These espresso jello shots are the perfect combination of rich coffee and sweet milk. A surprisingly refreshing dessert to cool you down and pep you up!
A jello shot with coffee and milk?! Trust me, it will make perfect sense after you try your first bite. These unique treats are super refreshing, light, and 100% alcohol free. Whip them up for your next party and watch them become the star of the show. Cheers!
Making Our Simple Espresso Jello Shots
These simple jello treats only require 5 simple ingredients and a little bit of simple technique.
- Make the Coffee Gelatin: First, whisk 3 packets of gelatin with cold water in a small bowl. Set the bowl aside to allow the gelatin to dissolve. Next, combine the hot coffee with sugar and stir until the granules are dissolved. Mix in the gelatin mixture until well-combined.
- Make the Milk Jello: Whisk the other 3 envelopes of gelatin with more cold water. Set the bowl aside to allow the gelatin to dissolve. In a small saucepan, bring the milk to a boil over low heat and dissolve in some more sugar. Remove the milk from heat and add in the gelatin mixture.
- Assemble the Jello Shots: In small glass cups, pour alternate layers of the coffee gelatin with the milk gelatin, letting each layer set in the refrigerator until the appearance of your gelatin is firm enough to add the next. Repeat until your cups are full. Enjoy chilled!
Tips & Tricks for Perfect Espresso Jello Shots
If you’ve never made a jello shot before, check out a couple of helpful pointers to guide you along the way.
- Adjust the sugar to taste. Feel free to experiment with the sweetness level of the jello. We use about 1/2 cup each for the coffee and milk jello, but feel free to tweak the ratio in either direction. You can also swap in simple syrup or agave nectar for the white sugar if you’d like.
- Allow the jello mixtures to cool before you assemble the shots. While you’re assembling the shots, make sure the gelatin mixtures are room temperature. If they are too hot, they will burn the other layers and turn your shots into a mess!
- Keep the jello chilled. Keep the jello shots refrigerated until you’re ready to serve them. They’re best served chilled and will continue to develop their flavors while setting in the fridge!
Decorating Tip: For extra pizazz, shave some dark chocolate and sprinkle it on the tops of the jello shots.
Different Variations
Looking for some additional jelly shot inspiration? Here, find a couple of tweaks and a little variety to inspire you.
- Add in some liqueur. Deepen the flavor of your jello shots by adding a couple of tablespoons of Irish cream liqueur or Kahlua to the hot coffee for extra flavor.
- Use different kinds of coffee. You can use a light roast, medium roast, or dark roast coffee for these shots – whatever you like best! You can even use equal parts espresso if you want a high voltage of caffeine.
- Experiment with different jello molds. Feel free to play around with different festive cups and molds for the jello shots. You can’t go wrong!
Hot Tip: Clean off any gelatin that gets on the sides of the glass with a clean paper towel for the best presentation.
Storing Espresso Jello Shots
Store the jello shot glasses on a movable flat surface like a cookie sheet or serving tray. This way, you can easily transfer them in and out of the fridge! Cover them with plastic wrap to prevent them from absorbing any lingering smells. When stored properly, they will keep for 3-5 days.
FAQ
Do you have to put liquor in espresso jello shots?
No! We actually don’t put a drop of liquor in our jello shots. They are just as tasty and 100% kid-friendly!
How many espresso jello shots should you allot per person?
One espresso jello shot is more than enough per person. If you want to make them smaller or larger, simply use a different serving glass.
Can you freeze espresso jello shots?
It’s not a good idea to freeze espresso jello shots, as the gelatin doesn’t thaw well at all. Somethings are best eaten fresh!
What should you do if your espresso jello shots won’t set?
If your espresso jello shots won’t set, simply give them more time to chill in the refrigerator. This will help them to firm up!
More Jiggly Jello Recipes
- Strawberry Jello Cake Dessert – Creamy Jello and strawberry cake
- Jello Fruit Cake Dessert – 70s-style Jello bundt cake dessert
- Easy Panna Cotta Recipe – Italian gelatin dessert with raspberries
- Strawberry Jello Poke Cake – Strawberry and Jello marble cake
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Recipe
Ingredients
Instructions
- For the coffee gelatin, combine 3 gelatin bags with 4 tablespoons of cold water in a small bowl. Set the bowl aside and allow the gelatin to dissolve.
- If the coffee is cold, reheat it in a saucepan and add in 1/2 cup of sugar. Stir it in until dissolved and add in the gelatin to the mixture.
- For the milk jello, combine the other 3 bags of gelatin with the remaining 4 tablespoons of cold water. Set the bowl aside and allow the gelatin to dissolve. In the meantime, bring the milk and 1/2 cup of sugar to boil over low heat, stirring constantly until it's dissolved. Remove the mixture from heat and add in the gelatin mixture until well-combined.
- In small glass cups, pour in a thin layer of either the coffee or milk gelatin (you can start with whichever one you like. Refrigerate the layer until the jello firms up. Next, pour on another layer of gelatin and refrigerate until firm. Repeat until your cups are full.
- Keep the jello shots refrigerated until you're ready to serve them. Enjoy!
what is the amount of gelatin in a packet? I have bulk gelatin by Great Lakes...much healthier:)
Hi Tammy, one bag has 2 teaspoons so you wi need total of 12 teaspoons for this recipe.
So how much packets do i need to put in each layer ?
3 packets for each flavor.
Niiiiiicccceee! Perfect for a girls night! Or a brunch dessert.
Yes for sure! Plus its lighter in calories 🙂