Halloween parties call for plenty of spooky treats, like Mummy Dogs, Monster Apples, and these frightfully delicious Eyeball Jello Shots. Jello shots are always a popular party drink, but these are extra creepy-and kid friendly-with candy eyeballs floating inside.
If you’re feeling squeamish about making them, don’t worry – we’ll walk you through the process step-by-step so that you can make your own. No doubt your guests will be screaming with delight when you’re done.
What Makes these So Great
- Jello shots take time to set up, which means they’re a great make-ahead option to save you time on party day.
- We’re sharing both the non-alcoholic version, as well as an adults-only recipe, so these can be enjoyed guests of every age.
- The clear jello mixture makes them look impressively ghoulish…like a mad scientist’s collection of preserved eyeballs.
What You’ll Need:
Ingredients:
- White grape juice
- Unflavored powdered gelatin
- Ginger ale or Sprite
- Gummy eyeballs
Supplies:
- Mixing bowls
- Whisk
- Shot glasses
- Timer
- Kitchen scale (optional, but recommended)
How to Make Eyeball Jello Shots:
To make things even easier for you, I created a simple photo guide below. For all measurements and a more detailed guide, check out the recipe card at the bottom of this page.
If you make this recipe, please leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ star rating in the recipe card and let me know how it turned out in the comments below. This provides helpful feedback for me and to other readers. And if you want more fun party ideas, subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook.
Step 1 – Prepare the gelatin
- Pour 3/4 cup of grape juice into a small mixing bowl and sprinkle 1.5 gelatin packets on top. Do not stir. Allow the gelatin to bloom for 10 minutes.
- After 10 minutes, place the mixture in the microwave on full power for 20 seconds. Be careful not to overheat the gelatin.
- To a large bowl or large measuring cup, add the remaining 3/4 cup grape juice and the 3/4 cup ginger ale. Pour into the juice and gelatin mixture.
- Whisk until all ingredients are fully combined, about 2 minutes.
Step 2: Set Up the First Layer
- Partially fill your shot glasses with half of the juice mixture. You can fill them all halfway, or you create varying levels for a more interesting presentation.
- Refrigerate the shot glasses until partially set (enough to hold up the eyeballs), about 45 to 60 minutes. Do not refrigerate the remaining liquid.
Step 3: Add the Eyeballs
- Place one or two gummy eyeballs in each shot glass, pressing the eyeball against the front of the glass so it stays in place and will be visible once set.
- Slowly add the remaining liquid to your shot glasses with the eyeballs.
- Place the shot glasses back into the refrigerator and chill for at least 2 hours.
Essential Tips:
Don’t skip these tips – read them before starting to avoid any potential mistakes:
- The number of jello shots you end up with will vary slightly depending on the size of your shot glasses.
- When measuring out the powdered gelatin, err on the side of having slightly too much rather than too little. If you don’t use enough, your jello may not set up properly. A digital kitchen scale is super helpful to make sure that you’ve got the right measurements.
- Prepare your jello shots on a tray. This way you can move them to your refrigerator easily to set up. A silicone mat on the tray also helps to keep them from sliding around.
- Don’t forget to smush those eyeballs against the sides of the shot glasses. The eye centers are heavier, and will want to rotate down toward the bottom of the glass, which kind of defeats the purpose of having the creepy eyeballs in there.
- We have eyedroppers that came with this set of silicone molds. They are the perfect size for adding the second layer of jello on top of the eyeballs.
- The typical disposable shot glasses (like the ones I used for our champagne jello shots) are too shallow to get the suspended eyeball effect. If you really want to have disposable cups, you can try these shot glasses, which should be wide enough for the gummy eyeballs.
Creative Adaptations, Substitutions, and Variations:
There are so many ways to make these jello shots your own. Here are some fun ideas:
- Add some vodka to make adults only jello shots. (See the recipe below!)
- You can substitute lemon lime soda for ginger ale, or substitute with more of the white grape juice.
- Swap out the ginger ale for tonic water to make glow in the dark jello shots
- Lean into the Mad Scientist vibe by making your jello shots in these Chemistry shot glasses.
FAQs:
Can I Make these in advance?
Yes! You can make them 1-2 days in advance. Just remember that gummies tend to get spongy if they’re in jello too long, so don’t make them more than 2 days in advance of your party.
What size glasses work best?
Standard shot glasses worked best for us. When we tested with double shot glasses, they were too narrow, and I had to place the eyeball on top.
If you want to check your glasses first, the gummy eyeballs linked in this post are approximately 1.25 to 1.5 inches wide.
If you make this recipe, please leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ star rating in the recipe card and let me know how it turned out in the comments below. This provides helpful feedback for me and to other readers. And if you want more fun party ideas, subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook.
How Can I Make Adults-Only Eyeball Jello Shots with Alcohol?
It’s super easy to make eyeball jello shots with alcohol.
