Coconut Jelly with Palm Sugar (Coconut Milk Agar Agar)

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This coconut jelly recipe makes a deliciously refreshing agar agar jelly with a combination of creamy coconut milk and caramel-like sweet palm sugar. Set into pretty white and amber layers, these delectable dessert makes excellent party treat too!

Coconut and gula Melaka agar agar jelly arranged on a grey round plate. — Coconut milk jelly with palm sugar layers

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❤️Why you will love this recipe
📋Ingredients
🧾Substitution and variations
👩🏻‍🍳How to make
🍽️Serving & storage
💡Expert tips
💭FAQs
❤️More recipes you will love ❤️
📖Recipe

❤️Why you will love this recipe

This is a simple recipe and requires only 5 ingredients.
The combination of creamy coconut milk and the caramelized sweetness of the palm sugar in the jelly creates a lovely exotic flavor fusion.
The distinct layers of the contrasting white coconut milk and the deep amber palm sugar create a lovely presentation for the jelly, making it not only a great snack and dessert but also an ideal choice for special occasions.
The jelly can be made in advance, making it a convenient dessert option.
The ingredients used are completely plant based, making this coconut jelly a perfect option for vegetarians and vegans.

Like this agar agar jelly recipe? Here are my other posts you might want to check out:

📋Ingredients

Jelly powder (agar agar powder) - this is normally sold in packets. Use clear, unflavored jelly.
White sugar - this is to sweeten the coconut milk jelly layer. Both coarse sugar or granulated sugar will work for this recipe. Colored sugar such as brown sugar will not work as it will change the white color of the coconut milk jelly layer.
Palm sugar (Gula Melaka) - this is normally sold in cylinder blocks or in discs. Make sure it is at room temperature for easy cutting.
Thick coconut milk - the creamy white liquid that is extracted from the white flesh of the coconut and not the clear liquid (coconut water or coconut juice) that is readily present in coconuts. Use full fat coconut milk for a creamy jelly texture.
Water - used to cook the jelly. Use filtered water.

*Refer to the recipe card below for exact quantities of the ingredients above. For best results, use a digital kitchen scale where applicable*

🧾Substitution and variations

The jelly uses agar-agar powder, but you can also use konnyaku jelly powder if you like. Use in the exact same quantity.
For a pandan flavored coconut jelly, knot 2 pandan leaves and add them to the jelly solution as you cook it. Remove and discard the leaves once the jelly has reached the rolling boil point.
If you don't have palm sugar or cannot find it in your local stores, you can replace it with brown sugar for the brown layers of the coconut jelly. Simply replace the same amount of brown sugar as the palm sugar. Do note however that the jelly will taste better with palm sugar.
If you are pressed for time, you can make this coconut jelly into 2 simple layers - 1st layer of coconut milk jelly (white layer) and the second layer of palm sugar jelly. The jelly will still taste great and will still look pretty.
This coconut jelly can also be made into individual serving cups. Here is how I did mine:

Layers of coconut and palm sugar jelly in individual serving cups. — Coconut milk jelly in individual serving cups - pretty party treats

This recipe has not been tested with other substitutions or variations. If you do try, please let me know in the comments section below!

👩🏻‍🍳How to make

Preparing the palm sugar

A poster of 4 images showing how to dissolve gula melaka.

Cut the palm sugar into small pieces for easy dissolving. Alternatively, grate it with a cheese grater. Place in a small saucepan or pot.
Add water into the pot. Add in the pandan leaf if using.
Cook over medium heat until the sugar is completely dissolved. Stir the sugar to help it dissolve quicker.
Strain to remove any residue and the pandan leaves. Set aside.

Making the jelly solution

A poster of 6 images showing how to cook agar agar solution and mix it with coconut milk and gula Melaka.

In a medium saucepan or pot, add water. Sprinkle the jelly powder (agar agar powder) over the water.
Heat it up the solution over medium heat. Stir to dissolve the jelly powder. Continue cooking until the jelly reaches a rolling boil point. This should take approximately 5 to 10 minutes on medium low heat.
To test if the jelly is completely dissolved, scoop a spoon and wait until all the bubbles subside. If the solution is clear (not opaque), the jelly is dissolved and the agar agar solution is ready for next stage.
Strain the jelly to remove any undissolved jelly lumps. This is an optional step, so you can skip this if you are confident there are no jelly lumps in your cooked agar agar solution.
Divide the strained jelly solution into 2 pots. Mix coconut milk and white sugar into the first portion. Heat it up over low heat and stir until the sugar is all dissolved. If you don't get the grainy feeling at the bottom of the pan as you stir, the sugar is dissolved and you can stop stirring. Turn off the heat, cover and set it aside.
For the second jelly portion, add the palm sugar syrup. Heat up the solution and stir until well combined. Turn off the heat and cover the pot.

