23 Jell-O Recipes That Will Wobble Their Way Right Into Your Heart

We tend to think of the Jell-O salad as the epitome of everything midcentury—futuristic, in colors that deliberately evoke the unnatural, and with a thorough rejection of the ho-hum. Gelatin-set creations actually date back to medieval Europe, but they were reserved for the upper crust, as the labor that was required to make those clear jellies was prohibitive for everyone else. Once instant gelatin was invented at the turn of the 19th century, a certain craze for all things wobbly took off and peaked in the 1960s and 70s. Still, we encourage you to throw away any notions that these aren’t fit for modern consumption. Because one thing has not changed: These dishes are just fun.

If we’re going to talk gelatin, we’re going to have to get something out of the way up front: The use of the word “salad.” When everything Jell-O was skyrocketing in popularity in the 1950s, it was common to find the Day-Glo molds right alongside the savory main meal on a buffet at a party. Once chunks of fruit or, you know, that other common salad inclusion, the marshmallow, started to be folded in, these colorful confections were often referred to as salads, despite being nothing like any salad we had known up to that point. What this particular salad is, is an ideal dessert, with a saltiness from the crushed pretzel crust, a cool creaminess from the middle layer and a luxurious fruity top that comes from tons of fresh strawberries.

This super fresh salad will make you look twice, because it’s not clear, like the expected gelatin mold. That comes from the inclusion of melted orange sherbet, pumping up the orange flavor, and some sour cream, that almost puts this into an easy blancmange or panna cotta territory. The brightness from the pineapple and the occasional bite of juicy mandarin oranges make this one a keeper.

Want to make sure you’ll be invited back? Show up to any party with these jaw-dropping, adorable Jell-O shots. They ingeniously employ six flavors of Jell-O (plus some unflavored gelatin for a panna cotta layer) and a repurposed egg carton to create the stripey shots that are packed full of flavor (and vodka, incidentally, although you can leave that out and use water if desired).

The concept of a poke cake: You poke holes all over a sheet cake to make little pits to fill with a luscious liquid. In this case, the liquid happens to be strawberry gelatin, which infuses the cake with a light jamminess. A topping of sweetened whipped cream gives the dessert a classic finish.

Remember the fun of cutting a citrus fruit crosswise as a kid, and just biting out the interior? How’s about we make it even more fun? These gelatin wedges would also work amazingly as vehicles for Jell-O shots… just saying.

Duff pumps up the textural play of a cherry gelatin mold by studding it with cherries that themselves are stuffed with walnuts. Choose a beautiful mold or bowl for maximum drama upon unmolding. The ruby hue and sherry spike make sure it will impress.

Ree’s take on the classic pretzel salad transforms it into a charming icebox cake, with a thick crown of fluffy whipped cream concealing the surprise of a cool strawberry filling within. A little brown sugar in the pretzel crust lends it a subtle butterscotch note.

We thought we were all above eating gelatin desserts by the 1990s, but that’s when panna cotta really had a heyday, and that’s exactly what it is. Part of its lofty reputation certainly comes from its source—Italy—and also that its cook is not just tearing open a flavored envelope, but combining unflavored gelatin with some sort of dairy, infused with flavor. Here, topped with balsamic-macerated strawberries, it will never feel like a passing trend.

When you need to take it to the next level next time you’re hosting book club, consider one of these—and push that level all the way to the top. These pops get their flavor and hue from rosé wine, with some fresh raspberries to punctuate. Go ahead, rosé pop all day.

As lovely as no-bake cheesecakes get, this dessert conceals a fresh fruit flower beneath a clear layer that gets its color and flavor from sweet white wine and white cranberry juice. The cheesecake itself also gets its set from gelatin, rather than baking. Though it looks like a work of art, you’ll be able to assemble it by overlapping circles of orange and strawberry, even if you’re all thumbs.

Another entry in the “grown-up dessert with 70s overtones” category raises quite the question: Why aren’t we turning all our favorite cocktails into wiggling sweets? This one, both the cocktail in question and the dessert, gets its name from the clever layering of colors to replicate a Caribbean sunrise. Orange slices and maraschino cherries on cocktail picks complete the translation.

You’ll be happy to learn that a watermelon-flavored gelatin spiked with vodka and eaten out of a rind à la backyard barbecue is just as refreshing as an actual wedge of the fruit. But these offer so many possibilities—to guests as they’re arriving, to guests as the evening is winding down, etc. Best part? No seeds to contend with.

These individual trifles bring pretzel salad into genuine salad territory, with a patriotic twist, to boot. A spoon will pass through a cool whipped topping into blueberry gelatin studded with fresh fruit, and into the salty pretzel crumbles at the bottom, before you pull a perfect bite back up through it all. We salute.

This cake will bowl over with its impossibly shiny red glaze; and when cut into, for the festive green streaks that accompany it. The glaze employs raspberry gelatin, but also white chocolate and sweetened condensed milk for an unctuous effect against the white cake. You can certainly mix up the colors and flavor combos for any holiday!

Try not to giggle as you push into your blue pop which contains all the elements of the beach in a few fun bites. Mini trifles, in essence, these pops start with a disc of pound cake in the base, which works as a plug that holds everything in. A layer of candy gravel covers that, then some gummy fish and licorice “seaweed.” A blue gelatin sea covers the whole, and once it’s set, go ahead and take a taste of the ocean. We promise it won’t be salty.

Luckily this cake doesn’t say “Don’t poke me… I’m Irish!” Lime gelatin gives a little oomph to a not-too-sweet buttermilk cake, and some green sanding sugar employed like sprinkles lends the cake a “Leprechaun dust” quality. Why not serve with the rainbow shots?

If you took the spirit of Key lime pie dotted with strawberries on top and turned it into a gelatin mold, you might end up with this trembling sweet. Ree uses the curves and corners of a Bundt pan to catch the liquid gelatin and make for eye-popping swoops along the side. Some cream cheese, sour cream and sweetened condensed milk turn the dessert into one with a little richness.

Look no further than this if you need a dessert for the PB&J lover in your life. A crust made from peanut butter sets the stage—particularly with the luxurious touch that you get a top and a bottom crust. Inside, a layer of peanut butter cheesecake and strawberry gelatin to complete the treat. Might it also work with Concord grape gelatin? Only the devotees among us will know.

These tropical bites tasting of piña colada will be the star of any backyard gathering, particularly as they symbolize a warm welcome (wink, wink). As the pineapple-flavored gelatin, assembled with coconut milk, sets in the fridge, the coconut solids rise to the top, forming a two-tone effect. Cut them out with a pineapple cutter, then stain the spiked leaves green and, voilà—you like getting caught in the rain.

Similarly sophisticated in feel is anything rhubarb. Combine that pink with the puckery sourness that sweetens up so irresistibly, and you’ve got a dessert that tastes uber-continental. Serve in tiny jars with a little vanilla whipped cream, and Bob’s your uncle.

The 1970s has its reputation as a slightly off-kilter, swinging good time, and that’s one lens with which to view this confection, whose use of red wine definitely brings it into the adult zone. But with it also comes a sophistication, in its romantic burgundy color, and bewitching hits of cranberry sauce, raspberry and fresh mint. Alex Guarnaschelli designed this as a dessert, but might it work alongside some leg of lamb? With the 70s in mind, we can envision it.

If you aim to delight, reach for these sparkling flutes. They indeed contain jellies made with sparkling wine and sparkling grape juice, and a few tricks of the trade let them keep their effervescence throughout the jelling process (we’ll walk you through each step). Just as with a real glass of bubbly, a fresh berry enhances the experience.