How To Make Coffee Jelly

Are you a coffee lover, or do you know someone who can’t live without their daily cup?

Looking for a unique twist for Mother’s Day brunch? Or maybe you just love trying new and exciting treats!

Say hello to coffee jelly—a fun and delicious way to shake up your coffee game.

It’s a little fancy, a little unexpected, and totally worth a try!

Give coffee jelly a try in one of these fun ways!

It’s the perfect conversation starter for your next get-together or a unique twist on jams and jellies for homemade holiday gifts.

However you enjoy it, it’s sure to be a tasty surprise!

What is coffee jelly?

Coffee jelly originated in Japan and Europe.

This coffee and sugar-flavored gelatin mixture is most often used as a dessert, but you can use it in many other ways if you are up to getting creative.

To make coffee jelly for pantry storage, you have to play around a bit with pectin and use a less concentrated coffee mixture to allow the pectin to set.

This form of coffee jelly has become more popular over the past few years.

For coffee lovers, coffee jelly is a great way to mix things up and have some fun with something new.

Canning homemade coffee jelly makes a great gift to put in a gift basket for your favorite coffee lover.

Ways to use coffee jelly

While you can scoop this out and serve it with frozen cream for a more traditional dessert, you can opt to use this jelly the same as you would any other.

Coffee jelly is a great topping for pancakes, crepes, and other breakfast foods.

Once you get a taste of this coffee jelly, odds are you will find several great new ways to use it.

Of course, I recommend some sweet homemade whipped cream.

Best coffee for coffee jelly

Coffee is one of those personal things, and many people have a favorite brand of coffee, the flavor of which is always the go-to.

The good news is that this coffee jelly can be made with any brewed coffee, no matter what type or flavor you prefer.

For your first batch, you should always start with your favorite go-to coffee.

After you have had a taste of it, don’t be afraid to try some new flavors from your favorite coffee selection.

The darker the roast, the more flavor your jelly will have.

Consider stronger brewing options like cold brew coffee for making a smooth yet strongly flavored coffee jelly.

How to make traditional coffee jelly

This jelly uses gelatin and should always be refrigerated, not stored in the pantry because the protein in the gelatin makes it more likely to grow bacteria.

While this can be served as the traditional dessert, it also works as a great refrigerator jelly you can use for any of your favorite treats.

• Unflavored Gelatin
• Hot Water
• White Sugar
• Coffee

Step 1: Dissolve gelatin in the hot water in a small bowl, whisk well until smoothly blended with no floating chunks of gelatin remaining.

Step 2: Pour gelatin mixture, coffee, and sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat.

Your mixture should be well blended and lump-free.

Step 3: Pour coffee mixture into glasses for individual servings or a large pan for cubing.

Step 4: Chill in the refrigerator until solidified, 6 to 7 hours.

Want to mix things up a bit?

• Try making coffee jelly with 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk mixed right in for a Mexican De Leche-style coffee jelly that is sweet and satisfying.
• Serve this coffee jelly cold with sweet cream for a great dessert.
• Coffee jelly will last in the refrigerator for 2 days making it a great make-ahead option to take to parties, brunch, and even serve as a unique dessert at your next dinner party.

How to can coffee jelly

While traditional coffee jelly made with gelatin has a relatively short lifespan in the refrigerator, there is another version that you can make that will last long-term.

You can use this revised recipe for storage inside your pantry long term or set aside to give away as gifts.

This jelly can be a bit thicker than fruit jellies due to the particular acid in the coffee concentrate that doesn’t react well with pectin.

There are a few tricks around this issue including the type of pectin you use.

Use Dutch gel rather than a more common powdered pectin and add a bit more lemon juice then other recipes for a more pectin-friendly acid addition.

• 4 cups strongly brewed coffee
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 5 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 2 cups Dutch gel pectin

Step 1: Stir the coffee and lemon juice together in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat string well.

Step 2: In a separate bowl, whisk together the sugar and Dutch Gel Pectin until well blended.

Step 3: Add the sugar and pectin mixture to the boiling coffee mixture all at once, and whisk vigorously for 2 minutes, or until the pectin and sugar are fully dissolved into the solution.

Step 4: Return the mixture to a full rolling boil, and boil for about 1 minute.

Step 5: Test for gelling by dipping a frozen spoon into the boiling mixture.

If it gels over you are ready to move on.

If it does not add a bit more sugar and lemon to help activate the pectin.

Step 6: Remove the pan from the heat, ladle into clean 8 ounce jars while the jelly is steaming hot, wipe the rims with a damp paper towel, and screw on new, two-piece lids until fingertip tight.

Step 7: Place the jars into your water bath canner on a full boil to process the jars for 10 minutes before removing.

Step 8: Carefully transfer to a cooling rack or a tea towel on the counter and let cool, undisturbed, overnight.

After the jars are cooled, remove the rings, wipe clean, and label.

These jars will store in your pantry safely for about a year.

Want to turn coffee jelly into the perfect gift?

Dress up the jars with a cute ribbon and a coffee spoon, or go all out with a coffee lover’s gift basket!

Add a mini French press, a fun coffee mug, and a few sample-size coffee flavors for a gift that’s sure to brew up some smiles!

More Coffee Recipes

If you liked this coffee recipe, you’ll love these ones too:

• Whipped Coffee – This new trendy drink is made by mixing instant coffee, sugar and hot water until you create a frothy whipped coffee that sites on top of a glass of ice and milk.
• Vanilla Latte – Now you can enjoy your favorite Starbucks Vanilla Latte recipe anytime you want, without even leaving the house.
• Coffee Cookies – This homemade coffee cookie recipe is a made from scratch cookie that uses fresh ground coffee to enhance the flavor of these cookies in a big way.
• Iced Cinnamon Dolce Latte – I love the cinnamon flavor of this latte.
• Mocha Frappuccino – It is so simple to make at home for a fraction of the cost that you’ll pay at Starbucks or your favorite coffeehouse.
• Graham Cracker Latte – Coffee flavored with honey, vanilla, and cinnamon.
• Iced Caramel Macciato – The perfect blend of sweet caramel and bold coffee all blended into one indulgent coffee drink.
• Caramel Brulee Latte – This Caramel Brûlée Latte is made with espresso, whole milk, a drizzle of caramel sauce, and topped with whipped cream.