This is an easy, no bake, coffee dessert recipe that is a showstopper! Agar agar jelly is used instead of gelatin, which makes it vegetarian, or vegan, if you only use coconut milk. Watch the video to see how simple it actually is to make this beauty!
Agar agar jelly or "woon" is a popular dessert in Thailand because it's so hot all the time! It's light, refreshing and delicious. This latest addition to my agar jelly recipe collection is quite different because of the robust Thai coffee flavour, perfect for all coffee lovers out there!
Making a big jelly with several layers like what I have here takes a while because you have to wait for each layer to set, so if you don't have much time, make your jelly in smaller molds so you don't have to wait so long. Any size cups work will work, any jello molds, animal shapes, flower shapes any shapes you want will work for this recipe!
Agar agar is made from seaweed so it's a great vegetarian or vegan alternative to gelatin! However, the texture between the two is quite different, agar agar doesn't melt in your mouth like gelatin does, and it's not jiggly and wobbly. It's firmer and crumbles in your mouth, but still really refreshing!
Also Watch: Agar Jelly Fruit Cake
Watch The Full Video Tutorial!
All my recipes come with step-by-step video tutorials with extra tips not mentioned in the blog post, so make sure you watch the video below to ensure success - and if you enjoy the show, please consider subscribing to my YouTube channel. Thank you!
Coffee & Cream Agar Jelly
- Yield: Makes one 8-inch round pan
Ingredients
Coffee Layer
- 4-6 tablespoon Thai coffee powder (see note 1)ย
- 3 cups (720ml) water, divided
- 2 ยฝ tsp (6.5 g) agar agar powder (make sure you're using powder, not flakes!)
- ยฝ cup (120ml) sugar
- A little pinch of salt
Cream Layer
- 1 ยฝ cups (360ml) water
- 2 ยฝ tsp (6.5 g) agar agar powder
- ยฝ cup (120ml) sugar
- ยพ cup (180ml) evaporated milk
- ยพ cup (180ml) coconut milk (see note 2)
- A bigger pinch of salt (a little less than โ tsp)ย
- A mold of your choice (see note 3)
Instructions
Make the coffee layer:ย
- Steep the Thai coffee powder in 1 ยฝ cups (360ml) of hot off-the-boil water for about 5 minutes. I put my coffee in a cloth "coffee bag" and let the bag sit in water (see video), but you can also add coffee directly to water and strain it out through whatever coffee filter or fine-weave cloth you have.ย
- Meanwhile in a small pot, mix agar agar powder and the remaining 1 ยฝ cups (360ml) water in a small pot.ย Bring to a full boil over high heat, stirring constantly.
- Once it comes to a full boil, turn down the heat and check to see that the agar agar powder has completely dissolved by spooning some liquid into a metal spoon, then pour off the liquid and look to see if there are any grains of powder stuck to the spoon. If not, you're good to go!ย
- Add the coffee, sugar and a little pinch of salt to the agar agar solution. Bring to a simmer to make sure all the sugar has dissolved, then at this point you can taste to see if you're happy with how sweet it is. Feel free to add more sugar to taste.
- Keep the pot covered and hot while you make the cream layer.
Make the cream layer:ย
- In another small potย mix the agar agar powder and the water in a small pot.ย Bring to a full boil over high heat, stirring constantly.
- Once it comes to a full boil, turn down the heat and check to see that the agar agar powder has completely dissolved.ย
- Add the coconut milk, evaporated milk, sugar and salt to the agar agar solution. Bring to a simmer to make sure all the sugar has dissolved, then at this point you can taste to see if you're happy with how sweet it is. Feel free to add more sugar or salt to taste.ย
- Keep the pot covered and hot.
Tips for keeping the agar agar hot when not using:ย You can keep them on the lowest heat setting on the stove, but be careful, you don't want it to be simmering away, and some stove's "lowest" heat setting (especially on gas stoves) is still too hot. In that case you can keep the pots covered in a hot water bath, or try keeping them in a low oven (150ยฐF). If your stove has a "warming plate" that seems to work really well.
