Easy Easy Magical Jello Bites

How (and why!) to make a pan of jewel-colored gelatin squares, sometimes with one flavor, sometimes with two flavors in two layers. So pretty! And magical! And 100% fun! Kids really love 'em, their eyes just light up at the sight! So here I share all my favorite magic Jello tricks, so your first pan can turn out 100% perfect.

Fun Food for Kids. Just Two Ingredients and a Couple of Hours. Beautiful Color! A New Addition to The Homemade Pantry, a Kitchen Parade Specialty. Budget Friendly. Potluck & Party Friendly. Naturally Gluten Free. So Fun, So Good!!

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I'm Gonna Need a Bigger Tombstone.

Think how a cemetery headstone is etched with a woman's relationships. You know the ones, right? Daughter, Sister, Wife, Mother, Grandmother. Great-Grandmother.

Mine could start off Daughter, Sister, Wife but then needs to move onto the Green Bean Casserole Lady, the Birthday Cookie Lady, the Christmas Cookie Lady, the Cake Lady, the Popsicle Lady and now ... the Jello Lady.

This newest and most unlikely lady-incarnation is a consequence of great fortune: being part of families with a new generation of Littles who fill our lives much like grandkids, thirty at last count (but could easily double) with girls 2:1 to boys (last time I did the math).

That means family gatherings are no longer staid affairs, instead 50% chaos and 100% fun.

And all of a sudden, I'm making witch's hats and Pilgrim cookies and reindeer pretzels and ... most of all, jello.

These kids are crazy for jello, they come into the kitchen looking for that big bowl of colorful, jiggly-jostley squares. Eyes light up! Smiles cross their faces! They look to me, almost begging for permission to reach in ...

It makes me weak in the knees.

Now long-time readers may well remember a long-ago jello confession: I just couldn't make jello work, it always turned out a lumpy-clumpy mess.

No more.

I've nailed down a few tricks to simplify making Jello Bites and promise to share all the magic with you here.

If you too would like to light the lights of Littles' eyes, read on ...

About This Recipe: Easy Easy Magical Jello Bites

• Jello Bites are a totally fun food for kids at birthday parties, family gatherings, after-school snacks, etc. They're colorful! They're finger food! They jiggle! Much to my surprise? Grownups kinda like these too, though nothing like kids. (And for whoever is making them? SUPER EASY.) Truthfully? The smiles these elicit, the fun the kids have, well, it's all pretty much magic.
• Distinctive Ingredients = Jello + Plain Gelatin Powder
• Short Ingredient List = both the above + boiling water
• For Garnish = No garnish needed!
• These mini bites are about an inch square, just big enough for little ones to pick up and pop straight into their mouths. Or stack up into Christmas trees! Or to build a design on a plate! They're not Legos but ...
• Making these little guys is super easy, just mix jello powder with plain gelatin powder, stir with boiling water, refrigerate to firm up, then cut into squares. That's it.
• This is a time-friendly recipe, it takes about 5 minutes to do the mixing, a couple of hours for chilling, about 5 minutes to cut into those rainbow-colored bites of magic.
• This is pantry-friendly recipe. Me, I have a whole section in the pantry, just for boxes of jello and gelatin powder.
• So good! I hope you'll join me in turning into a Jello Lady!

Here's What's NOT In This Recipe

Sometimes, what's left out of a recipe is just as important as what's put in. That's definitely the case here.

• Liquor — These are not Jello shots with liquor that are popular for parties. Mine are kid-friendly, no-alcohol Jello bites, just Jello, plain gelatin and water, no more.

You Might Wonder Be Wondering ...

Have another question? Ask away, I'll do my best to answer!

• Do You Need a Special Pan? I Don't Think So. I use an 8x8 pan, it's the perfect size for easily cutting 64 almost perfectly square bites, just 8 cuts one direction, another 8 the other direction. But a 9x9 would work too though the bites would be shorter. (Hmm, maybe you could add a third color with a 9x9? I'll try it!) Need more than 64? Double the ingredients for a 9x13 pan.


• Do You Need to Prep the Pan? The pan I use might be a tiny bit magical (I even carried it to Texas for Thanksgiving this year!) but it needs no prep, no spray, no parchment. That said, I notice that other bloggers some times suggest some prep. If you're concerned, maybe do a test batch just in case.


• What About Jello Stars and Hearts and Other Fun Shapes? Harumph. Call me Grinch when it comes to other shapes. They're just too fussy, way more work, end up with lots thrown away and not all that special. Will the kids love shapes even more? I don't think so! They're pretty taken with the pop-one-in-your-mouth squares!


