Jello Shots are easy to make in a big batch for your next party. Enjoy the colorful vodka shots with your choice of jello flavor.
Jello Shots are such a fun cocktail recipe perfect for a party or as an addition to your next cookout. Try my Moscow Mule and Cosmopolitan Cocktail for slightly more sophisticated Drink Recipes.
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Sabrina’s Jello Shots Recipe
If you’re like me, then you haven’t enjoyed this fruity cocktail shot since you were in college. However, after having them at a Fourth of July party, I remembered how fun they are. You get all the color and flavor of a classic jello cup, but with the addition of alcohol to get the party started.
Keep in mind that if you want to make this recipe, you’ll need to start it several hours in advance. While the hands-on prep time is very quick, the jello needs 4 hours to firm up in the fridge, so plan accordingly.
Chef’s Note: What Vodka to Use
You’ll want to use a vodka with a pretty simple flavor for these Jello Shots since any flavor additions will just compete with the fruit flavor already in the jello. You don’t want a super cheap vodka because you will definitely be able to taste the alcohol the cheaper it is. On the other hand, these are just fun boozy snacks so no need to use top shelf vodka either. I would say a mid-level brand like Absolut Vodka or Smirnoff Vodka are good for making Jello Shots.
Ingredients
- Jell-O Flavors: You can use any type of jello powder that you like for Jello Shots. I used 4 different boxes of Jello for this recipe including Strawberry Jell-O, Lemon Jell-O, Lime Jell-O, and Blue Raspberry Jell-O Powder. Prepare each mixture in separate bowls.
- 6 Cups of Water: Jello needs a combination of boiling hot water and freezing cold water. The hot water hydrates the gelatin particles so that they can absorb the liquid. But you don’t want to mix the alcohol with boiling water, so pouring in the ice water next cools the mixture and helps it all come together.
- 2 Cups of Vodka: Vodka adds enough alcohol to make these Jello Shots fun and boozy, but they each have a low alcohol content so you won’t get drunk unless you’re having several. The vodka’s simple flavor makes it great because it doesn’t overwhelm the fruit flavor.
Kitchen Tools & Equipment
- Small Mixing Bowls: You’ll need as many small mixing bowls as flavors you will use. They each only need to hold 2 cups of liquid, along with the powder so you can use ceramic serving bowls, or glass storage bowls if you like.
- 48 Plastic Cups: I used 48 small, 2-ounce plastic cups with lids to hold the individual-serving Jello Shots, like the kind used as condiment containers at restaurants. You can usually get these at party stores if they aren’t at your regular store.
How to Make Jello Shots
Time needed: 4 hours and 15 minutes.
- Jello Mixture
Add 3 ounces of each flavor of jello powder to separate bowls. For this recipe I used lemon, lime, blue raspberry, and strawberry Jello for a large variety, but you can try any flavor you like. Add 1 cup boiling water to each bowl and whisk well until the powder dissolves into a colorful gelatin mixture.
- Cool and Add Liquor
Then add ½ cup ice cold water and ½ cup vodka to each bowl. Stir the liquor mixture until it combines with the gelatin mix.
- Chill Time
Line up 48 2-ounce plastic cups for your shot glasses. Then pour the gelatin mixture into the plastic cups so that they’re 1/2-2/3 full. Top the plastic shot glasses with lids and place them on a baking sheet in a short stack. (Don’t stack them too high, or you might risk the jello shot cups falling over and making a mess.) Refrigerate the jello shot cups for 4 hours or until they harden. Then serve solidified Jello Shots.
Recipe Card
Ingredients
- 3 ounces strawberry Jell-O powder
- 3 ounces lemon Jell-O powder
- 3 ounces lime Jell-O powder
- 3 ounces blue raspberry Jell-O powder
- 4 cups boiling water , divided
- 2 cups ice cold water , divided
- 2 cups vodka , divided
- 48 2-ounce plastic cups with lids
Instructions
- Add Jell-O powders to separate bowls.
- To each bowl add 1 cup of boiling water and whisk well until gelatin powder is dissolved.
- To each bowl add ½ cup ice cold water and ½ cup vodka, stir to combine.
- Fill the plastic cups 1/2-to-2/3 full with the jello mixture.
- Top with lids, place onto baking sheet in short stacks and refrigerate for 4 hours or until set.
Nutrition
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Can this be made ahead of time?
