Growing up in Japan, three O’clock meant Oyatsu no Jikan, which means “time for snack” in Japanese. I ran home every day after school and looked forward to the day’s oyatsu (snack) that my mom prepared. Once in a while, she would surprise my brother and me with our favorite No Bake Purin (ゼラチンプリン). It’s a popular chilled dessert in Japan and I’m excited to share this easy homemade recipe with you.
What is Japanese Purin?
It is a custard dessert with a layer of soft caramel on top. As it’s enjoyed throughout the world, you may call this dessert custard pudding, crème caramel, caramel custard, flan, or a different name in your language. Normally the custard, the mixture of sugar, eggs, and milk (and sometimes heavy cream), is baked in the oven in a bain-marie [ban mah-REE] (hot water bath) before being chilled. In Japan, we have 3 types: You can find my recipe for the #1 and #2 methods here. I also want to mention that Japanese Purin is sometimes called “custard pudding” (カスタードプリン) in Japan, especially when emphasizing the custard component and comparing with other types below:
Green Tea Pudding Milk Pudding Tofu Pudding etc.
What is No-Bake Purin?
Japanese “Purin” that you can purchase at supermarkets and convenience stores in Japan is all made with gelatin. We sometimes call this type of purin Gelatin Purin (ゼラチンプリン). They are not baked or steamed. If you’re a big fan of those packaged Japanese custard puddings like Pucchin Purin (プッチンプリン), today’s recipe is for you! The texture of Gelatin Purin is similar to gelatin desserts like panna cotta, French dessert Bavarian Cream, or Bavaria (ババロア). It’s silky smooth and slightly firm, with a gentle wobble. The best part about Gelatin Purin is that you can enjoy the silky panna cotta texture with rich custard flavors, just like creme caramel or flan. This delicious dessert is a simple recipe, but it requires some techniques for the following important steps in the recipe.
The caramel sauce has to have the right consistency so that when you invert the ramekin, the caramel sauce pours down nicely over the Purin. Gelatin has to be bloomed correctly so that the texture of Purin comes out perfectly. The custard mixture needs to be cooked to the correct temperature before being chilled.
I apologize for my lengthy recipe but I hope my tips are helpful. Please read the entire recipe at least once before trying to make the recipe. This post was originally shared in 2011 and it was my guest post shared on my friend Jill’s blog Mad About Macarons’ Egg Yolk Recipes series. Jill makes amazing macarons and she published her macaron cookbooks (Mad about Macarons! and Teatime in Paris!). With the leftover egg whites from this recipe, you can make Jill’s macarons! I hope you enjoy making this No-Bake Purin recipe. Wish to learn more about Japanese cooking? Sign up for our free newsletter to receive cooking tips & recipe updates! And stay in touch with me on Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube, and Instagram. Editor’s Note: The original post was shared on June 10, 2011. The post is updated with new content, images, and video in September 2016.
