Here is the decadent vegan no-bake mango dessert – Mango coconut jello or mango coconut panna cotta, or Woon Moongwang (in Thai). You can make this single-serve mango dessert perfect for all vegetarians and vegans with minimal ingredients – mango puree, coconut milk, sugar, and agar agar.
I have already shared a simple vanilla-flavored panna cotta, and now it’s time for a vegan one with my favorite fruit, mango. I love making single-serving desserts, and they are easy to serve and pretty fancy for parties and potlucks. My vegan mango mousse and no-bake mango cheesecake with agar are a huge hit (even if I say so myself), and this vegan mango coconut jello or jelly is also a single-serve dessert.
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Panna cotta has its variations in other cuisines, too, and in Thai, it is known as woon mamuang; woon is agar agar agar, and mamuang is mango in Thai. I adapted the hot Thai kitchen recipe and tried my variations without citrus, and here I am presenting this as a single serving dessert.
Agar agar | China grass
Agar-agar, also known as agar, China grass, is a great vegetarian substitute (prepared from seaweed) for the gelatin, used for setting liquid and thickening agents. You can find it as powder, flakes, and strips. And they are readily available in Asia stores or on Amazon online. For this recipe, I went with agar powder, and it has excellent gel strength. Within one hour, the first layer got perfectly set.
The gel strength of agar – I explained the liquid to agar powder proportion in my rose jello post. The ratio entirely depends upon the gel strength, and also, if you are using the agar strips, the ratio varies too. So it’s better to test them out before trying them out in any recipe. Try dissolving 1 to 1.5 tsp agar in 1 cup of water and see how long it takes to set and how firm the jello is and adjust the measure accordingly.
Check out my jigarthanda, gumdrops, and rose jelly recipes where I have used agar.
Layered mango coconut jello
The recipe might sound lengthy and time-consuming because of the jello setting time. We need to let the first layer set and then add the coconut milk layer. Overall, it’s a super simple recipe. This vegan mango jello is a perfect party and potluck recipe, and you can prepare them ahead and refrigerate them.
I went with two layers, the bottom mango layer and on top coconut. And my mango layer was a little more than the coconut layer. You can swap the layers, or you can do three-layer like mango-coconut-mango too.
Fun shapes: I wanted to try some fun shapes, so after adding the mango puree to the glasses, I placed them in a slanting position inside my muffin tray, and that’s what you see here. You can set the jello in silicone muffins molds or ramekins, or single-serving dessert glasses.
Ingredients required
Mango puree: You can use fresh mango puree or store-bought alphonso mango puree. Make sure you use a nonfibrous mango variety. (With store-bought puree, you can make this dessert year-round) Homemade mango puree recipe – We need two to three mangoes. Wash and peel the skin. Chop them into cubes and puree them by adding ¼ cup of water. Set aside the necessary measure.
Lemon juice: A tiny amount of citrus helps bring out the sweetness of the mango.
Agar powder: We use it to set both the mango and coconut layer. You can use flakes or strips. Follow the package instructions for the measure or check my instructions above to find the gel strength.
Coconut milk: Canned unsweetened coconut milk works well, and opt for whole coconut milk, not the lite ones. Homemade coconut milk recipe – For one half of freshly grated coconut ( Break the coconut into two halves and grate the one half), add 1 cup of lukewarm water and grind it. Squeeze out the milk, and this is the first and thick coconut milk. Grind again by adding 1 cup of water and extract the milk; and this is the second and thin coconut milk. You can mix both thick and thin milk for this recipe and use about ⅔ cups.
Sugar: Make sure to use vegan or raw sugar and adjust the amount depending upon the sweetness of the mangoes.
We also need water to dissolve the agar powder.
Dietary specifications
It’s a vegan, gluten-free, and nut-free dessert. You can enjoy it cold, and it stays good in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
How to make vegan mango coconut jello
Preparing the mango layer
- Heat 1 cup of water in a small pan, and when it comes to a boil(gentle boil), reduce the heat and add the sugar and agar powder. Mix them well and make sure both sugar and agar powder is dissolved completely. (Make sure you stir continuously; if not, agar forms a thin layer in the bottom)
- Add the mango puree. Mix well and check for sugar at this stage. If required, add more. Turn off the heat and add 1 tbsp of lemon juice.
- Add this mango mixture to the dessert glasses, molds, or ramekins and let it set. I filled about ⅔ of my dessert glasses with this mango puree and placed them in my muffin tray in the slanting position like below.
- Let it sit until it is firm and set. I let it set at room temperature for about 1 hour.
Preparing the Coconut Layer:
After about 40 minutes of preparing and setting the mango layer, I started to prepare the coconut layer.
