Ocean Themed Jello Cups for a Birthday Party
What kid wouldn’t love to have an under the sea party for their birthday? And when you throw a kid’s party, you have to have some adorable snacks on the menu! These cute ocean themed Jello cups are the perfect no bake treat for your celebration. Combine blue gelatin with gummy fish and sharks to create an adorable snack all the little party guests will love.
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On top of being easy to make, these cute party treats are perfect for any occasion — from a birthday celebration to an ocean themed lesson at school. And the best part is that there’s no baking involved in making them!
Ocean Themed Jello Cups
My favorite part about this simple ocean themed party food is that you only need a handful of ingredients to make them! And you can get everything you need at the dollar store, which means they’re cheap AND easy to make!

These cute ocean desserts are perfect for a kid’s party because you can whip them up with just a few minutes of prep work. To make your own Jell-o treats, you’ll need:
- Blue gelatin. I used Sonic Ocean Water gelatin for these cups to give them an ocean flavor. But you can use any flavor blue gelatin for your own dessert. In addition to the gelatin, you’ll also need cold water and boiling water to prepare the dessert cups.
- Gummy sharks and Swedish fish. These cute rainbow gummy sharks and red Swedish fish are from Dollar Tree, but you can also find gummy sharks from Haribo in the candy section of most grocery stores.
- Nerds candy. Make the bottom of your desserts look like the ocean floor with the help of some rainbow Nerds candy.
- Small serving cups. Grab your own plastic dessert cups from the party section of Dollar Tree. Or use any clear plastic cups to prepare your own treats.
How to Make Ocean Themed Jell-O
You won’t believe how easy it is to make this adorable beach party food! In fact, there’s just two steps to putting this fun snack together — prepare the gelatin and add the candy!

Start by preparing your blue gelatin according to the package instructions. You’ll need to combine the gelatin powder with boiling water and stir until the powder has dissolved. Then, add the cold water to the bowl and whisk to stir the ingredients together.
After that, allow the gelatin to rest for a few minutes to give it time to cool. Pour the hot gelatin mixture over the top of your Nerds candy can make the candy start to melt and dissolve.

While you wait for your gelatin to cool, pour Nerds into the bottom of each cup. You’ll need just enough candy to completely cover the bottom of each dessert.
One 3-ounce package of gelatin will make around four snack cups, so keep that in mind as you’re deciding how many cups you’ll need to make for your party!

When the gelatin has cooled slightly, carefully pour it over the top of the Nerds. Once you’ve evenly divided the gelatin over each cup, place them in the refrigerator to chill for around one hour.

When the gelatin is soft set but not fully set, remove the cups from the fridge and add some Swedish fish to each dessert. Carefully slide the fish into the gelatin along the edges of the cup, then use your finger to smooth over the top of the Jell-O.
After that, return the cups to the fridge to chill for at least three more hours, until the gelatin is fully set.

When the Jello has had time to set, remove the cups from the fridge and top each dessert with a couple of gummy sharks. After that, your treats are ready to serve your shark party guests!
Ocean Themed Jello Cups for a Party
See how simple it is to prepare your own shark Jello cups for your party? And they’re sure to be a hit with the kids at your next birthday celebration!

And since these cute treats are so simple to make, there are so many easy ways to adjust the recipe to create your party desserts. Consider these recipe ideas as you’re making your own ocean snacks.
- Use different serving cups. The type and size of your serving cups will determine how many servings you get out of one box of Jello. So, if you’re not sure how much Jello you’ll need, keep in mind that one 3 ounce package makes around two cups of Jello when the gelatin has set up. To see how much your serving cups will hold, try filling the cup with water, then pour it into a measuring cup. That way, you’ll be able to see exactly how much Jello you’ll need to prepare to serve all your party guests.
- Add other ocean animals. Sharks and fish are cute options when making your ocean themed treats, but there are other ocean animals you could use, too! Try adding some gummy starfish or octopi to your treats to create some different ocean-themed snacks.
- Decorate with graham cracker sand. Turn your ocean Jello into cute beach Jello cups with the help of sand. Add a small amount of crushed graham crackers to the top and bottom of each treat to create a beachy look.
Ocean Themed Jello Recipe
Turn blue gelatin into adorable ocean themed Jello cups for a party with the help of gummy fish and sharks.
Ingredients
- 1 3.94 ounce Sonic Ocean Water gelatin
- Swedish fish
- Gummy sharks
- Rainbow nerds
Instructions
- Prepare the Ocean Water gelatin according to the package instructions and allow to cool slightly.
- Pour the rainbow Nerds into the bottom of four 8-ounce clear plastic cups.
- Pour the prepared gelatin evenly over the top of the Nerds after it has had time to cool.
- Place the cups in the refrigerator to chill for 1 hour, until the gelatin is soft set but not fully set.
- Lightly push the Swedish fish into the gelatin, then decorate the top of each cup with gummy sharks.
- Allow to fully set for another 3 hours before serving.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 63Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 11mgCarbohydrates: 14gFiber: 0gSugar: 8gProtein: 2g
More Easy Recipe Ideas:
31 Cute Ocean Crafts for Preschool
Copycat Ocean Water Slush Recipe
Emily is a midwestern mom of two boys. She loves all things DIY — from home renovations to kids birthday party planning. Whether she’s making a new farmhouse craft for her home or helping her kids with a cool activity, you can bet she’s in the middle of some kind of DIY project (or three) right now!
