Tea Jello is an easy and fun dessert that is made with steeped tea and agar agar powder. You can customize it with any type of tea—from black tea to herbal tea. This tea jello recipe is also vegetarian and vegan friendly.
What is Tea Jello?
Jello is a firm, bouncy dessert that is made with a gelling agent like gelatin or agar agar and a flavouring. Typically the flavouring may come from fruits or artificial flavours, but with tea jello the flavouring comes from tea!
Steeped tea and a gelling agent come together to create this jelly-like dessert. While traditional jello is usually made with gelatin, this jello recipe uses agar agar powder which is a plant-based alternative derived from seaweed.
The agar agar is tasteless and odourless. So, don’t worry, your tea jello will only smell and taste like the tea you use.
Why You’ll Love Making Jello with Tea
- Minimal Ingredients – Just 4 ingredients plus, aside from the chill time, it only takes a few minutes to prepare.
- Fun Flavours – Using tea lets you into the world of endless flavours for your jello!
- Light & Refreshing – It is especially delicious during warm weather.
- Food Dye-Free – Unlike most store-bought, this homemade jello is free from artificial colours and preservatives.
- Customizable – You can try layering different teas, adding fruit or making the jello into cool shapes.
Tools You’ll Need
- Saucepan
- Mixing Spoon
- Measuring Cup, Teaspoon and Tablespoon
- Heat-proof Airtight Container or Jello Molds
Ingredient Notes
- Tea: Use any type of tea you would like to try in jello format. Teabags or loose leaf tea.
- Water: Fresh filtered water, if possible.
- Agar Agar Powder: Compared to gelatin, agar agar creates a firmer, more stable jelly that holds its shape well. Using agar agar also makes this jello recipe vegetarian and vegan friendly.
- Sugar: Sweetening your jello is optional, but if doing so I like to use granulated sugar.
Easy Tea Jello Recipe
This is just a run through of the recipe. Find the full ingredient measurements and directions in the printable recipe card towards the end of this post.
Step 1: Steep Your Tea
Steep the tea you are using for the tea jello in hot water for the recommended time. For example, if you are using a black tea, steep it in freshly boiled water for 4-5 minutes. If you are using a green tea, steep it in under boiling water for 2-3 minutes.
Remove and discard the tea bags or strain the loose leaf tea after steeping.
Step 2: Add Sugar and Agar Agar Powder
In a small saucepan, add the steeped tea, sugar and agar agar powder. Whisk to combine.
Step 3: Heat the Mixture
Place the small saucepan over high-heat and bring the mixture to a boil, whisking often to ensure that the agar agar powder has fully dissolved. Reduce heat to a low boil for 5 minutes, whisking often again.
Step 4: Pour into Molds or Container
Remove the saucepan from the heat and carefully pour the tea jello mixture into molds, heat-proof airtight containers or even individual serving cups.
Step 5: Let it Set
Refrigerate for at least 2 hours until firm.
Step 6: Serve & Enjoy!
Remove from molds or cut into cubes if you used a container instead. Serve on its own or garnish with whipped cream, fresh fruit and/or herbs.
Tea jello should be served chilled. Keep any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days.
Tea Variations
This tea jello recipe can be followed and made with any type of tea. It’s worth trying with a variety from black teas to herbal teas. Here are a few of my favourite tea flavours for jello.
- Earl Grey Jello: You can even add lavender and vanilla for London Fog jello.
- Hibiscus Jello: This creates a gorgeous ruby red jello with a tangy flavour.
- Chai Jello: This makes for a cozy, spiced jello treat.
- Hojicha Jello: This roasted green tea gives a unique toasted jello flavour.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use any tea to make tea jello?
Yes! You can use any tea, including black, green, oolong, white or even herbal teas like chamomile or rooibos. Also, you can use tea blends or pure teas. The possibilities are endless. It’s a fun and easy recipe that you can experiment with until you find the perfect tea flavour for your jello.
Can I sweeten my tea jello with alternative sweeteners?
You can use a sweetener of your choice, just make sure it dissolve completely in the mixture. You can also adjust the amount of sweetener, if desired.
Why isn’t my agar agar setting properly?
Agar agar powder needs to be fully dissolved in the hot liquid before it can set, that is why it is important to stir continuously when heating the mixture. Also, make sure the correct amount of agar agar powder and liquid is used. If too much liquid and not enough agar agar is used then it will result in a much softer set and not firm.
Can I use gelatin in this recipe instead?
This recipe was not tested with gelatin, so agar agar powder is the only recommendation. Please keep this in mind, as agar agar flakes were also not tested and are not interchangeable. Using a different gelling agent will give you different setting results and texture.
Can I make layered tea jello?
Yes, you can. To create layers, let each layer set for 25 minutes in the fridge before carefully pouring the next layer on top. If you don’t wait long enough, the teas will just mix together and not be separate layers. Repeat these steps for multiple layers.
Tea Jello
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons loose leaf tea or 4 tea bags
- 2 cups hot water
- 1 teaspoons agar agar powder
- 3 tablespoons sugar adjust to taste
Instructions
- Steep the tea you are using for the tea jello in hot water for the recommended time. For example, if you are using a black tea, steep it in freshly boiled water for 4-5 minutes. If you are using a green tea, steep it in under boiling water for 2-3 minutes. Remove and discard the tea bags or strain the loose leaf tea after steeping.
- In a small saucepan, add the steeped tea, sugar and agar agar powder. Whisk to combine.
- Place the small saucepan over high-heat and bring the mixture to a boil, whisking often to ensure that the agar agar powder has fully dissolved. Reduce heat to a low boil for 5 minutes, whisking often again.
- Remove the saucepan from the heat and carefully pour the tea jello mixture into molds, heat-proof containers or individual serving cups. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours until firm.
- Remove from molds or cut into cubes if you used a container instead. Serve on its own or garnish with whipped cream, fresh fruit and/or herbs. Tea jello should be served chilled. Keep any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days.