Name: Valentine's Day Layered Jello Cups
Prep time: 20 min
Total time: 3 h 20 min
Yield: 8
Cuisine: Dessert
Ingredients: 6 cups boiling water; 2 3 oz boxes cherry jello; 6 packages Knox unflavored gelatin (0.25 oz each); 1 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk; 2 3 oz boxes watermelon jello; ¼ cup cold water

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If you love the look of layered Jello, here is a delicious treat for Valentine’s Day. Red, white, and pink gelatin in glasses or shapes is a light dessert that’s perfect for the day of love.

See how to make this Valentine’s Day layered Jello recipe quickly, easily, and even if you don’t have dessert cups.

Three glasses of red, white, and pink layered jello. Tiny blobs of whipped cream top each one.

Red, Pink, and White Jello Layers

There’s something so satisfying about dipping into layered Jello desserts. Yes, it takes a little time to layer everything nicely, but the end result makes it worth it, in my opinion.

Not just for Valentine’s Day, these layers also resemble candy canes, making them perfect for Christmastime, as well. Of course, you can easily swap out the colors to make them fit whichever theme or holiday you wish.

Ingredients to make layered jello flay layed on a table.

Valentine’s Layered Jello Ingredients

Serves 6-8 depending on container size and/or cookie cutter size.

(Measurements are in the recipe card below.)

Boiling water
Cherry Jello
Unflavored gelatin
Sweetened condensed milk
Watermelon Jello
Cold water

Layered Valentine Jello Directions

Spray dessert cups or an 8×8 or 9×13 glass baking dish with cooking spray. Set aside.

Boil six cups of water and keep on low.

Prepare the cherry Jello as directed, adding two extra packages of unflavored gelatin.

Red Jello in a bowl with a whisk in it and surrounded by other ingredients on a table.

Pour the first layer of cherry Jello into your dessert cups or your prepared dish. Allow it to set in the refrigerator for one hour.

Prepare the white gelatin layer by combining two packages of unflavored gelatin with one cup of cold water. Mix the sweetened condensed milk with one cup of boiling water and combine with the gelatin mixture.

White jello in a bowl with a whisk in it.

Allow the white gelatin mixture to cool a bit before pouring over the red layer. Then place it back into the fridge until completely set.

Stirring pink jello in a bowl with a whisk.

Make the watermelon Jello as directed, adding two extra packages of unflavored gelatin.

Three layers of jello in three dessert shooter glasses.

Allow to slightly cool before pouring over the white layer and place it into the fridge to set.

Three dessert shooters filled with red, white, and pink jello layers.

Repeat the layering process until the desired amount of layers are achieved and everything is completely set.

Dessert shooters with Valentine's Day layered jello in them.

If you used a baking dish instead of dessert cups, turn the Jello over onto a cutting board and cut into hearts or squares before serving.

Jello Layers Recipe Notes and FAQ

What if I don’t have dessert cups?

The directions include a way to layer the Jello into a glass baking dish as another option. Layer all the Jello in the dish, and then cut it into shapes for a fun treat. Use an 8×8 glass dish for thicker Jello, or a 9×13 dish for thinner shapes.

Top of layered jello with whipped cream dollop.

Can I speed up the Jello setting process?

Yes, you can set the layers in the freezer, which will speed up this process quite a bit. When using this method, the Jello can be set in under an hour.

Spoon in a glass of layered jello with pink, red, and white layers.

My layers are bleeding together!

It’s important to let each layer of Jello completely set before adding another layer. Allowing the layers to cool helps prevent the colors from bleeding.

Three shooter glasses with layers of white, pink, and red jello.

Why do you use extra gelatin?

The reason you add extra unflavored gelatin to the Jello is to toughen it up so you can grab it. If you’re cutting the Jello into shapes, you want it to be grabbable (not a word?) as “finger jello.”

Yield: 8

Valentine's Day Layered Jello Cups

Layers of red, pink, and white Jello for a pretty Valentine's Day dessert.

Prep Time 20 minutes

Chill Time 3 hours

Total Time 3 hours 20 minutes

Ingredients

6 cups boiling water
2 3 oz boxes cherry jello
6 packages Knox unflavored gelatin (0.25 oz each)
1 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
2 3 oz boxes watermelon jello
¼ cup cold water

Instructions

Spray dessert cups or 8×8 or 9×13 glass baking dish with cooking spray. Set aside.
Boil 6 cups of water and keep on low.
Prepare the cherry jello as directed, adding two extra packages of unflavored gelatin.
Pour the cherry jello into the prepared cups or dish pan and allow it to set in the fridge for about one hour.
Prepare the white layer by combining 2 packages of unflavored gelatin with 1 cup cold water. Next, mix the sweetened condensed milk with 1 cup boiling water and combine with the gelatin mixture.
Allow to cool a bit before pouring over the red layer, then place in the fridge until completely set.
Prepare the watermelon jello as directed, adding two extra packages of unflavored gelatin.
Allow to cool slightly before pouring over the white layer and place in the fridge until completely set.
Repeat the process until the desired amount of layers are achieved and everything is completely set.
If you use a pan instead of the cups, turn the jello out onto a cutting board and cut into hearts or squares before serving.

Valentine’s Day Layered Jello