A delicious, fruity, refreshing jelly with a variety of fruits! This easy and simple vegan fruit jelly cake is perfect for dessert. It's a gorgeous treat to impress your guests or yourself! Made with simple ingredients and naturally sweetened!
Jump to:
My vegan fruit jelly cake is made of a variety of fruits set in a jelly that consists of fruit juice, agar agar powder, maple syrup, coconut milk and water!
This fruit jello cake is the perfect summer treat as it's so cooling and refreshing to eat! This layered jello dessert comes from Southeast Asia, specifically Thailand but many Asian countries have their own version.
The jello is made with agar agar powder, which is vegan and when activated by heat, it sets your liquid into a jelly. This is a fantastic treat for gatherings or dinner parties as it's so beautiful to look at and it's vegan making it inclusive for all!
Anyone can make this quick and simple dessert with a bit of patience. If you can make jello, you can definitely make this dessert!
Ingredients & Substitutes
Please scroll down to below recipe card for exact measurements.
Fruit Jelly Layer
- Cold water: it must be cold so it doesn't cause the agar agar to clump together.
- Mango juice: or substitute with orange juice or apple juice. But mango pairs best with the fruits below.
- Maple syrup: for that natural sweetness!
- Agar Agar Powder: you can find this ingredient at select grocery stores or online!
- Fully Ripened Fresh Mangoes: Choose ripe mangoes that smell sweet, vibrant in color and tender if you press down on it with your thumb. They should not be hard or evenly slightly green as this will result in a very sour mango pudding. Mango season is between May to September for in-season mangoes. You may substitute with frozen mangoes that have fully thawed but they may not be as sweet.
- Strawberries
- Blueberries
Coconut Layer
- Whole fat coconut milk: avoid using light coconut milk for a opaque white layer.
- Cold water
- Agar agar powder
- Maple syrup
Other Fruit Variations
- Other fruits that you may substitute with include: lychees, pineapples, dragon fruit, longan, rambutan, apple, oranges, raspberries, or blackberries. Just make sure to small dice the larger fruits.
Expert Tips
- Always whisk your agar agar powder into the liquid before you heat it. This allows for the agar agar powder to mix in with the ingredients well to prevent any clumps.
- Use a whisk! This ensure even distribution of your liquids. A fork does not cut it.
- Allow agar agar liquid to reach boiling point to activate it so it can set the jelly.
- Keep your jelly liquid on low heat before pouring into the mold. This ensures your jelly stays as a liquid. If you remove it off the heat source, it will solidify very quickly.
- Once the mango layer is firm but still warm, prepare to pour the coconut liquid at this time so the layers can better adhere to each other.
- Pour the coconut liquid over the back of a spoon to prevent breaking the fruit jelly layer.
- Let the jelly cake chill for at least 3-4 hours to fully set it.
Instructions
Fruit Jelly Layer
- In a small pot, whisk together cold water, mango juice, maple syrup, agar agar powder.
- Bring to a boil for 1 minute and pour liquid into a 7 x 5 inch glass container. Then add in fruits and stir to distribute the fruits so it's colorful throughout.
- Transfer to the fridge uncovered for 20-30 minutes to quicken the jelly-setting process but don't chill for too long. The layer should be firm to touch and still warm so the second layer can stick to the first. Proceed to making the coconut layer.
Coconut Layer
- In a small pot, whisk together coconut milk, water, agar agar powder and maple syrup. Bring this a boil for 1 minute uncovered, stirring constantly.
- Pour this hot liquid over the back of a spoon on top of your set fruit layer. Cover and place in the fridge for 3-4 hours or overnight to firm completely.
- Slice with a hot knife into small squares and enjoy cold!
Storage
- Leftovers will last up to 4 days stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
- Freezer-friendly? I don't recommend freezing fruit jelly cake as the fruits will turn mushy.
Pairing Suggestions
This vegan fruit jelly cake serves well with:
- fresh fruits
- cakes, cookies, pastries or other dessert-like treats
- fruit juice, fruit tea, or any fruity beverages
- coffee or tea
FAQ
A few reasons can cause for unset jelly and they include not activating the agar agar powder by reaching boiling point, not boiling it enough for the instructed amount of time, not allowing it to set in the fridge.
This can be made in advance and stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. It's best to keep this dessert stored at the back of the fridge where it's coldest to prevent the layers from melting.
The main reason why the layers are splitting is because the second layer was poured on top when the first layer was chilled for too long in the fridge. It's best to pour the coconut liquid when the mango layer is still warm but firm to touch.
Other recipes you may like
📖 Recipe
Easy & Simple Vegan Fruit Jelly Cake
Ingredients
Fruit Layer
- 1 ⅓ cups water cold
- ⅔ cup fruit juice of your choice
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 1¾ teaspoon agar agar powder
- ⅓ cup mango finely diced
- ⅓ cup strawberries finely diced
- ⅓ cup blueberries
Coconut Layer
- ¾ cup coconut milk full fat
- ¼ cup water cold
- ¾ + ⅛ teaspoon agar agar powder
- 3 tablespoon maple syrup
Instructions
Fruit Jelly Layer
- In a small pot, whisk together cold water, mango juice, maple syrup, agar agar powder.
- Bring to a boil for 1 minute and pour liquid into a 7 x 5 inch glass container. Then add in fruits and stir to distribute the fruits so it's colorful throughout.
- Transfer to the fridge uncovered for 20-30 minutes to quicken the jelly-setting process but don't chill for too long. The layer should be firm to touch and still warm so the second layer can stick to the first. Proceed to making the coconut layer.
Coconut Layer
- In a small pot, whisk together coconut milk, water, agar agar powder and maple syrup. Bring this a boil for 1 minute uncovered, stirring constantly.
- Pour this hot liquid over the back of a spoon on top of your set fruit layer. Cover and place in the fridge for 3-4 hours or overnight to firm completely.
- Slice with a hot knife into small squares and enjoy cold!
Pema
Mine looked great but tasted curdled.. all ingredients within date so I’m confused. Any suggestions where I may have gone wrong?
Christie Lai
Some brands of coconut milk may not be able to withstand prolonged periods of high heat so that could be the reason why it caused the coconut milk to curdle or separate. For next time, I would recommend to boil it just until it bubbles and then remove it off heat. Hope this helps!
Kathrin
Hi Christie,
Thanks for sharing. May I know what fruit juice did you use? I'm thinking of using either coconut or lychee juice. Which one do you reckon works best for this recipe? Thank you.
christieathome
Hi Kathrin, I used a mixture of mango with orange but Lychee would be absolutely delicious to use! Enjoy!
Lily Sugathan
Hello! I look forward to making this .... could you please let me know what size the glass container is that you set the jelly cake in? Thank you.
christieathome
Hi Lily, thanks so much for asking and I hope you enjoy my recipe! I used a 7 x 5 inch glass container.
Harley Johnson
Does the container have to be glass?
christieathome
I would recommend anything that is heatproof since you're pouring hot liquid into it. Ceramic or a steel one will work. I would advise not using plastic.
Sonia
A delicious dessert but you forgot to mention in the written revipe that we have to boil the coconut milk mixture! I just watched the video now... So I've ended up with that coconut layer not set properly but it's still tasty!
christieathome
I'm so sorry, that's an oversight on my part so thank you for bringing that to my attention Sonia! I'm glad you still enjoyed it and thank you for making my recipe.
Rosemary Squires
I love these! They're so aesthetic and I was worried about sugars. But then I looked and saw you used maple syrup yay! (Canadian maple syrup is so good!)