Assembling the jelly

A poster of 6 images showing how to make layered agar agar.

Spoon the first layer of the coconut milk jelly solution into the prepared mold. Refrigerate to set.
Remove from fridge and gently spoon the second layer, this time the palm sugar jelly solution. Refrigerate to set.
Repeat the process until both the jelly solutions are used up.
If there is any residual that is not enough for full layering, you can combine both the coconut milk and palm sugar jelly solutions into one.
Pour them as the final layer for your coconut jelly.
Remove any bubbles you see on the surface with a spoon. Let the jelly cool down slightly and then return the jelly mold to the fridge to chill completely for at least 2 hours before serving.

Cutting and serving the jelly

A poster of 4 images showing how to unmold and cut jelly.

Once the jelly is completely set, remove it from the fridge. To loosen the jelly from the mold, run a thin spatula along the sides of the jelly and the mold.
Cover the mold with a plate and holding both the mold and the plate together, turn the jelly over onto the plate.
Tap lightly to remove the jelly onto the plate. If the jelly does not release, try inserting a few toothpicks (2 or 3) between the jelly and the mold. The air pockets created by inserting the toothpicks will help release the jelly when turned onto a plate.
Cut the jelly and refrigerate until ready to serve.

5 pieces of coconut milk jelly on a brown rectangle plate.

🍽️Serving & storage

The jelly is best served chilled. Keep it refrigerated until ready for serving.
Left overs should also be refrigerated. The jelly can last in the fridge for 4 to 5 days.

💡Expert tips

Since the jelly will start setting as it reaches room temperature, it is important that the coconut jelly and palm sugar jelly in the pots (while waiting to be assembled into the jelly layers) is kept warm.
To do this, you can place the jelly solution over pots of hot water (similar to double boiling) or your can heat the jelly solution intermittently, just so that it does not reduce to a temperature where it will start setting.
Keeping the jelly solution covered will also delay the cooling process.
For consistent layers of jelly, use the same sized ladle or cup to pour each jelly layer.
To prevent the jelly layers from sliding off after cutting, make sure each jelly layer you pour is hot (steaming). This will help the layers adhere to one another better.
As the jelly layers set, the top surface of the jelly will set first. This is because it gets cooled first. That is why when you touch the jelly surface after a while, you will notice that the top has formed a film but the bottom will still be jiggly. That layer of thin film on the surface of the jelly can break easily, depending on how much time the jelly has had to cool down and set. If you pour your next layer of jelly while the bottom layer is not adequately set, the thin film that has formed on the surface of the jelly can break and your jelly layers will get mixed up. You will end up not getting the distinctly separate white and brown layers anymore. Hence it is important to let each of the jelly layers to set reasonably well before adding the next layer of jelly.

💭FAQs

What is coconut milk?

Coconut milk is the thick, white and creamy liquid that is extracted from the white coconut flesh. It is not the clear water or juice that is naturally present in coconuts (coconut water). It is also not coconut cream. Coconut cream is derived from coconut milk.

How to extract coconut milk?

The coconut milk for this coconut jelly recipe has to be thick. If you are going to make your own coconut milk, is it important to not add too much water when extracting the milk.

To extract the milk, you cut or grate the coconut flesh and place it is a food processor. Add some water and process until fine. Strain the coconut milk with a fine sieve or a muslin cloth. Discard the pulp.

Can I make this jelly in individual mini cups?

Yes, you can and it is a matter of personal preference. Layer the jelly in the same way as mentioned above into each of the individual molds.

What is palm sugar?

Palm sugar (also know as Gula Melaka) is naturally derived from palm trees. It is brown is color and is often sold in cylindrical blocks. Palm sugar is widely used in Asian cooking and pairs excellently well with coconut milk.

How long does it take for the coconut agar agar to set?

Agar agar jelly sets when its temperature reduces. Thicker layers of jelly typically take a longer time to set as compared to thinner layers.

Also, placing the jelly in the fridge will make it set faster as compared to room temperate.

Does the jelly melt after cutting?

When poured into a larger mold and cut into pieces, the jelly tends to release some liquid after a few hours of cutting. This is normal and does not mean that the jelly has turned bad. You can still consume the jelly and it is still as good as new.

One way to prevent the jelly from melting is to cut it only before serving. Another way is to pour it into individual serving cups. That way, the jelly will remain solid for a good one week.

Close up of coconut and gula melaka agar agar jelly arranged on a grey round plate. — Pretty layered coconut jelly dessert

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