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Four jars filled with paleo and dairy free coconut jelly desserts, a dairy-free Melo Melo copycat recipe
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4.76 from 107 votes

Coconut Jelly Dessert (Dairy-Free Melo Melo Copycat)

This creamy and silky smooth 5-ingredient coconut jelly is my paleo copycat version of the popular Melo Melo coconut pudding dessert, but made without dairy and refined sugar!
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Chilling time4 hours
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Asian
Keyword: coconut milk, Dairy-free, gluten-free, nom nom paleo, nomnompaleo, paleo, paleo desserts
Servings: 6
Author: Michelle Tam

Ingredients

  • 1 cup coconut water divided (I like Taste Nirvana brand in the glass bottle)
  • teaspoons unflavored gelatin powder
  • cups full-fat coconut milk I like Aroy-D brand in the tetrapak or Native Forest Simple Organic coconut milk
  • ¼ cup honey light colored (or use ⅓ cup liquid allulose to make it keto)
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • cups sliced fresh fruit optional

Instructions

  • Pour ¼ cup of the coconut water into a small bowl. Add the gelatin and whisk until well-incorporated. Set aside to let the gelatin bloom and rehydrate.
  • In a small saucepan, combine the remaining coconut water, coconut milk, and honey. Heat the coconut mixture over medium heat, stirring frequently until the honey is dissolved and the coconut milk is hot but not boiling.
  • Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the reserved hydrated gelatin and vanilla, making sure there are no lumps.
  • Pour the mixture through a fine mesh sieve into a liquid measuring cup to catch any unmelted lumps of gelatin or honey. Skim off any bubbles on the surface with a fine mesh strainer.
  • Then, evenly divide the coconut milk mixture into 6 small (6-ounce) glass jars.
  • Chill the jars in the fridge for 1 hour uncovered and then add the lids and chill until solid, about 4 hours. When you are ready to serve, top with fresh fruit if desired!
  • Store the coconut jelly in sealed containers in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Video

Notes

  • Quality matters! Buy the best coconut milk and coconut water you can find because your coconut jelly will only be as creamy and coconut-y as ones you select. I’ve shared my favorite brands in the ingredients section.
  • Don’t boil the coconut milk and water mixture! When you heat up the coconut pudding ingredients on the stovetop, just warm it enough to dissolve the honey and melt the gelatin (~body temperature or 100°F). If the coconut mixture is heated too much, it can separate. It’s natural to have a little separation at the bottom of each jar once it cools, but you should see only about a half-inch of clear gel at the most.
  • Make sure you don’t use too much gelatin! One of the reasons folks love Melo Melo is because the texture is so soft and delicate—if you add too much gelatin to it, the texture will be too stiff and more like firm Jell-O than silky Melo Melo.

Nutrition

Calories: 243kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 20g | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 13g