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Cranberry Jello Salad is the best combination of tart, tangy, and sweet! It’s similar to cranberry sauce but a little sweeter from the jello with undertones of orange and pineapple. Add it to your holiday spread and watch it disappear!
Reasons You’ll Love This Recipe
- Easy to Make: No baking or complicated techniques are needed to whip up this simple recipe. You’ll just need to mix, chill, and enjoy!
- Looks So Festive: Cranberry Jello Salad has the most gorgeous presentation. Top it with whipped cream, orange zest, and fresh cranberries. It will make a beautiful addition to your holiday table!
- Perfect for the Holidays: Your Thanksgiving dinner must have at least one cranberry recipe! The sweet, tart flavors taste amazing and will go so well with your savory ham, turkey, and stuffing.
What’s in Cranberry Jello Salad?
You’ll only need six simple ingredients for this cranberry jello salad recipe. They come together to make something delicious. Check out the recipe card at the bottom of the post for all of the exact measurements.
- Cranberry Jello: You’ll need two (3-ounce) packages of cranberry flavored gelatin. It’s the perfect base to add flavor to the salad while holding everything together.
- Boiling Water: Dissolves the jello powder.
- Can Cranberry Sauce: Whole berry cranberry sauce will give this dish plenty of texture. It will also really make the cranberry flavor shine through.
- Can Crushed Pineapple: Use canned crushed pineapple for sweet-tart flavor and to ensure that your Jell-O salad sets properly.
- Citrus Zest: A combination of orange and lemon zest will really make the flavors pop!
How to Make Cranberry Jell-O Salad
Cranberry jello salad comes together in just two simple steps. All you need is 5 minutes of prep and time to let it set. This fruity, festive dessert or side dish will be so beautiful at your next Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner.
- Mix: Add the jello and boiling water to a large bowl and mix until the jello is completely dissolved.
- Stir and Chill: Stir in whole cranberry sauce, crushed pineapple, and orange and lemon zest. Pour the mixture into a large serving bowl. Cover and chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours before serving.
Helpful Tips and Variations
Here are some helpful tips and slight variations to make this cranberry jello salad exactly how you like!
- Make it Creamy: If you want a creamy cranberry jello salad, Add ½ cup of sweetened condensed milk.
- Other Flavors: Cranberry jello is a seasonal item, so it might be hard to find outside of the holiday season. Instead of cranberry, you can use cherry, raspberry, or strawberry jello, or even orange gelatin.
- Extra Add-Ins: Try adding ½ cup of toasted pecans or chopped walnuts, 1 cup of mini marshmallows, or both!
- Use Canned Pineapple: Make sure you use canned pineapple and not fresh pineapple. There is an enzyme in fresh pineapple that prevents gelatin from becoming firm. So, your salad will never set up if you use fresh!
- For Less Pineapple Flavor: Drain the pineapple juice if you’d like a little less pineapple flavor. If you do this, you will need to increase the boiling water amount to 2 cups.
- Topping: Garnish with whipped cream or whipped topping and a dusting of orange zest on top for a little added flare!
How to Store Jello Salad Leftovers
This is a great side to volunteer to make for Thanksgiving. It’s super simple, and you can make it ahead of time. I’m all about low stress during the holidays.
- Fridge: This is a great make-ahead dish! You can prepare it up to 3 days before serving it. It will stay good, covered in the fridge for up to 7 days.
- Freeze: Because gelatin doesn’t freeze well, this cranberry jello salad cannot be frozen.
More Cranberry Recipes for the Holidays
Cranberry is the fruit of the season! From sweet to savory, I absolutely love cranberry recipes this time of year. Not only do they look bright and festive, but they have a wonderful sweet, tart, tangy flavor!
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Cranberry Jello Salad
Ingredients
- 2 (3-ounce) packages cranberry flavored gelatin
- 1 ½ cups boiling water
- 1 (14-ounce) can cranberry sauce, whole berry
- 1 (20-ounce) can crushed pineapple, not drained
- 2 tablespoons orange zest
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
Instructions
- Add 2 (3-ounce) packages cranberry flavored gelatin and 1 ½ cups boiling water to a large bowl and mix until the jello is completely dissolved.
- Stir in the 1 (14-ounce) can cranberry sauce, whole berry, 1 (20-ounce) can crushed pineapple, not drained, and 2 tablespoons orange zest and 1 tablespoon lemon zest.
- Pour the jello mixture into a large serving bowl, cover, and chill in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours before serving.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Is it possible to use fresh cranberries rather than canned? If so, how much would be needed? Thanks.
Hi Lynn, thank you for your question. I’m not sure that I would replace the cranberry sauce with fresh cranberries. The consistency and flavor will be different and I’m not sure how it will set up.