• Do You Have Any Favorite Flavors? Yes. But it's not flavor so much as bright color. I love the bright-green lime Jello (and LOL, the older kids call green jello bites "vegetables"), prefer the bright red cherry to the paler strawberry Jello, etc.


• Do You Have to Use Jello-Brand Gelatin? Probably Not. But do check other brands' labels carefully, they may not contain the needed 3-ounce and 6-ounce of powder for the gelatin:water ratios to work out.


• Is Jello Vegan? No. Jello is neither vegan nor even vegetarian. There are vegan gelatin brands but I haven't tried them yet but do intend to!


• Isn't Jello Just Pure Sugar? Yes. But. I just did some quick math. Because the jello is divided into so many portions (64), each bite has only 15 calories. So a kid can eat quite a few and still eat not that many calories, not consume so much sugar.


• What About Sugar-Free Jello? Maybe. I haven't tried sugar-free gelatin bites but do think it would work. That said, because sugar-free jello has so much less powder than regular jello, my magical shortcuts for measuring the water right in the glass measuring/mixing cups wouldn't work.

For Best Results

For my weekly column in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, I interviewed chefs and translated their restaurant recipes for home kitchens. The most illuminating question? "How can a home cook ensure the same results?" So now I ask that question of myself, too, for my own recipes. Have another question? Ask away, I'll do my best to answer!

For Two Colors in Two Layers, Choose Colors with Strong Contrast At Thanksgiving, I tried orange and lemon, thinking they'd be extra pretty for fall. But there wasn't enough color contrast, you could barely see the two layers. Even the Christmas-y red (dark cherry) and green (lime) colors are kind of subtle unless you hold a square up to the light. That said, once the kids realize, they're completely charmed by the two colors. For me, that makes the extra effort of two colors definitely worthwhile once in awhile.

Aaack, Jello Stains! Be careful with spoons and spills on countertops, that Jello can do a number. Just wipe it up right away, it'll be fine.

Jello Goes On Sale! Wow, a box of jello can be pricey, the plain Knox gelatin too. But it does go on sale and so if you, too, want to be known as the Jello Lady, well, stock up. I tend to buy both 3-ounce and 6-ounce boxes, whatever's on sale. FYI for the best non-sale prices I've found, check Target.

You'll Love Easy Easy Magical Jello Bites If ...

• You love bringing big smiles to the kids in your life!
• You've got lots of ambition but little time.
• You want to have a food ready and waiting as soon as kids walk in the door.
• Ready to get started? Here's your recipe!

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How do you save and share favorite recipes? recipes that fit your personal cooking style? a particular recipe your mom or daughter or best friend would just love? If this recipe inspires you, please do save and share! I'd be honored ...

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EASY EASY MAGICAL JELLO BITES

Hands-on time: 5 minutes to start, 5 minutes to finish
Chill time: about 2 hours
Time-to-table: 2-1/4 hours
Makes 1 8x8 pan, about 64 small bites (for a 9x13 pan, double the ingredients)

Allow extra mixing and chill time for pans with two colors and two layers.

ONE COLOR, ONE LAYER

• 1 6-ounce box Jello, any flavor, any color (see ALANNA's TIPS)
• 3 envelopes Knox plain gelatin (see TIPS)
• 3 cups boiling water

FOR TWO COLORS, TWO LAYERS
• 1 3-ounce box Jello, any flavor, any color
• 1-1/2 envelopes Knox plain gelatin
• 1-1/2 cups boiling water


• 1 3-ounce box Jello, a contrasting color
• 1-1/2 envelopes Knox plain gelatin
• 1-1/2 cups boiling water

FOR ONE COLOR in ONE LAYER In a four-cup glass measuring cup with a spout (see TIPS), stir together the dry Jello powder and dry Knox gelatin completely, you should see no bits of plain white gelatin, just the mix of colored powder and plain powder.

Pour 3 cups of boiling water into the glass measuring cup. But here's a little Jello magic. Rather than getting out a measuring cup just for the water, pour the water (straight from kettle or pan or the microwave dish) into that four-cup glass measuring cup with the gelatin mix, filling to just below the 4-cup fill line. See? Magic!

Working quickly, stir the hot water into the gelatin with a spoon until the gelatin melts completely, really getting into the corners and edges of the measuring cup; the better the stir, the more perfectly smooth the Jello Bites. If you like, this can be left on the counter for up to about 15 minutes, letting it cool and thicken a bit; just stir occasionally.

Carefully pour the hot mixture into an 8x8 baking pan. If you're a Type A, use a spoon to remove the tiny bubbles that will form along the top and edges; otherwise, not to worry, just move on.

Refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours and up to about 48 hours.

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FOR TWO COLORS in TWO LAYERS

FIRST COLOR & LAYER In a two-cup glass measuring cup with a spout (see TIPS), stir together the first box of dry Jello powder and dry Knox gelatin completely, you should see no bits of plain white gelatin, just the mix of colored powder and plain powder.

