Red, white and blue jello shots are the most essential 4th of July recipe you can make, in our opinion!
A number of years ago we decided to make patriotic jello shots as a surprise for the group before a river tubing adventure.
We spent the day experimenting on how to get these booze-filled red, white and blue jello shot treats to turn out.
This recipe is relatively simple, you just need to have the patience to wait for the layers to set.
Note: We rushed the first attempt and ended up with some funky looking tie-dyed shooters. Lesson learned!
You can use any type of clear liquor for the recipe.
We decided to go for a tropical theme so we used Blue Chair Bay Coconut Rum.
Did you know that Kenny Chesney is an owner in that company?
Something about that makes us feel even more chilled out while drinking Blue Chair Bay.
The reason why we chose coconut is because the middle layer of these 4th of July Jello Shots include sweetened condensed milk to make it a white color.
The coconut flavor really makes it taste like a coconut cream treat!
Whether you are making these for the 4th of July, Memorial Day or just a summer picnic, consider making these Independence Day Jello Shots for your barbecue or pool party!
Red, White and Blue Jello Shots Recipe
Makes about 50, 1 oz. jello shots
Ingredients:
- 3 cups water, divided
- 2 ¼ cups Blue Chair Bay Coconut Rum
- 1 package of berry blue jello (3 oz. box)
- 1 package of cherry jello (3 oz. box)
- 1 packet of unflavored gelatin (it usually comes with 4 packets per box)
- Half of a 14 oz. can of sweetened condensed milk
- Jello shot containers
- Baking sheet
- Maraschino cherries for garnish, if desired
Steps for the Red White and Blue Jello Shots Blue Layer:
Bring 1 cup of water to boil.
In a bowl (we use a batter bowl since it has a spout) add the 3 oz. packet of berry blue jello. If you can only find the larger 6 oz boxes, make sure you just use half.
Now add the cup of boiling water and stir until the powder is dissolved.
Add in one cup of the Blue Chair Bay Coconut Rum. Line a baking sheet with the empty jello shot containers.
Next, fill your shot containers 1/3 of the way full with the blue jello shot mixture.
Now pop it into the refrigerator.
Make sure your jello shots have ample time to set before moving on to the next step! For the small 1 oz. containers, 90 minutes was enough time. We also tried making some 2oz shot glasses and 90 minutes was NOT enough.
Check out what happened:
Steps for the Red White and Blue Jello Shots White Layer:
This layer is a bit more sweet than boozy.
Use one small packet of unflavored gelatin. They come with four pouches to a box.
Dissolve it in ¼ cup of water. Meanwhile, bring 3/4 cups of water to boil.
Add the boiling water to the clear gelatin. Then add HALF of the 14 oz. can of sweetened condensed milk and stir.
Finally, add ¼ cup of coconut rum.
Pour the cream mixture on top of the blue layer until the cups are about 2/3 of the way filled.
Place them into the fridge for at least 2 hours.
Steps for the Red White and Blue Jello Shots Red Layer:
Make the red layer exactly as the blue layer, just substitute the berry blue jello for the cherry jello.
If you’re feeling festive, once the red sets for about an hour, you can add a stemmed maraschino cherries to the top of the red layer of your coconut cream jello shots.
This batch makes a bunch, depending on the size of jello shot containers you use so be sure to share these with friends!
You could also use this recipe with other jello flavors throughout the year to create new color combos.
We can already see ourselves making Halloween and Christmas themed jello shots in the future!
RED, WHITE AND BLUE JELLO SHOTS
Colorful booze-filled red, white and blue jello shots
Ingredients
- 3 cups water, divided
- 2 ¼ cups Blue Chair Bay Coconut Rum
- 1 package of berry blue jello (3 oz. box)
- 1 package of cherry jello (3 oz. box)
- 1 packet of unflavored gelatin (it usually comes with 4 packets per box)
- Half of a 14 oz. can of sweetened condensed milk
- Jello shot containers
- Baking sheet
- Maraschino cherries for garnish, if desired
Instructions
Blue Layer:
- Bring 1 cup of water to boil. In a bowl (we use a batter bowl since it has a spout) add the 3 oz. packet of berry blue jello. If you can only find the larger 6 oz boxes, make sure you just use half.
- Now add the cup of boiling water and stir until the powder is dissolved.
- Add in one cup of the Blue Chair Bay Coconut Rum.
- Line a baking sheet with the empty jello shot containers. Next, fill your shot containers 1/3 of the way full with the blue jello shot mixture.
- Now pop it into the refrigerator. Make sure your jello shots have ample time to set before moving on to the next step! F
- or the small 1 oz. containers, 90 minutes was enough time. We also tried making some 2oz shot glasses and 90 minutes was NOT enough.
White Layer:
- This layer is a bit more sweet than boozy. Use one small packet of unflavored gelatin.
- They come with four pouches to a box. Dissolve it in ¼ cup of water.
- Bring 3/4 cups of water to boil. Add the boiling water to the clear gelatin.
- Then add HALF of the 14 oz. can of sweetened condensed milk and stir.
- Finally, add ¼ cup of coconut rum. Pour the cream mixture on top of the blue layer until the cups are about 2/3 of the way filled. Place them into the fridge for at least 2 hours.
Red Layer:
- Make the red layer exactly as the blue layer, just substitute the berry blue jello for the cherry jello.
- If you’re feeling festive, once the red sets for about an hour, you can add a stemmed maraschino cherries to the top of the red layer of your coconut cream jello shots.
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6 Comments
Erin
July 2, 2018 at 12:27 amDo you think I could sub a can of coconut milk for the sweetened condensed?
Karen Reinsberg
August 2, 2018 at 5:43 pmHi Erin! We haven’t tried it, but it seems like should work. If you’re using coconut rum it might be a bit of a coco-overload though. 🙂
Leah
June 29, 2019 at 3:34 pmWhat size containers did you use for this?
Karen Reinsberg
June 30, 2019 at 5:15 pmThey are 1oz. cups with lids. Here is what we ordered via amazon prime: https://amzn.to/2Xcsd8k
Happy jello shotting. 🙂
Amanda Smith
July 3, 2019 at 7:12 pmHi, the unflavored gelatin packs I have are .25 oz each. Are these the correct ones to use? And just 1 of these small packs for the white?
Karen Reinsberg
July 3, 2019 at 7:45 pmThat’s correct. Just one pack, which is .25 oz. Make sure you dissolve it in the 1/4 cup of cool/room temp water first before pouring the boiling water in. It’s an annual tradition that we make these for every 4th and we just finished making the white layer at home. One more layer to go! Happy Independence Day!