Almond jello is a popular Chinese dessert that is light and refreshing and a lovely way to end a meal! Incredibly easy to make, it is traditionally served topped with canned fruit, but it's also delicious all by itself! It's a refreshing alternative to heavier sweeter desserts!
Almond jello is a very humble and popular Chinese dessert, often dressed up with canned fruit, and it's another favorite dish my mum used to make when I was a kid! Read on to learn how super easy it is to make!
Ingredients
- Gelatin
- Water
- Sugar
- Milk
- Almond extract
How To Make Almond Jello
Bloom the Gelatin
You have to hydrate or "bloom" the gelatin before you can incorporate it into the recipe. This will allow it to dissolve and incorporate more easily into the liquid.
To bloom the gelatin, sprinkle the powder over cold water in a dish, give it a bit of a stir, and then set it aside for a minute.
Dissolve the Sugar
Measure out the just-boiled water and add the sugar.
Stir until the sugar has completely dissolved and the water looks completely clear.
Making the Jello
Add the sugar water to the bloomed gelatin and stir until the gelatin has completely dissolved.
Add the whole milk and almond extract and stir.
Pour the jello mixture into a pan, dish, or individual serving dishes.
Transfer the jello to the fridge, uncovered, and chill at least 6 hours or until it has set.
How To Serve the Almond Jello
Run a knife around the edge of the almond jello and then cut it into cubes.
Growing up, we always ate almond jello by itself and that's how I love to eat it to this day.
However, the traditional way to serve it is with canned fruit, whether it be fruit cocktail, peaches, lychee, or mandarin oranges. You could also serve the almond jello with fresh fruit and a drizzle of simple syrup.
Commonly Asked Questions
I have never used agar agar powder, so I do not know how it would work with this recipe. However, I have read agar agar cannot be used as a 1:1 substitution. Since I have never used agar agar, it is best to refer to someone who has more experience with the ingredient for the best advice if you want to use it.
I like the flavor that full-fat whole milk gives this dessert, but if you want to use a lighter milk, 2% is probably a good compromise.
Yes!
No. Evaporated milk is not the right color for this almond jello, nor is it the right flavor. Sweetened condensed milk should not be used.
Reduce the total liquid by ¼ cup to make a firmer jello. You can choose to reduce either the water, the milk, or a combination of both.
Other Recipes You Might Like
If you like this Chinese dessert, another one you might consider trying are Chinese Almond Cookies or Chinese Rice Puddings. Just like the almond jello, these recipes are gluten-free, very easy to make and delicious!
For non-dessert Chinese dishes, take a look at my recipes for Savory Chinese Winter Solstice Soup, Chinese Taro Cake (Woo Tau Goh), or Rice Cooker Chinese Sticky Rice, just to name a few!
Almond jello is another fond food memory from my childhood. I loved it whenever my mum made it, and to this day, just the smell of the almond extract brings back so much nostalgia for this dessert! I hope you'll give it a try!
~ Lisa.
Watch How To Make It!
Almond Jello
Ingredients
(Metric Measurements in Recipe Notes below)
- 5 teaspoons unflavored gelatin powder (see Recipe Notes below)
- ¼ cup cold water
- ⅔ cup just-boiled water
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 tablespoon almond extract
Optional:
- Canned fruit in syrup or juices (fruit cocktail, peaches, mandarin oranges, lychee, etc.)
- Fresh cut fruit with simple syrup like strawberries, mango, cherries
Simple Syrup for serving (optional):
- ¼ cup water
- ¼ cup sugar
Instructions
- In a medium sized bowl or 1-quart measuring cup, add the room temperature water.
- Sprinkle the gelatin over the water and stir. Set aside.
- In a separate bowl or measuring cup, add the just-boiled water. Stir in the sugar until completely dissolved.
- Pour the sugar water into the gelatin water and stir to dissolve the gelatin.
- Add the milk and almond extract and stir.
- Pour the mixture into a dish (I use a rectangular glass container with a lid).
- Refrigerate uncovered for 1-2 hours before covering to reduce condensation.
- Refrigerate at least 4 hours until jello is completely set.
- Cut almond jello into cubes and serve with canned fruit and syrup, if desired.
Simple Syrup for serving (optional):
- Add the sugar to just-boiled water and stir until the sugar is completely dissolved and the syrup is completely clear. Set aside to cool to room temperature before using. Store in a jar in the fridge.
Notes
- Metric Measurements:
- 5 teaspoons gelatin powder = 14 grams (or 2 envelopes)
- ¼ water = 50 grams
- ⅔ cup just-boiled water = 155 grams
- ¼ cup sugar = 50 grams
- 1 cup whole milk = 250 grams
- 1 tablespoon almond extract = 15 grams
- Agar agar cannot be used as a 1:1 substitution for gelatin. Since I have never used agar agar, it is best to refer to someone who has more experience with the ingredients for the best advice if you want to use it.
- Pour the jello mixture into individual serving dishes if you do not want to cut it out of a pan or dish.
- Chill almond jello in the fridge uncovered for 1-2 hours before covering to avoid condensation.
- Reduce the amount of total liquid by ¼ cup if you prefer a firmer jello. Increasing the liquid will make the jello too soft to cut and scoop.
- Use almond milk for a non-dairy version.
- Add more almond extract if you like a stronger almond taste.
- My almond jello is not super sweet. If you like your almond jello sweeter, you can increase the sugar up to ⅓ cup.
- Serve with canned fruit with syrup, or serve with fresh fruit and simple syrup.
** Post updated September 18th, 2023 with the addition of Commonly Asked Questions.
Becky says
Wow! I was looking for low-cal desserts made with gelatin when I stumbled on this. I used monkfruit instead of sugar, half cup almond milk and half cup 2% Fairlife milk, and only 1 tsp of extract for my personal taste. It’s so unique and refreshing for a hot summer day! Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Hi Becky! Wow...thanks for trying the recipe and for sharing your modifications...I'm so glad to hear that it worked out and that you liked it!
George Moy says
I’m so glad that you have a recipe for almond jello,because when you buy the almond jello mix at a Chinese grocery store,one box of mix goes for $3.50.But if you try to buy the same thing the box of jello in a Walmart store (not online)they want $9.98 for the same mix. So can you change up the flavor? Because they have strawberries flavor almond jello in the store.
Thanks for the question, George! I don't know about strawberry flavored almond jello or what exactly that is, so I can't really advise on how to make it. I don't know if there is such thing as strawberry extract or flavoring you could use in combination with the almond extract?
Lily Wong says
Easy recipe. So delicious. Brings me back to pleasant childhood summers. Thank you for sharing. Used exact recipe. Will double the recipe for a potluck.
Thanks so much, Lily! I love that it brings back childhood memories...just like it does for me, too!