Mexican jello (gelatina de mosaico) is a colorful and refreshing dessert made with different flavors of gelatine to resemble a multi-colored mosaic. It is a fun and pretty treat to serve at parties!
What Is Mexican Jello?
Mexican Jello is a popular gelatin dessert made of various flavors of gelatine powder like pineapple, orange, strawberry, lemon, grape, blueberries, etc.
Once the favoured gelatines are set, they are cut into cubes and placed in cups, or a individual mold, and then “glued” with a milk mixture to make a beautiful and colorful Gelatina de Mosaico (mosaic jello).
The white milky gelatin is called gelatina de leche in Spanish and is made with a combination of 3 kinds of milk.
This combination is called tres leches and is used in many Mexican desserts, like the famous tres leches cake.
This dessert is so fun and festive that is easy to understand why is so popular in Mexican culture.
Mexican kid’s parties are so fun and colorful. There’s not only piñata but also a lot of different candies, food, agua fresca, and gelatinas de sabores.
Growing up, my mother always made a party for my birthday and the menu was always the same: Pozole blanco, chicken and potato salad, some agua fresca, vanilla cake, and gelatina de mosaico. She never changed a single thing from this menu.
Ingredients Needed
- Flavored Gelatina: You will need different flavors, I used pineapple, strawberry, lemon, orange, and grape. Use your favorite brand.
- Unflavored gelatin: Use 12 sheets or the equivalent in powdered gelatine to set about 1.2L of liquid (about 5 cups), please read the notes below. You can find this in Mexican and Latin American stores labeled as grenetina.
- Whole milk: A little more than 2 cups of whole milk, or you can also use half and half.
- Condensed milk: 1 – 14 oz can or make our sweetened condensed milk recipe.
- Evaporated milk: 1 -12 oz can or make our easy evaporated milk recipe.
- Vanilla: Use vanilla extract to flavor the milk gelatin.
Now, let’s make this beautiful gelatina dessert!
How To Make Mexican Mosaic Jello
Make the flavored gelatin following the instructions in the package.
Pour each gelatina in separate containers, cover and refrigerate overnight.
The next day, unmold the gelatines and cut them into cubes.
Place them in a large mixing bowl or in separate bowls, as you prefer. Keep them refrigerated until needed.
Now, place the unflavored gelatine in a small bowl and add 1/2 cup of cold water. Mix well to combine and allow to hydrate for 5 minutes.
Note: If you use powdered unflavored gelatin it will be solidified after the resting time. If you use gelatin sheets it will be nicely soft.
Make the 3 leches gelatine mixture
Pour whole milk, evaporated milk, and condensed milk into a large mixing bowl. Add vanilla extract and mix until combined.
Now, microwave the unflavored gelatine for 10-15 seconds or until nicely melted.
Add the unflavored gelatine to the 3 leches mixture and whisk until combined.
Assemble the mosaic jello
Fill 12 cups to half their capacity with jello cubes. You can also use a bundt pan, in that case, first grease it a little bit with oil so it will be easier to unmold.
Pour over the gelatin cubes some of the milk mixture, but do not fill the cup completely.
Then add more jello cubes and shake the cups a bit to allow the milk mixture to fill all gaps.
Complete the filling with milk jello mixture. Then keep filling your cups until all ingredients are gone.
Cover the cups with cling film and refrigerate from 3 to 4 hours or even better, overnight.
Recipe Notes And Tips
- Make the flavored jello the night before you intend to serve this dessert, so they will have time to set up nicely.
- You can make this jello with the flavors and colors of your preference.
- If you want to use powdered gelatine (unflavored), read the instructions in the package and make sure you use enough to set about 5 cups of liquid (1.2L). Each brand is different.
- You can also use the bain-marie method and melt the unflavored gelatine over medium-low heat on the stovetop.
- You can use small molds or one large mold, or you can even use cups and serve the jello without unmolding.
- Always make sure to lightly oil the molds so it would be easier to unmold the jello. Don’t worry, it won’t taste oily!
- Use a neutral-flavored oil to coat the mold, such as canola or sunflower oil.
How To Serve
Gelatina de Mosaico makes a delicious and fun dessert for birthday parties and special occasions.
If you want to serve for kids’ parties I recommend making these gelatinas in cups so it would be easier for the little ones to eat them with a spoon.
You can top each cup with whipped cream and add some sprinkles on top, they just look so beautiful and fun!
For special occasions like Christmas, grown-ups’ parties, etc. I recommend making it in a bundt pan and serving it sliced with a drizzle of condensed milk or eggnog, and fresh berries on the side.
How To Store
Mexican jello can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days, so you have plenty of time to make it ahead for your party.
You will need to cover it well with cling film to prevent it from absorbing other smells from the fridge.
As with any type of gelatine, this jello can’t go in the freezer.
FAQ
How long does gelatine take to set?
About 3 hours if you’re using small cups. Longer if you’re using a large mold.
Can’t get the jello out of the mold…help!
Don’t worry, is easy. Place a large container filled with hot water, dip carefully the mold into the water and shake it slowly. After a few seconds, it will slip out easily onto a platter.
Is Mexican Jello gluten free?
Yes. Our recipe is 100% gluten-free. Please make sure you purchase a gelatine brand that is free of gluten. Related: Is Jello Gluten-Free?
How to substitute powdered gelatine with sheets?
You can do a 1:3 conversion. For every tablespoon of powdered unflavored gelatin, you will need 3 sheets of gelatin leaves (sheets).
Is mosaic jello the same as gelatina de mosaico?
Yes, gelatina de mosaico is the Spanish name for mosaic jello and is a popular dessert from Mexico.
