Mardi Gras Jello Shots
Updated
Updated
Made with vodka and 3 different flavors of jello, these Mardi Gras Jello Shots are layered with festive purple, green, and gold colors, perfect for celebrating Fat Tuesday!
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Easy Layered Mardi Gras Jello Shots
Hosting a party for Fat Tuesday? These Mardi Gras jello shots are a must! I used regular vodka and purple, green, and yellow colored jello, along with sanding sugar to mimic all the colors of the New Orleans festivities. These layered jello shots are both fun and tasty.
While layered jello shots may look complicated, these are actually quite easy. The only difference between these and making, say, dirty shirley jello shots, is that you need to chill them between each layer instead of adding all of the jello at once.
Top with some colored sugar before serving and these will be a guaranteed hit with the adults at your get-together.
Ingredients Needed
These easy Mardi Gras jello shots are made with just 4 ingredients, plus water and optional sanding sugar.
(Scroll below to the printable recipe card for details and measurements.)
- Water – Boiling water dissolves the gelatin and chilled water helps it set.
- Jello – You’ll need a small box of grape for the purple color, lime for the green color, and lemon for the yellow color.
- Vodka – Adds the traditional boozy flavor to the shots.
- Sanding sugar – Purple, green, and gold colored sugar is sprinkled on top for sweetness and a nice festive touch.
How to Make Mardi Gras Jello Shots
These layered jello shots truly aren’t any more difficult to make than basic jello shots, though they do take just a bit more hands-on time to assemble the layers and chilling in between.
(Scroll down to the printable recipe card for details and measurements.)
- Make the purple layer. Pour boiling water over the grape jello powder and stir until the gelatin is completely dissolved. Stir in cold water and chilled vodka.
- Pour into plastic cups. Pour the mixture into plastic containers, filling them 1/3 full.
- Chill until firm. Chill the jello cups in the refrigerator until firm.
- Make the green layer. Pour boiling water over the lime jello powder and stir until the gelatin is completely dissolved. Stir in cold water and chilled vodka.
- Pour into plastic cups. Pour the lime mixture over the grape layer so the cups are about 2/3 full.
- Chill until firm. Chill the jello cups in the refrigerator until firm.
- Make the yellow layer. Pour boiling water over the lemon jello powder and stir until the gelatin is completely dissolved. Stir in cold water and chilled vodka.
- Pour into plastic cups. Top off the plastic cups with the lemon mixture.
- Chill until firm. Chill the jello cups in the refrigerator until completely firm, about 3 hours.
- Garnish. Sprinkle the jello shots with with purple, green, and gold colored sanding sugar, if desired.
Tips for the Best Jello Shots
Here are a few tips and things to keep in mind when making these layered jello shots.
- Chill the vodka. Using chilled vodka is ideal as it will help cool the jello mixture so these set quicker.
- Set out a sheet pan. Spreading out jello shot cups on a sheet pan makes them easy to transfer to the fridge once they’re filled.
- Use something with a spout for pouring. A large spouted measuring cup or mixing bowl that has a spout helps prevent spills when you’re pouring the liquid jello into the cups.
- How long do these jello shots need to chill? Since we’re just adding a tablespoon of jello at a time, 1 hour is typically enough for the jello to set between layers. I do recommend that once the final layer is added, you let them chill for an additional 2 to 3 hours to set completely.
- Jello shot cups. The jello shots cups used for this recipe are not the standard ones. They are still 2 ounces, but taller.
Serving Suggestions
Once the shots are completely set and right before serving, I like to sprinkle these with some purple, green, and gold colored sandy sugar, which are the traditional colors for Mardi Gras. I simply buy the individual colors and mix to combine. Make sure you use the coarser sugar and not the finer sugar so it doesn’t dissolve into the jello.
The best way to serve these is with tasting spoons. While most jello shots can be enjoyed in one piece, these are quite tall and big, so they’re not ideal for taking as a “shot”. Spoons definitely make enjoying these easier!
Proper Storage
Keep your jello shots refrigerated until serving. If they’ll be in the fridge for more than a few hours, I recommend covering them – either with lids if your cups have them or some plastic wrap. These jello shots will last for up to 4 days in the fridge.
More Jello Shot Recipes:
- Dirty Shirley Jello Shots
- Sex on the Beach Jello Shots
- Blue Hawaiian Jello Shots
- Jack Frost Jello Shots
- Apple Pie Jello Shots
I hope you love this delicious and easy recipe – be sure to give it a review below! Also don’t forget to follow Belly Full on TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube!
Mardi Gras Jello Shots
Equipment
- jello shot cups with lids (30, 2 ounce cups)
- Tasting spoons , for serving, optional
Ingredients
- 3 ounce box grape Jell-O gelatin
- 3 ounce box lime Jell-O gelatin
- 3 ounce box lemon Jell-O gelatin
- 4 & 1/2 cups cold water, , divided
- 1 & 1/2 cups chilled vodka, , divided
Instructions
- Place your plastic cups onto a sheet pan. Set aside.
- Make the purple layer. Add your grape Jell-O to a medium mixing bowl. Bring 1 cup of water to a boil in a small pot. Stir the boiling water into the grape Jell-O mix until all the mixture has dissolved. Mix in 1/2 cup of cold water and 1/2 cup of chilled vodka.
- Fill the plastic cups 1/3 full with the grape mixture. Place in the refrigerator until the Jell-O has set, about 1 hour.
- Make the green layer. Add your lime Jell-O to a medium mixing bowl. Bring 1 cup of water to a boil in a small pot. Stir the boiling water into the lime Jell-O mix until all the mixture has dissolved. Mix in 1/2 cup of cold water and 1/2 cup of chilled vodka.
- Top the grape layer with the lime mixture so the cups are about 2/3 full. Place back in the refrigerator until the Jell-O has set, about 1 hour.
- Make the yellow layer. Add your lemon Jell-O to a medium mixing bowl. Bring 1 cup of water to a boil in a small pot. Stir the boiling water into the lemon Jell-O mix until the mixture has dissolved. Mix in 1/2 cup of cold water and 1/2 cup of chilled vodka.
- Top off the cups with the lemon mixture. Place back in the refrigerator and allow the Jell-O to set completely, about 2-3 more hours.
- Once completely set and right before serving, garnish with purple, green, and gold colored sanding sugar.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information given is an automatic calculation and can vary based on the exact products you use and any changes you make to the recipe. If these numbers are very important to you, I would recommend calculating them yourself.
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