These pina colada jello shots are gelatin set with pineapple juice, cream of coconut and rum, each topped with a maraschino cherry. They taste like a sweet pina colada in a creamy, pale yellow wobble, and the rum is mellower than it sounds, which makes them easier to eat than a straight shot.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon unflavored gelatin or 1 envelope gelatin powder
- ¼ cup cold water
- 2 tablespoons Sugar
- ½ cup Boiling Water
- ¼ cup Pineapple Juice bottled or canned, not fresh
- 2 tablespoons cream of coconut Coco Real recommended
- ½ cup Silver Rum or coconut rum
- 12 maraschino cherries rinsed and dried
- 12 2-ounce plastic cups with lids
Instructions
- Stand the plastic cups on a small baking sheet so they can go into the fridge in one go.
- Sprinkle the unflavoured gelatin over the cold water in a mixing bowl and leave it for a couple of minutes to soak up the water.
- Stir the sugar into the boiling water until it dissolves, pour it over the gelatin and whisk until no grains remain.
- Whisk in the pineapple juice, the cream of coconut and the silver rum until smooth.
- Divide the mixture evenly among the cups, which fills each a little over halfway. Chill uncovered for thirty to forty minutes, until it begins to thicken.
- Press a maraschino cherry gently into the centre of each cup so it sits partly under the surface.
- Return the cups to the fridge for two to three hours, until completely set.
- Put the lids on and keep them chilled until serving.
Notes
Estimated Nutrition:
Why the pineapple juice must come from a bottle or can
Fresh pineapple contains bromelain, an enzyme that breaks down the protein in gelatin, so shots made with fresh juice can stay runny however long they chill. Bottled or canned juice has been heat-treated, so the gelatin sets normally.
If you only have fresh pineapple, bring the juice to a simmer and let it cool before using it, and the enzyme is switched off. Freezing the juice does not help.
Taste and strength
These are sweet and coconutty with a soft pineapple tang, and the cream of coconut gives them a milky body that plain jelly shots lack. About a third of the liquid is rum, so they are gentler than most jello shots but still alcoholic, and the sweetness hides it easily.
People who enjoy a pina colada will like them, and people who prefer tart flavours will find them rich.
Getting the coconut smooth and the cherry on top
Cream of coconut is the thick, sweetened kind sold for cocktails, not the unsweetened tinned coconut cream, which leaves the shots bland. It clumps if it goes in cold, so whisk it into the warm gelatin mixture until no lumps are left.
Wait until the cups have begun to thicken before pressing in the cherry, as the method says. Added too early it floats off to one side or sinks, and added too late it sits on a skin and tips over. Rinsed and dried cherries leave the colour of the shot clear.
Swaps, a lighter batch and keeping them tidy
Coconut rum makes them more coconutty, and silver rum keeps the pineapple clearer. For a lower-alcohol batch, replace half the rum with more pineapple juice, and for none at all, swap all of it for juice or coconut water.
Keep the lids on and the cups cold until serving, as the shots soften quickly in warm weather. A larger batch can be set in a lined dish and cut into squares instead of cups.
Pina Colada Jello Shots: your questions answered
Why did my pina colada jello shots not set?
The most common cause is fresh pineapple juice, because its enzyme breaks down gelatin. Use bottled or canned juice, or simmer fresh juice and cool it first. Too much rum or undissolved gelatin can also keep them soft.
Can I use coconut milk instead of cream of coconut?
It will set, but the flavour is flatter and less sweet, and the shots will taste more like plain jelly. Cream of coconut gives the pina colada taste, so it is worth buying a small can.
When should I add the cherry?
After the cups have chilled until they begin to thicken, then press the cherry gently into the middle. This keeps it near the top instead of sinking to the bottom or floating to the edge.
