Welcome to the Atlas Obscura Community discussion of Coffee Gelatin. Ask questions or share tips, experiences, pictures, or general comments with the community. For the story behind this food, check out the Atlas Obscura entry:
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Gimme recipe… I always got coffee left over.
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This is old school goodness. We used to have this every year on the Fourth of July.
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Unfortunately, Durgin-Park closed early this year: Iconic Boston restaurant Durgin-Park closes doors in Faneuil Hall | Boston 25 News
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I have made this.
one packet Knox gelatin.
one cup of cold coffee.
Sprinkle the gelatin on the coffee and let it soften.
One cup of hot coffee.
one tablespoon of white sugar (or to taste)
Stir sugar into hot coffee until it dissolves.
Mix hot and cold coffee.
Chill until it gels.
Serve with sweetened whipped cream.
I did this in glass bowls, but I think next time I will make it in a pan and serve it cut into cubes.
It would also be good with condensed milk- Vietnamese coffee jelly!
You could sprinkle the dessert with cocoa powder, chocolate sprinkles, cinnamon or hundreds and thousands.
Not popular with small children.
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Vice wrote an article about coffee jelly’s history and where to find the treat now that Durgin-Park has closed.
It sounds like the remaining options in or around Boston are more likely to be vegan-friendly. 
Here’s a simple recipe for those of us far from Boston:
I love coffee jelly and hate to see it disappear from menus. Hope it makes a comeback soon!
I had no idea this was so rare in the States. Growing up in Mexico, this was a commonplace dessert in Japanese restaurants under the name of “camelado”. It still is quite common, along with fried ice cream.
Funny how diaspora foods work, I never knew fried ice cream could be considered a “Mexican” thing until I saw it in the U.S. I only ever knew it in the “tempura” version of Japanese-Mexican restaurants. Certainly never saw the version coated with the churro-like batter or crispy tortilla crumbs. The kicker? Fried ice cream was almost certainly invented in the U.S.
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Thank you for the recipe!
Thanks for the recipe. I bet this drizzled with Kahlua would be incredible.
Yes, this is a very common item in Japan. With a little cream over it. One of my favorites, and so simple.
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I am completely trying this. The trick will be finding leftover coffee in my house…
Fantastic - I’d never heard of this before. Looking forward to giving it a try for myself!
I first had coffee jello at an automat in Philadelphia in the 1970’s. Made with ground walnuts and served with Birds Custard. Wonderful and so easy.
Coffee gelatin is delicious, and easy to make. I am sure it is still available at some country restaurants in Rhode Island, which is known for its coffee obsession: coffee milk; coffee ice cream; coffee cabinets (milkshakes).
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In Tokyo at least, definitely not as ubiquitous as it used to be 30-50 years ago.
Powder mix can still be found in Tokyo supermarkets & we used to be able to buy the same here in NYC at local japanese grocers.
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Since moving from RI I have been disappointed in the lack of coffee flavored ice cream, syrups, and desserts in general to be found in my new home in the South. I have a very good friend who lives on a pond in South County who collects wild blueberries by canoe from around the edges of her pond, and makes blueberry pies which are served with coffee ice cream. It’s a great combination. I think I will try making the coffee gelatin, but perhaps using half milk as someone suggested above.