Mardi Gras Jello Shots
These festive Mardi Gras Jello Shots are inspired by the traditional colors of the holiday and are flavored like the classic King Cake.
King Cake Mardi Gras Jello Shots
Mardi Gras 2023 officially kicks off on February 17th 2023, with Fat Tuesday falling on Tuesday, February 21st. However, the festivities start much earlier in New Orleans, often in early January.
I’ve been to New Orleans a couple times, but never during Mardi Gras…I’m not sure if I can handle those massive crowds! But that’s ok because you can bring the party home with these awesome Mardi Gras jello shots!
These tasty mardi gras jello shots are the most festive way to kick off your Mardi Gras celebration! They’re layered in the traditional Mardi Gras colors of purple, yellow, and green and flavored like the classic Mardi Gras dessert: King Cake. So much fun and they’re actually not that tricky to make! So let’s get this party started!
Ingredients
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- 1 3/4 cup lemonade
- 4 envelopes unflavored gelatin (0.25 ounce envelopes)
- 1 1/4 cups vodka
- 2 teaspoons sweetened condensed milk
- Liquid food coloring (regular green, regular yellow, and neon purple)
For the Rim of the Glasses:
- Vanilla frosting
- Purple, yellow, and green sanding sugars
Kitchen Tools Used
- Tall 2oz plastic shot glasses
- Small Saucepan
- Baking Sheet or Muffin Tin
- Baster or dropper
Instructions
- Dip the the rims of each plastic cup into the frosting, so you have about a 1/4 to 1/2 inch ring of frosting around the top of the cups. Pour each color of sugar into its own small bowl, then dip the frosting-coated rims into the sugars, coating 1/3 of the frosting in purple sugar, 1/3 in green sugar, and 1/3 in yellow sugar.
- Pour the lemonade into a small saucepan and sprinkle the 4 packets of unflavored gelatin powder on top. Allow to soak for about 2 minutes, so the gelatin “blooms”. Turn heat on low, whisking constantly, until the gelatin is dissolved, or about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the vodka and sweetened condensed milk.
- Take 2 mixing bowls and divide the jello mixture evenly among them. Add 4 drops of purple food coloring to one bowl, 4 drops of yellow food coloring to another bowl, and 4 drops of green food coloring to the final bowl. Stir and add more food coloring as needed until you have vibrant colors.
- Add about one tablespoon of the purple gelatin liquid to the bottom of each shot glass, so that you fill each cup one-third of the way, and refrigerate until set. Next, add about one tablespoon of yellow gelatin on top of the purple layer and refrigerate until set. Lastly, add the green gelatin on top of the jello layer, leaving less than 1/4 inch of headspace at the top of the final layer. Refrigerate until completely set.
Prep Tips
- When your jello shots are completely set and you’re ready to serve, garnish with a dollop of whipped cream and a sprinkle of the colorful sugars. I recommend waiting until right when you’re ready to serve before adding toppings, so the whipped cream doesn’t lose its shape.
- A plastic dropper or small turkey baster can be helpful for layering the jello liquid in the shot glasses. You could also use a measure cup with a spout for easier pouring and less mess.
- Placing the shot cups on a baking sheet or in muffin tin makes it easy to move them all in and out of the fridge at once and helps prevent spills.
- The perfect dollops of whipped cream you see in the photos are made using a piping bag with a star tip.
- This recipe is intended for readers 21+ and they are definitely boozy! We included directions in the FAQ section below about liquor substitutions as well as a non-alcoholic version.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can You Use A Different Type Of Liquor?
Sure! We used vodka in the original recipe, but silver rum or coconut rum would also work well too.
You can also make them non-alcoholic by using more lemonade in place of the vodka.
Can You Use Flavored Jello Instead?
Since our recipe is inspired by the flavors of the traditional Mardi Gras dessert, King Cake, we use a combination of clear gelatin, sweetened condensed milk (for that creamy flavor), and added our own food colorings.
However, you can make a similar layered jello shot by using lemon jello, lime jello, and grape jello. You wouldn’t need any added food coloring or lemonade (since the jello is flavored already). Instead, prepare each box of jello according to package directions, using water in the boiling water step and vodka in place of the cold water. You can also mix in the 2 teaspoons of sweetened condensed milk if you want you jello shots to have the same creamy look as the ones in our photos.
Then you can pour the layers of jello in the shot glasses as described in the original recipe.
More Jello Shot Recipes To Try
- Starburst Jello Shots
- Candy Cane Jello Shots
- Grinch Christmas Jello Shots
- Banana Pudding Shots
- Pool Party Jello Shots
- Root Beer Float Jello Shots
- Watermelon Margarita Jello Shots
Mardi Gras Jello Shots Recipe (Printable Recipe Card)
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Mardi Gras Jello Shots
Equipment
- 2 ounce tall shot cups
- Plastic dropper or baster
- Baking sheet
- small saucepan
- Mixing bowls
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cup lemonade
- 1 ounce plain gelatin 4 envelopes (.25oz each)
- 1 1/4 cups vodka
- 2 teaspoons sweetened condensed milk
- Food coloring regular green, regular yellow, and neon purple
Garnishes
- Vanilla Frosting for rims
- Decorating sugars purple, yellow, green
- Whipped cream
Instructions
- Dip the the rims of each plastic cup into the frosting, so you have about a 1/4 to 1/2 inch ring of frosting around the top of the cups. Pour each color of sugar into its own small bowl, then dip the frosting-coated rims into the sugars, coating 1/3 of the frosting in purple sugar, 1/3 in green sugar, and 1/3 in yellow sugar.
- Pour the lemonade into a small saucepan and sprinkle the gelatin powder on top. Allow to soak for about 2 minutes, so the gelatin "blooms". Turn heat on low, whisking constantly, until the gelatin is dissolved, or about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the vodka and sweetened condensed milk.
- Take 2 mixing bowls and divide the jello mixture evenly among them. Add 4 drops of purple food coloring to one bowl, 4 drops of yellow food coloring to another bowl, and 4 drops of green food coloring to the final bowl. Stir and add more food coloring as needed until you have vibrant colors.
- Add about one tablespoon of the purple gelatin liquid to the bottom of each shot glass, so that you fill each cup one-third of the way, and refrigerate until set. Next, add about one tablespoon of yellow gelatin on top of the purple layer and refrigerate until set. Lastly, add the green gelatin on top of the jello layer, leaving less than 1/4 inch of headspace at the top of the final layer. Refrigerate until completely set.
- When jello shots are completely set, top with whipped cream and a sprinkle of colorful sugar.
- Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Pin our Mardi Gras Jello Shots on Pinterest:
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I just made these for Mardi Gras and, while they are very pretty, they’re extremely bland! I used frozen concentrate lemonade and whipped cream flavor Smirnoff vodka. VERY disappointing considering the time spent making them and the fact that now it’s Mardi Gras and my shots suck! Sorry, just being honest. Maybe if made with at least one flavored jello color or perhaps lemon flavored booze?? I dunno, probably need both a flavored jello and a complimentary flavored vodka. Very frustrating considering I went to the store specifically for this recipe. Make at your own risk!
Hi Micah – I appreciate the feedback! The flavor of these jello shots is more subtle than some of my other recipes, because they are supposed to taste like King Cake (which isn’t super strong in flavor). You could absolutely use infused vodka to add a stronger fruit flavor!