make it thicker and colder – remember, coffee jelly is best served cold!

Combine Your Coffee Jelly And Coffee Cream Sauce

Remove your chilled coffee jelly from the refrigerator and place it on a working surface. Grab a knife and cut it into large or bite-sized pieces, depending on your preference!

Use a large spoon and scoop your jelly pieces into the mixing bowl containing your coffee cream sauce. Give it a gentle mix, spreading the jelly pieces evenly throughout the bowl so they don’t clump together in the center.

Serve And Enjoy

Pour the coffee jelly into dessert glasses, containers, or the biggest mug you can find, and enjoy! It’s a great snack for when you get surprise visits from friends or family or you want to impress a coffee enthusiast!

Of course, some ingredients create a unique twist that can change how you enjoy jelly coffee forever! You might consider adding the following:

• Vanilla extract for a lovely, subtle vanilla flavor.
• Cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, or cloves to the coffee mixture for a spicy twist.
• Baileys Irish Cream, Kahlua, Amaretto, or Rum to the cream sauce for an alcoholic kick.
• Caramel sauce, chocolate shavings, toasted nuts, or coconut flakes as toppings for extra crunch and sweetness.

What is Coffee Jelly, and What Does It Taste Like?

Prepare yourself for a captivating culinary adventure with coffee jelly, a dessert that dances on your taste buds and awakens your senses! It consists of a gelling agent, coffee, and a sweet sauce that blend together for a mouthwatering treat!

You can expect a rich and slightly bitter taste that goes well with sweetened cream.

It fuses the vibrant essence of coffee with the tantalizing texture of jelly. When you first try this jelly, you’ll encounter the bold and invigorating richness of coffee! 

As you savor the moment, a subtle bitterness emerges, harmoniously entwined with the sweetness of sugar and cream. It’s a delightful interplay that adds depth and intrigue to each delightful bite!

It is lighter than most other desserts that use dairy or additional flavorings, such as ice cream, mousse, or pies. It always tastes refreshing, and you don’t need extensive cooking experience to make it!

Some people may prefer coffee jelly over other desserts because they enjoy the bouncy texture and the contrast between the bitter-sweet jelly and the creamy topping. However, some people may find this jelly too plain or bland compared to other desserts that have more complex flavors or textures.

It’s a dessert you can eat anytime, but it is terrific as a summertime treat! It’s excellent for eating before or after exercise, as coffee can boost exercise performance by delaying fatigue and improving muscle strength and power.

Remember that it contains caffeine, so you should avoid eating coffee jelly too late in the day or evening, as the caffeine may interfere with your sleep quality.

Variations Of Coffee Jelly

There are plenty of ways to enjoy your coffee jelly – look at these popular variations!

• Boba – a drink that combines coffee-flavored gelatin cubes with milk tea and tapioca pearls. It is a variation of the popular Taiwanese bubble tea that uses coffee jelly instead of or in addition to the chewy boba.
• Lemon-infused – adds some lemon juice and zest to the coffee gelatin for a refreshing and tangy flavor.
• Japanese/Filipino – uses instant coffee powder and condensed milk for quick and easy preparation. It also adds all-purpose cream for a richer texture.
• Spiked – a splash of alcohol, such as rum or brandy, to the coffee gelatin for a boozy twist.
• Frozen – this version freezes the coffee gelatin and blends it with ice, whipped cream, and chocolate syrup for a frosty and decadent treat
• Keto – combines sugar-free gelatin and sweetener, coconut milk, and cream for a low-carb and dairy-free option.

Purpose Of Coffee Jelly

Coffee jelly shares a history with some cultures, particularly England, America, and Japan, who enjoyed it for over a century. It’s uncommon outside these regions, but some enthusiasts still enjoy its bitter-sweet combination!

• England – coffee jelly was one of England’s earliest recipes for a jelly dessert, dating back to 1817. It was a product of brewed coffee and animal gelatin, sometimes clarified with isinglass.
• America – coffee jelly was famous in New England, served with whipped cream as a post-supper dessert. It was also promoted as a healthier alternative to hot coffee because people believed gelatin could absorb excess acid in the stomach.
• Japan – adopted during the Taisho period (1912-1926), Japan idolized coffee jelly because of their reverence for Western culture. They craved a dessert that imitated molded jellies of the West. It was sold as “coffee you can eat” and appealed to Japan’s thriving coffee culture and food culture.

Coffee Jelly Has Some Surprising Health Benefits

Coffee jelly is both delicious and has loads of impressive health benefits!

Some of the health benefits of coffee jelly are:

• Coffee – contains antioxidants that help slow aging and lower the risk of some diseases. It also boosts energy levels, improves cognitive functions, and may help with depression.
• Agar – this is a plant-based alternative to gelatin with similar benefits. It hastens weight loss by making you feel full and preventing blood sugar spikes.
• Gelatin – a great source of collagen, which increases skin moisture and elasticity. It also helps reduce muscle tissue and joint inflammation and supports digestive health.

Coffee benefits the liver by breaking down caffeine and lowering the chance of developing liver diseases. It also helps prevent the most prevalent type of skin cancer and acts as a brain booster.

Of course, these benefits depend on the quality and quantity of the ingredients used and the amount of sugar and cream added to the dessert. Moderation is key, as too much caffeine or calories can negatively affect your health.

Conclusion

Making coffee jelly is straightforward and the ideal sweet treat for any coffee enthusiast! You don’t need fancy equipment; you can get all the ingredients from your local grocer. So, what are you waiting for? Your taste buds be forever in your debt!

Resources

• Origins of coffee jelly: Wikipedia.com
• Making coffee jelly: YouTube.com
• How to make coffee jelly: YouTube.com
• White & Black Mr. Gulaman: eBay.com