Stained glass Jello gets the patriotic treatment with a combination of red, white and blue, and is cut into the shape of stars. A fun and easy treat for your 4th of July celebration! (Bonus! Use any color combination for other holidays, your favorite sports teams, a school graduation – so many possibilities!)
When I was a kid, there were two types of Jello desserts – there was Jello in a big bowl that was usually prepared by my grandma or great aunt (and it was always a toss up as to whether there would be some type of cut-up fruit floating around in there), and then there was finger Jello, or Jello Jigglers, or Knox blocks… I’ve heard them called all of those names. Basically, it was Jello prepared with less water so it set up denser, then cut into blocks and could be picked up and eaten with your fingers.
I LIVED for finger Jello – it was a summer staple! So when I first learned that I could do the same thing while combining different colors for a super cool effect, I was all-in.
Watch How to Make Stained Glass Jello Stars!
I was so entranced when I first saw a picture of stained glass Jello on The Food Librarian. She had done hers up in purple and yellow to cheer on the Lakers (this was yearssssss ago), and it looked awesome. At the time, I had the idea to make a black and gold variety (for Pittsburgh sports, naturally), however, I’ve never seen black Jello, have you? I thought perhaps they would sell blackberry, but I couldn’t find any. So, I went back to making more batches of the decorated sugar cookies and put the stained glass Jello on the back burner.
Only a few weeks later, I realized that using strawberry and berry blue flavors could make a pretty cool red, white & blue dessert for the 4th of July. And to be even more festive, I used a cookie cutter to cut the Jello into the shape of stars.
These are always so fun to make and I think it’s a great presentation for a holiday picnic. You could switch up colors to reflect school graduation, various sports teams, company logos – anything at all! And if you have some fun cookie cutters in your stash, the possibilities are truly endless. Or simply cut them into squares and dig in!
Line four loaf pans or other small pans with plastic wrap. In four separate bowls, dissolve one box of Jello in 1 cup of boiling water. Stir for 2 full minutes, until it is completely dissolved, then allow to cool to room temperature. Pour each into the prepared pans and chill at least 3 hours, or overnight.
Turn the chilled Jello out onto a cutting board and slice into ½-inch blocks.
Add the blocks to a jelly roll pan or 9x13-inch pan that has been lined with plastic wrap. Gently spread the blocks so they are in an even layer and the colors are evenly mixed.
In a separate large bowl, sprinkle 2 envelopes of unflavored gelatin into ½ cup cold water and allow to sit for 5 minutes. After the gelatin blooms (it will look mostly dissolved and get wrinkly on the surface), add 1½ cups boiling water and stir to dissolve. Add the can of condensed milk and stir to combine; set aside to cool to room temperature. Pour the cooled milk mixture over the red and blue Jello blocks in the pan. Chill overnight, or at least 3 hours until firm.
Cut into blocks or shapes and serve.
Recipe Notes:
I lined my pans with plastic wrap so that I could easily lift the Jello out of the pan and turn it onto a cutting board to slice; you could spray your pans with non-stick cooking spray if you'd prefer.
Use any size pan you would like for the red and blue colors, but I've found the smaller, the better. If your pan is too big (I've done 8-inch squares in the past), the blocks come out looking pretty flat.
I have found that using a jelly roll pan is the perfect thickness if you're planning to cut shapes. If you are simply cutting into blocks, a 9x13-inch pan will give you thicker blocks and would work just fine.
I love the plastic wrap idea! Wish I’d read this post before making my jello. In regards to making black jello, what about combining equal amounts of different jello flavors together, or maybe use more green, purple and blue jello? That might make black or blackish jello. In the world of color, if you mix a variety of colors together, like purple, green, blue, red, etc. the resulting color is black. Not sure if that would work with jello, but just a thought. Thanks again for the plastic wrap idea!!!
Made these for our 4th of July celebration and they were a big hit! I used four disposable loaf pans to make the red and blue jello and it worked out well. I used a jelly roll pan since I was cutting them into stars, but I think I will go 9×13 next time. The stars were a bit thin and floppy, which made them messy/hard to eat as finger food. Nevertheless, everyone enjoyed them. Thanks for the recipe inspiration!
Not sure if anyone posted, but black jell-o can be made with a 3 to 1 ratio of grape or black cherry to orange jell-o powders. You can add food coloring too, but I never need to.
How ’bout those back to back Stanley Cup Champion Pittsburgh Penguins?!?!?!
