Rainbow Jello Jigglers - Glitter and Goulash (2024)

These Rainbow Jello Jigglers are a fun treat to have for any party or holiday. Since jigglers are meant to be finger food, they are also a perfect addition to your kids cold lunch. Their beautiful colors and fruity flavors are sure to be a hit wherever you decide to serve them.

I recently had a reader ask me if my Rainbow Jello Mold could be made as a more “kid friendly” version that they could eat with their hands. That is what led to the creation of this recipe.

I simply tweaked the original mold recipe to fit a 9×13 pan. This jiggler version is acutally very nice because you get all the beauty of the jello without the anxiety of having to take it out of the mold.

Don’t get me wrong the original mold recipe is absolutely beautiful and deserves priority for more elegant parties, but for everyday life, this fits the bill just fine!

Rainbow Jello Jigglers are easy to make, but it does require an approximate 3 hour time commitment from start to finish. You will not be in the kitchen the entire time, but will need to add layers every 10-15 minutes or so. So, pick a day when you will be doing stuff at home anyways and I promise it will be well worth the time!

These jigglers need to set overnight so make sure you plan ahead. You can make these jigglers several days before you need them. Just make sure you keep the Jello covered in the pan and refrigerated, until several hours before you will be serving them.

The items you will need for this mold are 6 packages of Jello (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple) and any vanilla yogurt.

First, dump your gelatin powder into 6 individual containers. The containers need to be able to hold at least 1 1/4 cups of boiling water.

Next, stir 1 1/4 cups boiling water into each flavor. Stir each until gelatin is completely dissolved. You will want to position your glasses in opposite order of the rainbow as we will start with purple and end on red.

Spray your 9×13 glass dishwith cooking spray, this will help the Jello release easier once it is set. Once you have done that we can start adding the Jello.

You will basically be adding 12 layers to this mold, 6 layers of pure Jello and 6 layers of the Jello/yogurt mixture. You will start each color with the Jello/yogurt mixture and end with the pure color layer.

Take 3/4 cup of your purple jello and set aside. Take the remaining purple jello and add 1 1/2 Tablespoons of the yogurt and whisk until completely dissolved. Make sure there are no yogurt lumps left.

Once the yogurt is completely dissolved, add to your 9×13 glass dish and then place in the refrigerator for approximately 15 minutes.

Make sure you set a timer for each layer as knowing when to add the next layer is very critical. You must chill each layer long enough to partially set, but not too long otherwise the next layer will not adhere. Don’t worry though, I will explain below what to look for so that you know exactly when it is time to add the next layer.

While the purple Jello/yogurt layer is chilling, take the remaining purple gelatin (should be about 3/4 c) and place this mixture into the refrigerator as well to chill until your first 15 minutes is up.

Once your timer goes off, take your pan and remaining Jello mixture out of the refrigerator. You will first want to test the gelatin in the pan to make sure it is set enough to take the next layer. First give it a VERY gentle jiggle. You should not see any liquid still moving around. Next, test the Jello by lightly touching it with a finger tip and lifting up right away.

The jello should tacky enough to stick to your finger and leave a slight impression in the jello. If you have that, then you are ready to add your next layer. If you don’t, then put the Jello back into the refrigertor for 3 minute intervals until it is formed enough to see your fingerprint.

This is hard to show in a picture, but if you look where the arrow is pointing, you will see the finger imprint that I am talking about. This is what you want to see to know that you are ready to add your next layer.

Once you see that, then you can VERY GENTLY spoon little by little the clear purple Jello to the first chilled layer. Add spoonfuls randomly all over the top of this layer (as oppossed to dumping all the liquid in the same spot). This will help not to put to much force in any one spot. When you add your spoonfuls of Jello you should see the liquid “roll” on top of the chilled layer. If it doesn’t do this and you see it start to mix (you will see both colors swirl), stop immediatley and put back into the refrigerator as that means the previous layer is not chilled enough.

I apologize, I forgot to take a picture of this step in the 9×13 pan, but this picture below (I copied from my Rainbow Jello Mold post) shows what I am talking about, it is just shown in a different pan. This Jello is sitting on top of the previous layer and not mixing, that is what you want.

This first layer is the trickiest so take extra time to go slowly with this layer. The others will be easier to work with since they will be cooled down more.

Once the second layer is added, place back into the refrigerator for 12-15 minutes. You will continue this same process for the rest of the 5 other colors (10 remaining layers). Your cooling time will start to lessen with each layer added as the Jello left on the counter cools down.

The other jello colors can remain on the counter during this entire process. I know that seems odd, I was very unsure of that the first time I made this. No worries though, it is fine sitting on the counter through this process. I have never had any of the waiting jello start to set. If this should happen though, simply fill a bowl with hot water and place your jello container inside of the water bowl and stir until the set jello loosens up and turns back into liquid (make sure not to get any water in your Jello).

Once you have added all 12 layers, let the Jello set overnight.

Once the Jello has set overnight, use cookie cutters to cut fun shapes, or simply cut into squares and enjoy!

Make sure you keep the Jello covered in the pan and refrigerated, until your are ready to serve it. The Jello is pretty firm once set, but keeping it in the pan until ready to serve just increases the chances of the layers all staying together.

Now take a step back, and pat yourself on the back for the beautiful creation you made. Job well done!!

Side Note- I do not recommend serving this at any outdoor gathering where it will be hot outside. I have learned the hard way that when Jello gets hot, it turns to liquid and melts which is not ideal for such a beautiful piece of food art! You will have a rainbowy mess on your hands and all over the table 🙁

Looking for St. Patrick’s Day desserts? Check out all of my recipes here?