Gelatina con Tres Leches, Mexican Jello, is an impressive and fun dessert that’s very simple to make. It’s a perfect dessert for Cinco de Mayo, but you’ll want to make this year round. Colorful cubes of Jell-O float in a delightful sweet and creamy cinnamon infused gelatin that’s mixed with regular milk, half and half and sweetened condensed milk.
Kid love this sweet jiggly gelatina. It resembles church windows and is sometimes called Stained Glass Jello, Broken Glass Jello, Mexican Jello, Mexican Mosaic Jello, or Milk Jello.
The reason it differs from many Stained Glass Jello or Broken Glass Jello recipes you’ll find is that this recipe is an authentic Mexican version where unflavored gelatin is combined with tres leches.
A three milk combination thats flavored with cinnamon and vanilla extract.
The end result is a dessert that reminiscent of tres leches cake, without so many carbs and calories. Gelatina con tres leches is easy to make; it’s just a little time consuming. And worth every minute of that time.
Why You’re Going To Love This Recipe
- The number one reason is because your kids are going to love it. And it’s so fun to make they can join in.
- It’s so eye-catching in a jiggly Jello sort of way.
- You can mix up the colors of Jello that you use to suit your imagination or festive celebration theme.
- It’s made creamy with milk, half and half and sweetened condensed milk.
- It’s sweet, light, fun to eat and versatile.
- It’s gluten free.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Milk: Whole Milk preferred, 2% will also work.
- Half and Half
- Sweetened Condensed Milk, Eagle Brand is most recognized.
- Vanilla Extract
- Unflavored Gelatin Powder: Found near the packets of Jell-O on the baking aisle.
- Cinnamon Stick
- Jell-O: Three 6-ounce packages. Note: You can also use sugar free Jell-O.
Step By Step Instructions
Be sure to see the recipe card below for complete ingredients and instructions.
This Mexican Jello is not a difficult project to make, however, it does take time. So please plan ahead. And be sure you have plenty of room in your refrigerator.
- Step 1: Dissolve each color of Jello. In three separate bowls, mix each package of flavored gelatin with two cups boiling water. Stir well until well dissolved.
- Step 2: Grease three 9 x 9 style casserole dishes, or shallow containers and pour each Jell-O flavor into each. Use containers that will give you no more than 1″ thick cubes. If the Jell-O is too thick, it will be hard to cut into cubes. Chill for 2 – 3 hours.
- Step 3: Make the milk Jello using unflavored gelatin. After the jellos have been in the fridge for a couple of hours, make the milk gelatin. In a 3-quart saucepan, mix the gelatin into one cup of water. Set aside for about five minutes so the gelatin can bloom. Set the saucepan over medium-low heat and stir occasionally until the gelatin has dissolved. Add the whole milk and heat to just under a simmer. Add the cinnamon stick, remove from the heat, and let the milk mixture steep for thirty minutes. Remove the cinnamon stick and whisk in the condensed milk, half-and- half, and vanilla extract. Set aside to cool while you prep the colored gelatins.
Tip: The best way to cut a cinnamon stick in half is with a very sharp knife. Cut by pressing knife down with a good solid push using the palm of your hand.
- Step 4: Remove the colored gelatins from the refrigerator and cut each flavor into 1-inch cubes. Gently and evenly spread out and mix each flavor in a greased 9 × 13-inch pan. A Pyrex casserole pan works great for this.
- Step 5: Pour cooled milk gelatin over the cubes of Jell-O. Refrigerate for 2 – 3 hours or until the jello is completely set up. Overnight is best for this step. You can also use a Jello mold for this step. And even a bundt pan will work. Once the milk jello has completely set up, then slice instead of cut into cubes.
Step 6: Cut the Mexican jello into large bite-sized pieces. Serve on your favorite platter that will complement the colors of the Jell-O you’ve chosen.
Party Color Combo Ideas
- Valentine’s Day – Use 3 Cherry Jell-O.
- St. Patrick’s Day – Use 2 Green and 1 Lemon Jell-O.
- Easter – Lemon, Peach and and Strawberry Jell-O.
- Cinco de Mayo – 2 red, 1 green
- 4th Of July – 2 Cherry and Berry Blue.
- Halloween: Grape and Orange Jell-O.
- Christmas: 2 Cherry and 1 Lime Jell-O.
- Little Girl Party: 2 Watermelon and 1 Peach.
Tip: Use cookie cutters to cut into fun shapes. A star cookie cutter would be a good example for July 4th.
Storage
Cover any leftovers with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Recipe for Gelatina con Tres Leches
I hope you give this incredibly fun Mexican Jello dessert recipe a try. And if you have any ideas for color combos for parties, let me know.
And if you’re looking for even more fun dessert recipes, don’t miss my dessert category. You’ll find lots of recipes to satisfy that sweet tooth, including the most popular dessert recipe on my site for No Bake Key Lime Pie with Eagle Brand Milk.
Gelatina con Tres Leches, Mexican Jello
Equipment
- 9×13 Baking Dish
Ingredients
- 18 ounces Flavored Jell-O of your choice 3 – 6 ounce packages
- 6 cups boiling water
- 4 tablespoons unflavored gelatin from about 6 packets
- 3 cups whole milk
- 1 4-inch Stick Mexican cinnamon, broken in half
- 14 ounce Can sweetened condensed milk
- 2 cups half-and-half
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- Lightly coat three 8-inch square pans and one 9 × 13-inch baking pan with cooking spray.
- In three separate bowls, mix each package of flavored gelatin with 2 cups boiling water. Pour each into its own greased square pan. Refrigerate for 2-3 hours.
- After the jellos have been in the fridge for a couple of hours, make the milk gelatin. In a 3-quart saucepan, mix the gelatin into 1 cup water.
- Set aside for about 5 minutes so the gelatin can bloom.
- Set the saucepan over medium-low heat and stir occasionally until the gelatin has dissolved. Add the whole milk and heat to just under a simmer. Add the cinnamon stick, remove from the heat, and let the mixture steep for 30 minutes.
- Remove the cinnamon stick and whisk in the condensed milk, half-and- half, and vanilla extract. Set aside while you prep the colored gelatins.
- Remove the colored gelatins from the refrigerator and cut each flavor into 1-inch cubes. Evenly spread out and mix each flavor in a 9 × 13-inch pan. A Pyrex casserole pan works great for this.
- Pour the cooled milk gelatin over the cubes of already set up Jell-o's. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours, or over-night is even better for this step.
- Using a very sharp knife, cut the gelatina con tres leches into cubes and serve in large serving bowl.
Notes
Nutrition
Gelatina con Tres Leches ( Mexican Jello ) … It’s Whats For a Fun Dessert
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What an absolutely fun dessert and it’s lovely too. Tres leche anything is delicious but incorporating jello within it sounds so good and what a fun dessert to serve and to eat. I love this!