Here’s the recipe:
Ingredients:
- 1 ½ cups chilled white grape juice
- 1 ½ envelopes unflavored powdered gelatin
- ¾ cup chilled ginger ale or Sprite
- 1 cup vodka (Optional)
- Gummy eyeballs
Instructions
- Pour 3/4 cup of grape juice into a small mixing bowl and sprinkle 2 gelatin packets on top. Do not stir. Allow the gelatin to bloom for 10 minutes.
- After 10 minutes, place the mixture in the microwave on full power for 20 seconds. Be careful not to overheat the gelatin.
- To a large bowl or large measuring cup, add the remaining 3/4 cup grape juice, 3/4 cup ginger ale, and 1 cup vodka. Pour in the juice and gelatin mixture from earlier.
- Whisk until all ingredients are fully combined, about 2 minutes.
- Partially fill your shot glasses with half of the juice mixture. You can fill them all halfway, or you create varying levels for a more interesting presentation.
- Refrigerate the shot glasses until partially set (enough to hold up the eyeballs), about 45 to 60 minutes. Do not refrigerate the remaining liquid.
- Place one or two eyeballs in each shot glass, pressing the eyeball against the front of the glass so it stays in place and will be visible once set.
- Slowly add the remaining liquid to your shot glasses with the eyeballs.
- Place the shot glasses back into the refrigerator and chill for at least 2 hours.
If you choose to make this version, please keep in mind that the extra liquid from the alcohol means you will get more jello shots (and will need more gummy eyeballs). It may also take an extra 15-30 minutes to set up.
What alcohol is best for jello shots?
We use plain vodka for most of our jello shots because it doesn’t have much flavor. But you can use any clear alcohol you like, such as rum, or tequila.
How do I adjust this recipe to make more eyeball jello shots?
This recipe scales pretty easily, as long as you keep the proportions the same. Here are some examples:
8 Jello Shots
- 1 cup grape juice
- 1 gelatin envelope
- 1/2 cup ginger ale
- 1/2 cup vodka (if using)
24 Jello Shots
- 2 cups grape juice
- 2 gelatin envelopes
- 1 cup ginger ale
- 1 cup vodka (if using)
36 Jello Shots
- 3 cups grape juice
- 3 gelatin enveloopes
- 1.5 cups ginger ale
- 1.5 cups vodka (if using)
*Remember, these are just estimates for the quantity of Jello shots you need. Larger shot glasses will result in fewer jello shots, while small cups (like disposable shot glass cups) will give you more shots.
Hosting a Halloween Party?
Don’t forget to grab some fun and spooky Halloween printables. I’ve got plenty of Halloween signs, banners, games, and more all right here.
If you liked my Eyeball Jello Shots recipe, you’re going to love my Green Franken-Rita. It’s a fruity green cocktail that is frighteningly fun for your favorite adults.
Or you can also check out these tasty Halloween cocktails and these non-alcoholic Halloween mocktails.
Floating Eyeball Jello Shots
Eyeball jello shots are the perfect way to get into the Halloween spirit. With gummy eyeballs suspended in clear jello, they're a fun, but creepy treat for all ages.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups chilled white grape juice
- 1 ½ envelopes unflavored powdered gelatin
- ¾ cup chilled ginger ale or Sprite
- 1 cup vodka (Optional)
- Gummy eyeballs
Instructions
- Pour 3/4 cup of grape juice into a small mixing bowl and sprinkle 2 gelatin packets on top. Do not stir. Allow the gelatin to bloom for 10 minutes.
- After 10 minutes, place the mixture in the microwave on full power for 20 seconds. Be careful not to overheat the gelatin.
- To a large bowl or large measuring cup, add the remaining 3/4 cup grape juice and the 3/4 cup ginger ale. Pour in the juice and gelatin mixture from earlier.
- Whisk until all ingredients are fully combined, about 2 minutes.
- Partially fill your shot glasses with half of the juice mixture. You can fill them all halfway, or you create varying levels for a more interesting presentation.
- Refrigerate the shot glasses until partially set (enough to hold up the eyeballs), about 30 to 60 minutes. Do not refrigerate the remaining liquid.
- Place one or two eyeballs in each shot glass, pressing the eyeball against the front of the glass so it stays in place and will be visible once set.
- Slowly add the remaining liquid to your shot glasses with the eyeballs.
- Place the shot glasses back into the refrigerator and chill for at least 2 hours.
Notes
Remember, the step-by-step photos and FAQ in the recipe post are there to help you if you feel stuck at any point.
- The number of jello shots you end up with will vary depending on the size of your shot glasses.
- When measuring out the powdered gelatin, err on the side of having slightly too much rather than too little. If you don't use enough, your jello may not set up properly. A digital kitchen scale is super helpful to make sure that you've got the right measurements.
- Prepare your jello shots on a tray. This way you can move them to your refrigerator easily to set up. A silicone mat on the tray also helps to keep them from sliding around.
- The typical disposable shot glasses (like the ones I used for our champagne jello shots) are too shallow to get the suspended eyeball effect. If you really want to have disposable cups, we tested this recipe using these cups, so they should work well.
Recommended Products
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Leave a Reply