Easy Sorrel Jelly Recipe

byRos Singh Updated:
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Looking for a unique recipe to make with sorrel? Try my recipe for sorrel jelly. With a couple ingredients and a little time, you can have this unique and easy sweet treat that everyone will enjoy.

If you aren’t familiar, sorrel or roselle is a plant that is related to hibiscus, native to Africa and is widely popular in the Caribbean. Its flowers resemble pale yellow hibiscuses but the calyces, or the outer parts of the flowers, are bright red.

We call these calyces sorrel in the Caribbean and brew them to make a beautiful ruby-red drink, called … you guessed it … sorrel! The drink is usually made around Christmas time and is certainly part of the quintessential Trini Christmas experience.

When you’re done with this recipe, find more sorrel recipes here.

Sorrel Jelly Recipe

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Ingredients for sorrel jelly

  • sorrel or roselle: I prefer using fresh sorrel, purchased from the market. If that’s not an option, consider using dried sorrel instead. I’ve worked with dried sorrel before but I always found it to be a tad bitter, whereas the fresh calyces taste light and tangy.
  • spices: my favorite spices for sorrel are star anise, cinnamon, cloves and bay leaves. That’s what I used here and in my recipe for making the sorrel drink. Of course, you can use your favorites like ginger, orange peel, citrus, and more.
  • sugar: I’m using white sugar here but you can use a sweetener of your choice. Honey or maple syrup are fine substitutes and don’t affect the gelling process.
  • agar agar powder: this is the gelling agent that gives this sweet dessert its jiggly texture. Most groceries and gourmet stores carry agar powder. You can use the agar strands too but I suggest pulverizing them with a coffee grinder to create the powder.
  • water: needed to make the sorrel drink.

Equipment for this recipe

No special equipment is needed for this recipe, though a strainer, whisk and a kitchen scale would be helpful. I also used an 8×8 inch glass baking dish here but you can use smaller containers or even mini serving glasses.

How to make sorrel jelly

Prep

Remove the central green core of the sorrel and rinse to remove any impurities. That’s pretty much it for prep work, but it takes some time and patience. I cover more on how to remove the seeds over on my sorrel drink post.

Here’s a look at the ingredients I used for this recipe without the water.

Ingredients for sorrel jelly

Make the sorrel drink

To a large pot, add the water, sorrel, spices (star anise, cinnamon powder, cloves and bay leaves) and sugar. Give everything a quick mix.

Adding sorrel drink ingredients to make sorrel juice

Place the pot on the stove and set to medium heat. Leave to brew for about 15 minutes.

Brewing sorrel and spices for making roselle jelly

After 15 minutes, taste test the sorrel. If you want it to be more spiced, continue boiling for a couple more minutes. And, adjust the sweetness levels to your liking.

Boiling sorrel before making jelly

Turn off the heat and allow to steep for 15 minutes.

Steeping sorrel before making jelly

Strain

Strain the sorrel to remove the calyces and spices from the drink. Squeeze everything to extract as much color and flavor from the ingredients. Make sure there are no petals in the liquid.

Strained sorrel before making jelly

You can use the strained sorrel bits to make sorrel jam or compote.

Make the jelly

Measure the sorrel. If it isn’t 4 cups, add a little water to bring it to 4 cups.

Note: for a firm jelly, use 1 tsp of agar agar powder to 1 cup of liquid. With the 4 cups of sorrel, I used 4 tsp of agar agar which was about 12 grams. Scale up or scale down this recipe using this ratio.

Whisk in the agar agar powder. Leave for 10 minutes so the powder can rehydrate (or ‘bloom’).

Adding agar agar powder to sorrel drink

Turn the heat to medium and stir often. The sorrel and agar mixture should come to a gentle simmer. This could take about 3 to 5 minutes.

Note: agar agar must be heated to around 185°F (85°C) to start dissolving. And, it will activate in the range of 185°F to 212°F (or 90°C to 100°C). Over-boiling and acid can affect its gelling properties so stick to the 3 to 5 minute suggestion.

Turn off the heat. Pour the mixture into an 8×8 inch container. Set aside to cool for 2 hours. It will become jelly at room temperature. You can cut it into squares before, but I suggest chilling the jelly in the fridge for 2 hours before cutting.

Cooled sorrel jelly

Note: as the mixture cools, it will start setting at 113°F (45°C) and should completely firm up at 90°F (32°C). If you want to turn the jelly back into liquid (maybe to reshape it using silicone molds) you will need to warm it to 185°F (85°C) again.

Serve chilled. Or keep refrigerated. It stays well for about 3 to 4 days in the fridge.

Sorrel jelly in a mini plate and spoon with roselle on the side and sorrel jelly in background

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Sorrel jelly recipe

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Sorrel jelly

This sorrel jelly is a ruby-red, delicate jelly with a beautifully sweet and spiced taste. It's a perfect festive dessert for the holidays but can be enjoyed anytime.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Steeping and Cooling Time4 hours 25 minutes
Total Time5 hours
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Caribbean
Keyword: sorrel jelly
Servings: 16 bars
Calories: 46kcal
Author: Ros Singh

Ingredients

  • ½ lb sorrel calyces, cores removed (8 ounces or 225 grams)
  • 5 cloves
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 star anise
  • ⅛ tsp cinnamon powder
  • ¾ cup white sugar (150 grams) (adjust to taste preferences)
  • 4 cups water (up to ½ cup extra, if needed)
  • 4 tsp agar agar powder (12 grams)

Equipment

  • strainer
  • whisk
  • kitchen scale (optional)
  • 8×8 inch baking dish

Instructions

  • Remove green core from sorrel. Wash thoroughly.
  • Add washed sorrel calyces, bay leaves, cloves, cinnamon powder, star anise, white sugar and 4 cups of water to a large pot.
  • Place the pot on medium heat. Stir occasionally.
  • Leave to brew for 15 minutes.
  • Taste test. Adjust sugar and spices to your liking.
  • Turn off heat. Allow to steep for 15 minutes.
  • Strain to remove the sorrel and spices. Use the soft sorrel for jam or compote.
  • Measure the strained sorrel drink.
  • Add extra water to bring it to 4 cups of liquid (I needed 1/3 cup extra water).
  • Pour the liquid back into the pot.
  • Add the agar agar powder.
  • Whisk to incorporate fully.
  • Leave for 10 minutes for the agar agar to bloom.
  • Place the pot on medium heat.
  • Stir often for 3 to 5 minutes or until the mixture reaches 185-212°F (90-100°C).
  • Turn off the heat.
  • Pour into a baking dish (like an 8×8 inch glass dish).
  • Set aside to cool until firm (about 1 to 2 hours).
  • Place in the fridge to chill (about 2 hours).
  • Cut into 16 sorrel jelly bars.
  • Serve chilled. Consume within 3 to 5 days.

Notes

  1. Use 1 tsp of agar agar powder for 1 cup of sorrel drink. Scale the recipe accordingly.
  2. Agar agar dissolves at 185°F (85°C) and fully activates at 185°F to 212°F (or 90°C to 100°C).
  3. Don’t overboil agar agar. It will not set if cooked longer than needed.
  4. The gel will start forming at 113°F (45°C) and become firm at room temperature.
  5. Reshape the jelly by heating it to 185°F (85°C).
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