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Make Your Hearts Jelly
Indulge in some love with these vegan coconut and fruit jelly with agar agar recipe – a perfect treat to celebrate Valentine’s Day with your special someone that goes beyond your classic chocolates. These charming heart-shaped sweets offer a delicate coconut flavor and a soft, jelly-like texture with bits of fruit that will surely melt hearts. Whether you’re surprising your significant other or spreading love to friends and family, these adorable coconut jelly hearts are a delightful way to express affection on this special day. Valentine’s day doesn’t have to be about candy and chocolates. Indulge in something that you can feel good about.
I remember going to the local market and buying those lychee jelly cups as a kid. Those were addicting. Pretty soon, a little pile of cups would be on the table because it only took one slurp! I had no idea it could be so easy to whip up and accessible. Once you have your hands on agar agar, you can explore a world of possibilities in your culinary adventure.
Made Easily
Before you start, you’ll need two things to make this a culinary win! This Agar agar and this heart-shaped silicone molds are star players here (I’ve included the links for what we used). Okay, now let’s get started!
- Finely chop strawberries and set them aside. Place the silicone mold on a baking sheet to keep it level and stable, especially if you want to move or refrigerate it. You could distribute the diced strawberries into each heart shape in the mold now or wait until after you pour the mixture in the molds (we did after).
- Shake the can of coconut milk before opening it. Over medium-high heat, combine the coconut milk and agar agar in a saucepan. Follow the instructions on the agar agar package for cooking. Bring the mixture to a boil while whisking constantly. Once it boils, remove it from the heat. Reduce the heat to low and return the saucepan to the stove. Let the mixture simmer for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the sugar and lime, and let it simmer for an additional minute. Remove the saucepan from the heat.
- If desired, divide the mixture to add different food coloring options. Pour half of the coconut milk mixture into a measuring cup, add three drops of food coloring, whisk the mixture, and pour it into the silicone molds. Repeat with the remaining mixture.
- Let the agar agar mixture cool. It should be set after 15 minutes, but you can also refrigerate it for 10 minutes. Then, serve and enjoy your coconut and fruit jelly!
Q&A
What are substitutes for agar agar?
Suitable substitutes are pectin and gelatin, but watch out if you’re vegan (Spatula Desserts). Not all products are made alike. We prefer these substitutes over cornstarch and arrowroot powder because those are thickeners. We want to aim for a jelly-like consistency.
What other fruit pairings go well with this coconut and fruit jelly recipe?
You can use kiwi, pineapple, mango, orange, or cherries.
Can I use coconut cream or any other liquids?
Coconut cream will give a thicker consistency so you may want to dilute it with water to get the jelly to be more flexible. As for other liquids, you can certainly do that! Fruit juices are great alternatives.
How do I know if the flavors will pair well if I make adjustments?
As long as you’re not adding anything raw that would need to be cooked through you can taste as you go and add ingredients. You don’t need very much agar agar to accomplish the jelly consistency.
Coconut and Fruit Jelly with Agar Agar
Equipment
- 1 Medium saucepan
- Whisk
- Measuring spoons
- Liquid measuring cup with spout
- Baking sheet
- Knife
Ingredients
- 375 ml Full fat coconut milk
- 4 TBS Granulated sugar
- 3/4 tsp Agar agar
- 1/4 Lime
- ½ tsp Vanilla extract
- 4 strawberries finely diced (optional)
- Food coloring of choice (we used pink and cherry red
Instructions
- Finely dice the strawberries and set aside.
- Place the silicone mold onto the baking sheet. This will help keep the mold level if you want to move or place it in the refrigerator.
- Add the diced strawberries (optional) into each heart shape in the mold now or after you pour the agar agar mixture in the molds.
- Shake the can of coconut milk before opening.
- On medium-high, place the coconut milk and agar agar into the saucepan. Follow package instructions on agar agar when cooking. Bring to a boil while constantly whisking. As soon as it boils, take it off the heat.
- Turn the heat down to low and place the saucepan back on the stove. Let the mixture simmer for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the sugar and lime, and simmer for another minute. Remove from heat.
- You can split the mixture up to add different food coloring choices. We poured half of the coconut milk mixture into the measuring cup and then added three drops of food coloring. Whisk the mixture together and pour into the silicon molds. Repeat with the remaining mixture.
- Allow the agar agar to cool. It should be set after 15 minutes, but you can also place it in the refrigerator for 10 minutes. Serve and enjoy!
Did you Make These Coconut and Fruit Jelly Hearts?
Drop us a comment down below if you made these! If you’re looking for other Valentine’s Day recipes, check out these:
Sweet Potato Fondant Hearts
Mozzarella Hearts
Apricot Cheese
Roasted Red Pepper Bisque