These striking and colorful Mardi Gras shots are just the treat you need for your next Mardi Gras party. And if you’ve never had a Mardi Gras party, this fun and easy recipe might just inspire you to throw one! Unflavored gelatin and lemonade form the base for this festive recipe, while sweetened condensed milk adds sweetness and a creamy texture and vodka provides the boozy kick.

purple, yellow, and green layered pudding shots with whipped cream and purple sanding sugar

The real beauty of this treat comes from the bright and vibrant colors that are added to the gelatin mix before it’s layered into shot glasses. Then the glasses are rimmed with sweet vanilla frosting and colored sugar and topped with whipped cream.

This colorful treat is one of the prettiest and most impressive-looking shots we’ve seen, so it’s sure to be a showstopper on your party table. Its decadent creamy taste is perfect for Fat Tuesday, and like all Jello shots, it’s sure to liven up any event. But don’t worry if you’re having a more family-friendly celebration. You can omit the vodka and serve this as a tasty non-alcoholic treat. No matter which version you choose, this festive shot will get everyone in the mood to celebrate!

💗 Why We Love This Recipe

These shots are one of the most eye-catching party treats we’ve seen. No one will be able to resist their bright colors, festive sprinkles, and delicious frosted rim.
With their pretty purple, yellow, and green colors, these shots are perfect for a Mardi Gras party. They’ll look great next to the king cake!
Although they look difficult to make, they’re actually quite easy. They’re perfect when you need an easy treat that’s sure to impress a crowd.

🛒 Ingredients

can of frosting, bottle of vodka, green, yellow, and purple jello powders, milk on counter

Lemonade
Plain gelatin
Vodka
Sweetened condensed milk
Liquid food coloring (regular green, regular yellow and neon purple)
Rich & creamy vanilla frosting (for rims)
Decorating sugars in purple, yellow and green (for rims)

🥄 How to Make Mardi Gras Shots

Step One: Rim the Glasses

clear shot glasses with purple, green, and yellow sugar on rim

Dip the rims of each glass into the frosting.
Dip 1/3 of the frosted rim into green sugar sprinkles, 1/3 into the yellow sugar sprinkles and the remaining 1/3 into the purple sugar sprinkles

Step Two: Make the Gelatin Mixture

three bowls: yellow mixture, purple mixture, and green mixture with 3 shot glasses on the side

Pour the lemonade into a small saucepan and add the unflavored gelatin. Allow the mixture to soak for about 2 minutes.
Turn heat on low and whisk constantly, until the gelatin is completely dissolved, about 5 minutes.
Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in vodka and sweetened condensed milk.
Divide the gelatin mixture between 3 bowls, pouring about 1 cup in each bowl.
Add 4 drops of green food coloring to the first bowl, 4 drops of yellow to the second and 4 drops of purple to the third. Stir each bowl to distribute the color evenly.

Step Three: Assemble the Layers

purple pudding in bottom of shot glasses

Using a baster, or spoon add about one tablespoon of the purple gelatin to each glass and refrigerate until set.
Once set, add about one tablespoon of yellow gelatin on top of the purple layer and refrigerate again until the purple layer has set. Repeat the process with the green layer.
When all layers are fully set, remove the shots from the refrigerator and top with whipped cream and decorating sugars.

green, yellow, purple layered shot glasses

Tips and Suggestions

Be careful not to add too much alcohol. Although it might be tempting to add extra, your shots won’t set properly if there’s too much.
To make your shots easier to remove from the glasses, give them a quick spray of coconut oil before adding the gelatin mixture.

Variations

You can use regular packaged lime, lemon, and grape Jello in place of the unflavored gelatin. Just omit the lemonade and condensed milk and prepare the Jello according to package directions.
Replace the vodka with additional lemonade to make a non-alcoholic version of these colorful shots.
Try a flavored vodka, like berry or citrus, or use regular or Malibu rum in place of the vodka.
For a quicker version, skip the layering and just make full shots in each of the three colors.

green, yellow, and purple Mardi Gras pudding shots with whipped cream

How Do I Store Mardi Gras Shots?

Store any leftover shots in an airtight container in the fridge. They should keep for about 4-5 days. Note: Once you add the whipped cream, it will start to melt and won’t keep well in the fridge, so be sure not to add it to any of the shots until you are ready to serve them.

Can I Make This Non- Alcoholic?

Yes, just replace the alcohol with ginger ale or water.

More Jello Shot Recipes

Mardi Gras Pudding Shots

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

These colorful pudding shots can be made with or without alcohol to make them a perfect party treat!

Ingredients

▢ 1 ¾ cup lemonade
▢ 4 envelopes plain gelatin
▢ 1 ¼ cups vodka
▢ 2 teaspoons sweetened condensed milk
▢ food coloring regular green, regular yellow and neon purple
▢ 1 can vanilla frosting for rims
▢ Decorating sugars in purple yellow and green (for rims)

Instructions

Start by dipping the rims of each glass into the frosting, dip 1/3 of the rim into green sugar sprinkles, 1/3 into purple sugar sprinkles and 1/3 into yellow sugar sprinkles as shown.
1 can vanilla frosting, Decorating sugars in purple
Pour lemonade into a small pan and sprinkle in the unflavored gelatin.
1 ¾ cup lemonade, 4 envelopes plain gelatin
Allow to soak for about 2 minutes. Turn heat on low, whisking constantly, until the gelatin is dissolved, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, if using alcohol, stir in vodka and sweetened condensed milk.
1 ¼ cups vodka, 2 teaspoons sweetened condensed milk
Using 3 different bowls, divide the gelatin mix between them, pouring about 1 cup in each bowl. Use food coloring to color each. Use 4 drops of food coloring for each bowl. Purple: 4 drops, Green 4 drops, Yellow 4 drops.
food coloring
Using a baster, add about one tablespoon of the purple gelatin to glass, refrigerate until set. Once set, add about one tablespoon of yellow gelatin to the glass, repeat with the green.
When all layers are fully set, remove from the refrigerator and top with whipped cream and sprinkle with colored sugars.
Enjoy!