You only need four ingredients to make these creamy pudding shots that are perfect for your next party or holiday event. Pudding shots are a boozy delicious twist on the classic jello shot, easy to make, and you can prepare them ahead of time to make your party day to-do list a little shorter. We’ve also got a video to show you how easy they are to make!
Besides being easy to make (and heavenly tasting), pudding shots are also easy to customize to lots of different flavor profiles to fit your taste or party theme. See some of our favorite flavor combinations below!
Looking for fun shots? Check out:
- How to Make Vodka Jello Shots (with Video!)
- Candy Corn Jello Shots
- Rosé All Day Jello Shots
- Pink Lemonade Jello Shots
- Mojito Jello Shots
- Peanut Butter & Jelly Shot
- More Shot Recipes
What are pudding shots?
The creamy cousin of the jello shot, the pudding shots are an alcoholic pudding that can be made in a variety of flavors. The base of pudding shots is instant pudding mix that you add to alcohol for a boozy treat. These shots are super easy to make in large batches and you can prepare them ahead of time so they are the perfect thing to serve for parties and events.
Ingredients for pudding shots
- Instant pudding mix: Make sure that you get the instant variety of pudding mix and not the kind you have to cook, as that won’t set up the same.
- Milk: You’ll want your milk straight from the fridge as cold milk helps the pudding gel together properly.
- Alcohol: We are using Bailey’s for this recipe, but you can substitute whatever kind of alcohol you like! You can also split the alcohol content between two liquors for a more nuanced taste.
- Cool Whip: This creamy addition helps give the pudding shots more body and adds to the fluffy dreamy texture.
Try these pudding shot flavor variations!
- Christmas Cocoa: Chocolate pudding and peppermint vodka
- Banana Dream: Banana cream pudding and vanilla vodka
- Caramel apple: Caramel pudding and apple vodka
- Horchata: Vanilla pudding and RumChata
- Cherry cheesecake: Cheesecake pudding and cherry vodka
- Coffee cake: Vanilla pudding and Kahlua
- Pistachio: Pistachio pudding and vanilla vodka
- Irish Cream: Vanilla pudding with Bailey’s
- Double chocolate: Chocolate pudding with chocolate vodka
- Pumpkin pie: Pumpkin spice pudding and vanilla vodka
- Tropical Island: Banana cream pudding with Malibu coconut rum
- S’Mores: Chocolate pudding with marshmallow vodka and graham crackers crumbled on top.
- Classic chocolate: Chocolate pudding with vodka
- Classic vanilla: Vanilla pudding and vodka.
What are the best toppings for pudding shots?
Depending on the flavor you are pairing it with, you can add:
- whipped cream
- sprinkles
- chocolate shavings
- fresh berries
- crushed Oreos
- crushed graham crackers
- mint
- cinnamon
- crushed nuts
- cocoa powder
Add right before serving so your toppings don’t melt or get soggy!
How to make pudding shots
Mix your pudding base: Add cold milk and alcohol to your instant pudding dry mix and mix together with a hand mixer or whisk for two minutes until combined.
Add Cool Whip: Add thawed Cool Whip and fold or whisk until combined with no white streaks.
Chill and serve: Spoon into small cups or shot glasses and chill for at least 30 minutes before serving.
How do you serve pudding shots?
You can serve pudding shots in small plastic cups with lids or in shot glasses if you want a reusable option.
How do you eat pudding shots?
Depending on how much Cool Whip you add to the recipe, the consistency will be a thicker or thinner pudding. Thicker pudding shots can be served with small spoons to scoop it out and thinner pudding shots can be tipped and drunk straight into your mouth.
How many pudding shots does it take to equal one regular shot?
If you add one cup of alcohol and get 20 pudding shots, each shot will have .4 ounces of alcohol. One shot is usually 1.5 ounce of alcohol, so you would need about three pudding shots to get the content of one regular shot.
Tips for Making
- If adding toppings like whipped cream or chocolate shavings, add right before serving so they don’t get soggy or start to melt.
- As long as your alcohol adds up to one cup of liquid, you can divide that into several different alcohols if you want more than one alcohol flavor.
- Want a stronger pudding shot? Use a harder alcohol (like vodka, rum, etc.) or choose something with a lower alcohol content (like Kahlua or Bailey’s) if you want less of an alcohol punch.
- If your larger size of instant pudding package recipe calls for more than 2 cups of liquid, just split that amount evenly between milk and alcohol so it will set properly (so if it calls for 3 cups liquid, do 1.5 cups of milk and 1.5 cups of alcohol).
Looking for pudding recipes? Try these!
- Rice Pudding
- Figgy Pudding – Christmas Pudding
- The Easiest Pumpkin Pie Pudding
- Non-Dairy Chocolate Pudding
- Easy Chia Seed Pudding
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you store pudding shots?
You can keep pudding shots in the fridge in airtight containers for up to 7 days.
Can you freeze pudding shots?
Yes! You can freeze pudding shots for up to 2 months, just make sure that the cups aren’t full to the top when you fill them so they have some room to expand.
Can pudding shots be kid friendly?
Yes! If you do all milk instead of milk and alcohol, you can serve these at a kid function as well—extra whipped cream and sprinkles, please!
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Ingredients
- 1 3-4 ounces box of instant pudding
- 1 cup cold milk
- 1 cup alcohol of your choice
- 4 ounces cool whip thawed ((half an 8 oounce container))
Instructions
- Mix your pudding base: Add your cold milk and alcohol to your instant pudding dry mix and mix together with a hand mixer or whisk for two minutes until combined.
- Add Cool Whip: Add thawed Cool Whip and fold or whisk until combined with no white streaks.
- Chill and serve: Spoon into small cups or shot glasses and chill for at least 30 minutes before serving.
Notes
Tips for Making
- If adding toppings like whipped cream or chocolate shavings, add right before serving so they don’t get soggy or start to melt.
- As long as your alcohol adds up to one cup of liquid, you can divide that into several different alcohols if you want more than one alcohol flavor.
- Want a stronger pudding shot? Use a harder alcohol (like vodka, rum, etc.) or choose something with a lower alcohol content (like Kahlua or Bailey’s) if you want less of an alcohol punch.
Try these pudding shot flavor variations!
- Christmas Cocoa: Chocolate pudding and peppermint vodka
- Banana Dream: Banana cream pudding and vanilla vodka
- Caramel apple: Caramel pudding and apple vodka
- Horchata: Vanilla pudding and RumChata
- Cherry cheesecake: Cheesecake pudding and cherry vodka
- Coffee cake: Vanilla pudding and Kahlua
- Pistachio: Pistachio pudding and vanilla vodka
- Irish Cream: Vanilla pudding with Bailey’s
- Double chocolate: Chocolate pudding with chocolate vodka
- Pumpkin pie: Pumpkin spice pudding and vanilla vodka
- Tropical Island: Banana cream pudding with Malibu coconut rum
- S’Mores: Chocolate pudding with marshmallow vodka and graham crackers crumbled on top.
Nutrition
Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated, using Spoonacular, for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.
These were a 10 out of 10 for our Friendsgiving, such a fun and somehow nostalgic ‘drink’ option!
Add less liquid to enhance solidification.
2 packages (3.4 oz) Instant Pudding Mix
1 1/4 cup milk
3/4 cup vodka (vanilla or whipped cream flavor)
So excited about this recipe!
These look delicious!
So easy to make for parties!