Chef Sian’s Irish Moss Drink Recipe

The Irish moss drink recipe below was updated on 09/21/2021. The previous recipe calls for discarding the boiled Irish moss pieces. After receiving feedback from a reader, I tried blending the remaining bits with the boiled liquid and the result was a thicker, richer, more flavorful beverage.

The recipe below produces a tasty, rich, nutrition-packed beverage that can be flavored with peanut, vanilla, banana, or enjoyed as is.  

In keeping with Jamaican tradition, the recipe calls for linseed and isinglass to be boiled with the Irish moss. The linseed and isinglass are optional. Once the Irish moss is cooled, add optional ingredients like Guinness and peanuts for added flavor and nutrition. The boiled liquid also makes a good thickener for ice cream, custards, and puddings.

Cooked by itself Irish Moss is flavorless. As such it is one of the ingredients used to make a commercial food thickener called carrageen. Cooled Irish Moss in its natural state becomes gelatinous when it cools. So it is a great vegan substitute for jello and as a thickening agent. Irish moss is also rich in protein. You can also use the leftover gelatin to thicken your jellies, puddings, mousses, soups, and ice creams. It sets more softly than regular gelatin but it gets the job done.

Chef Sian’s Irish Moss Recipe

Sian Rose
4.50 from 2 votes
Prep Time 2 hours
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 15 minutes
Course Beverages
Cuisine Jamaican
Servings 4
Calories 330 kcal

Ingredients
  

To make Irish moss

  • 2 oz Sea Moss
  • ¼ oz isinglass
  • 3 TB flax also called linseed or flaxseed
  • 3 qt water

To make Drink

  • 1 tsp Sweet Spice substitute ½ tsp each cinnamon and ginger for sweet spice
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 1 12-oz btl Guinness optional
  • ½ C oatmeal, quick cook
  • ½ C condensed milk

Optional (add 1 or more )

  • ½ C unsalted peanuts
  • 1 – 2 ripe banana

Instructions
 

  • Sea moss is full of salt and sand. Before preparing, rinse it well.
    uncooked irish moss with anise star and isinglass
  • To prepare; combine sea moss with isinglass, linseed, and water in a large pot. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to med-low and let it simmer for about 30 minutes or until the sea moss begins to melt away. Allow the liquid to cool for at least 30 minutes before completing recipe.
    After it cools and thickens. Divide the mixture to 3 portions. Use 1 portion to complete the recipe. Divide the remaining amount into 2 ziploc bags and freeze until needed.

To Make Drink

  • After cooling. In a blender combine 2 cups of the gel with the remaining ingredients and blend for 3 to 4 minutes until smooth. If the drink is too thick for your liking add ½ cup water to the blender to thin it. If needed add more condensed milk or a ripe banana for added sweetness. Chill for 2 to 4 hours before serving. Irish Moss will remain fresh in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.
Keyword beverage, Caribbean recipe, Irish moss
Irish Moss Drink

Rich, creamy, nutritious Irish Moss flavored with sweet spices, Guinness and condensed milk

24 thoughts on “Chef Sian’s Irish Moss Drink Recipe”

  1. Matthew drayton

    hi i’m from canada and i’m not sure What is icing glass? can you explain please and thanks in advance

    1. Hi Matthew. Excellent question. Icinglass (isinglass) is a form of gelatin derived from the air bladder of fish. It is used for clarifying ale and as a thickener in some foods

  2. Hi
    As a person who is making this for the first time I found “After the Irish moss is cooked” a little frustrating.
    Am I cooking at a full boil?A simmer? Something in-between? Also, Am I cooking for 10 minutes? 30? 90?
    Clarifications here would be so welcome!
    Thanks

    1. Thank you for your question, Richard. I have updated the recipe to include the following instruction
      “Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to med-low and let it simmer for about 20 minutes or until the Irish Moss begins to melt away”

    2. Hi Richard, as an elderly from the Island, there are lots that I can tell you about irish moss. As a young boy I would go to the sea and dive beneath the waters to the reefs where fishes who don’t eat other fishes feed. I would take my catch home to my mother and she would prepare it. My dad, even though he has wanred me several times to stay away from the rivers and seas with even some serious buss-ass, was the one who benefited the most. One important thing that I will say to you is : do not follow crazy UMGAWAH and eat this
      food raw. Anything that the sun does not cook, do not eat it raw. Irish moss comes from under the sea away from the sun, so it Must be cooked. Matter of fact you should boil it until it turns to gel down to the last piece.

  3. Wound up cooking for 40 minutes and then straining.
    After talking to some folks at a vegan Jamaican restaurant, next time I will cook the same way but blend it all and not strain it.

    1. Thanks for the update, Richard. I’ve never thought to blend the remaining Irish Moss. I will try it this way next time around.
      Bon appetit
      …fast forward a couple of months to March 2020. Richard, I took your advice and ended up with a thicker, richer more flavorful Irish Moss. Thank you so much for such great feedback. Would you be kind enough to message me your address? I would like to send you a ‘Thank You’ gift

  4. Can you use Irish moss powder to make this drink? In which case, does that mean you skip the soaking etc phase of preparation?

    1. Olu, I have never used the powder before so I cannot say for sure if the flavor is the same. As far as I have been able to find out the powder must be mixed with hot water and allowed to thicken before you use it. Hope this helps.

    1. Thank you for an excellent question Richard. The recipe(s) have been updated to show the nutritional information. You will end up with excess boiled Irish moss this has minimal impact on the calories, carbs and fat per serving.

  5. once you boil and blend the sea moss, you can store it in a mason jar in the fridge and add a teaspoon daily to your coffee or tea, actually, this weekend, I made cucumber and ginger juice and added the sea moss – it can mix into anything…

    1. All great suggestions Jennel. I blended some with soursop and condensed milk this weekend. Still, I prefer to keep it in the freezer because I have seen it get icky (kinda sour and moldy) after 2-3 weeks

  6. I see the picture has star anise in it but that’s not mentioned in the recipe. Did you use star anise to flavour this drink?

  7. 5 stars
    Thank you so very much for your IrishMoss recipe, Chef Sian.
    You made it so simple and easy to follow and my boss was quite pleased!
    Expat Jamaican, my Mama used to make this tasty drink for my Father, usually on a Saturday, fresh sea moss, spices and ginger. Yum!
    He really liked it with the Guinness.
    Healthy and delicious, everybody should try your fine Recipe. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

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