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Salted Caramel Pudding Shots are the 5 ingredient party dessert that disappears first every single time, creamy vanilla pudding spiked with caramel vodka, crowned with whipped cream and a salty sweet caramel drizzle, and the batch I made for game night last month was gone before the second round of cards. If your hosting style includes dessert you can sip, our lemon pudding shots with limoncello are the sunshine flavored sibling.
Ten minutes of whisking, an hour in the refrigerator, and you have 16 boozy little desserts ready for the party.
Salted Caramel Pudding Shots Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 10 minutes
- 🌡️ Cook Time: 0 minutes
- ⏳ Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes (includes chill)
- 🍽️ Serving: 16 shots
- ⚡ Calories: 20kcal
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Sweet caramel and vanilla with a salty finish and a vodka kick
- ✋ Difficulty: Easy, on par with our sparkling jello shots
Quick Answer
To make salted caramel pudding shots, whisk instant vanilla pudding mix with milk in a large bowl, then add caramel vodka, salted caramel syrup, and whipped topping and whisk until smooth. Pour the mixture into 2 ounce shot cups, chill for at least 1 hour, and top with whipped cream, an extra caramel drizzle, and a pinch of coarse salt before serving.
Jump to:
- Salted Caramel Pudding Shots Quick Look
- Quick Answer
- Why This Recipe Works
- Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Key Ingredients
- Variations and Substitutions
- How to Make Salted Caramel Pudding Shots
- Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Serving Ideas and Suggestions
- Salted Caramel Pudding Shots FAQs
- Other Recommended Party Drink and Dessert Recipes
- Salted Caramel Pudding Shots
Why This Recipe Works
Click to see the technique science
- Instant pudding sets despite the alcohol. The modified starch in instant pudding mix thickens with cold liquid alone, so it firms up even with vodka in the mix, no gelatin or cooking required.
- The milk to vodka ratio is calibrated. Too much alcohol keeps pudding from setting. This ratio lands at boozy but still spoonably firm after an hour in the refrigerator.
- Caramel vodka doubles down on the theme. Using a flavored vodka instead of plain means the caramel flavor runs through the shot instead of just sitting on top.
- Whipped topping lightens the texture. Folding whipped topping into the base turns dense pudding into a fluffy mousse that you can sip or spoon.
- Salt is the secret weapon. A tiny pinch of coarse salt on top sharpens the caramel and keeps the sweetness from going one note.
- The chill hour does the heavy lifting. An hour in the refrigerator lets the starch network fully set, so the shots hold their swirl when topped.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Five ingredients, one bowl, zero cooking, this is the easiest dessert on the party table.
- They are make ahead friendly, the shots can chill for up to 2 days before topping.
- Dessert and cocktail in one little cup, and they pair perfectly with a batch of our green party punch for the non spiked crowd.
Key Ingredients
Five simple ingredients plus toppings build these little showstoppers.
- Instant Vanilla Pudding Mix: The base and the thickener. It must be instant, not cook and serve, since the shots set in the refrigerator.
- Caramel Vodka: The flavor carrier. Smirnoff Kissed Caramel is our pick, but any caramel or vanilla vodka works.
- Salted Caramel Syrup: A squeeze in the base and a drizzle on top. Ghirardelli sea salt caramel sauce is rich and pourable.
- Whipped Topping: Folded in to make the filling light and mousse like. Thaw it in the refrigerator first.
- Milk and Whipped Cream: Cold milk activates the pudding, and a swirl of whipped cream finishes each shot like a tiny sundae.
See recipe card for exact quantities.
Variations and Substitutions
One bowl base, endless party tricks.
- Chocolate caramel: Use chocolate instant pudding with the same caramel vodka for a turtle candy vibe.
- Apple caramel: Swap in caramel apple vodka and a pinch of cinnamon for fall parties.
- RumChata version: Replace half the vodka with RumChata for a creamier, spiced finish.
- Virgin pudding cups: Replace the vodka with milk for a kid friendly batch, just keep them clearly separated.
- Crushed cookie rims: Dip the cup rims in caramel then crushed pretzels or graham crumbs, a trick borrowed from our kiss on the lips cocktail presentation.
How to Make Salted Caramel Pudding Shots
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the pudding mix and milk.