Similar Recipes
- Gelatina de fresas. This strawberry jello is made with fresh strawberries.
- Mexican flan. So easy to make and can be enjoyed any day of the week.
- Gelatina de rompope. Made with Mexican eggnog, perfect for special occasions.
Watch How To Make It
Mexican Jello (Gelatina de Mosaico)
Equipment
- 12 serving cups or 1 large bundt pan
Ingredients
- 5 small packages of flavored gelatin (about 3 oz each)
- 14 oz condensed milk (1 can)
- 12 oz evaporated milk (1 can)
- 2 ¼ cup whole milk
- 12 sheets unflavored gelatin (or 4 Tablespoons of powdered gelatin)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Make the flavored gelatines following the instructions in the package.
- Pour each gelatin into separate containers, cover, and refrigerate overnight.
- When firm enough, unmold the gelatines and cut them into cubes.
- Place them in a large mixing bowl and keep them refrigerated until needed.
Make the milk jello:
- Place the unflavored gelatine in a small bowl and add ½ cup of cold water.
- Mix well to combine and allow to hydrate for 5 minutes.
- Pour whole milk, evaporated milk, and condensed milk into a large mixing bowl.
- Add vanilla extract and mix until combined.
- Microwave the unflavored gelatine for 10-15 seconds or until melted.
- Add the unflavored gelatine to the 3 leches mixture and whisk until combined.
Assemble the mosaic jello
- Fill 12 cups to half their capacity with jello cubes. You can also use a bundt pan, in that case, first grease it a little bit with oil so it will be easier to unmold.
- Pour over the gelatin cubes some of the milk mixture, but do not fill the cup completely.
- Add more jello cubes and shake the cups a bit to allow the milk mixture to fill all gaps.
- Finish with milk jello mixture.
- Fill the other cups until all ingredients are gone.
- Cover the cups with cling film and refrigerate from 3 to 4 hours or overnight.
Notes
- You will need enough unflavored gelatin to set about 5 cups of liquid. Check up the brand you’re using an adjust the quantity as needed.
- Make the flavored jello the night before you intend to serve this dessert, so they will have time to set up nicely.
- You can make this jello with the flavors and colors of your preference.
- If you want to use an individual jello mold just make sure to lightly grease it with a bit of oil so it will be easier to remove the jello.
- You can also use the bain-marie method and melt the unflavored gelatine over medium-low heat on the stovetop.
- Use a neutral-flavored oil to coat the mold, such as canola or sunflower oil.
Nutrition Information
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I just made this recipe last week and it was a hit at my daughter party! You need to pay special attention to the instructions as it’s very detailed you should read the instructions on the specific gelatin package you buy. However, the jello is easy to make, beautiful, and delicious. The white gelatin was creamy and perfectly sweet. Thank you!
12 sheets of gelatin? What do you mean by “sheets”?
Gelatin also come in sheets like paper, though I’ve never seen them
I live in Ireland and it took me a while to convert the recipe for available ingredients and their quantities. I haven’t done so much maths for years. So for the benefit of people in the UK or Ireland, here are some tips:
Jelly:
The quantity given in the recipe is equivalent to two thirds of a packet of Chivers or Hartleys jelly cubes (8 of the 12 cubes). This amount should need to be made up to 383ml, but I’d suggest only, say, 350ml so the jelly is firmer for cutting.
None of my jellies was as vibrant as in the picture – I suggest a drop or two of food colouring to boost the colour, particularly the strawberry/red and the lime/green. Both companies make more flavours than are usually seen on any given shop shelf, but they must be available somewhere: blackcurrant, strawberry, raspberry, orange, lime and lemon; in addition, Hartleys make pineapple and black cherry.
I made the mistake of putting some of my jellies to set in containers which were too big and they didn’t make chunky cubes – you’d want trays about 21 x 14cm.
I don’t think there’s anything to gain by cutting them into chunks the day before. I got bored and left some until I was assembling and the were OK. The ones I did cut stuck together anyway.
Milks:
Our tins of condensed milk (Carnation or supermarket own brand) weigh 390g and contain 325ml. The recipe converts to 400ml.
Our tins of evaporated milk weigh 410ml and, being less dense than condensed, contain about 400ml. The recipe converts to 350ml.
The recipe quantity of ordinary milk converts to 563ml.
The total amount of milks in the recipe converts to 1,313ml. If you use one tin each of condensed and evap, you could make up the same volume by using 588ml of milk.
Gelatine:
The quantities in the recipe are equivalent to 3.3 sachets of Dr Oetker’s powdered gelatine or the same 12 sheets of the leaf gelatine.
By the way, I tried to calculate the calorie count – each of the 12 portions is about 295kcal.
Mine tasted good, but looked a bit insipid – I can’t wait to try it again, taking my own advice …
If I’m using powdered unflavored gelatin, how do you microwave it- or do you mean you should microwave the milk mixture?
Thank you
Looking forward to trying this
You need to microwave the unflavored gelatin to melt it, so it will be easier to combine with the milk mixture.
I’m not used to working with unflavored gelatine. The Knox brand 4 packs available for me are a total of 1 ounce per box so I used 4 boxes to make 4 ounces as called for in the recipe. It was a mess. I think you meant 4 packets? Each packet is .25 ounce.
Hi Penny, thank you for pointing that out. I am not familiar with that brand of gelatin. Also, this recipe was just updated and somehow the notes before were deleted but I added them again. You will need enough gelatin to set about 5 cups of milk mixture, so the quantity may vary depending on the brand you use, but the it will be easier to follow the instructions if you know how much liquid you need to set.
Lovely recipe, I have seen mexican jello before but I didn’t know it was so easy to make. It just takes time but overall is an easy and fun recipe.