Vegan Chocolate Cherry Jello Shots

In your search for full-on summer recipes, make sure you keep this Vegan Chocolate Cherry Dessert Shots recipe on your list. If you’re wondering why, read on.

What’s the deal with summertime and simplicity? I mean, if you weren’t already into the concept of simplicity, it seems to take over you like a fever in summer.

It starts with spring cleaning in, oh, March or April or May…or never, and leads straight into summertime simplicity syndrome, otherwise known as SSS.

The primary SSS symptom is, a feeling of dread that comes over you when you think about taking on a laborious recipe that keeps you in the kitchen for hours. Hey, I’ll be honest with you and confess that this is even true for me and I love spending time in the kitchen. I’m just saying if I feel this way, then it must be a thing.

You gotta follow the thing.

Simple recipes + Summertime = Success!

Why You’ll Love These Vegan Chocolate Cherry Jello Shots

Look, there’s chocolate and cherries. Do I really need to say more?

OK. I will, but only because I like you so much.

First, let me share a little bit of bad news. This recipe is based off of the popular jello shots that you’ve probably seen a thousand times before. The problem is, jello is not vegan. Well, to be completely honest, jello is not even vegetarian. Yes, gelatin, which can be found in lots of commercially bought products (like PopTarts, Frosted Mini Wheats, and Jello), is made from animal products.

Do you want me to go into the gross details? I didn’t think so. But if you’re interested here’s how you can learn more about Gelatin and how it’s made.

So what’s a vegan to do when she wants a good jello shot? Well, that’s where agar agar comes in.

Agar Agar comes from algae and we vegans use it to create jello-like dishes. Of course, we can’t take credit for it because folks in Asia have been creating dishes from agar agar since the 1600s. Seriously.

Do you want to hear something awesome about agar agar? Of course you do!

Agar agar is nearly 80% fiber. That means in addition to a delicious dessert recipe below, you’re actually getting some much-needed fiber in your diet. In fact, in a recent episode of the Rich Roll Podcast, Dr. Garth Davis said that we need to be eating 35 grams of fiber a day. That’s a lot of fiber!

I’m not saying this recipe is the way to all your fiber needs, but it can help.

I buy agar agar at our local health food stores and even at the health food section of our grocery store. But if you don’t have agar agar at a nearby store, you can also buy it online. It may seem a little pricey at first, but you only need a little bit for each recipe so you can stretch it out for awhile.

We hope you love this recipe as much as we do! If you decide to try it, please share a photo using #namelymarly on Instagram or Twitter. We love seeing your photos!

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Vegan Chocolate Cherry Jello Shots

Prep Time

10 mins

Cook Time

30 mins

Total Time

40 mins

 

Add a little fun to your weekend with these Vegan Chocolate Cherry Jello Shots, made with a vegetarian version of gelatin and with less than 10 ingredients!

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: 9

Calories: 181 kcal

Author: Namely Marly

Ingredients

• 8 Oreo cookies
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• ¼ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips dairy-free
• ¾ cup vodka
• ¼ cup cherry syrup
• 1 tablespoon agar agar
• 5 oz dairy-free vanilla-flavored yogurt
• approximately 14 fresh cherries - 9 left whole the rest pitted and chopped

Instructions

1. Heat your oven to 325F. Cut parchment paper into strips and criss-cross them at the bottom of each muffin compartment. This will help easily remove the jello shots when they're ready to eat.
2. Place the Oreos in a food processor with the coconut oil. Pulse until a course meal develops. Press this evenly amongst the 9 mini muffin pan compartments.
3. Place in the oven and bake for 5-7 minutes. Remove and set aside to cool.
4. In a saucepan combine the vodka, cherry syrup, and agar agar. Give it a stir to combine and then place over medium high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer and cook for about 3 minutes or so, until the agar agar is dissolved.
5. Remove from heat and allow to cool for a moment or two before adding the yogurt and the approximately 5 chopped cherries. Pour the cherry mixture over the Oreo crusts. Place in the fridge to set, at least 30 minutes, but up to an hour.
6. Slice a sliver off the bottom of each of the remaining cherries to create a flat base and when the Vegan Cherry Jello Shots are set, place a whole cherry on top of each. Serve and get ready for the fun!

Nutrition Facts

Vegan Chocolate Cherry Jello Shots

Amount Per Serving

Calories 181 Calories from Fat 45

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 5g 8%

Saturated Fat 3g 15%

Cholesterol 1mg 0%

Sodium 60mg 3%

Potassium 119mg 3%

Total Carbohydrates 19g 6%

Dietary Fiber 1g 4%

Sugars 15g

Protein 1g 2%

Vitamin A 0.3%

Vitamin C 1.2%

Calcium 3.7%

Iron 7.8%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

If you’re like me and have a thing for chocolate and cherries together, consider these vegan  vegetarian recipes:

• You’ll love these Chocolate Cherry Crispy by White On Rice Couple
• Or how about some Chocolate Cherry Granola from the Healthy Maven
• While we’re at it, consider these Chocolate Cherry Chunk Mini Loaves from the PPK Kitchen. Love!
• Or check out my Chocolate Covered Cherries for a sweet, easy treat!

Whatever cherry treat you’re chomping on, enjoy!