Assembly
- If using a large, non-flexible mold like me, you may want to grease it with a very light layer of oil.ย
- Choose which colour you want to end up on top and start with that one. Pour a desired thickness of agar agar mixture into the mold (I used 1 cup per layer), then let it set just enough that you can press on it, but it should still be a bit soft and elastic underneath. (See video for when I do this). Do not let it get too cold and solid or the layers will not stick together.
- Once the first layer has set, pour on the second layer GENTLY so that you don't break the bottom layer. Make sure the second layer is hot enough that there is still steam coming off of it when you go to pour.
- Repeat until done. Then chill in the fridge until cold before serving.
- To unmold a large, hard pan like the one I used, run a thin spatula around the edge of the mold, you can dribble in a few drops of water around the edges while you do this as well to help it slide out more easily (see video for this technique). Flip onto a serving platter or cutting board, and wiggle it a bit and it should come out. If using a silicone mold you can just flip it and push the bottom of the mold inward to release it. For little individual molds you can use a toothpick to run along the sides and "flick" it out pretty easily.
Important Note on Unmolding: Do not unmold or cut agar jelly until close to serving time. When agar jelly is uncontained, water will slowly seep out because it's an unstable gel. A small amount of water loss will not affect how it tastes, and if it has to sit for a couple of hours unmolded that's fine, but you want to avoid it when possible. If you want to give it away to people, I recommend making it in glass or clear heat-proof plastic containers that you're willing to part with.
Tips:
- I put a fan to the pan to help each layer cool faster. If making a large mold like me, the first layer took about 5 minutes to set enough, subsequent layers took longer and longer, and the last layer took about 15 minutes. For small molds, it will take a very short time.
- Pour the white layer through a fine sieve to catch any milk skin that has formed.
- Again, do not let the layer set cold and solid before pouring on another layer or the layers may separate.
- If you're concerned with the layers being the same thickness, make sure you measure how much liquid you use for each layer. FYI: There are about 3 cups of liquid total for each colour.
Notes
- You can use non-Thai coffee as well but I would use more as Thai coffee is very dark and intense. 4 tablespoon of Thai coffee gives a mild but distinct coffee flavour, 6 tablespoon is pretty intense, I use 5 Tbsp.
- Make sure you use good quality coconut milk when making desserts, it makes a huge difference! See the one I recommend in this video where I also talk about everything you need to know about coconut milk.
- Pan choice: The recipe fits an 8-inch x 2-inch round pan perfectly as shown in the video. However, you can use whatever mold you like, even small cups, bowls, square pans, etc. Flexible silicone molds and small, individual molds will make it easier to unmold the jelly.
Erinraye says
Really good.
LauraLee says
Iโm having the opposite problem than others, and mine set like rubber. I didnโt weigh or level my measuring spoons, and although I did think I had leveled them by shaking the spoons level, I think a small amount of agar agar might really impact the texture. I didnโt have any problems with the layers staying together, and they taste great. I used 4 Tbsp of an Italian instant espresso, and the coffee flavor was perfect for me. Will try again, but will weigh agar agar or at least level my measuring spoons. Itโs such a beautiful looking dessert!
Pailin Chongchitnant says
You should definitely level your spoon, and also be mindful of how long you let the liquid boil because if it reduces too much then you'll have less liquid and it would also set too hard.
Tegz says
I made this and it worked perfectly! Each layer was set within 5 minutes and the layers looked so beautiful!
Miss kana says
๐ I would like to try the recipe, very tempting ๐
Can I replace the evaporated milk with rice/corn flour?
Thank you๐
Pailin Chongchitnant says
No i would stick with evaporated milk or coconut milk.
Kana palani says
๐บ thank you๐
Mykaila Dudley says
I have made this three times without success. It does not set fully. Is it possible my agar isn't good?
Jasmine says
I didn't have any problem at all. The coffee layers are absolutely firmer than the cream layers, but that is what I expected so mine turned out great
linda says
i find that the amount of agar agar isn't quite enough as it set very slowly and the end product isn't very firm -- did you mean 2.5 teaspoon or 2.5 TABLESPOON?
Anyamanee says
I have the same problem like Linda. It is setting, but not as it should be.
Maybe I will try it again with more agar agar? Sweetness is perfect.