I was so excited to find this recipe but I failed at making it. I now have jello slop but I put it in a clear bowl with some flag toothpicks and will pretend that’s what I meant to do all along! :)
I am going to make these for 4th of July this year. They look so fun! I am going to buy 2 strawberry and 2 blueberry, I understand you need 4 boxes. What I have a question about is whether I can cook and combine the 2 reds together or do you need to cook and keep all 4 jello seperate the whole time? Also how about combining the same colors when you put them in square containers, or should they keep seperate? Thanks! I can’t wait to make these, I just want to screw them up!
I wanted to let you know I am featuring your Stained Glass Jello Stars for the 4th of July in my Easy 4th of July Recipes post on 6/20/14! I thank you for sharing your recipe and am exited to include it alongside other great 4th of July recipe ideas!
I was wanting to use the recipe for the white jello to make some white Jell-O shots. Do you have any idea how I’d do it? Generally it’s 1 box of jello, the required amount of cold water being alcohol not water and the required amount of hot wayer
I think I’ve only made Jello shots once in my life, but I guess follow that formula but use the sweetened condensed milk and unflavored gelatin instead?
My daughter was born on the 4th of July 2012 and we’ll be celebrating her 1st birthday on June 29th. I’ll be making these for her party. Thank you for the great idea!
I noticed thee comment about not knowing how to do black jello. 2 packs purple 1 pack green. And to make brown 2 packs purple and 1 pack yellow. Hope that helps! Thanks for sharing how to do the stained glass effect.
I made the stained glass jello last night and let is set overnight, but it seemed softer than it should have been. Do you think I can use three Knox envelopes for a firmer jello? Also, what do you use to keep the jello from sticking to the glass pan? Thanks!
Hi Jasmine, I’m not sure about using extra Knox, as that would just affect the white part of the Jello. I haven’t had a problem with it firming up, did you follow the recipe here or on the Jello box? Also, you could try spraying the pan with a non-stick cooking spray, although I’ve never had an issue with sticking.
i made this for the 4th of july and it was a total FAIL! i went to cut into it and it completely fell apart. i must have used too much water or something– i let it set overnight and everything. it just never firmed up the way i assume it should have. bummer. it still tasted good, so i scooped a few helpings out for the kids. but eventually had to throw the rest of it out. :(
Hey Michelle! I love your blog and I’m making these today. They are so cute. I just realized I made the jello according to the package, and not your instructions. Uh-oh. I guess we’ll see what happens!
These are great! I am making them right now and cannot wait to see how they turn out! Taking them to a 4th of July party today, I know everyone will love them! Thanks for some great ideas!
Thanks Cheryl! No practice required! The best part of these is that you just combine everything in the pan and then use a cookie cutter if you want shapes, or just cut into squares. They are always a hit at summer parties!
Mine are chilling in the fridge now. I’m making them as one of the many red white and blue themed foods for my boyfriends Going away to Iraq potluck/party. Im excited and they look great so far. There may not be any left for the party though! i made more of a double batch of it so i put 2 cherry, a watermelon, and a strawberry banana flavored for the reds… and its like a burst of summer flavor in your mouth and still came out a pretty red.
If you think about what color black is, it’s all of em. Try mixing together two to three colors from different parts of the color wheel (I’d suggest blue to start with a dark value, and orange as its complement) and you should get a pretty dark color. It might not be totally black (perhaps brown- or blue-ish). However, eating this will probably be like eating dark frosting, so maybe use less of it in proportion to the other colors or you might get stained teeth.
Can you make these with clear “pour over” instead of turning it white with the milk? I’m trying to find a jello recipe like this that is dairy free. Could I use water instead of the milk? Thanks!
The only way I have ever made the “white” layer of a Jello dessert is with sweetened condensed milk, so I couldn’t say for sure what your results would be like using water. It’s sure worth a try though if you need to create a dairy-free dish! Let me know how it turns out!
I know this is four years late, but I would try a lemon-lime soda, like Sprite with the Knox gelatin. It will be more clear then white but could produce a similar effect.
We tried these this week. We had fun with green and blue jello and plane, train and rocket shapes. I linked this post to my blog. Thanks for the inspiration!
Love this!! Being from Pittsburgh myself I was thinking…could you have used a black gel color to color a purple/grape jello? I may try that myself when football season starts.
I tried making these for our 4th of July party yesterday and they did not turn out well. Everything went great until I poured the condensed milk on. The end result was not very visually appealing, and the flavor did not blend well with the Jello. Your pictures look very festive, but I think I will try another recipe for our company luncheon next week.
