What Exactly Is Milk Jelly And What Does It Taste Like?

Are you looking for quick dessert recipes? Then you might want to try milk jelly, an English-style pudding that takes minutes to prepare. It's super easy to make and requires just a few ingredients, but you can customize it to your taste. All you need is milk, gelatin, water, and some sort of flavoring, depending on the recipe.

Milk jelly has a rich, smooth consistency similar to that of pudding. Its flavor depends on the ingredients used, but you can expect it to be slightly sweet, with a hint of milk, vanilla, berries, or citrus fruits. Unlike traditional jello, it contains milk and other extras, such as heavy cream and fresh fruits. By comparison, jello is made with gelatin and additives, including natural or artificial sweeteners and flavorings. Therefore, it has a thinner consistency and lower nutritional value. Plus, it takes longer to set. Milk jelly only needs a couple of hours after the ingredients have been mixed together.

Light and creamy, milk jelly is more flavorful and filling than jello. Some recipes only require flavored gelatin, evaporated milk, and water — plus toppings like chocolate or fresh berries for extra sweetness. Others call for regular milk, plain gelatin, sugar, and additional ingredients, such as coffee, vanilla, or rum flavoring. For a more complex flavor, add different types of fruits like blackberries, raspberries, and peaches. 

With the right ingredients, milk jelly will have a delicate, creamy flavor and a smooth texture. It's more or less sweet, depending on whether you add sugar, fruits, or toppings, and can be tailored to suit a wide range of preferences. You can top it with pistachios or walnuts for extra crunch, add heavy cream for a thicker consistency, or drizzle caramel syrup over it for a crème-brulée-like flavor. Some people like it sweet, while others go for fruity or chocolatey recipes. 

Fruit can be used as a topping or added to the mixture of milk and gelatin before setting. You can also arrange them in layers, such as one layer of milk, gelatin, and other ingredients, one layer of fruit purée, and another layer of milk jelly. Just note that certain fruits, especially papaya, pineapple, guava, kiwi, mango, and figs, won't work with this treat. The same goes for ginger root. They contain a class of enzymes called proteases, which can prevent gelatin from setting.

This pudding-like dessert isn't much different from blancmange, panna cotta, or flummery. For example, a delicious panna cotta recipe calls for sheep's milk, gelatin powder, sugar, and heavy cream. You can use pretty much the same ingredients for milk jelly. Similarly, flummery is made with milk or cream, flavored jelly, sugar, fruits, and sometimes eggs. 

This English-style pudding is traditionally made with cow's milk and gelatin, making it unsuitable for vegans. Plus, milk is off-limits for those with lactose intolerance or dairy allergies. Luckily, you can switch out the ingredients and turn milk jelly into a vegan-friendly dessert. One option is to substitute soy milk for cow's milk and agar-agar for gelatin. Agar-agar can also be a good choice for the refreshing Asian dessert called grass jelly and other desserts that usually require gelatin.

Skip the sugar if you use sweetened soy milk. But if you prefer plain soy milk, add sugar or erythritol. The latter ingredient is suitable for ketogenic and low-carb diets. Another option is to replace cow's milk with coconut milk, which boasts a creamier texture and richer flavor.

As mentioned earlier, milk jelly may also contain heavy cream. Vegans can either skip this ingredient or substitute it with coconut or cashew cream. Apart from that, let your creativity run wild and experiment with different toppings like orange, lemon, or lime zest, crunched almonds, honey, or toasted coconut flakes.