Super soft and wobbly Chinese-style almond jelly, also known as almond tofu, served with a fruit cocktail is incredibly easy to make and perfect as a light dessert.
A light dessert like this Chinese almond jelly or almond tofu is always welcome after a meal or as an afternoon snack. I remember having this as a snack when I was a kid. My mom usually bought the instant almond powder and prepare it.
What is almond tofu or almond jelly?
It’s a Chinese dessert made with sweet apricot kernels or also known as Southern almond (南杏仁). The kernels are soaked and then blend until smooth. The “milk” is collected and the pulp can be used to make porridge, cakes, cookies, or bread. The milk is coagulated by using gelatin or agar agar and then served with canned fruit cocktail or fresh fruit with some syrup.
Easy version of almond tofu
I use almond extract for the almond flavor. Sweet apricot kernels are not easy for me to get here and I believe for most of you if you don’t live in Asia. So the main flavor comes from an almond extract. I also use almond milk but there’s really not much flavor that comes from there. You can substitute the almond milk with regular cow’s milk or other milk such as soy milk
Why I prefer using gelatin than agar agar
I like jelly prepared with gelatin because the texture is really good compared to the one made with agar agar. The texture made with gelatin is soft, wobbly, and bouncy. The one made with agar agar can be soft and wobbly too, but it can never have that bouncy texture that gelatin gives. Also by using less agar agar to create that soft wobbly texture, the almond tofu turns watery very fast and need to be consumed on the same day it is made. Unless you are vegan then you can definitely use agar agar instead.
How to make almond tofu using gelatin
1. Put the gelatin in 1 cup of water and let it sit for 5 minutes. It will bloom into gel-like
2. In a large pot, add the rest of the 2 cups of water and all the sugar and cook until the sugar dissolves. There’s no need to bring it to a boil
3. Turn off the heat and scrape the bloomed gelatin into the pot and stir until dissolved
4. Whisk in the milk and almond extract to combine
5. Gently pour into a large 9 x 13 dish or something similar. I poured it too quickly and had too many bubbles on the surface. The bubbles will create a “rougher” texture later. Try to pop as many bubbles as you can using a toothpick. Let it cool down and then transfer it to a fridge and let it chill for 3-4 hours
6. Cut the jelly into cubes right in the dish and then gently scoop out with a large spoon into an individual serving bowl
7. Top with canned fruit cocktail and its syrup if you wish or serve with fresh fruit and drizzle of honey, maple syrup, or osmanthus syrup, etc.
How to store almond tofu
If you have leftovers, simply keep them in an air-tight container in the fridge for 2-3 days. The longer you keep, the “watery” the jelly will get. I do not recommend freezing them.
Did you make this easy almond tofu recipe?
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Easy Chinese Almond Jelly /Almond Tofu with Fruit Cocktail
Ingredients
For the jelly:
- 720 ml water
- 480 ml unsweetened almond milk
- 150 gr sugar adjust the amount to your taste
- 28 gr gelatin or 3 grams (1 2/3 tsp) of agar agar powder. See notes 1
- 14 gr pure almond extract see notes 2
Serve with:
- 850 gr canned fruit cocktail or your favorite fresh fruit
Instructions
If using gelatin:
- Put the gelatin in 1 cup of water and let it sit for 5 minutes. It will bloom into gel-like
- In a large pot, add the rest of the 2 cups of water and all the sugar and cook until the sugar dissolves. There's no need to bring it to a boil. Turn off the heat and scrape the bloomed gelatin into the pot and stir until dissolved. Whisk in the milk and almond extract to combine and proceed to "transfer to a mold"
If using agar agar:
- Put all the ingredients, except for the almond milk and almond extract in a large pot and stir to combine. Let it sit for 10 minutes to soften the agar agar. It's easier to dissolve when you cook it later
- Put on the stove and turn the heat to medium and keep stirring. Let it comes to a boil and keep stirring for another 2-3 minutes or until you don't see the agar agar granules anymore. It's important that the agar agar dissolves or the jelly won't set properly. Remove from the heat and stir in the almond milk and the extract and proceed to the next step
Transfer to a mold:
- Gently pour into a large 9 x 13 dish or something similar. I poured it too quickly and had too many bubbles on the surface. The bubbles will create a "rougher" texture later. Try to pop as many bubbles as you can using a toothpick. Let it cool down and then transfer it to a fridge and let it chill for 3-4 hours
Serve:
- Cut the jelly into cubes right in the dish and then gently scoop out with a large spoon into an individual serving bowl. Top with canned fruit cocktail and its syrup if you wish or serve with fresh fruit and drizzle of honey, maple syrup, or osmanthus syrup, etc.
Notes
- You can also substitute with 1 2/3 tsp (about 3 grams) of agar agar powder, depending on how wobbly or firm you want your jelly to be. 1 2/3 tsp yields a very soft wobbly texture but also turns watery very fast.
- Start with 1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons of almond extract and see how you like the taste. Every brand of almond extract can be different. I suggest not using imitation almond extract. Feel free to use your favorite pure almond extract.
4 comments
I’ve been using this recipe to make almond jelly and also coffee jelly. I also like gelatin a bit more, and I have a habit of buying a jar of unflavored Knox (which either come in pricey little packets or big, honkin’ restaurant supply jars so…). Anyway, I’d had coffee jelly in Japan once, in a sundae. It’s very nostalgic, so I make it at home- and I’ve realized jelly/jello is very nice with ice cream because it acts like a buffer so your teeth don’t get too cold LOL I usually make almond jelly with fruit, but I think it would probably go well with vanilla ice cream, or any ice creams that also have some almond flavor (like cherry or pistachio).
I know right? I was so tempted to buy a big jar of gelatin but then I don’t know if I would use enough of it, yet the little pack seems to be not cost-effective! oh well!
That coffee jelly sounds so good and I would try it with pistachio ice cream next! I think my kids will go crazy over that too!
Too much almond extract in this recipe. Ruined the entire batch. I followed it exactly.
Jennifer, I’m glad you let me know because I’m not sure why I typed in 28 grams for the almond extract. It was supposed to be 14 grams!!! which is about 1 tablespoon!! Sorry that your batch was ruined!!