Search

How To Make The Best Gelatina de Leche (Mexican Milk Jello)

GELATINA DE LECHE (MEXICAN MILK JELLO)
Gelatina de Leche (Milk Jello)

I can still remember how excited I used to get for Birthdays growing up. As kids, we never received toys—and it wasn’t because my parents didn’t love us, but because it was a luxury they could not afford. I grew accustomed to receiving socks/underwear and the occasional $20 for the occasional paleta or raspado pretty quickly because as you become more self-aware, you notice your parents are doing their best to provide you with everything they can.

When it came to Birthdays, my mom would always splurge and make us our favorite meals, and I (usually) always asked for the same thing; sopes, and gelatina de leche. Sometimes she’d just make gelatina de leche by itself, and other times she would layer it with a strawberry jello and top it with slices of strawberries.

My favorite of course, was just the gelatina de leche by itself.

Purchase my new cookbook Chicano Bakes:

Gelatina de Leche (Milk Jello)
Gelatina de Leche (Milk Jello)

When I posted the picture of the slice on Instagram, I didn’t realize that there’d be so many of you who also grew up loving gelatina de leche. I love connecting through food and sharing stories and it always makes me incredibly happy when others share their memories with me.

What is Milk Jello, or gelatina de leche?

The best way I can describe gelatina de leche, or milk jello,  is as a more firm, slightly more flavorful panna cotta. We steep cinnamon in the milk, and top it with fresh berries to counter the sweetness. We’re also adding heavy cream to make the gelatina a little creamier.

It wasn’t until I was going through the pictures that I realized I had this red/white and blue motif going on which makes this perfect for your upcoming 4th of July gatherings. Step it up a notch and use a more intricate bundt pan for it and boom! you have a simple and very elegant dessert.

PS. This is the pan I used!

Gelatina de Leche (Milk Jello)
Print Pin
3.96 from 48 votes

Gelatina de Leche (Milk Jello)

You’ll need a 10 cup bundt pan. I used this one.
Course Dessert
Calories 0kcal
Author Esteban Castillo

Ingredients

  • 1 cup cold water
  • 4 tbsp unflavored gelatin
  • 4 cups of milk
  • 2 large mexican cinnamon sticks broken in half
  • 28 oz condensed milk
  • 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • Garnish
  • Fresh Berries

Instructions

  • Start by blooming 4 tbsp of unflavored gelatin in the cup of cold water. Set aside.
  • In a medium-sized saucepanadd the milkand bring to a boil. Once the milk reaches boiling point, add in the cinnamon, reduce the heat and simmer for about 4 minutes. Remove from heat.
  • Using a slotted spoon, remove the cinnamon sticks and add in the unflavored gelatin, stirring until it has completely dissolved. Mix in the condensed milk, heavy cream and vanilla extract, and stir until everything has been fully combined. Strain your mixture into a large bowl with a spout and let cool for a few minutes.
  • Pour your mixture into your mold and refrigerate for about 4-5 hours until firm.
  • Unmold your jello by running a thin sharp knife along the edges of the pan. Place a plate ontop of your jello and invert. Garnish with fresh berries.

Notes

Makes about 10 cups

You Might Also Like

17 Comments

  • Reply
    motoridersd
    July 3, 2017 at 7:23 pm

    5 stars
    I’m going to make this for our 4th of July dinner!! I’ve been craving it since you posted the slice on Instagram, and I didn’t get any while in DF! I doubt Brandon has ever had it ?

  • Reply
    Kelly Brooking
    July 28, 2017 at 8:07 pm

    5 stars
    WHAT! Beautiful!! Love your work

    • Reply
      Willoughby
      January 31, 2020 at 7:18 pm

      5 stars
      I second this 🙂

  • Reply
    Mary Ann Jones
    June 10, 2019 at 8:37 am

    5 stars
    Hi, very nice recipe! I also tried this one and it came out very delicious as well.

  • Reply
    Leslie
    July 6, 2020 at 9:19 am

    5 stars
    This recipe is 5 stars!!! I only had 1 can of condensed milk so I cut everything by half, except heavy cream which i didn’t have at all. I also didn’t have cinnamon sticks but I did have Cardomon and that was so amazing. I toasted the cardomon seeds first and then added to the milk. So so good. It came out sweeter then i prefer but still so delicious. Topping with crushed pistachios and raspberries.

  • Reply
    Antoniette
    June 4, 2021 at 5:40 pm

    5 stars
    Absolutely delicious. I can’t eat solid food since my surgery and gelatin feels so good but is so boring. This was a wonderful treat! I will make this many times, thank you!

  • Reply
    Sam
    August 4, 2021 at 9:56 pm

    5 stars
    Thank you for sharing. It’s delicious. I’m making my second one this week per fam request.

  • Reply
    Norma
    September 26, 2021 at 8:26 pm

    5 stars
    Delicious! Quick & easy recipe…authentic Mexican gelatina de leche taste.
    Thank you for sharing my family enjoyed it very much. Adding to my arsenal of recipes.

  • Reply
    Breaking Free From the Jell-O Mold – Recipes from All Over
    December 1, 2021 at 2:38 am

    5 stars
    […] anise, and cinnamon—there’s the snow-white glamour of Esteban Castillo’s traditional Mexican milk Jell-O, or gelatina de leche, which he recently posted on his site Chicano […]

  • Reply
    Breaking Free From the Jell-O Mold - Dine Ca
    December 2, 2021 at 8:57 am

    5 stars
    […] anise, and cinnamon—there’s the snow-white glamour of Esteban Castillo’s traditional Mexican milk Jell-O, or gelatina de leche, which he recently posted on his site Chicano […]

  • Reply
    Cathy
    January 23, 2022 at 8:39 am

    5 stars
    This is a fabulous recipe. It turned out perfectly and tastes amazing. I did one replacement. Condensed milk is very high in sugar, so instead I bought evaporated milk (the same thing but without the sugar). I then added 1.5 cups of white Monk Fruit (a natural calorie-free sugar replacement). I own the Nordic Ware Heritage cake mold that is used in your picture but instead used Nordic Ware’s Jubilee mold. It looks beautiful dotted with raspberries. Thanks again for sharing your recipe!

  • Reply
    Isabel Becerra
    March 20, 2022 at 4:32 pm

    5 stars
    My mom used to make this and glad I found this again. Will make soon!

  • Reply
    Milk Jello – Amazing Sugarfree Version of the Mexican Classic
    March 27, 2022 at 12:34 am

    5 stars
    […] from a fabulous recipe by Chicano Eats, I swapped the sugary condensed milk for evaporated milk and sweetened it with monk fruit. […]

  • Reply
    Dianne
    December 3, 2022 at 9:39 pm

    5 stars
    I have a question- does the bundt pan need to be greased to release the gelatin mold?

    • Reply
      Esteban
      December 5, 2022 at 11:28 am

      Hi Dianne, Most bundt pans should be non-stick! Once the jello has set, using clean hands, use your fingers to gently pull the jello away from the pan before you invert. But you can also lightly spritz the pan before you pour in the jello mixture as well if you’d like.

  • Reply
    Dianne Bentz
    December 5, 2022 at 12:04 pm

    5 stars
    Thank you!

  • Reply
    Cristina V
    January 5, 2024 at 7:27 pm

    My sister asked me to make this for her but she is lactose intolerant. Could I use lactose free milk and coconut condensed milk as a replacement. Just need to know what I can replace the heavy cream with. Thanks for sharing your recipes. I appreciate it.

Leave a Reply

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.