Jello shots are the lifeblood of any great party. These jiggly, boozy delights are a fun, interactive way to get everyone to let loose and relax a little bit. Of course, when making jello shots, there are plenty of options of liquor, flavorings, and other ingredients to put into them. In my humble opinion, tequila is a prime candidate to turn into jello shots. Everybody already loves tequila shots with lime and salt, so why not make them even more fun? Tequila jello shots are easy to make, they’re delicious, and they’re a crowd favorite.
Not only that, but they’re customizable. Think of your favorite flavor of margarita. Is it Watermelon? Cucumber? Strawberry? Jalapeno? Lime? Whatever it is, the flavor of your tequila jello shots are limited only by your imagination. All of this is to say that if you’re throwing a Cinco de Mayo fiesta, or any other occasion where tequilas most natural ally, tacos, are present, make these lime tequila jello shots and you will be the hero of the party!
How to Make Tequila Jello Shots
Making jello shots is super easy to do. It just takes a few minutes of active time, a few common, easy to find ingredients, and some small, disposable plastic cups. Regardless of what kind of liquor you use to make your jello shots, the method for making them is the same.
What you’re doing is blooming and melting gelatin powder, then mixing it with booze and other ingredients, and pouring it all into cups to cool so that the liquor will gelatinize, or become semi-solid. The result is the fun, jiggly treat we all know and love. Luckily, making amazing jello shots takes just a few short and easy steps.
1. Pour gelatin powder into cold water. Let it sit for 5-10 minutes to allow the gelatin to bloom.
2. Heat the water up to boiling to melt the gelatin. Be sure to whisk it so that all the gelatin dissolves.
3. Add the booze along with any sugars, juices, mixers, or other ingredients. Stir to combine
4. Pour the liquid into small disposable cups and put them into the fridge to cool.
5. After a couple of hours, the liquid will set and you’ll have delicious jello shots.
6. Pack them up and take them to the party!
Tequila Jello Shots
Course: DrinksCuisine: MexicanDifficulty: Easy12
servings5
minutes1
minute42
kcal4
hours20
minutesThese are genuinely the best tequila jello shots I’ve ever had. Combing tequila and jello provides for one awesome and fun drink you won’t be able to resist.
Ingredients
3/4 cup 3/4 cold water
1 packet 1 unflavored gelatin (or 1 tablespoon)
1/4 cup 1/4 sugar
1/4 cup 1/4 lime juice
1/2 cup 1/2 of white tequila
salt and lime for the rim
food coloring
Directions
- Lay small plastic shot glasses out onto a baking tray.
- Pour the cold water into a pot. Stir to combine and let sit for 5 minutes to allow the gelatin to bloom.
- Heat the water to a boil, whisk the allow the gelatin to melt.
- Add the sugar, lime juice, and tequila. Stir to combine.
- Pour the mixture into the shot glasses. Put them in the fridge and let them sit for 2-3 hours to set.
- Optional: use food coloring to change the color of the shots.
- Remove from the fridge and rim with salt, garnish with a lime wedge.
- Serve chilled.
Notes
- Using plain gelatin and white tequila will give you a clear colored jello shot. If you desire green or any other color, you can add a couple drops of food coloring into the mix. Alternatively, you could also use a box of flavored and colored jello but be sure to follow the instructions on the box on how much powder and liquid you should use.
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Tips and Tricks
For jello shots, you want to use the same kind of tequila you would use to make a margarita. They’re a little watered down, but they’re still shots so you don’t want to use anything too cheap that might make people sick. At the same time, you don’t want to use an expensive tequila like Don Julio in a Jello shot. Patron, Jose Cuervo, Ciera, or 1800 all great tequilas to use for jello shots.
Jello shots with gelatin are technically not vegan or vegetarian friendly as gelatin is an animal product. However, you can substitute agar-agar powder, which is made from seaweed, in place of the gelatin for a vegan jello shot. Keep in mind that agar-agar has much stronger binding properties than gelatin, for 1 tablespoon of gelatin you only need about 1/2 teaspoon of agar-agar powder.
This recipe is just for a plain tequila jello shot; it is very much like a classic margarita. But you can still make any flavored tequila jello shot you would like. Strawberry puree, watermelon juice, cucumber water, peach puree, and blackberry puree are just a few of the great fruit flavors you can add to jello shots. Keep in mind that If you add any extra fruit juice, you may have to add more gelatin to keep the ratio and make sure the shots still set. For every 1/2 cup of liquid, you need 1 teaspoon of gelatin. So, to make this recipe into a strawberry margarita jello shot, you would add 1/2 cup of strawberry puree and an extra teaspoon of gelatin powder.
Besides just adding fruit juice or puree, you can also add fun physical garnishes into the shots. For example, if you love jalapeno margaritas, you can drop a thin slice of jalapeno into the shot glasses after you pour the liquid into them. That way, when the shots set, you’ll have a little slice of jalapeno molded into the jello shot. Additionally, you could also add slices of strawberry, cucumber rings, or chunks of watermelon into the shot glasses.
Conclusion
Now that you know how easy tequila jello shots are to make, you can take them to your next party. There are so many fun and exciting things you can do with tequila jello shots. Keep in mind you can also make these with gummy bears. Whether you’re a fan of a more classic margarita shot or like to experiment with different flavors, the shots will be fun and delicious either way! So, what are you waiting for?
