Red And Green Jello Shots {Festive Jello Shots For Christmas)

Who says you can’t have your alcohol and eat it too? These red and green jello shots are not only festive, they’re also delicious

Christmas is a time to get together with your family and friends for some good food, drinks and laughs.

What better way to celebrate this festive season than by serving up red and green jello shots at your party?

This simple yet delicious recipe will have guests coming back for more!

And don’t worry about having these ready for your party – these Christmas jello shots can be made ahead of time so you won’t need to spend hours in the kitchen trying to get everything ready at the last minute. 

You can even make them the day before and chill them in the fridge overnight making them the perfect treat to put on your holiday drink menu. 

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Red And Green Jello Shots

Christmas Jello shots are a fun and festive way to kick off your holiday party.

They’re easy to make and the layered effect is super impressive. 

The peppermint flavor of these shots make them really festive plus the red, green and white just screams Christmas. 

These shots look great in mini shot glasses or in squares as you can see in my photos. 

These red and green jello shots are:

• Impressive
• Festive
• Full of Christmas cheer
• Tasty
• Easy to make

How To Make Red and Green Jello Shots

If you want an easy make ahead shot recipe, you can’t get better than jello shots. A lot of people associate Jello shots with out of control college parties but in fact they are the perfect thing to serve at a gathering or party. 

First of all, you can make these ahead so its one more thing off your to-do list on the actual day of the party. 

Secondly, You can easily make a non-alcoholic version of these Christmas Jello shots so that everyone can enjoy them.

What is in the Red and Green Jello Shots?

To make these jello shots you just need the following ingredients:

• Vodka (Peppermint Vodka is ideal but you can use the plain version too (see below for both versions)
• Plain Gelatin
• Red Jello in Cherry or Strawberry flavor – I used Cherry. 
• Green Jello – I used Lime flavor
• Sweetened condensed milk

What Alcohol Do These Christmas Jello Shots Contain?

I used peppermint infused vodka for my red and green shots. Peppermint is the perfect Christmas flavor

You can make your own peppermint infused vodka with some vodka and candy canes. You can read my step by step tutorial to make your own homemade peppermint vodka here. 

If you don’t like vodka or want something different, here are a few other options:

• Plain vodka + 1 teaspoon of peppermint essence
• Peppermint schnapps
• Plain vodka
• White Rum

Classic vodka jello shots do not have any flavors other than the Jello so you can totally do that too with these Jello shots if you don’t fancy making them with peppermint. 

Red and Green Jello Shot Recipe

The layered look is what really makes these Christmas Jello shots look impressive but it fact it is super easy to achieve. 

If you have ever made regular Jello then these Jello shots are a no brainer however, the layering means that you need to spend a little more time on these shots as each layer needs to set before you can add a new one.

The total time to make these shots is about an hour and a half with around 10 minutes of active work and the rest of time waiting for your layers to chill. 

I started with a red layer for my shots and then white and green but you can do whichever order you like.

How to make the red layer

 The red layer is really simple to make and it is the layer that contains the alcohol if you are using peppermint vodka. 

To make the red layer, you need red Jello (Cherry or Strawberry flavor – as long as it is red),  water, and vodka.

1. Pour your Jello powder into a glass measuring cup (this makes it so much easier to pour into shot glasses)
2. Boil your water in a kettle or on the stovetop.  Pour 1 cup of boiling water over jello and whisk until all the granules are completely dissolved.
3. Add vodka and cold water,1/2 cup of water and 1/4 cup of vodka into your measuring cup. Mix well to combine everything together.
4. Pour the mixture into plastic shot cups and chill in the fridge for about 20 minutes until it is set. You can test it out by tipping one upside down and seeing if the Jello is still liquid. 

NOTE: I have used half the vodka in this layer as you will need to make the red layer recipe twice in order to create the second red layer. Even if you have some red left over the first time, it will likely set before you are ready to use it. 

While the red layer is chilling in the fridge,  you can work on the the white Jello layer. 

White Jello Layer

The white layer is much easier to manage because it does not set as quickly at room temperature. 

If you don’t add any flavor into the white layer, it ends up tasting a bit like whipped cream thanks to the sweetened condensed milk that gives it the opaque flavor. 

You will use plain, unflavored gelatin, water and sweetened condensed milk for the white jello layer. 

1. Add 1 cup of boiling water to a glass jug or bowl
2. Sprinkle with the gelatin and allow to soak for a minute or two.
3. Whisk until the gelatin is dissolved
4. Mix in the sweetened condensed milk
5. Stir in peppermint schnapps or peppermint essence if desired.

Cool the mixture on the counter until you are ready to pour over the red layer. If it is not cooled completely, it will mix with the red layer so make sure it is well cooled. 

Next make the green layer:

1. Pour your Jello powder into a glass measuring cup (this makes it so much easier to pour into shot glasses)
2. Boil your water in a kettle or on the stovetop.  Pour 1 cup of boiling water over jello and whisk until all the granules are completely dissolved.
3. Add 1 cup cold water into your measuring cup. Mix well to combine everything together.
4. Pour the mixture onto the white Jello and place back in the fridge. 

How to Create the Red, Green and White Layers

Once your red layer is chilled and set, you can add a layer of the white Jello. Place you shots back in the fridge for another 20 minutes and then add the green layer. 

You will have to make up another batch of red Jello for the second layer.

Keep alternating layers until you get the look you want. bear in mind that if you are planning to do squares, if you have too many layers, your Jello will topple over. 

If your white Jello thickens while it is on the counter, add in a splash of boiling water to thin it out. 

Once you are done making your layers, just pop the whole thing in the fridge for a few hours before serving. 

How To Serve Your Red and Green Jello Shots

You can use plastic shot glasses for your jello shots. Basically anything that would work for a mousse or small treat will work too. 

Another idea is to make your candy candy jelly shots shots in a flat baking pan like a loaf pan. You can see how this looks in my photos. 

You can then cut and slice your jello shots into squares and serve on a platter with toothpicks like these cute snowflake ones. 

Add a dollop of whipped cream and some festive sprinkles on your shots. 

Christmas Jello Shots FAQ

How can I make these Jello Shots without alcohol?