Easy Jelly Slice

A classic Australian bakery staple, this easy jelly slice is the perfect no-bake treat. Featuring a buttery biscuit base, a creamy condensed milk filling and raspberry jelly topping, it takes only 10 minutes to prepare and is perfect for morning tea or dessert.

Jump to:

• Why you will love this recipe
• Ingredients you will need
• Step by step guide
• Expert tips
• FAQs
• Related recipes
• Jelly Slice

Why you will love this recipe

• Quick and easy – 10 minutes of hands-on time and 6 ingredients are all you need. You won’t even need to turn on the oven!
• Easy to adapt – use your preferred biscuits for the base and use your favourite flavour or colour of jelly for the topping. You can also add some fresh berries to the condensed milk layer for more flavour and an impressive visual effect when sliced. This recipe can also be adapted to use gluten-free biscuits, if required.
• Simple enough to make with kids (with a little help).
• Make ahead – make it the day before to set in the fridge overnight and slice it when you are ready to serve.
• Perfect for any occasion – this slice is perfect for morning or afternoon tea, parties and entertaining. Or, serve it alongside this Chocolate Ripple cake and pavlova for Christmas or Easter celebrations.

If you love no-bake slices, check out this lemon coconut slice, chocolate peppermint slice or chewy Mars bar slice.

Ingredients you will need

** This post contains tips and instructions to achieve the best possible results. This photo is a great guide for when you are in the supermarket, but for full ingredient quantities and methods, please scroll down to the detailed recipe card below!

• Biscuits – plain, sweet tea biscuits like Arnott’s Marie or Arrowroot biscuits are crushed to fine crumbs and mixed with butter to form the biscuit base. Crush the biscuits in a food processor or add them to a Ziploc bag and crush them with a rolling pin. Alternatively, Digestive biscuits, Graham Crackers, Scotch Finger or Arnott’s Nice biscuits can be used. Or, use equal quantities of gluten-free biscuits, if required.
• Sweetened condensed milk – cow’s milk that has been cooked down to reduce the water content by about 60%, resulting in a thick, syrupy product that is commonly used in desserts and no-bake slices. You will need a can of full-fat sweetened condensed milk for this recipe. Don’t swap for evaporated milk, or the filling won’t set.
• Butter – is used to bind the biscuit base. Salted or unsalted butter can be used and I recommend using real butter, rather than margarine or butter substitutes.
• Lemon – both the zest and juice are used, so fresh lemons are best. Lemon adds brightness to the condensed milk layer, as well as helping it to set. I recommend Meyer lemons for their sweet flavour and high juice content.
• Jelly crystals – I use raspberry or blackberry flavoured jelly crystals, but you can swap for your favourite flavour or use a colour or flavour to suit the occasion. Don’t follow the packet instructions on the jelly, 100ml less water is used in this recipe than what is stated on the packet instructions. This is so the jelly sets firmly and holds its shape when sliced.
• Powdered gelatine –to set the condensed milk layer. Find it in the baking aisle in supermarkets, or in health food stores. For a vegetarian slice, sub for your preferred setting agent like agar agar. However, the quantities will need to be adapted to suit.

Optional: fresh blackberries or raspberries can be added to the middle layer, before setting. They add lovely bursts of sweet-tart flavour to the creamy lemon filling. Use fresh berries, as frozen berries will bleed juice into the mixture.

Step by step guide

Full ingredient notes and quantities can be found in the detailed recipe card below. But here is a brief overview of what you can expect;

Make the jelly mixture;

1. Dissolve the jelly crystals in boiling water as per the instructions below.
2. Add the cold water and lemon juice and stir.
3. Set aside at room temperature. Don’t place into the fridge, or the jelly will set prematurely.

Make the biscuit base;

1. Mix the crushed biscuits, lemon zest and melted butter and stir to combine.
2. Use a metal spoon to press the mixture into a lined 25cm x 18cm (10 x 7 inch) slice tin. Place the base into the freezer to set while you prepare the condensed milk layer.

Make the lemon condensed milk layer;

1. Dissolve the gelatine in boiling water as per the recipe card below.
2. Mix the gelatine with the condensed milk and lemon juice. Whisk until combined and smooth.
3. Pour the condensed milk mixture onto the prepared biscuit base and use a spatula to gently smooth the top. If adding fresh berries, poke them into the filling.
4. Set in the fridge for 1-2 hours, until firm.

Add the jelly layer;

1. Once the condensed milk layer is firm to touch, slowly pour the prepared jelly mixture over the top, using a spoon to help the jelly spread over the slice without damaging the middle layer.
2. Chill in the fridge until set (2 hours+).

*The jelly can leave indentations or damage the condensed milk layer if poured from height, without a spoon to break the flow. Hold a spoon close to the slice and pour the jelly onto the spoon, letting it flow over the sides and onto the slice (as per image #10).

Expert tips

• Be sure to line the slice tin with baking paper, so that you can easily remove the slice from the tin after chilling. Leaving the sides of the baking paper a little longer can help you to lift the slice. If it’s stuck, gently run a knife along the sides of the tin first, to loosen.
• Make sure the condensed milk layer is set before adding the jelly to the top. Otherwise, the layers can mix together and the slice won’t be as pretty. (But it’ll still be delicious!).
• Let the slice chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours before slicing and serving, or the layers won’t be completely set. Alternatively, you can make the slice the day before and chill (covered) overnight before slicing.
• For nice, clean slices, use a sharp or serrated knife and wipe the knife between cuts.
• Don’t follow the packet instructions to make the jelly. This recipe uses less water, so that the jelly layer sets firmly and holds its shape when sliced.
• I use a 25cm x 18cm slice tin that is 5cm tall. You can use a slightly smaller or larger tin, but the height of the layers and the setting times may vary.
• To stop the jelly layer from leaking down the sides of the tin and into the biscuit base, make sure that the condensed milk layer is pushed completely to the edges of the tin and fully set before adding the jelly.

FAQs

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Update Notes: This recipe was originally published in November 2021, but was re-published with new information and photos in April 2024.