Creamy Piña Colada Jello Shots With Pineapple Jello & Coconut Milk
These creamy piña colada jello shots are made with pineapple jello, coconut milk and rum. They’re super easy to make and taste like summer in a shot cup.
If you’ve ever been to one of my parties, you know that I love to serve jello shots.
Not only are they easy to make, but they are always a hit with my friends.
And I have to say that these creamy pina colada jello shots are one of my favorites. Especially in the summer.
So if you’re looking for a new and fun twist on the classic party drink, you’ll have to try these.
They’re made with only three ingredients: pineapple jello, coconut milk (or cream) and rum.
And like all jello shots, they can be made a day or two ahead of time. Which means less to do on the day of the event. Always a bonus in my books.
So grab your favorite rum and let’s get ready to party!
Ingredients
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- jello – 1 3-ounce package Island Pinapple jello. This is the small box.
- mix – ½ cup coconut milk.
- alcohol – ½ cup malibu rum
Substitutions
- For an even creamier jello shot, substitute coconut cream for the coconut milk.
- You can use regular rum instead of coconut rum if that’s what you have on hand. Although you’ll end up with a little less of the coconut flavor.
How to make creamy piña colada jello shots
Prep work
To start, lay out 16 to 20 2-ounce jello shot cups* on a cookie sheet. I find the 2-ounce ones with lids are the perfect size for shots. The 1-ounce cups are just a little too small.
The cookie sheet isn’t absolutely mandatory. But it is a good way to transport the jello shots to and from the refrigerator. As well as contain any spills that might happen along the way.
Make the jello
Pour the pineapple gelatin crystals into a medium-sized bowl. Using one with a spout (like this one*) will make your life easier when it comes to pouring the jello shots later.
Boil some water in a kettle or pot.
Pour 1 cup of the boiling water into the bowl, and stir until all of the crystals have dissolved. Usually 30 seconds or so.
Then mix in ½ cup coconut milk and ½ cup malibu rum.
Depending on how strong you like your jello shots, you can play with the rum and coconut milk that you add as long as the total amount comes to 1 cup.
You don’t want to go over that amount or the jello may not set.
I like to pour all of the cold liquids into a measuring cup to make sure I don’t go past the 1 cup mark. Then add them to the jello mixture all together.
Fill the jello cups
Pour the mixture into the jello shot cups, filling them about ¾ full.
I usually get about 16 jello shots from one small box of jello.
When the mixture has cooled completely, add the lids to the shot cups. This helps to prevent condensation from forming inside the shot cups. While the condensation won’t hurt anything, the jello shots don’t look as nice with it there.
Then put the jello shots in the refrigerator for 2 to 4 hours, or until set.
The coconut milk does tend to rise a bit, so you end up with a creamy layer on top that makes them look more complicated than they are.
How to serve
While some people like to eat jello shots straight out of the cup, I prefer to use mini appetizer spoons. It’s just easier.
At parties, I usually keep the Jello shots on a tray in the refrigerator. Then take the tray around once in a while so that everyone can help themselves.
That way the jello stays chilled and you don’t have to worry about it melting.
Other pina colada jello shot recipes
Remember when I said that I really love this flavor of jello shots? I wasn’t kidding!
I actually have 3 other recipes that I use for different occasions. So in case you like one of them better, here they are:
- Layered pina colada jello shots – This recipe uses layers of pineapple jello with coconut pudding to create a pretty and tasty jello shot.
- White pina colada jello shots – If you don’t want to use pineapple jello at all, this version combines coconut milk, pineapple juice and coconut rum with unflavored gelatin. So it tastes almost exactly like the real thing!
- Easy pina colada jello shots – This version is the easiest one of all. With just 2 ingredients (pineapple jello and malibu rum), it’s super simple to put together and the least expensive to make for a crowd.
Other summer jello shot recipes you might like
Or you can browse through all of our jello shot recipes for more ideas.
Creamy Piña Colada Jello Shots
Equipment
- cookie sheet (optional)
- 16 to 20 2-ounce jello shot cups with lids
- medium bowl
- kettle or pot
- measuring cup
- spoon
Ingredients
- 1 3-oz (small) package Island Pineapple jello
- 1 cup boiling water
- ½ cup coconut milk or coconut cream
- ½ cup malibu rum
Instructions
- Lay out 16 to 20 jello shot cups on a cookie sheet.
- Combine the package of jello with 1 cup boiling water in a mixing bowl. Stir until all of the crystals have dissolved.
- Mix in ½ cup malibu rum and ½ cup coconut milk.
- Fill each of the jello shot cups about ¾ full with the mixture.
- After the jello has cooled completely, put the lids on the cups.
- Refrigerate for 2 to 4 hours or until the Jello has set.
Notes
- Putting the jello shot cups on a cookie sheet makes it easier to transport them to the refrigerator and catches any spills that might occur. But it isn’t absolutely necessary.
- Depending on how strong you want the jello shots to be, adjust the amount of coconut milk and rum. Just make sure that the two combined come out to 1 cup.
- If you put the lids on the jello shot cups before the jello has cooled, you will get condensation forming on the inside of the lids. This does not affect the taste of the jello shots but doesn’t look as good.
Nutrition
Nutrition values are estimates only, using online calculators. Please verify using your own data.
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This post was originally published on June 28, 2022 but was updated with new content on March 9, 2023.