Easy Rainbow Jello Recipe with Yogurt (2024)

I've been making Rainbow Jello almost every year for Thanksgiving and Christmas since High School! It's super fun to either peel apart the layers and eat them one by one, or have a flavor burst when you eat them all at once!

How to Make Rainbow Jello

I’m not sure exactly where I first learned how to make this rainbow jello recipe, but I’ve been making it for a long time (since I was in high school). It’s such a great recipe for the holidays because it’s easy to make, gorgeous to look at, and also fun to eat!

This would be the perfect dessert to bring to a St. Patricks Day feast (lucky rainbow), or you could make it for Thanksgiving or Christmas. No matter where you take it, it’s sure to get some compliments and people will definitely ask you how you made it.

Rainbow Jello Ingredients

To make rainbow jello, you really don’t need much. 6 small boxes of jello for each color of the rainbow, someyogurt (vanilla or plain) and some water is all you need!

Directions

Before you can start making a beautiful rainbow jello creation, you’ll need a 9×13 baking dish. This thing will be filled to the brim with jello-e goodness by the end of this!

Although this rainbow jello recipe is super easy to make, it does take a bit of time. You’ll have to wait for each layer to solidify before you can add another so I recommend coming up with a plan of attack.

For me, I like to do 3 colors per day (6 layers). I do one in the morning, one in the afternoon, and one at night. Byworking on the layers like this, it only takes me two days to finish my rainbow jello, and I only spend about 5 minutes on each layer.

Note that between each color, the layers need about 3 hours to set. You’ll also need to let the jello sit for about 8 hours before serving.

Try it out!

This is a bit of a tedious recipe to make, but it’s totally worth it. Once you take it out of that pan and see the beautiful creation you just made, you’ll understand what I mean.

Also, this rainbow jello isn’t just a great dessert for kids, adults will love it too! You can eat it layer by layer if you’d like to taste each flavor individually, or you can eat it all at once for a flavor explosion.

By the way, if I’m making this dish and I want it to be fancier looking, I use a bowl likethis Gorham Crystal Flared Bowl instead of a glass baking dish… It gives it that something extra, and the presentation is beautiful!!

More Jello Recipes:

Raspberry Pretzel Jello Salad Recipe
Jello Shaved Ice Recipe
Easy Jello Flag Cake Recipe

Easy Rainbow Jello Recipe with Yogurt

4.70 / 5 ( 20 Reviews )

Print Rate

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes minutes

Serves: 24

Adjust Servings: 24

Ingredients

3 ounce small box Red Jell-O I like cherry over strawberry, it gives a deeper red
3 ounce small box Orange Jell-O
3 ounce small box Yellow Jell-O
3 ounce small box Green Jell-O
3 ounce small box Blue Jell-O
3 ounce small box Purple Jell-O
4 cups vanilla or plain yogurt
10 cups water divided

Instructions

Starting with either Red or Purple, work your way thought the different boxes of jell-o in the order (or reverse order) listed above.
Dissolve 1 package Jell-O in 1 cup boiling water.
After dissolved, split into 2 bowls.
Add 2/3 cup yogurt to one bowl, and stir until smooth
Add 2/3 cup cold water into the other bowl, and stir for 10-15 seconds.
Pour yogurt mixture into 9x13 pan and let solidify in fridge for 45 minutes.
Pour water mixture slowly over yogurt mixture, and let solidify in fridge for at least 45 minutes.
Repeat with each color.

Recipe Notes

So this recipe doesn't take over my entire day, I like to split it up. I do one color as soon as I wake up, one color before I cook dinner, and one color right before I go to bed. That way it only takes a few minutes per day.

Nutrition

Easy Rainbow Jello Recipe with Yogurt (2024)

FAQs

What prevents Jell-O from setting? ›

Some fresh fruits prevent Jell-O and other types of gelatin from gelling. These are fruits that contain high levels of proteases. Proteases are enzymes that break chemical bonds in proteins, such as collagen in gelatin. Pineapple, kiwi, papaya, mango, and guava are examples of fruits that cause a problem.

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Can you put jelly in the freezer to set quicker? ›

Alternatively, you could place the prepared jello in a sink/basin/bowl filled with ice cubes to speed up the process. At some point you will need to put this in the fridge. You may certainly put the mixture in the freezer but make certain to check frequently to avoid freezing.

What fresh fruit can you not put in Jell-O? ›

Bromolain in pineapple, papain in papaya and actinidin in kiwi are all enzymes capable of breaking down proteins, hence the warning that these fruits cannot be used in Jell-O.

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How do you make fruit not float in Jell-O? ›

In order to suspend fruit in the gelatin, the gelatin needs to be almost set and quite thick. The easiest and fastest route to the right texture for setting fruit is to chill your gelatin mixture over an ice bath. Set the first layer before adding the second.

Learn More Now ›

What happens when you add pineapple to Jell-O? ›

Gelatine is derived from the protein collagen. The enzyme in fresh* pineapple, bromelin, breaks down collagen and this prevents the jelly from setting. If the shape of the active site is distorted, the enzyme can no longer function and is described as being denatured.

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How to make jello set faster in the freezer? ›

After it has fully dissolved, take it off the stove and quickly stir in VERY cold water, e.g. ice water with the ice cubes removed. Mix thoroughly so that the temperature is hom*ogenized throughout the Jell-O. Then put in the freezer for about 15–30 mins to speed cooling.

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How to make jello shots set faster? ›

If you are in a hurry, you can set your jello faster by having your liquids as cold as possible when starting to make your shots. You can have your alcohol in the freezer to get it cold, and/or you can add some ice cubes in with your cold water and remove the ice that's left after 2-3 minutes.