My coconut lychee jello recipe is actually a twist on a very standard Chinese home-cooking dessert: almond jello. Although I’ve never eaten it in China or in an actual Chinese restaurant, almond jello is a dessert that consistently pops up at my family’s gatherings. You can buy a mix at the Asian market, similar to how you can buy jello boxes, but it’s super easy to make at home. It’s cool, refreshing, and perfect for when the weather starts warming up. For this lychee version, I decided to add a little twist and use up the leftover lychee syrup from my lychee cupcake recipe. I used a combination of coconut milk and regular whole milk, but you can use all coconut milk to keep your dessert dairy free. Once you get the hang of making the lychee jello, the variations are endless!
The steps are super simple. Essentially, you add gelatin to your syrup/milk mixture to make the lychee jello. Let it set, cut it up, and add a can of fruit cocktail. You could always make your own combination of fruit and toss it into the jello as well, if you’re trying to cut down on the sugar syrup.
If you wanted to have a SUPER lychee flavor, you could use another can of lychee (syrup included) instead of a can of fruit cocktail. This kind of lychee jello isn’t the same kind of lychee jelly that you get in your Asian tea drinks. That kind of lychee jelly probably uses an agar powder that makes it more chewy. However, you could still try adding this jello to your drinks just for fun.
I’m also posting a picture of my mom’s almond jello recipe below, just so you can see how we typically make it.
If you don’t have access to an Asian market to buy canned lychee, you can still make the almond jello version of this dessert with ingredients from a regular grocery store (in America). But if you’ve got some canned lychee, give it a try!
Coconut Lychee Jello Cocktail
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups lychee syrup from canned lychee (approx 1 can’s worth)
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 packets gelatin
- 4 tbsp water
- 2 cups milk or coconut milk (or any combination of both)
- 1 tsp almond or coconut extract
- 1 can fruit cocktail
Instructions
- Mix water and gelatin and set aside to let gelatin bloom.
- Mix syrup, sugar, and milk and heat on stove until boiling.
- Dissolve bloomed gelatin into boiling syrup mixture and take off heat.
- Stir in extract.
- Pour mixture into 8×8 dish and leave to cool in the fridge at least two hours or overnight.
- When ready to serve, cut jello into squares and pour can of fruit cocktail on top. Mix together and serve.
Are you a fan of almond jello? Or Asian fruity jellos in general? I love them, but I definitely prefer gelatin based ones over agar ones. I like the more squishy texture than chewy. But I do like the chewy texture when adding jelly to my tea drinks. Let me know if you come up with a good fruit variation to this recipe!