Cranberry Jello Salad (The EASIEST recipe!) (2024)

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Categories Christmas, Holiday Recipes, Recipes, Salads + Dressings, Side Dishes, Thanksgiving

Cranberry jello saladis a very easy recipe made with whole cranberry sauce, crushed pineapple, apples and strawberry gelatin. This recipe is quick to put together but needs to be chilled in the fridge in advance. It’s the perfect side dish to serve at your next holiday dinner!

Try our homemade cranberry sauce next! It’s flavored with a bit of orange zest and makes it extra delicious.

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Cranberry Pineapple Salad

This cranberry pineapple jello salad is a classic recipe that reminds me of my childhood. It’s easy peasy to make and a great addition to your holiday meal.

The process to make it is simple, all you need is a kettle of boiling water and a bowl to mix everything together. No stovetop is necessary.

Although this jello salad is sweet-tasting, it’s also tart all thanks to the cranberries. Traditionally it’s served as a side dish with a holiday dinner and roasted turkey. It would also taste great alongside roast beef, chicken or ham.

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Recipe Ingredients

You only need 5 ingredients to make this classic jello salad.

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How To Make Jello Cranberry Salad

Full ingredients and instructions are also in therecipe card at the bottom of this blog post.

STEP 1: Chop one small apple into bite-size pieces.

STEP 2: Add the 14 oz can of crushed pineapple, 14 oz can of whole cranberry sauce and 1 chopped apple to a bowl. Mix them together.

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STEP 3: In a separate bowl add two packs (6 oz) of strawberry gelatin. Add 1 ¾ cups of boiling water to the gelatin powder. Whisk for two minutes to fully dissolve.

STEP 4: Pour the jello liquid overtop of the canned fruit mixture and stir together. Place in the fridge for 3-4 hours to chill and set.

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STEP 5: Once fully chilled, stir with a spoon to break up the gelatin. Keep in the fridge until ready to serve.

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Recipe Tips

  • Be sure to use whole berry cranberry sauce versus jellied cranberry sauce. You want the whole cranberries for this recipe because they add great texture and flavor.
  • You can use regular strawberry jello, or a sugar-free version like I did. I used 2 packs ofSimply Delish strawberry gelatinthat’s sweetened with stevia. Raspberry gelatin or cherry jello (gelatin) will also work.
  • You can boil the hot water in a kettle (like I did) or in a pot on the stove (water must be hot, not cold water).
  • Substitute apples for canned mandarin oranges, chopped fresh pineapple or chopped pecans.

How To Store Leftovers

  • Refrigerate – Leftover jello saladcan be stored in an airtight container in the fridge up to 3-4 days. This recipe must be kept chilled until you’re ready to serve.
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Cranberry Pineapple Jello Salad

Cranberry pineapple jello salad is a very easy recipe made with whole cranberry sauce, crushed pineapple and strawberry gelatin. This recipe is quick to put together but needs to be chilled in the fridge in advance.

5 from 6 votes

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Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Chill Time: 3 hours hours

Total Time: 3 hours hours 15 minutes minutes

Servings: 8 servings

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Chop one small apple into bite-size pieces.

  • Add the 14 oz can of crushed pineapple, 14 oz can of whole cranberry sauce and 1 chopped apple to a bowl. Mix them together.

  • In a separate bowl add two packs (6 oz) of strawberry gelatin. Add 1 ¾ cups of boiling water to the gelatin powder. Whisk for two minutes to fully dissolve.

  • Pour the jello liquid overtop of the canned fruit mixture and stir together. Place in the fridge for 3-4 hours to chill and set.

  • Once fully chilled, stir with a spoon to break up the gelatin. Keep in the fridge until ready to serve.

Nutrition

Calories: 93kcal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 0.04g | Saturated Fat: 0.01g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.01g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.001g | Sodium: 102mg | Potassium: 26mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 21g | Vitamin A: 12IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 4mg | Iron: 0.1mg

The nutritional information provided is an estimate and is per serving.

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Cranberry Jello Salad (The EASIEST recipe!) (2024)

FAQs

What happened to Jello salads? ›

Jello salad fell out of fashion in the 1960s and 70s. The rise of Julia Child and the popularization of French cooking in the United States made the jello salad appear less elegant, and dieting trends eventually turned against sugary food like Jell-O.

How do you spruce up cranberry jelly? ›

Adding a teaspoon or two of fresh lemon or orange zest, a tablespoon of chopped candied peel, or even a splash of juice to your canned sauce will brighten flavors and bring in some homemade flavor.

What is Jello salad made of? ›

Empty whipped topping into a medium sized bowl. Sprinkle Jell-O over the top and fold in so it is well blended. Add cottage cheese and pineapple and fold into Jell-O mixture. Chill for about 4 hours so that the jello softens and slightly sets up.

Are Jello salads a Midwest thing? ›

Plain Jell-O and sweet Jell-O salads are still widely consumed in the US, especially in the rural Midwest and the Deep South.

Why do they always serve Jell-O in hospitals? ›

Why do hospitals serve so much Jell-O? There are a few reasons: Jell-O is easy to swallow and digest, making it suitable for patients who have difficulty eating solid foods or have digestive issues.

What should not be added to gelatin salad? ›

Fresh raw pineapple shouldn't be used in Jello salad because it contains protease enzymes. These will prevent the gelatin from gelling and will leave you with a liquid jello salad. Citrus fruits are fine.

Why is Jell-O not popular anymore? ›

Jell-O shifted to single-serve cups and more convenient options as competition for snacks and desserts grew. Kraft in the early 2000's shifted the focus of Jell-O's advertising away from kids and toward adults. It pitched sugar-free Jell-O, for example, as a treat for Atkins dieters.

Why is Jell-O so expensive? ›

The price of Gelatin has been soaring in the USA in the month of May, with prices up by around 20% from the same time last year, 2022. Several factors driving this price increase are increased demand, supply constraints, and rising input costs.

What state eats the most Jell-O? ›

Utah eats more Jell-O than any other state

The people in Utah love their Jell-O! The state has an entire holiday week dedicated to the jiggly treat, and it's even Utah's official state food.

Is Jell-O good for you? ›

Is Jello considered a healthy snack? Though Jello is low in fat, it has a high sugar content, making it high in calories. While occasionally having it in as a treat may not cause harm, in the broader picture, it does not make for a nourishing, healthy snack option.

Why was Jell-O so popular in the 60s? ›

Gelatin was very easy to prepare by mid-century cooking standards, and storing foods suspended within gelatin helped those foods stay fresh longer,” explains Ruth Clark, author and blogger at Mid Century Menu.

Why did people in the 50s eat so much Jell-O? ›

Gelatin salads had been around long before that, but it was only after the extensive rationing and scarcity of World War II that Americans began to fully embrace the convenience of Jell-O and other pre-packaged foods.

What happened to the sumo salad? ›

On 1 August 2018, Sumo Salad went into administration. A key reason given for its move was “legacy debts”, thought to relate to crippling rents the chain has been lumbered with at Westfield shopping centres. On 11 March 2022, the Sumo Group again put itself into administration..

Does anyone still eat Jell-O? ›

People were still eating colorful gelatin, but they were no longer serving it as a main course as frequently as they used to. These days, it's more of a quirky novelty snack than an accepted meal option.

References

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