Pandan Coconut Jelly. A light, refreshing and delicious South-East Asian inspired dessert that only calls for 5 ingredients! It'll sure impress your guests with the layers!
What is Pandan Coconut Jelly?
Pancake Coconut Jelly cake is a refreshing, light, tasting dessert made with coconut milk, pandan extract, agar agar powder, water and a liquid sweetener. This easy and simple 5-ingredient dessert is stunning to look at and is also fun to make! The combination of the coconut milk with the pandan is delicious and if you love jello-like desserts, this is one for you! You may also find this tropical dessert served at select dessert shops in Thailand, Malaysian, Singapore or Indonesia.
Pandan extract is a special ingredient made from pandan leaves. Pandan is a herbaceous tropical plant grown in South-East Asia. It’s a very fragrant plant thanks to it’s vanilla and floral grass scent. The plant looks similar to a palm with vibrant green leaves that are long and pointy. The leaves are utilized for their delicious taste in many Thai and Southeast Asian Dishes. Pandan is usually sold as an extract, paste or powder to flavour Thai or Southeast Asian desserts, such as cakes, jellies and more. Sometimes the leaves are used to wrap sticky rice as the flavour seeps into the sticky rice making it taste wonderful!
Ingredients
Pandan layer
- Pandan extract: liquid pandan extract is recommended for this recipe. Avoid the powdered form.
- Maple syrup: or white sugar or honey
- Cold water
- Agar agar powder
Coconut milk layer
- Coconut milk: whole fat kind, not light coconut milk
- Maple syrup
- Agar agar powder
How to Make Pandan Coconut Jelly
- First open the canned coconut milk and mix the contents together well. Set aside.
- Then in a small pot, whisk together pandan layer ingredients.
- In another small pot, whisk together ingredients for coconut milk layer.
- Bring both pots to boil to activate the agar agar powder while stirring. Once it reaches a boil, remove off heat and keep them both covered so they don't solidify.
- Next in 6 x 2-inch wide silicone molds or glasses, pour 1 tablespoon of the pandan mixture into each mold. Wait 3 minutes for it to set at room temperature by checking with your finger. Keep the remaining pandan mixture warm by covering it with a lid.
- Then pour 1 tablespoon of coconut mixture to each mold or glass. Allow this to set and keep the remaining coconut mixture warm by covering with a lid.
- Repeat the above process until you have multiple layers and all the liquid is used.
- Refrigerate for 1 hour. If needed, pop them out of the molds. Serve with fresh fruit and sweet condensed coconut milk or evaporated coconut milk.
Storage
This dish will last up to 4 days stored in an airtight container in the fridge.
FAQ
Where can I buy pandan essence?
Select Asian grocery stores or online shops will sell pandan extract. Just search online for “Pandan Leaf Essence” or Extract. I would not recommend using the powders unless you’re familiar with using them.
Other pandan recipes you may like!
📖 Recipe
Easy Pandan Coconut Jelly
Ingredients
Pandan layer:
- 1 tablespoon pandan extract
- 1 cup water cold
- 1 ½ teaspoon agar agar powder
- ¼ cup maple syrup or white granulated sugar or honey
Coconut milk layer:
- 1 cup coconut milk full fat kind
- 1 ½ teaspoon agar agar powder
- ¼ cup maple syrup or white granulated sugar or honey
Instructions
- Open the canned coconut milk and mix the contents together well. Set aside.
- In a small pot, whisk together pandan layer ingredients.
- In another small pot, whisk together ingredients for coconut milk layer.
- Bring both pots to boil to activate the agar agar powder while stirring. Once it reaches a boil, remove off heat and keep them both covered so they don't solidify.
- In 6 x 2-inch wide silicone molds or glasses, pour 1 tablespoon of the pandan mixture into each mold. Wait 3 minutes for it to set at room temperature by checking with your finger. Keep the remaining pandan mixture warm by covering it with a lid.
- Then pour 1 tablespoon of coconut mixture to each mold or glass. Allow this to set and keep the remaining coconut mixture warm by covering with a lid.
- Repeat the above process until you have multiple layers and all the liquid is used.
- Refrigerate for 1 hour. If needed, pop them out of the molds. Serve with fresh fruit and sweet condensed coconut milk or evaporated coconut milk.
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Katherine | Love In My Oven
This green is so gorgeous!!! These are so vibrant. My kids will love helping me with this while we're stuck inside for the next little while! 🙂
Sherri
I've never had pandan but I will definitely have to try it. This dessert is absolutely gorgeous! I'm always on the look out for more vegan desserts and this one sounds delicious! 🙂
Katerina
Why is it that I am already searching for pandan extract online? Ever since I saw these in your Instagram feed, I've been amazed by the beauty of those layers - they are so perfect! What a fabulous and impressive recipe, Christie!
Molly
This is soooo beautiful! I can't wait to give them a try! I bet it's super easy to make like your coffee ones!