Rainbow jelly is an addition to bubble tea that is used similarly to boba pearls in tea shops around the world. This delicious addition to bubble tea recipes provides a burst of flavor to bubble tea and other beverages.
Rainbow jelly in bubble tea is formed from coconut meat and lends teas a light coconut flavor along with any other flavor included in the jelly. Rainbow jelly is also used as a garnish for shaved ice and as a dessert topping.
Rainbow jelly can be either purchased or made at home if you have the right supplies and materials. Read on to learn more about how rainbow jelly is served and how to make it.
What Is Rainbow Jelly?
Rainbow jellies are a soft jelly candy made from coconut meat that is used in place of or alongside boba tapioca pearls in bubble teas.
As their name suggests, rainbow jellies come in a wide variety of different colors, and they can also be found in many unique flavors.
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Uses for Rainbow Jelly
Along with being used in bubble milk tea, rainbow jelly is also used as a garnish or topping for several other drinks and desserts. Here are a few of the other ways rainbow jelly is used:
- Ice cream toppings
- Shaved ice toppings
- Thai tea toppings
- Green tea toppings
- Bubble tea toppings
Rainbow jelly is most famous for its inclusion in drinks at the bubble tea shop, but this versatile candy can be used to top off your dessert.
Rainbow jelly is popular in fruit teas and bubble milk teas too.
What Does Rainbow Jelly Taste Like in Bubble Tea?
The flavor of rainbow jelly depends entirely on the flavor that is added to it. Common rainbow jelly flavorings include the following:
- Grass jelly
- Coffee jelly
- Coconut jelly
- Lychee jelly
- Fruit juice (pineapple, strawberry, lemon, lime, passion fruit)
Rainbow jelly is known for its fruit flavor and fruits are the most popular flavors found in rainbow jelly, but the sky’s the limit when it comes to flavoring these colorful candies.
How Is Rainbow Jelly Made?
Rainbow jelly is usually made from the inside layer of a coconut, giving it a crunchier and stiffer texture than traditional tapioca balls or boba pearls.
Some rainbow jelly is made from Konjak, a low-calorie vegetable by-product with a texture similar to gelatin.
The different colors in rainbow jelly topping are created by including different fruit syrup or fruit juices in the coconut jelly.
Crystal boba and grass jelly are also popular rainbow jelly types for varying the color and flavor of rainbow jelly pieces. Plain rainbow jelly is also used to change a drink’s texture without affecting its taste.
The Process of Making Rainbow Jelly
Most rainbow jellies are created by mixing together ingredients such as the following:
- Cassava root
- Sodium citrate
- Citric acid
- Potassium sorbate
- Fruit syrup
- Coconut meat
Once these ingredients are boiled together, the ingredients are poured out into a shallow pan and put into a refrigerator to chill.
Bringing the temperature of the ingredients down solidifies them into a jelly-like texture. When they’re made into jelly, the different flavors can be sliced into small squares and mixed together for serving.
Is Rainbow Jelly Vegan?
Many varieties of rainbow jelly are vegan. To ensure that you get a vegan variety rather than a non-vegan one, make sure that your chosen rainbow jelly is made with sugar rather than honey.
Does Rainbow Jelly Contain Dairy?
Most forms of rainbow jelly do not contain dairy products, making them suitable for adding to vegan drinks and desserts and for people with lactose intolerance.
Is Rainbow Jelly Gluten-Free?
Rainbow jelly is typically gluten-free because it doesn’t contain any wheat products. This makes it a good choice for people who have celiac disease or gluten intolerance.
Contact individual rainbow jelly manufacturers to ensure that gluten is not included as a secondary ingredient.
Is Rainbow Jelly Healthier Than Boba?
Rainbow jellies made out of grass jelly are healthier than boba pearls because they have less sugar.
Bubble teas with rainbow jelly can also be made even healthier by using non-dairy milk products and reduced-sugar fruit syrups.
What Flavor Combinations Are Popular with Rainbow Jelly?
Rainbow jelly comes in many different flavors, but some flavors go better with certain types of bubble tea than others. Here are just a few of the combinations that you can make with rainbow jelly :
- Coconut milk tea and rainbow jelly: Rainbow jellies are naturally coconut-flavored, making them a good option for bubble milk teas that are based on coconut milk.
- Taro milk tea with lychee jelly: Taro milk tea is a distinct-colored milk tea that is made of taro, a relative of the sweet potato with a unique purple color. Lychee is often combined with taro to add slightly acidic and floral flavor notes to cut the creamy taro flavor.
- Coffee milk tea with coffee jelly: Coffee jelly is often added to coffee milk tea and coffee milk bubble tea to enhance the coffee flavor and add a darker color to the drink.
The combination of flavors you can come up with for rainbow jelly is only limited by the scope of your imagination.
No matter what your favorite fruit or drink flavor is, the chance is that you can find or make a rainbow jelly that will make it taste even better.
You can even mix rainbow jelly with other additions like popping boba, and regular tapioca boba.
How to Buy Rainbow Jelly
One of the easiest ways to purchase rainbow jelly is to find an online vendor to ship it directly to you. Any bubble tea supply shop full page will offer plenty of selection results for rainbow jelly options.
It’s super easy to order rainbow jelly online at retailers like Amazon. Here is some I’ve found:
And there you have it! If you don’t want to go through the trouble of making your own rainbow jelly, you can have fresh rainbow jelly delivered right to your front door.
Rainbow Jelly Is a Versatile Topping
Whether you prefer your rainbow jelly in bubble milk tea or as a topping for frozen yogurt, these colorful candies can add a pop of color and flavor to any drink or dessert.
