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Prep 10 minutesmins
Cook 10 minutesmins
Total 20 minutesmins
Sweet, fruity, refreshing Vietnamese dessert that’s perfect for a hot day. Che Thai features a colorfully delicious combination of tropical fruits, chewy jellies, and an ice-cold coconut milk.
Let’s make the most refreshing Vietnamese dessert—Che Thai. Che Thai is a colorful Vietnamese fruit cocktail that is made with assorted canned fruits, jellies, and a sweetened coconut base. It is one of my favorite nostalgic desserts and is so easy to make.
This Vietnamese che Thai recipe is perfect for your next hosting event. It is always a fan favorite! The best part is that you can customize it with whatever toppings you like!
Chè Thái is a colorful and refreshing Vietnamese dessert made with a medley of tropical fruits like coconut, jackfruit, toddy palm, longan, lychee, pineapple jelly, coconut jelly, pandan jellies, water chestnuts, and sweetened coconut milk. It is inspired by Thai-style desserts like tub tim grob or ruam mit, hence the name. It is essentially a fruit cocktail that is sweet, refreshing, and easy to make. Che Thai is typically served in a glass with crushed ice for dessert.
“Chè” refers to a broad variety of Vietnamese desserts that typically are sweet, soupy, and can be served hot or cold. The most popular Vietnamese che is che ba mau (Vietnamese three color dessert).
Ingredients
You can find all of the ingredients for this che Thai recipe at your local Asian or Vietnamese grocery market. Full measurements and links to the ingredients I used are listed in the recipe card below.
Pandan Jelly
Pandan extract: adds a pandan vanilla flavor and a bright, vibrant green color. A little goes a long way. (For an extra fun jelly, see my pandan coconut jelly recipe)
Agar agar: a vegetarian gelatin that creates a slightly firm, crisp jello texture.
Sugar: sweetens the agar agar jelly
Red Rubies
Whole water chestnuts: opt for whole water chestnuts for the ultimate crunch.
Red food coloring: gives the water chestnuts its “ruby color”
Tapioca starch: creates a chewy clear layer around the water chestnuts that mimic a pomegranate.
Coconut Half & Half Base
Coconut milk: the main flavor of the base in che Thai.
Half and Half: adds a creamy texture and brightens up all the sugars from the syrup.
Sweetener: Instead of the canned fruit syrup, you can use honey, simple syrup, or palm sugar syrup.
How to Make Che Thai
Here are the step-by-step instructions for how to make this che Thai recipe.
Pandan Jelly
In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, add the agar agar, sugar, water, and pandan extract and heat until it reaches a boil. Once it reaches a boil, reduce to low and simmer for 2 minutes.
Then remove from heat and transfer to a heat safe container and let it cool on the counter. Once cool, remove and cut into 1/2 inch cubes.
Red Rubies
In a medium sized bowl, add the diced water chestnuts and red food coloring. Mix until all the pieces are red. Then add the tapioca starch and toss until fully coated.
Heat water in a small saucepan over medium-high heat until it reaches a boil. Then add water chestnuts and stir. Boil for about 2-3 minutes. Then remove and transfer them into an ice bath to cool for at least 10 minutes. Then drain.
Coconut Milk
In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, add the coconut milk, water, salt, and sugar and mix until the sugar has dissolved. Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer, then remove from heat and cool.
Assemble
Strain the lychee, longan, jackfruit, pineapple jelly, and coconut jelly and reserve all the syrup from these cans and jars. Slice the jackfruit, toddy palm toddy seeds. Place all the fruit into a large mixing bowl.
Add the coconut milk and half and half to the mixing bowl. Then add the reserved syrup 1/4 cup at a time to the coconut mixture until you reach your desired sweetness. Then add it to the large mixing bowl.
In a tall glass, serve the che Thai topped with crushed ice. Enjoy!
Expert Tips
Make Pandan jelly in advance. The pandan jelly needs 1-2 hours to fully set to it is best to plan in advance. Alternatively, you can use canned ai yu jelly or grass jelly.
Sweeten the coconut milk to your desired sweetness. Everyone has a different sugar tolerance preference. I usually use about 2 1/2 cups of the fruit syrup to sweeten the coconut milk.
Chill all the ingredients. You can serve this che thai recipe immediately with crushed ice or chill it in the refrigerator for a minimum of 2 hours before serving.
Customize your toppings! You can customize which fruits, jellies, or other toppings you want. Choose your adventure with Ai-yu jelly, pandan jelly, or cendol.
Storage Instructions
You can store the che Thai in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. It is best to store the fruit, jellies, red rubies, and liquids in separate containers. The red rubies may change their texture and become mushy over time.
Pairing Suggestions
Che Thai is a delicious, refreshing dessert that can be served with the following pairing suggestions.
Sweet, fruity, refreshing Vietnamese dessert that’s perfect for a hot day. Che Thai features a colorfully delicious combination of tropical fruits, chewy jellies, and an ice-cold coconut milk.
Make the pandan jelly. In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, add the agar agar, sugar, water, and pandan extract and heat until the mixture comes to a gentle boil. Once it reaches a boil, reduce to medium-low or low heat and simmer for 2 minutes. Make sure that all of the agar agar has completely dissolved.
Cool the pandan jelly. Then remove from heat and transfer to a heat-safe container, and let it cool on the counter. Once cool, remove from the container and cut into 1/2 inch cubes.
Red Rubies
Prepare the water chestnuts. In a medium-sized bowl, add the diced water chestnuts and red food coloring. Mix until all the pieces are red. Then add the tapioca starch and toss until fully coated.
Boil. Heat water in a small saucepan over medium-high heat until it reaches a boil. Shake off any excess starch and add the coated water chestnuts, stirring continuously to prevent them from sticking. Boil for about 2-3 minutes until the rubies begin to float and the outside turns translucent. Then remove them from the water and transfer them into an ice bath to cool for at least 10 minutes. Then drain and set aside.
Coconut Milk
Cook the coconut milk. In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, add the coconut milk, water, salt, and sugar and mix until the sugar has dissolved. Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer, then set aside to cool.
Assemble
Prepare the fruit and reserve the syrup from the cans. Strain the lychee, longan, jackfruit, pineapple jelly, and coconut jelly and reserve all the syrup from these cans and jars. You don’t need to save the syrup from the palm toddy jar. Slice the jackfruit, toddy palm toddy seeds. Place all the fruit into a large mixing bowl.
Add the coconut milk, half and half, and reserved syrup. Add the coconut milk and half and half to the mixing bowl. Then add the reserved syrup 1/4 cup at a time to sweeten the coconut mixture until you reach your desired sweetness. Then add it to the large mixing bowl.
Assemble. In a tall glass, add the red rubies, the pandan jelly, mixed fruits, and coconut milk, and top with crushed ice. Enjoy!
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