- Add the vodka, caramel syrup, and whipped topping.
- Whisk everything together until the mixture is smooth and fully combined.
- Pour into 2 ounce shot cups and chill for 1 hour. Top the shots with whipped topping, extra salted caramel syrup, and a pinch of coarse salt, if desired, before serving.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Use instant pudding only. Cook and serve pudding will never set with cold milk and vodka.
- Whisk the pudding and milk first, before any alcohol goes in, so the starch hydrates properly.
- Use 2 ounce cups with lids if you are transporting them, dollar store souffle cups work perfectly.
- A piping bag makes filling clean. Snip the corner of a zip top bag and pipe the mixture into the cups.
- Top just before serving. Whipped cream from a can deflates after an hour or two in the refrigerator.
- Keep them cold. Serve from a tray over ice if they will sit out longer than 30 minutes.
- Label the boozy tray. They taste deceptively innocent, make sure guests know these are 21 plus.
Serving Ideas and Suggestions
Pudding shots are the dessert course of a great party drink lineup. Set them out alongside a pitcher of peach bellinis or a round of blue Hawaiian cocktails and let guests graze.
For holiday spreads, they sit beautifully next to a no bake dessert board, think our jello cloud mousse in little cups, fresh berries, and pretzels for dipping.
They also make a fun birthday cake alternative, stack them in a tower on a cake stand, add candles to the top tier, and watch the table light up.
Salted Caramel Pudding Shots FAQs
They need at least 1 hour in the refrigerator to set to a spoonable, mousse like firmness. If your kitchen is warm or you used a heavy pour of vodka, give them 2 hours to be safe.
Each 2 ounce shot contains roughly 1/4 ounce of vodka, so they are gentle, more dessert than cocktail. That said, they go down easy, so keep count and keep them away from the kids table.
You can make and fill the cups up to 2 days ahead. Cover the tray with plastic wrap in the refrigerator, then add the whipped cream, caramel drizzle, and salt just before serving so the toppings stay perky.
Yes, they freeze surprisingly well for up to a month thanks to the alcohol, which keeps them from freezing rock solid. Serve them straight from the freezer for a soft serve like texture or thaw 15 minutes first.
Caramel vodka is the move, Smirnoff Kissed Caramel is easy to find and tastes like the candy. Vanilla vodka, whipped cream vodka, or even RumChata all work if caramel is not on the shelf.
The usual culprits are cook and serve pudding instead of instant, too much alcohol, or not enough chill time. Stick to the measured vodka amount, use instant mix, and give them the full hour in the refrigerator.
Building a full party menu? Our green party punch fills the glasses while these fill the dessert tray.
Prefer a spoonable dessert without the booze? Try our from scratch pistachio pudding.
For a festive treat, make a tray of birthday cake pudding shots.
Salted Caramel Pudding Shots
Ingredients
- 3 ounce box of vanilla instant pudding mix
- 1 & ¼ cups milk
- ¾ cup caramel vodka
- 2 tablespoons Salted caramel syrup
- 8 ounces whipped topping
- Whipped topping for topping
- Caramel sauce for topping
- Optional: Coarse salt for topping
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together pudding mix and milk.3 ounce box of vanilla instant pudding mix, 1 & ¼ cups milk
- Add vodka, caramel syrup, and cool whip, and whisk to combine.¾ cup caramel vodka, 2 tablespoons Salted caramel syrup, 8 ounces whipped topping
- Pour into 2 ounce shot cups. Chill for 1 hour before serving.
- Top the shots with whipped topping, extra salted caramel syrup, and salt, if desired.Whipped topping for topping, Caramel sauce for topping, Optional: Coarse salt for topping
Notes
- Use a cookie scoop for even portions when filling your plastic shot glasses. Set up an assembly line with someone else for quick production.
- If using graham crackers or oreo cookies as a topping, add them right before serving so they remain crunchy. Soggy cookies are no fun!
- For an extra twist, mix different flavors of pudding in separate batches and layer them.
- Always whisk the pudding mixture well to avoid any lumps.
- If you’re using alcohol, always add it after the pudding has begun to set to keep the consistency right.
- Make them festive! Depending on the time of year or occasion, you can adjust the garnishes and flavors to suit.
Nutrition
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these are awesome