July 4th Stained Glass Jello Shots

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Get ready to celebrate the 4th of July with these stained glass jello shooters! They’re so easy to make and really “wow” when served up at a party or BBW. The best part is that they’re cold and light, ideal for hot July afternoons or evenings.

Celebrate the 4th of July With Stained Glass Jello Shooters 

If you’re throwing an adult party (or have adults coming by to celebrate) fun jello shots are always a hit. These ones take the classic red, white, and blue of the American flag and give it a twist. 

The result is a super creamy homemade jello shooter that tastes great and is easy to assemble. Being patriotic never tasted so yummy! 

Easy Multicolor Jello Shots Without Layering

A lot of multicolor Jello shot recipes require pouring your Jello in layers. Not only does that make the shots take a lot longer to make, it’s also super tedious

This recipe keeps the multicolor effect you get by using two Jello flavors, but without having to pull 25 shots out of the fridge multiple times during the setting process.

How Long Do Creamy Jello Shots Take to Set?

You’ll have to make these July 4th stained glass Jello shooters a bit ahead of time. Setting happens twice, but the initial Jello prep is really simple.

First you’ll have to set your two boxes of colored Jello in the fridge for at least 3 hours. That set Jello is what makes the stained glass colors, so you need it to be firm. From there you’ll add the creamy mixture, which also needs to be set. 

Since the cream mixture is thicker and has pieces inside it does take awhile to set. We left ours overnight and you should plan for at least 8 hours of setting time.

My advice is to start these the morning before with the Jello, then prep the shots and allow them to set overnight. Then you know they’ll be good for serving the following day! 

Ingredients for July 4th Stained Glass Jello Shooters

I love this recipe because all the ingredients are super easy to find at any grocery store, and you might even have them on hand! 

For the Jello pieces: We used two 6 ounce boxes (that’s the bigger one) of each berry blue and strawberry Jello. You can switch the strawberry flavor with any other red Jello, like cherry or raspberry. It’s just boiling water and cold water to prepare it, super easy.

Creamy shot base (white part): This is just a 14 ounce can of sweetened condensed milk, two envelopes of unflavored gelatin, and again, boiling and cold water.

Alcohol: You can use almost anything you have on hand for this one! White rum works best because of the flavor, especially something sweet like Malibu. 

This recipe makes about 25 Jello shots depending on the size of cups you use.

How to Make July 4th Stained Glass Jello Shots

Makes: 25 plus jello shots (depends on shot cup size)

• 6 ounce box strawberry Jello
• 6 ounce box berry blue Jello
• 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
• 2 envelopes unflavored gelatin
• 5 cups boiling water (divided)
• 1/2 cup cold water
• 1/2 rum; or other choice of liquor

(For non alcoholic replace rum with 1/2 cup hot water)

Instructions:

1. Mix strawberry and berry blue Jello per the box directions and place them into bowls into the fridge overnight or for at least 3 hours until set.
2. Break up Jello and place into Jello shot cups. A little of each color works well.
3. In a separate large bowl, sprinkle 2 envelopes of unflavored gelatin into 1/2 cup cold water and allow to sit for 5 minutes. After the gelatin blooms (it will look mostly dissolved and get wrinkly on the surface), add 1 cup boiling water and 1/2 cup rum (or liquor of choice); stir to dissolve.
4. Add the can of condensed milk and stir to combine; set aside to cool to room temperature. Pour the cooled milk mixture over the red and blue Jello in the shot cups.
5. Place in the fridge overnight to set.
6. This recipe is just as delicious without the alcohol in it. If you want to turn this recipe into a super fun 4th of July Jello dessert or make a kid-friendly and non-alcoholic version for your event you can easily do that.
7. Just swap the rum with another ½ cup of hot water when you prepare the condensed milk and gelatin mixture. That’s it! 
8. Always be sure to clearly label alcoholic drinks if you plan on serving both at your event.

Can I Add More Alcohol to This Recipe?

If you want to add more rum (or another boozy choice) to your Jello shots substitute as much of the cold water used in the blue and red Jello as you’d like with alcohol.

The boiling water is needed to help the Jello mix properly, but anytime you’d add cold water it’s fair game to swap.

Make Canada Day Stained Glass Jello Shooters Instead

As a Canadian I always love seeing Canada specific recipes. Let’s not let our American neighbours have all the fun being patriotic! Canada Day is July 1st – celebrate it with red and white themed Jello shots. 

You could easily swap the blue Jello in this recipe with another box of red (either the same or a different flavour) and turn this into a red and white Canada Day stained glass Jello shooter. 

What Should I Make My Jello Shooters In?

I absolutely love making my Jello shooters in condiment containers. They’re cheap, available in bulk, and come with kids to make storing and transport a breeze.

For this recipe, we used the 2oz cup size, but you could also do 3oz shots if you want. Just remember that the amount of shots you get out of the recipe will change depending on the cup size.

Just make sure your shot cups are clear so you can see the stained glass design inside! 

What Other Alcohol Works in This Recipe?

I mentioned before that white rum, especially coconut rum like Malibu, tastes great in these shooters. But you can also use an amber rum in this recipe too. 

Or, if rum isn’t your thing, vodka, tequila, and gin will also work. Just about anything sweet will work too.

Just make sure you stay away from any strong flavors so nothing clashes with the sweetness of the Jello and condensed milk.

If you want something really sweet and delicious (and a bit more boozy), substitute the cold water with some blue and red Sourpuss when you prepare the blue and red Jello packs. If you do that, I recommend getting raspberry Jello for the red to compliment the red raspberry Sourpuss flavor.

Tips for Getting Perfect Jello Cubes

It only takes a few extra steps to get nice square Jello chunks for your 4th of July stained glass shooters. Instead of setting your Jello packages in the mixing bowls, transfer them to a baking pan.

Two 8” square pans (one for each color) should get you nice sized cubes. Before you pour the Jello in your pan make sure you spray it with a nonstick cooking spray (like Pam) so the Jello doesn’t stick.

Normally to make firmer Jello we’d leave out some of the liquid, but I don’t like doing that with Jello shots because it can be a choking hazard. You could omit up ½ a cup of cold water from the recipe to make the Jello more firm. Alternatively, add a pack of unflavored gelatin to your boiling water when you prepare the Jello package.

Once the Jello sets, cut it carefully with a sharp knife and use a firm spatula to lift it out of the pan. Carefully place the cubes into your shot cups trying not to squish them.