Easy Japanese Coffee Jelly (Coffee Jello) Dessert Recipe

cup of coffee jello and sweet milk on white cutting board

5 from 1 vote

Easy Japanese Coffee Jelly (Coffee Jello) Dessert Recipe

A delicious dessert that's easy to make and even more fun to serve: Japanese Coffee Jelly! Black coffee is mixed with gelatin to create cubes of coffee jello. Pour sweetened milk on top. A great dessert that is creamy, not too sweet, and full of bold coffee flavor! Plus, the jiggly cubes of coffee jelly are so fun to eat!

Prep Time15

Cook Time0

Chilling Time4

Total Time4 15

Course: Dessert, Drinks

Cuisine: Asian, Japanese

Keyword: coffee, jello, jelly

Servings:

Calories: 54kcal

Author: Lis Lam

Equipment

8x8 square pan
small pitcher (for sweet milk)

Ingredients

Coffee Jello

4 cups hot coffee strongly brewed
2 Tbsp sugar
3 Tbsp gelatin

Sweet Milk

1 300 ml/10 oz can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup milk any kind will do (I used almond milk)

To serve:

1 cup cold coffee optional, for ombre effect

Instructions

Coffee Jelly

In a large bowl, whisk together hot coffee, gelatin, and sugar in a large until completely dissolved.
*Don't forget to make additional 1 cup hot coffee and chill in the fridge for ombre effect when serving.
Pour into 8x8 square pan and chill for at least 4-6 hours, preferably overnight. there's no need to grease the pan.
When firm and completely chilled, cut into squares and carefully place into individual glasses or small bowls.

Sweet Milk

Whisk 1 can Sweetened Condensed Milk into milk of your choice until smooth and fully combined. Chill for 2 hours. When ready to serve, transfer into a small pitcher for serving.

To Serve

Place coffee jello into individual cups/bowls. Pour sweet milk over jello squares and serve immediately with spoons and extra sweet milk in pitcher.
Optional: To make your coffee jello ombre, fill about 3/4 of the way with sweet milk. Top with a little extra coffee, gently stir, and serve.

To store:

The jello squares should keep in the fridge, tightly covered, for 2-3 days. The sweetened milk will keep longer, about 5-7 days. Store in separate containers. I do not recommend storing the jello and milk in the same container, as the jello will lose its shape and dissolve.

Notes

Tips:

- Chill milk. For the coldest, creamiest drink! Make in advance and chill in the fridge for a few hours.

- Make strong brewed coffee! When coffee is chilled, it loses its potency and flavor. Make extra strong coffee (I add 1.5x the amount of coffee grounds -- not quite double) so the rich coffee flavor really shines through. Or, use Cold Brew coffee which is steeped overnight.

- NOTE: Coffee maker servings sizes all differ. Depending on your coffee maker, serving sizes or portions will vary. The measurement on the side of the coffee maker does NOT match standard measuring cup amounts. In other words, 4 servings specified by the coffee maker manufacturer DO NOT equal 4 cups in real life.

To serve:

Serve in clear glasses or glass bowls so people can see the dessert from the side. Make it even more festive by serving in cocktail glasses such as Martini or Champagne glasses.
For a more indulgent dessert, add a scoop of vanilla or coffee ice cream. Or lightly sweetened whipped cream.
For an adult-only cocktail, add a shot of Kahlua or coffee-flavored liquor.

Nutrition