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–+ servings

Japanese Coffee Jelly

Prep Time10 minutes
Setting Time4 hours
Total Time4 hours 10 minutes
Author Yuto Omura
Servings 6 servings

Ingredients 
 

Setting agent (choose 1)

  • 15 g gelatin powder or
  • 15 g agar agar powder or
  • 2 g kanten agar powder (each sachet is usually 4g)

Other ingredients

  • 500 ml water if using espresso shots, reduce the water by 30ml for each shot used (see note)
  • 2 tbsp instant coffee powder preferably instant espresso powder or espresso shots
  • 2-3 tbsp sugar or to taste
  • toppings of your choice cream, ice cream, flavored syrups, chopped nuts etc

Instructions 

Gelatin

  • Take a small bowl and 200ml cold water. Sprinkle in 15 g gelatin powder, mix and leave to bloom for 5-10 minutes.
    pouring gelatine powder into water
  • Boil the other 300ml water and pour it into a heatproof jug. Pour the bloomed gelatin in and mix until dissolved.
    pouring bloomed gelatine into a jug of boiled water
  • Add 2-3 tbsp sugar and 2 tbsp instant coffee powder. Mix until dissolved and scoop out any foam that forms at the top.
    whisked coffee jelly in a glass measuring jug
  • Pour into a square/rectangular mold or serving cups. Let it cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate for about 4 hours or until fully set.
    coffee jelly made with gelatine cooling in rectangular container
  • Once set, cut it into cubes (or serve in cups) and add toppings of your choice.
    Japanese coffee served in a glass dish with whipped cream and chopped walnuts close up

Kanten or Agar Agar

  • Pour 2-3 tbsp sugar and 2 g kanten agar powder (or 15 g agar agar powder) into a bowl and mix thoroughly.
    kanten (or agar agar) whisked with sugar in a mixing bowl
  • Pour 500 ml water into a cold saucepan. Sprinkle the kanten and sugar mixture over the top, and mix thoroughly.
    pouring katen (or agar) and sugar into a saucepan of cold water
  • Place the pan on the stove and bring to a boil over medium heat. Boil for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally and then remove from the heat.
    sugar and kanten (or agar agar) boiled in a saucepan of water
  • Leave to cool for a few minutes and the add 2 tbsp instant coffee powder. Gently mix until dissolved, avoid vigorous whisking which can create too much foam or air bubbles.
    pouring instant coffee into kanten mixture
  • Scoop out any foam with a spoon.
    scooping foam from coffee jelly
  • Pour into molds or serving cups and cool to room temperature before placing in the fridge to set fully. This will take approximately 1 hour (varies with agar agar).
    coffee jelly in glass cups
  • Once set, cut into cubes or serve straight from a cup with your choice of toppings. Enjoy!
    Coffee jelly with cream on a silver spoon

Notes

  • The base recipe makes 2 cups (500ml) of jelly. Use a 5-6" (14-15cm) square for 2.5cm (1 inch) thick jelly cubes. A rectangular container with similar dimensions also works fine (like a lunchbox). Just make sure it's heatproof.
  • Opt for a high-quality instant espresso, coffee powder or espresso shots for best results.
  • If you choose to use espresso shots from a coffee machine, reduce the water amount by 30ml for every single espresso shot used to maintain the same liquid ratio in the recipe. Generally I'd recommend 120ml espresso (2 double shots) to 380ml of water to bring the total back up to 500ml. Depending on how strong you want your coffee jelly to be, you can play around with the ratio. Just don't forget to adjust the water amount when increasing or decreasing the amount of espresso.
  • You can reduce or increase the coffee and sugar to suit your taste preference.
  • If using agar agar, keep in mind that results can vary from brand to brand. Always check the packaging for exact measures and adjust the water accordingly.
  • For best results, keep refrigerated and eat within 2 days. Add cream or toppings right before serving.
  • The coffee jelly tends to become a bit watery after extended refrigeration, but it's still good to eat for up to 2-3 days.