Agar Jelly With Coconut Milk & Berries: Easy Vegan Dessert

Coconut Agar Jelly With Berries, Cut Into Strips Or Blocks.

An Easy Vegan Jelly Made With Seaweed, Not Gelatine.

It Won’t Melt, So It’s Perfect For Hot Darwin Days And Picnics.

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Introduction to agar jelly

Agar jelly is a vegan jelly set with agar agar powder, which comes from seaweed instead of gelatine. My coconut agar jelly is cooked with coconut milk, water, coconut sugar, a pinch of salt and pandan or vanilla, then set in the fridge with berries or kiwi fruit and cut into strips or blocks. It won’t melt, so it’s perfect for hot days and picnics. You can also make a red version with water instead of coconut milk.

Given my love of sweets, it’s a recipe I’ve enjoyed for many years. It may even remind you of the packet jellies your mother made. Mine certainly did! But I make mine with less sugar than my mother ever did, and it’s a lovely way to eat more berries, especially darker ones like blueberries and blackberries.

My version isn’t elaborate, like some you’ll see in Asia. It’s easy and quick, and you can make it as fancy as you like.

If you have any comments or questions, please contact us. Or chat with me at a Flametree yoga or meditation class via these timetables.

Agar jelly, ready to eat

Coconut agar jelly strips with blueberries and strawberries

My coconut agar jelly with blueberries and strawberries. It’s a vegan jelly, too.

Ingredients for agar jelly

Here are the ingredients for this Flametree Yoga Studio dish.

The jelly

2 tablespoons of 100% pure agar agar powder
1 tin of coconut milk
1 litre of water
Half a teaspoon of salt
100 grams of coconut sugar, plus more to taste
Pandan flavouring, or vanilla essence (or a vanilla pod)

The fruit

Fruit of your choice to mix into the jelly, such as firm berries (blueberries, strawberries), kiwi fruit, or a mango puree

For this recipe, and any version of it, it’s important to buy 100% pure agar agar powder. You’ll find it at Asian stores and in many supermarkets.

Any berries will work, as long as they’re firm enough to hold together in the jelly. Kiwi fruit works well too. If you use a mango puree, you’ll get a colourful yellow layer.

Straight from the mould

The whole piece, straight from the mould, before I sliced it into strips. This red version is made with water instead of coconut milk.

How to make agar jelly

Use these steps to make my coconut agar jelly.

Step 1: Dissolve the agar agar

Put the cold water and the agar agar powder in a saucepan.
Whisk it around to dissolve the powder.
Heat the mix, while stirring.

Step 2: Add the coconut milk and boil

Pour in half of the coconut milk, and stir.
Bring it to the boil, and keep stirring.

Step 3: Sweeten and flavour

Add the rest of the coconut milk, the coconut sugar, salt and flavouring. Keep stirring.
Taste it, and adjust with more coconut sugar if you like.
Cook a few more minutes, stirring all the time, until you can see all the agar agar has dissolved.

Step 4: Pour and add the fruit

Remove from the heat, and pour the mix into a dish or jelly moulds.
Skim off any bubbles, so you have a smooth surface.
Add the berries of your choice, or kiwi fruit.

Step 5: Set and cut

Leave it to set in the fridge.
When it’s set, tip it out of the mould, and cut it into strips, slices or blocks.

For the red version, without coconut milk

Use water instead of coconut milk. Whisk the agar agar powder into cold water in a saucepan, then heat and bring to the boil, stirring.
Check it has completely dissolved, then add the coconut sugar, salt and flavouring. Keep stirring.
Taste, adjust with more coconut sugar if you like, and cook a few more minutes, stirring, until all the agar agar has dissolved.
Remove from the heat and pour half of the mix into a dish or jelly moulds.
Quickly add the berries or kiwi fruit, then pour the rest of the mix on top.
Skim off any bubbles, leave to set in the fridge, then tip it out and cut it into strips, slices or blocks.

Coconut agar jelly

Coconut agar agar jelly made with coconut milk

The version made with coconut milk. Another way to make an agar jelly.

Or cut it into blocks

Agar agar jelly cut into a block, a vegan jelly dessert

Blocks are a good alternative to strips. This one maybe looks like a packet jelly your mother made! Present it however you like, with the amount of sugar or fruit you prefer.

Is agar jelly vegan?

Yes. Agar agar comes from seaweed and contains no gelatine. Every other ingredient here is plant based too. The ingredients are naturally gluten free, but check the label on your flavouring if you avoid gluten.

What is the difference between agar and gelatine?

Agar agar comes from seaweed, while gelatine comes from animals. Agar jelly sets firm and won’t melt on a hot day, which makes it perfect for picnics.

How do you make layered agar jelly?

Pour one layer and let it set at room temperature, not in the fridge, then add the next layer. If you chill a layer first, the layers won’t stick to each other. A mango puree layer gives you a lovely yellow stripe. You can also use different cutters to get fancy, serrated edges.

Agar jelly: quick questions answered

Where can I buy agar agar powder?

You’ll find it at Asian stores and in many supermarkets. Buy 100% pure agar agar powder.

Can I use agar agar strips instead of powder?

Yes. The powder is the easiest to use, but you can also dissolve agar agar strips.

What fruit works in agar jelly?

Any berries that are firm enough to hold together in the jelly, such as blueberries or strawberries. Kiwi fruit works well too, or use a mango puree for a yellow layer.

Can I make agar jelly less sweet?

Yes. Taste it as it cooks and adjust the coconut sugar to suit you. You can also make it with fruit juice, but that makes it higher in sugar.

How long does agar jelly keep?

It keeps well in the fridge. I’ve been known to munch away at it for days!

More Flametree coconut milk desserts

Love coconut desserts? Try my sago dessert with coconut milk, my mung bean coconut milk dessert, or my papaya tapioca pearl dessert.

Do you have a vegan recipe or dish you’d like to share?

Please contact me with any dishes you’d like to share with me.

Obviously, I’m especially interested in any dish that is already a great Darwin vegan option.

Alternatively, it may be a potential vegan Darwin recipe that I could adapt, or be inspired by, as I did here.

Experience eating alternatives at a Flametree Yoga Retreat

By the way, there are several upcoming Flametree yoga retreats in Bali in 2027.

Contact us for details of our Darwin yoga retreat packages, or our yoga class packages in the orange lines below.

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Learning to eat mindfully, as a result of yoga and pranayama meditation, is a great way to start more of a vegetarian or vegan journey, or simply mindfully eat whatever you choose.