Butterfly Pea Tea Jelly
How to make beautiful blue (or purple) jelly using butterfly pea tea
If you’re looking for a refreshing and eye-catching recipe, this recipe is for you.
Butterfly pea tea jelly looks stunning, it’s easy to make, and it gets its beautiful colors from all-natural ingredients.
In this post, you’ll discover all the tricks you need to create this versatile tea jelly.
It’s perfect to enjoy on its own or as a topping for drinks, ice cream, or any other dessert. The sky’s the limit for what you can do with this vibrant blue jelly!
What’s butterfly pea tea?
Have you seen pictures or videos of vibrant blue drinks that turn purple?
That’s butterfly pea tea, the “tea” you get by steeping the dried flowers of the Clitoria ternatea plant.
I put “tea” in quotes because technically it isn’t tea but a herbal infusion.
And since it’s caffeine-free, everyone can enjoy it any time of day.
The stunning blue color of butterfly pea tea transforms into purple when you add something acidic, like lemon, allowing you to create colorful drinks without artificial coloring.
Butterfly pea flower tea, known for its high antioxidant content, has been enjoyed for centuries in some parts of Southeast Asia.
It’s only catch it’s its taste: butterfly pea tea doesn’t have a strong flavor and leans toward a muted woody taste.
On the bright side, this butterfly pea jelly recipe is practically neutral in taste, so it won’t interfere with the flavors of the drinks or desserts you top it with.
What you’ll love about this recipe
What you’ll need
Swaps and alternatives
Gelatin
Feel free to use gelatin powder, flakes or sheets.
For a vegan version, you could use agar-agar, but then you’ll need to cook the mixture to activate its gelling properties.
Butterfly pea tea
I use butterfly pea flowers or butterfly pea teabags.
I haven’t tried using butterfly pea powder yet, but I guess it would work as well.
Sweetener
Sweetening your butterfly pea tea jelly is optional.
Usually I don’t sweeten my tea jelly (you can see my “tea jelly” recipe here), but since butterfly pea tea doesn’t really have a distinct taste, I find it more enjoyable adding a little amount of sweetener.
To be specific, I like to use my homemade vanilla infused honey for this jelly.
Time needed: 3 hours
How to make butterfly pea tea jelly
- Hydrate gelatin
Bloom the gelatin according to the type you use.
For gelatin in powdered form, add a little amount of water and mix well with a spoon. For gelatin sheets, bloom them in water until soft.
- Make butterfly pea tea
Steep butterfly pea loose tea (flowers) or teabag in fresh boiled water for 5 minutes.
- Combine gelatin and blue tea
Once the steep time is over, remove the tea solids (strain flowers or remove tea bag).
Then add the bloomed gelatin and stir with a spoon until dissolved. Since the tea will be still very hot, the gelatin will dissolve very easily.
- Optionally sweeten and/or add lemon
If desired, sweeten the liquid mixture to taste.
Additionally, if you want the resulting jelly to have a purple color, add a few drops of lemon juice. The more lemon juice you add, the more the color will turn into a magenta shade.
- Let sit
Wait until the mixture reaches room temperature, then place it in the fridge for at least 3 hours until the jelly becomes firm.
Then cut into small pieces to use it as topping or enjoy as is.
Tips
- If you want different shades, pour some of the liquid into one mold and the rest into another mold, adjusting the color by adding more water or lemon.
- Instead of lemon, you can use any acidic juice, such as lime or yuzu.
Ideas to use butterfly pea tea jelly
Honestly, this is the only tea jelly I’ve made so far that doesn’t have a great standalone taste (it’s not bad, just a bit boring).
However, its visual appeal is incredible, and you can have fun experimenting with it as a topping for milk tea or other drinks, or using it to decorate ice or yogurt.
The possibilities are endless!
Here are some creative ideas to spark your imagination:
Hydrangea ice
Cut the butterfly pea jelly into small pieces and use them to beautifully decorate an ice cream scoop, creating the appearance of delicate hydrangea flowers.
Personally, I prefer making my jelly with a softer consistency when using it in drinks. This makes it easier to drink it.
Blue (and purple) tea topping
Cut the blue and purple jelly into small pieces that can easily pass through a wide straw.
Place them at the bottom of a glass and top them off with either coconut water or soda (I personally prefer coconut water as I’m not a fan of carbonated drinks).
It looks so magical!
Hydrangea matcha milk tea
Pour milk over the jelly pieces and then top with concentrated matcha (a matcha shot).
To make a matcha shot, mix 1/2 teaspoon matcha powder with 3 Tbsp. water.
You can do it the traditional way (with a matcha whisk), a handheld frother or by shaking the powder and the water in a cocktail shaker (or a jar).
If you want the drink to have a layered effect, place ice cubes after adding the jelly and milk.
Then when pouring the matcha, try to aim at an ice cube.
For a caffeine-free version, substitute the matcha for butterfly pea tea.
No, butterfly pea tea is a herbal infusion made from flowers that are naturally caffeine-free.
Butterfly Pea Tea Jelly Recipe
Equipment
- Strainer Optional
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp. Gelatin powder or 3 gelatin sheets
- 3 Tbsp. Room temperature water
- 1 tsp. Butterfly pea flowers or 1 teabag butterfly pea tea bag
- 2 Cups Fresh boiled water
- 1 tsp. Honey Optional
Instructions
- Hydrate the gelatin.If you are using gelatin powder, mix it with the room temperature water.If using gelatin sheets, hydrate them in water until they become soft.
- Steep butterfly pea tea in fresh boiled water.
- After 5-10 minutes, remove the tea solids and combine with the bloomed gelatine.
- If desired, sweeten to taste.For a purple color, add some drops of lemon juice.For varying shades, you can distribute the liquid into separate molds, adjusting the color by adding more water or lemon to each mold.
- Allow the mixture to cool down to room temperature before refrigerating it for a minimum of 3 hours until the jelly sets firmly.
- Once the jelly has set firmly, you can enjoy it as it is or cut it into pieces to use as decorations for desserts or drinks.
So fresh and beautiful colors!
These jellies look like Hydrangeas (we say AJISAI アジサイin Japanese)and match so perfectly in this season right now.
They also match as a nice dessert in TANABATA decoration. Thank you very much for this beautiful idea!
That was my intention, I’m so happy you recognised it 😀
OMG, so dreamy! And it was yummy. Thank you for sharing the recipe!
Aww, thank you so much! I’m glad you enjoyed this tea jelly!