Anime Recipe: Easy Coffee Jelly from The Disastrous Life of Saiki K (Low Calorie, Vegan)

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Now that I have agar agar powder in my pantry after making Tsuyu Asui-inspired jelly, I wanted to try another famous jelly recipe from anime: coffee jelly! Coffee jelly got its start in the UK, but is now common in Japan's convenience stores and restaurants. 

This dessert makes an appearance in The Disastrous Life of Saiki K, an anime about a teenager with psychic superpowers. Kusuo Saiki, the titular character, is a big fan of coffee jelly. Given I have quite the caffeine addiction myself, I was excited to give this a try!
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​Coffee jelly is sometimes served as cubes inside a sweet cream (almost resembling an iced coffee beverage), but we'll be making ours to look as close to the show's as possible, which looks more like a ramekin-sized block of jelly with whipped cream. Since agar agar powder is vegan, to keep this a plant-based recipe, we'll be using a nondairy whipped cream.

​I'm using Reddi Whip's almond milk variant, but if you prefer the coconut milk whipped cream or another vegan whipped cream then that works too. 

Ingredients (Makes approx. 5 servings)

• 2-3 tsp instant coffee (depending on how strong you want it)
• 6 oz water in a mug
• 1.5 cups water to boil
• 2 tsp agar agar  aka kanten powder 
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract or Jordan's Skinny Syrups Vanilla
• 1 tbsp sweetener (I'm using Stevia to keep this low calorie, but you can absolutely use real sugar)
  • The Stevia I use is Whole Earth, which is plant-based & suitable for vegans! If you are trying to keep this dish vegan, just be aware that some refined sugars get their color from a process that involves bone char.  
• Whipped cream (non-dairy to keep this dish vegan); I like to use about 4 tbsp per serving

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​Instructions

• Add agar agar powder, sweetener, vanilla, and 1.5 cup water to a pot and whisk together. Do this before the water has started to boil to prevent clumping.
• While you wait for the water to heat up, prepare your instant coffee with instant coffee and 6 oz water. Add to the pot.
• Once your water is at a rolling boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for 3 minutes.
• Fill ramekins (mine filled 5 ramekins total, but this may vary depending on the size of yours) or other container with mixture and let sit in the fridge.
• Optional: When ready to serve, remove from ramekin and present on a plate or in a glass.
• Serve with whipped cream.

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​Nutritional Information

Including the whipped cream, if you use stevia, each of the five ramekins contains...

• 30 calories
• 1 g fat
• 0 mg cholesterol 
• 7.5 mg sodium
• 4.8 g carbohydrates
• 0.2 g fiber
• 1.6 g sugar
• 0.2 g protein

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The Verdict

I'm a huge fan of coffee and often drink it black. So that being said, I thought this was sweet but not too sweet! The flavor profile reminded me a lot of a more dressed up iced coffee drink, and the jelly texture is great for this warmer spring weather we've been having in Florida. I'd rate it a 9/10, and will give it a 10/10 next time when I make the coffee a bit stronger.

For ease of replication, definitely a 10/10. Agar agar is super easy to work with, even more so than standard gelatin in my opinion.

Have a food from an anime that you want me to try to recreate? Let me know in the comments below! Plus, follow me on TikTok to see the behind the scenes of how this was made.
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​You May Also Like...

• Japanese Fruit Jelly with a Froppy Twist
• How To Drink Black Coffee and Actually Like It
• Ichiraku Ramen Recipe from Naruto