Jello shots are a great drink to have for parties. They’re fun, they’re easy to make, but they take a long time to set.
If you are throwing a party, you’ll want to get as much of the prep out of the way as possible, so you don’t have to stress beforehand.
The last thing you want to be doing is frantically pouring alcohol-laced jello into shot glasses for the lead up to your party, right?
Or maybe you’ve already had the party, but the shots weren’t as popular as you were anticipating, and you’re tempted to freeze them rather than seeing a rainbow of alcohol jelly just sitting in your fridge.
But is it possible?
Things to Consider Before You Try To Freeze Jello Shots
Because jello shots contain gelatin, they won’t freeze solid like an ice cube. It does make freezing them tricky.
It is worth noting that they will change texture, as freezing starts to break down the chemical structure within the gelatin, which also affects how it tastes.
You’ll only know if it’s worth doing if you try it for yourself. Some people do make Jell-O popsicles by adding Kool-Aid, which helps it freeze better.
Some alcohol will not freeze unless the temperature drops below -143.7°F (or -97.6°C), and home freezers are not capable of producing these extreme temperatures.
The highest that some of them reach is -4°F (or -20°C), which isn’t anywhere near that kind of temperature.
This combination makes it very difficult to freeze jello shots. What you were probably picturing – smooth, colorful, perfect shots, may go grainy, lumpy, or even cloudy in the freezer.
More likely than not, they’ll also have some freezer burn. The more liquid you have, and the more exposed to the freezer air the shots are, the worse they will turn out to be.
You may have to use a different kind of alcohol with a much more manageable freezing temperature (see also What Percentage Of Alcohol Freezes?), or you use a gelatin-free jello.
If you don’t mind the change in texture, you could also use Kool-Aid or juice as a ‘slushie shot’ alternative.
All that said, it’s not impossible to freeze jello shots (see also Should You Freeze Jello?). It’s more of a question of Should you freeze jello shots?
But how do you actually make jello shots?
How to Make Jello Shots
You’ll want to have on hand 3oz of Jello, or gelatin free jello mix, in your favorite flavor. (Or not, if you have too many, it may ruin the flavor forever!)
You’ll also want to have one cup of boiling water (about 250ml), as well as one cup (or 250ml) of your alcohol of choice, (no fizzy alcohol here, it doesn’t mix well.)
If you’d prefer weaker shots, replace half a cup of alcohol with water instead.
Put the liquor into the freezer until it’s suitably chilled. Put the jelly mix into a mixing bowl, and then the hot water. Stir until no more jello is visible, and then mix in the liquor.
If you like your jello shots strong, it’s worth noting that adding too much alcohol (see also Can You Freeze Eggnog) will prevent it from setting.
Pour into the containers of your choice. You can put them in shot glasses, fancy molds, or even medicine cups if you prefer. This recipe should make about 20 shots, depending on the size of the containers.
These shots will last about four days in total if you keep them in the fridge, so long as the containers are well-covered.
How Do You Freeze Jello Shots?
Now you’ve made your jello shots, it’s time to try freezing them. You can pour the mixture straight into liquid-safe freezable bags, so long as you leave about an inch between the liquid and the top of the bag.
It’s not recommended leaving jello shots for long periods of time. If you use gelatin-based jello, it doesn’t freeze properly.
It could lead to soggy, mushy, or cloudy shots, and the longer you leave it, the more likely they will deteriorate.
How Do You Defrost Frozen Jello Shots?
Defrosting jello shots is easy. All you need to do is to take the container from the freezer and transfer it into the fridge. You can either leave them there for a few hours, or overnight.
Don’t be tempted to leave the frozen jello shots to thaw out on the counter, as the extreme temperature change may cause the gelatin’s structure to completely break down.
Conclusion
While jello shots can keep up to four days in the fridge, sometimes you need them to last a little longer to stop them from going to waste.
It could take a couple of goes to get the jello shots to set right, either using a non-gelatin base or a different form of liquor in order to get them to set properly, but it’s better mastering it and then being able to enjoy jello shots at your leisure.