If you want to get some of the party prep done in advance, you can make your Jello Shots a few days in advance. Follow the same instructions below to make the jello and alcohol mixture. Then pour the mixture into plastic shot cups. Add lids, and keep the jello shots in the fridge until you’re ready to serve. They don’t freeze well so avoid freezing them for later.
Nutritional Facts
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Mix Thoroughly
- It is really important when you add the boiling water to mix in Jello thoroughly and leave no traces of powder behind. Don’t add the cold water and alcohol until you do because it won’t dissolve well in cool water and the texture of your Jello Shots won’t be quite right.
- Keep Cool
- The gelatin needs to stay chilled in order to keep its hardened structure, so serve the Jello cold and don’t leave the Shots at room temperature for more than a half hour, or they’ll start to melt and separate.
What to Pair With Jello Shots
You’ll especially love this fruity, boozy shot recipe as a treat for summer. Bring out a tray of Jello Shots the next time you’re hosting a backyard BBQ or pool party, and it is sure to be a hit with everyone. Classic flavors like lemon Jello, lime Jello, orange jello, or strawberry Jello are perfect for enjoying on a hot day. You can bring these out as a fun drink to go along with classic cookout recipes like Grilled Chicken, Pulled Pork, or Hamburgers.
How to Store
- Serve: Make sure you give the Jello Shots at least 4 hours in the fridge before serving them. You can take them out of the refrigerator right before you serve them and put them away within 30 minutes or serve them in a chilled server to stay nice and cold.
- Store: To store the shots for later, add the lids to shot cups. You can also put the miniature plastic containers in an airtight container or dish to keep them contained. Then put them in the fridge. They can stay good in the fridge for 3-4 days.
- Freeze: As discussed earlier, jello doesn’t freeze well. If you don’t finish all the shots within 3-4 days, throwing them away and making fresh shots is much better than trying to freeze them.
Ideas to Serve Jello Shots
For the most part, serving Jello Shots is straightforward. However, if you wanted a slightly elevated Jello Shot experience, you could let the mixture set in real glass shot glasses. Then top the shots off with a dollop of Whipped Cream and mint leaves or a citrus rind before serving. Another option is using a fun-shaped silicone mold to make the alcoholic jello into a new shape. You could also serve each one with a fun, gummy surprise like cute gummy bear resting in a little pool of jello, a Swedish Fish swimming around the bottom of the shot, or a gummy worm hidden inside.
Frequent Questions
Plastic condiment bowls make the perfect Jello shot containers. They’re the right size, and they have a perfectly fitted lid that you can seal to the top before refrigerating the jello. The lids also make it easy to transport the Jello shots if you’re bringing them to a party. Ultimately, you could use little plastic cups or bowls of any kind. In a pinch you could also use a muffin tin, or mini-muffin tray to hold the bite-sized Jello Shots.
The strength of Jello Shots depends on how heavy your pour is when you add the liquor to the gelatin mixture. However, if you follow the ingredient proportions in this recipe, there isn’t much vodka per shot. You’ll end up with around 10% ABV (alcohol by volume). So, it’s higher in alcohol than a typical beer but quite a bit less than most liquors.
Most Jello shot recipes call for vodka. As far as spirits go, it has a pretty mild flavor, which is great because it lets the jello flavor shine. White rum also makes a good option.
Variations
- Flavored Vodka: Typically, plain vodka works well in Jello Shots. However, you could use citrus vodka, berry vodka, or another fruit-infused vodka to add extra fruity flavor to this boozy treat. Vanilla vodka is another option that would go well with the different fruit flavor varieties of Jello, especially orange jello.
- Fireball Jello Shots: For a surprising, hot twist on standard Jello Shots, swap out the different Jello powder flavors for all cherry jello. Then substitute the vodka in the liquor mixture for fireball cinnamon whiskey. Let the shots harden in the fridge and enjoy. You can still make different flavored jello shots if you like, and just add the fireball whiskey to one of the bowls of jello mix if you want to keep the variety of flavors.
- Champagne Jello Shots: This option is a blend of something sophisticated and something casual. To make the champagne Jello Shots, swap out the jello flavors for unflavored gelatin. Swap out the vodka for champagne or another sparkling wine and the cold water for Sprite, ginger ale, tonic water, or another fizzing drink. You can also mix in a few drops of lemon juice or lime juice to further flavor the unflavored gelatin. Combine the gelatin mix as usual and let it set in Jello Shot cups.
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