- Heat ⅔ cup of water in a small pan, and when it comes to a boil, reduce the heat and add the sugar and agar powder. Like I mentioned before, ensure sugar and agar are dissolved. Add the coconut milk and mix well. Check for sugar. If required, add more.
- Turn off the heat and add this mixture on top of the mango layer. I filled about ⅓ of my cup. Gently tap it to break the air pockets. As the mango layer is firm, now you can place them straight in the muffin tray. Let it set for about 30 minutes at room temperature.
Once it is set, refrigerate it. Decorate with fresh mango cubes, mint leaves, or nuts before serving, and serve chilled.
Recipe notes
- Instead of single-shot glass desserts, like in Italian Panna Cotta, you can pour the mango layer into a wide cake pan or bowl, and once set, you can add the coconut layer and cut them into desired shapes.
- Adjust sugar according to your taste.
- You can use lime or orange juice too instead of lemon juice.
- Adjust the agar agar powder depending on its gel strength. Read the package instructions and adjust too. You don’t need to bring the water to a vigorous rolling boil. A gentle boil is sufficient. Make sure the agar dissolves entirely, and that’s the key. Alternatively, mix the agar-agar, water, and sugar in a bowl. Now simmer this for 5 minutes, and make sure you are stirring at regular intervals so that agar doesn’t get deposited in the bottom.
Explore other delicious mango recipes
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📖 Recipe
Vegan Mango And Coconut Jello With Agar Agar | Woon Mamuang
Ingredients
Measurement Details: 1 cup = 240ml; 1 tbsp = 15ml; 1 tsp = 5ml;
For the mango layer
- 1.5 cups mango puree
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tsp agar agar powder heaped
- ½ cup sugar or to taste (The mangoes that I used weren’t sweet enough)
- 1 cup water
For the coconut layer
- ⅔ cup water
- 1 cup coconut milk
- 1 tsp agar agar powder heaped
- ¼ cup sugar
Optional – Fresh mango pieces or mint leaves to garnish
Instructions
Preparing the mango layer:
- Heat 1 cup of water in a small pan, and when it comes to a boil(gentle boil), reduce the heat and add the sugar and agar powder. Mix them well and make sure both sugar and agar powder is dissolved completely. (Make sure you stir continuously; if not, agar forms a thin layer in the bottom)
- Add the mango puree. Mix well and check for sugar at this stage. If required, add more. Turn off the heat and add 1 tbsp of lemon juice.
- Add this mango mixture to the dessert glasses, molds, or ramekins and let it set. I filled about ⅔ of my dessert glasses with this mango puree and placed them in my muffin tray in the slanting position like below.
- Let it sit until it is firm and set. I let it set at room temperature for about 1 hour.
Preparing the Coconut Layer:
- After about 40 minutes of preparing and setting the mango layer, I started to prepare the coconut layer.
- Heat ⅔ cup of water in a small pan, and when it comes to a boil, reduce the heat and add the sugar and agar powder. Like I mentioned before, ensure sugar and agar are dissolved. Add the coconut milk and mix well. Check for sugar. If required, add more.
- Turn off the heat and add this mixture on top of the mango layer. I filled about ⅓ of my cup. Gently tap it to break the air pockets.
- As the mango layer is firm, now you can place them straight in the muffin tray.
- Let it set for about 30 minutes at room temperature.
- Once it is set, refrigerate it. Decorate with fresh mango cubes, mint leaves, or nuts before serving, and serve chilled.
Notes
- Instead of single-shot glass desserts, like in Italian Panna Cotta, you can pour the mango layer into a wide cake pan or bowl, and once set, you can add the coconut layer and cut them into desired shapes.
- Adjust sugar according to your taste.
- You can use lime or orange juice too instead of lemon juice.
- Adjust the agar agar powder depending on its gel strength. Read the package instructions and adjust too. You don’t need to bring the water to a vigorous rolling boil. A gentle boil is sufficient. Make sure the agar dissolves entirely, and that’s the key. Alternatively, mix the agar-agar, water, and sugar in a bowl. Now simmer this for 5 minutes, and make sure you are stirring at regular intervals so that agar doesn’t get deposited in the bottom.
Nutrition
I am not a nutritionist. The nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. It varies depending upon the product types or brands.
Update Notes: Earlier posted on 2016. Now updated with new pics, recipe card with nutrition information.
I love making all kind of gummies and different flavored Panna Cota . This looks amazing and I’m going to make it for the holidays. I was wondering if I will be able to use gelatin instead of the Agar Agar since I have that and would like to not buy anything else until the gelatin is done.
Thank you 😄
Sorry for the delayed reply. Yes you can use gelatin.