When you cut the jello into cubes and put it into the bigger pan do you stack them on top of each other? Touching each other? I guess I’m spoiled with The Pioneer Woman and all her photos!
For black coloring, I wonder if activated charcoal would work…? It’s what they use to color black licorice. It’s tasteless and will turn water JET BLACK. It’s also good for you because it adsorbs toxins in your body. Completely safe. Try it! I buy mine from http://www.thepowermall.com and use it for tummy aches, nausea, etc. and it works.
Hi Melissa, Thanks! You actually need four boxes, not necessarily four colors. So for these, I used two boxes of strawberry (red) and two boxes of blue raspberry (blue). The white comes from the sweetened condensed milk.
So gorgeous. May I suggest starting with a dark Jell-O like Black Cherry or Grape and a couple drops black food coloring? That’s what I do for Hallowe’en.
Hello! That’s an absolutely wonderful cake you’ve made there. I hope it’s alright that I borrow a picture (linked and credited, of course) for a post about 4th of July desserts on my blog. If you’d rather I remove it, please let me know.
I just finished making this. I used kiwi and peach flavored jello. I can’t wait to see how it turns out……I will let you know…I will take pics and post it..link it back to you.
wow, looks cool, and it’s so simple too! There is a black jelly in the Chinese market that is mixed with sweeteners before eating (otherwise there’s no taste). Grass Jelly… http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grass_jelly
How much gelatin is in 1 envelope? I’m in NZ and I can only buy a container of this, not individual envelopes.
Thanks in advance! :) Happy 4th!
Each envelope is 0.25 ounces. Enjoy!
Can vodka be added to this recipe?
Yes, totally!!
💋
I love the plastic wrap idea! Wish I’d read this post before making my jello. In regards to making black jello, what about combining equal amounts of different jello flavors together, or maybe use more green, purple and blue jello? That might make black or blackish jello. In the world of color, if you mix a variety of colors together, like purple, green, blue, red, etc. the resulting color is black. Not sure if that would work with jello, but just a thought. Thanks again for the plastic wrap idea!!!
Made these for our 4th of July celebration and they were a big hit! I used four disposable loaf pans to make the red and blue jello and it worked out well. I used a jelly roll pan since I was cutting them into stars, but I think I will go 9×13 next time. The stars were a bit thin and floppy, which made them messy/hard to eat as finger food. Nevertheless, everyone enjoyed them. Thanks for the recipe inspiration!
This was a hit!!! Great recipe.
These turned out great! What a fun project!
Paige
http://thehappyflammily.com
Not sure if anyone posted, but black jell-o can be made with a 3 to 1 ratio of grape or black cherry to orange jell-o powders. You can add food coloring too, but I never need to.
How ’bout those back to back Stanley Cup Champion Pittsburgh Penguins?!?!?!
Thanks for the awesome tip, Diane! And seriously, what a ride!
Beautiful! Great idea for a Canada Day celebration with my maple leaf cookie cutters! Thank you!!
Hey, That’s very interesting.
The recipe is look very easy, I definitely try it.
Thanks
These looks yummy and beautiful. Everyone should try these on 4th of july. Thank you for sharing.
I was so excited to find this recipe but I failed at making it. I now have jello slop but I put it in a clear bowl with some flag toothpicks and will pretend that’s what I meant to do all along! :)
I am going to make these for 4th of July this year. They look so fun! I am going to buy 2 strawberry and 2 blueberry, I understand you need 4 boxes. What I have a question about is whether I can cook and combine the 2 reds together or do you need to cook and keep all 4 jello seperate the whole time? Also how about combining the same colors when you put them in square containers, or should they keep seperate? Thanks! I can’t wait to make these, I just want to screw them up!
Hi Kristen, Yes, you can combine the reds and the blues together, and put the same color in one container. Enjoy!
I wanted to let you know I am featuring your Stained Glass Jello Stars for the 4th of July in my Easy 4th of July Recipes post on 6/20/14! I thank you for sharing your recipe and am exited to include it alongside other great 4th of July recipe ideas!
Never thought of using sweetened condensed milk for jello.
I was wanting to use the recipe for the white jello to make some white Jell-O shots. Do you have any idea how I’d do it? Generally it’s 1 box of jello, the required amount of cold water being alcohol not water and the required amount of hot wayer
I think I’ve only made Jello shots once in my life, but I guess follow that formula but use the sweetened condensed milk and unflavored gelatin instead?
