Do you usually end your meal with a dessert? These days, I find myself partial to lighter, not-too-sweet desserts to satisfy my cravings. Since my family has been really into hojicha (roasted Japanese green tea) lately, I decided to make Hojicha Jelly (ほうじ茶ゼリー). It’s easy, delicious, refreshing, and a fun change from the usual ice cream or cakes. If you’re a fan of jelly and tea, you need to try this recipe!
What is Hojicha Jelly?
Jelly is a popular dessert enjoyed on all occasions in Japan. I’ve shared several classic flavors, including Coffee Jelly, Fruit Jelly, and Orange Jelly on the blog. Today, we’re making a more uniquely flavored jelly with hojicha, which I’m genuinely excited about. Hojicha (焙じ茶, ほうじ茶), or roasted Japanese green tea, has an earthy, mildly sweet, toasty aroma that is delightfully calming. My family enjoys the tea hot or cold, and you can find my recipes for Iced Hojicha Latte and Cold Brew Hojicha. In addition to beverages, hojicha also makes an excellent flavoring in desserts. To make this jelly, I use hojicha in fine powder form and kanten powder as the firming agent. (More on kanten below.)
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
A light and refreshing dessert. You can omit or reduce the sugar, or you may want to add more to your liking. Super quick and easy to make. All you need is to dissolve kanten powder in water, and then add the hojicha powder, and sugar. It sets fast, so you can eat the dessert pretty quickly!
Ingredients for This Recipe
How to Make Hojicha Jelly
What is Kanten (Agar)?
Kanten (寒天) is a semi-translucent firming agent commonly used in Japanese sweets. It imparts a firmer yet light texture to desserts. Therefore, the jelly made with kanten is not wobbly like soft-style Jello; instead, it maintains its shape and has a toothsome bite. Some of you might be more familiar with agar, which is another similar ingredient to kanten. The difference is that they are clear and made from different seaweeds, which yields a bit softer in texture than kanten. Japanese recipes specifically call for kanten, but if you can’t access it, feel free to use agar. You might wonder about gelatin. Gelatin will yield a slightly different texture. It also doesn’t set as firmly or quickly, and it needs to be kept cold in the fridge. Since kanten is naturally vegan and vegetarian-friendly, you can serve the jelly to everyone without worrying about dietary requirements. If you’re curious about this ingredient, check out my kanten pantry page.
Kanten Cooking Tips
To ensure that the kanten powder is completely dissolved, mix only the kanten powder and water with a whisk in the first step, avoiding the addition of other ingredients. It can be challenging to determine if the kanten powder has fully dissolved because the powder is very fine. Do not take any shortcuts and follow the package instructions precisely: Bring the powder and water to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 2 minutes, whisking thoroughly. Adjust the texture of the jelly with water. For example, 4 grams of kanten powder can solidify 500 ml of water. Using this powder-to-water ratio results in a jelly that’s too firm for my liking. Therefore, I use 600 ml of water in my recipe. Unlike gelatin, kanten jelly can maintain its form at warmer temperatures. If you’re serving the jelly in the hot summer, it will hold its shape well.
Can I use Knox gelatin powder? You can. To set 1 cup (240 ml) of liquid, use 2 teaspoons of gelatin (equivalent to 1 teaspoon or 2 grams of kanten powder). How long does it last in the refrigerator? Hojicha jelly will last for up to 3 days in the refrigerator. Can I skip the condensed milk topping? Yes, you can also enjoy this Hojicha Jelly with kuromitsu (黒蜜), or Japanese black sugar syrup. You can make it from scratch following my recipe.
Recommended Tools to Make This Recipe
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