Tropical Red, White and Blue Jello Shots
These layered tropical red, white and blue jello shots made with Malibu rum are always a big hit at my annual 4th of July party. The coconut flavor is the perfect adult treat for a fun summer cookout.
Every year I have a 4th of July party and one of the things that always seems to be on the menu is jello shots.
Most years, it seems like I’m behind schedule and don’t have time to do anything but get the food made and put out a few patriotic decorations.
But every once in a while, I’m ready in advance and have some time to make some of these layered red, white and blue jello shots, which are always a big hit with my friends.
Red, White And Blue Jello Shots Ingredients
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Since Independence Day is in the summer, I like to use Malibu coconut rum (instead of the traditional vodka) to add a tropical flavor to these patriotic jello shots.
Mixing it with berry blue jello, coconut cream pudding and strawberry jello creates a berry-colada flavor that’s perfect for those hot summer parties!
If you prefer, you can also use regular rum which will have a little less of the coconut flavor, but is still very tropical-tasting.
Pots and Utensils
Here’s the supplies you’ll need to make these jello shots:
- about 30 2-oz jello shot cups*
- cookie sheet (optional)
- mixing bowl – a bowl with a spout* makes pouring the liquid into the jello shot cups much easier
- kettle or pot (for boiling water)
- whisk
- ladle or large spoon
- mini tasting spoons* (optional)
What Size Of Jello Shot Cups Are The Best?
I find it’s easier to do the layers if you use taller jello shot cups like these ones*.
With the shorter jello shot cups, you have to be really careful that you don’t fill them up too much with the first layer. Or you won’t have enough room to do the other layers.
In either case, you will definitely need 2-oz jello cups (or larger). The 1-oz ones are just too small to make layers in.
How To Make Layered Red, White and Blue Jello Shots
To start, spread out your jello shot cups on a cookie sheet. This makes them so much easier to transport to the fridge and catches any jello spills.
You’ll need about 30 jello shot cups for this recipe (depending on how full you make them).
The Blue Layer
The first layer is the blue one.
Mix 1 cup of boiling water with the Berry Blue jello mix.
Add 1/2 cup Malibu coconut rum and 1/2 cup of cold water.
Then fill approximately 30 jello shot cups about 1/3 full.
Chill the jello shots in the refrigerator until set, about 2 to 4 hours.
The White Layer
Instant Coconut Cream Pudding Mix*
Once the first layer is chilled and set, add the coconut pudding layer on top.
Mix a small (3.4 oz) box of Instant Coconut Cream Pudding with 1 3/4 cup milk and 1/4 cup Malibu rum.
Stir for 2 minutes. I find using a whisk is the best way to get all of the clumps out of the pudding mix.
I used instant coconut cream pudding so I didn’t have to wait for it to cool at all before doing the red layer.
If you use the Cook & Serve variety, you will need to wait until it is room temperature before putting it on top of the jello. Otherwise the jello will melt and you won’t end up with any layers 🙂 (Although I’m sure it would still taste great).
Then spoon on top of the blue jello in the jello shot cups so they are about 2/3 full.
One note: The coconut cream pudding doesn’t seem to fill as many cups as the jello, so you may run out of it before you have filled all of the jello cups. I just made a few blue and red jello shots with the leftovers.
The Red Layer
Finally, add the Strawberry Jello layer.
Mix 1 cup of boiling water with the Strawberry jello mix.
Add 1/2 cup Malibu coconut rum and 1/2 cup of cold water.
Let it cool completely (about 15 or 20 minutes) before putting it on top of the pudding layer.
Since the pudding is pretty soft, you will end up making a hole in it if you pour the jello in over top of it. I found it worked best to use a ladle or spoon to carefully pour the jello in over the pudding.
Pour any extra red jello mix over the blue-only jello shots from the first step. If you want to make these into red, white and blue jello shots, you can always add some whipped cream or cool whip to the top of them before you serve them.