My daughter was born on the 4th of July 2012 and we’ll be celebrating her 1st birthday on June 29th. I’ll be making these for her party. Thank you for the great idea!
What does it mean “after the gelatin blooms?”
Hi Tami, The gelatin will noticeably soften and plump up a bit as it is dissolved.
I noticed thee comment about not knowing how to do black jello. 2 packs purple 1 pack green. And to make brown 2 packs purple and 1 pack yellow. Hope that helps! Thanks for sharing how to do the stained glass effect.
I made the stained glass jello last night and let is set overnight, but it seemed softer than it should have been. Do you think I can use three Knox envelopes for a firmer jello? Also, what do you use to keep the jello from sticking to the glass pan? Thanks!
Hi Jasmine, I’m not sure about using extra Knox, as that would just affect the white part of the Jello. I haven’t had a problem with it firming up, did you follow the recipe here or on the Jello box? Also, you could try spraying the pan with a non-stick cooking spray, although I’ve never had an issue with sticking.
i made this for the 4th of july and it was a total FAIL! i went to cut into it and it completely fell apart. i must have used too much water or something– i let it set overnight and everything. it just never firmed up the way i assume it should have. bummer. it still tasted good, so i scooped a few helpings out for the kids. but eventually had to throw the rest of it out. :(
Hi! I made these for our 4th of July cookout and they were GREAT! I blogged about them today with a link back to you! :) If you want to check it out, here’s the link: http://sittingatourkitchentable.blogspot.com/2011/07/fourth-of-july-goodies.html
Have a great weekend!
Amy
Hey Michelle! I love your blog and I’m making these today. They are so cute. I just realized I made the jello according to the package, and not your instructions. Uh-oh. I guess we’ll see what happens!
These are great! I am making them right now and cannot wait to see how they turn out! Taking them to a 4th of July party today, I know everyone will love them! Thanks for some great ideas!
I made these last year for our 4th of July celebration and my 5 year old son asked for them again this year! It’s such a fun dessert to make.
I can’t wait to try this – I’m already thinking of so many ways to use this idea. Thanks for sharing!!
these are too awesome. definitely making for the fourth, and yet another person linking to them from my blog to share with my readers!
These are so pretty. I featured them on my blog today.
Thanks Laura!
Oh wow, these are too fun. Did it take a few tries to get them to come out so well? Thanks for the inspiration!
Thanks Cheryl! No practice required! The best part of these is that you just combine everything in the pan and then use a cookie cutter if you want shapes, or just cut into squares. They are always a hit at summer parties!
I LOVE this idea! I featured you today in a roundup of yummy red, white, and blue recipes! Here is the link:
http://oopsey-daisy.blogspot.com/2011/05/happy-memorial-day-my-friends-many.html
Have a great day!
~Alison
Mine are chilling in the fridge now. I’m making them as one of the many red white and blue themed foods for my boyfriends Going away to Iraq potluck/party. Im excited and they look great so far. There may not be any left for the party though! i made more of a double batch of it so i put 2 cherry, a watermelon, and a strawberry banana flavored for the reds… and its like a burst of summer flavor in your mouth and still came out a pretty red.
Kandi – Thoughts with you and your boyfriend for a safe deployment. I hope you all enjoy the Jello! What a great idea for the party!
If you think about what color black is, it’s all of em. Try mixing together two to three colors from different parts of the color wheel (I’d suggest blue to start with a dark value, and orange as its complement) and you should get a pretty dark color. It might not be totally black (perhaps brown- or blue-ish). However, eating this will probably be like eating dark frosting, so maybe use less of it in proportion to the other colors or you might get stained teeth.
This is too cute. Reminds me of melt and pour soapmaking!
Can you make these with clear “pour over” instead of turning it white with the milk?
I’m trying to find a jello recipe like this that is dairy free. Could I use water instead of the milk?
Thanks!
Hi Sharon,
The only way I have ever made the “white” layer of a Jello dessert is with sweetened condensed milk, so I couldn’t say for sure what your results would be like using water. It’s sure worth a try though if you need to create a dairy-free dish! Let me know how it turns out!
I know this is four years late, but I would try a lemon-lime soda, like Sprite with the Knox gelatin. It will be more clear then white but could produce a similar effect.
We tried these this week. We had fun with green and blue jello and plane, train and rocket shapes. I linked this post to my blog. Thanks for the inspiration!