Pour 1-1/2 cups of boiling water into the glass measuring cup. But here's a little Jello magic. Rather than getting out a measuring cup just for the water, pour the water (straight from kettle or pan or the microwave dish) into that two-cup glass measuring cup with the gelatin mix, filling to the 1-3/4 cup fill line. See? Magic!

Working quickly, stir the hot water into the gelatin with a spoon until the gelatin melts completely, really getting into the corners and edges of the measuring cup; the better the stir, the more perfectly smooth the Jello Bites. If you like, this can be left on the counter for up to about 15 minutes, letting it cool and thicken a bit; just stir occasionally.

Carefully pour the hot mixture into an 8x8 baking pan. If you're a Type A, use a spoon to remove the tiny bubbles that will form along the top and edges; otherwise, not to worry, just move on.

Refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours.

Wash the glass measuring cup, just run it under hot water and dry it well, this prevents the first color from staining the second color.

SECOND COLOR & LAYER Timing is extra-important for the second layer. First, don't start the second layer until the first layer has chilled for about two hours. Second, after stirring the jello powder, plain gelatin and boiling water together really well, it must cool down before pouring it over top of the first layer. Otherwise the second layer will melt the first layer and whoops, there you go, you've made Jello mud not Jello magic.

So once the first layer is fully chilled, repeat the same process as the first layer with one important exception. After stirring the Jello powder, gelatin powder and boiling water really well, allow the mixture to cool for 15 - 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Once the second color is cooled down, carefully pour it over the first layer and return the pan to the fridge to firm up completely.

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FOR BOTH VERSIONS With a sharp knife, run a thin, sharp knife around the outer edge of the pan, then cut the gelatin into one-inch squares. It's easy to just eyeball, just make eight cuts one direction, then eight cuts the other direction. What??? Okay, here's more detail. First run the knife in a straight line right through the center; then repeat on each of the two sides; then repeat for each of the four sections; these are the first eight cuts. Turn the pan and repeat. Instant squares! See? Jello magic!

With the tip of the knife, lift one edge square out of the pan. From there, you can just use your hand to pop out each square one after the next, putting them right into a pretty serving bowl, preferably clear glass.

TIMING TIP The Jello can definitely be made a day or even two days ahead of time. Up to a couple of hours before serving, cut the Jello into squares and arrange in a pretty glass bowl. Refrigerate the bowl until it's time to serve, these are extra-good cold and squooshy!

LEFTOVERS On the rare occasion there are leftovers, just refrigerate the squares right in to same bowl. Over the next few days, you'll find them disappearing, one or two Jello Bites at a time. 🙄 How does that happen?! More magic?!

ALANNA's TIPS JELLO MAGIC This post is NOT sponsored by Jello but I do recommend sticking with Jello gelatins. Here's why. Much to my surprise, other brands' boxes may look like there's a full six ounces of gelatin powder but when you check the details, no! I found this out the hard way when I was all excited about a cranberry gelatin but noticed that the box only holds 4.1 ounces, that's almost 1/3 less! The big difference would totally mess up the ratios here. One small box of Knox gelatin contains four small envelopes of plain gelatin powder. To fill an 8x8 pan, you'll use three envelopes plus six ounces of Jello.

FOR MORE INFO If you "skipped straight to the recipe," please scroll back to the top of this page for ingredient information, ingredient substitutions, tips and more. If you print this recipe, you'll want to check the recipe online for even more tips and extra information about ingredient substitutions, best results and more. See https://www.kitchenparade.com/2023/12/easy-easy-magical-jello-bites.html .

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More Fun Food Ideas for the Kids & Littles in Your Life

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• ANOTHER TAKE Christmas Tree Vegetable Platter Just wait for the compliments!

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• ANOTHER TAKE Sugar Cookie Bars Bake, frost and sprinkle all at once. (PIN This)

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Kitchen Parade is written by second-generation food columnist Alanna Kellogg and features fresh, seasonal dishes for every-day healthful eating and occasional indulgences. Quick Suppers are Kitchen Parade favorites and feature recipes easy on the budget, the clock, the waistline and the dishwasher. Do you have a favorite recipe that other Kitchen Parade readers might like? Just send me a quick e-mail, you'll find my current address in the FAQs. How to print a Kitchen Parade recipe. Never miss a recipe! If you like this recipe, sign up for a free e-mail subscription. If you like Kitchen Parade, for more scratch cooking recipes using whole, healthful ingredients, you're sure to like my food blog about vegetable recipes, too, A Veggie Venture. If you make this recipe, I'd love to know your results! Just leave a comment below.

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