Put the lids on the jello shot cups.
Then refrigerate until the jello has set (about 2 to 4 hours) and enjoy!
I like to serve jello shots with little tasting spoons*.
Most of my friends aren’t into downing these shots the traditional way, so these spoons are the perfect alternative.
Red, White and Blue Jello Shots – The Easy Way
Of course, if you don’t want to go through all of the work of creating layers, you can just make separate red, white and blue jello shots.
Each of the layers in this recipe can be made as its own jello shot, or you can choose totally different red, white and blue jello shot recipes. Since they’re not part of the same mix, you don’t have to worry about the flavors going well together. See our other red, white and blue jello shot options:
Stacking them together or serving them on a red, white and blue tray* will still make it look like a patriotic celebration.
Red, White and Blue Jello Shots
Ingredients
Blue Jello Layer
- 1 3-oz (small) box Berry Blue Jello
- ½ cup Malibu Rum
- Water
White Layer
- 1 3.4 oz box Instant Coconut Cream Pudding Mix
- ¼ cup Malibu Rum
- 1 ¾ cup Cold Milk
Red Layer
- 1 3-oz (small) box Strawberry Jello
- ½ cup Malibu Rum
- Water
Instructions
Blue Layer
- Pour the package of the Berry Blue Jello into a mixing bowl.
- Boil water in a kettle or pot.
- Add 1 cup of boiling water to the berry blue jello and mix until the crystals are dissolved.
- Add ½ cup of the Malibu rum and ½ cup of cold water to the jello. Note: Depending on how strong you want your jello shot to be, you can change the amounts of rum and water. Just make sure that when you add them together, the total amount of liquid comes out to 1 cup.
- Pour the jello into the bottom 1/3 of the jello shot cups.
- Let cool in the refrigerator until set, 2 to 4 hours.
The White Layer
- For the coconut cream layer, mix the Coconut Cream Jello Pudding, ¼ cup Malibu coconut rum and 1¾ cup milk in a mixing bowl. For this portion of the recipe, you really can’t put more than about ¼ cup of rum in with the pudding mix or it won’t set.
- Stir for 2 minutes until the pudding mix has thickened a little.
- Pour over the top of the blue jello layer in the jello shot cups. Each cup should be about 2/3 full.
- Let the shots sit for a few minutes so that the pudding thickens while you are making the red jello layer. Note: The coconut cream pudding doesn’t seem to fill as many cups as the jello, so you may run out of it before you have filled all of the jello cups. I just made a few red and blue jello shots with the leftovers.
Red Layer
- Pour the package of Strawberry Jello into the mixing bowl.
- Bring water to a boil in a pot or kettle.
- Add 1 cup of boiling water to the red jello and mix until the crystals are dissolved.
- Add ½ cup of the Malibu rum and ½ cup of cold water to the jello.
- Let the jello mix cool completely. Do not rush this step. Pouring even slightly warm jello over the pudding mix will cause it to liquify.
- Pour the jello over the top of the pudding mix. To prevent making a hole in the pudding, I use a ladle to do this.
- Pour any extra red jello mix over the blue-only jello shots from the first step.
- Refrigerate for 2 to 4 hours.
Nutrition values are estimates only, using online calculators. Please verify using your own data.
Have comments or questions about our patriotic red, white and blue jello shots recipe? Tell us in the section below.
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This post was originally published on May 23, 2019 but was updated with new content on April 15, 2024.
how does the pudding layer hold up? If people were to take it like a normal jello shot. will it come out soft or does it harden
Hi Rachel…the pudding layer is softer than the jello. You could try reducing the milk a little if you want it to be a little harder. Or you could replace the middle layer with this pina colada jello shot recipe that uses coconut milk and gelatin.
I cannot find Coconut cream instant pudding anywhere, is there another option I could use for the white layer?
Hi Molly…the coconut cream pudding does seem to be in short supply these days. Vanilla instant pudding would work, too.