Love this!! Being from Pittsburgh myself I was thinking…could you have used a black gel color to color a purple/grape jello? I may try that myself when football season starts.
I tried making these for our 4th of July party yesterday and they did not turn out well. Everything went great until I poured the condensed milk on. The end result was not very visually appealing, and the flavor did not blend well with the Jello. Your pictures look very festive, but I think I will try another recipe for our company luncheon next week.
Just dump them on top of each other. The cream you pour ontop will seep in between the jello and float them up a bit.
When you cut the jello into cubes and put it into the bigger pan do you stack them on top of each other? Touching each other? I guess I’m spoiled with The Pioneer Woman and all her photos!
Thanks for the help!
For black coloring, I wonder if activated charcoal would work…? It’s what they use to color black licorice. It’s tasteless and will turn water JET BLACK. It’s also good for you because it adsorbs toxins in your body. Completely safe. Try it! I buy mine from http://www.thepowermall.com and use it for tummy aches, nausea, etc. and it works.
Very cute idea. Perfect for Fourth of July celebrations!
This is such a festive and fun recipe! They would be a huge hit at a Fourth of July party!
How fun! Perfect for the 4th of July. :-)
Ha! These are so cute! Perfect for the 4th of July, but a good idea for any festive occasion!
I love your jell-o stars. It is a blast back to the past with a modern twist!
How fun! Perfect for the holiday!
This is the cutest idea ever for 4th of July! Love it!
These are so cute! I was wondering which jello colors you used since the recipe calls for four – red, white, blue & ___ ? Thanks! I love your blog!!!!
Hi Melissa, Thanks! You actually need four boxes, not necessarily four colors. So for these, I used two boxes of strawberry (red) and two boxes of blue raspberry (blue). The white comes from the sweetened condensed milk.
So gorgeous.
May I suggest starting with a dark Jell-O like Black Cherry or Grape and a couple drops black food coloring?
That’s what I do for Hallowe’en.
I have one holiday left this summer to try this out. The pics are beautiful and I am sure will be a big hit for Labor Day BBQ. Thanks for sharing.
I don’t eat jello but these are super cute!
How festive and colorful. Great job Chelle.
Hello! That’s an absolutely wonderful cake you’ve made there. I hope it’s alright that I borrow a picture (linked and credited, of course) for a post about 4th of July desserts on my blog. If you’d rather I remove it, please let me know.
Here’s the entry if you want to take a look: http://eatingforamateurs.blogspot.com/2009/07/americans-make-desserts.html
I just finished making this. I used kiwi and peach flavored jello. I can’t wait to see how it turns out……I will let you know…I will take pics and post it..link it back to you.
this looks so great. will have to try it!
Im going to have to find an excuse to make these!
these are so lovely! such a wonderful idea for all occasions. can’t wait to make one.
Wicked cute jello! I LOVE them!
Very fun! Tweeted this post on Twitter. Hope everyone makes these for 4th of July festivities today. :-) …Susan
Absolutely Fantastic, I really love your idea, it is very creative
This looks soo good! And the cut-outs just make them look so much better!!!
wow, looks cool, and it’s so simple too! There is a black jelly in the Chinese market that is mixed with sweeteners before eating (otherwise there’s no taste). Grass Jelly… http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grass_jelly
WOW those are just…WOW!!!! Beautiful pictures and amazing creation! So fun!
So fun and festive! Great job. I’ve made the multi-layered Jello, but not the stained glass, which is on my to-do list!
OMGOSH I LOVE IT! Haha. What a great idea, Chelle! These are too cute and I want 5 now. :)
Love these! I have been wanting to try stained glass Jello as well. It’s so pretty!
Michelle,
I have to say these look so nice. I am not a Jello eater. But I can say that they would make great decor around a table also. Love them!!
Sunshine Mom – I think my mom made the flag cake for almost every 4th of July picnic we had growing up! Great memories!
How beautiful!! I just made the ubiquitous flag cake. :) These are much more clever!!
These are fabulous! We will make these with the children!!! fun. happy 4th! best, s
Awesome idea!! Really cute and I bet delicious too!
These are so pretty and it looks like so much fun!!!
OMG, how cute and so festive!
Pam
http://www.alovefornewrecipes.blogspot.com
I am unbelievably impressed, these are the neatest things i have seen in a LONG time!
These are so CUTE!!
Oooh how pretty! The possibilities are endless…
This turned out great!!! Love the stars. How festive is that?! Have a great 4th of July!