Deck out your holiday table with this tangy, cold Cranberry Jello Salad! It’s bursting with fruit flavor and topped with a sweet and fluffy cream cheese layer to create a festive side dish!
I remember thinking gelatin salads were old‑fashioned, until I made this one and realized how much festive nostalgia they add to your holiday table!
Amid all the all the heavier dishes at the holidays, it’s nice to have something refreshing to balance them, don’t you think? Homemade cranberry orange sauce often fits that bill in our house, but this cranberry jello salad also makes a festive choice!
When I serve this at holiday dinners, people always pause. The color – that deep rosy‑red – draws them in. Then the taste surprises everyone with its sweet, slightly tart, a bit crunchy, creamy and very fruit‑forward flavor.
What You’ll Need
Find the full printable recipe with specific measurements below.
For the Jello Salad
- Jello: You’ll need one package of your favorite red jello—strawberry, cherry, or raspberry are fine.
- Water: To dissolve the jello, you’ll need a little bit of boiling water. From there, you’ll add cold water to cool it down.
- Pineapple: Make sure to use canned pineapple; crushed or “tidbits” are fine. Do not drain. Fresh pineapple will cause the jello not to set properly.
- Mandarin Oranges: Canned mandarin orange segments add flavor and enrich the color of the jello salad. You can substitute fresh mandarins if you like but the canned tend to be more tender, with less peel and pith. Plus they’re easy!
- Apple: Wash and core, but don’t peel the apple, and dice it up.
- Whole Cranberry Sauce: Make sure you don’t get jellied cranberry sauce, use the kind with whole berries.
- Walnuts: You can substitute pecans for the walnuts, if you prefer.
For the Topping
- Cream Cheese: Use regular cream cheese, not low-fat, for the best flavor and texture.
- Powdered Sugar: Powdered sugar adds sweetness and fluffiness to the mixture.
- Cream: Make sure to have heavy whipping cream, not half and half.
How to Make Cranberry Jello Salad
Below are a few tips, scroll down to the printable recipe card for full instructions!
Fully dissolve the gelatin in boiling hot water. If granules remain, it won’t set properly. After the gelatin is dissolved, add cold water (or even cold juice) to start cooling before adding fruit.
Chill in the fridge for at least 4‑6 hours, preferably overnight. It might sound simple, but rushing the chill time is where a lot of people go wrong. If it’s not fully chilled, the center may not be set and the texture will be off.
Use a mold or Bundt pan sprayed lightly with cooking spray for a pretty shape. While there is no need to pour the jello into a mold, you can definitely do this if you want to! However, it’s just as gorgeous served in a clear glass baking dish, a cut glass bowl, or a plain casserole dish.
If you want to “unmold it”, use hot water before flipping it. Gently lower the mold into a pan of hot water before inverting it over a plate. The hot water will “melt” the outside of the jello salad and help it release from the mold. I also recommend using a little bit of cooking spray in the mold or dish to keep the jello from sticking.
If you’re making this ahead, add toppings right before serving. When you’re almost ready to serve, make the topping and add it fresh with any garnishes. That way, everything stays pretty and fresh when it hits the table.
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Tips for Success
- Serving Options: While there is no need to pour the jello into a mold, you can definitely do this if you want to! However, it’s just as gorgeous served in a clear glass baking dish, a cut glass bowl, or a plain casserole dish.
- Topping Optional: For a less-sweet, more cranberry-sauce style recipe, you can leave off the topping entirely! This may just be your favorite new fancy cranberry sauce recipe.
How to Store Cranberry Jello Salad
To store cranberry sauce, pack it into an airtight container, and place it in the fridge. It will keep for up to one week. I do not recommend freezing and thawing jello salad! The components may become watery and mushy after freezing and thawing.
Can I Make This Ahead?
Yes, you can! Make the jello layer up to 6 days in advance, and store it in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Make and add the whipped topping just before serving. Since you’ve already stored it beforehand, do not store leftovers.
Cranberry Jello Salad With Cream Cheese Topping
Ingredients
For the Jello Layer:
- 1 package, 6 oz raspberry jello
- 1 cup boiling water
- ½ cup cold water
- 1 can, 20 oz crushed pineapple in juice, undrained
- 1 can, 15 oz mandarin oranges, drained
- 1 cup diced apple
- 1 can, 14 oz whole cranberry sauce
- 1 cup chopped walnuts, divided (or pecans)
For the Cream Cheese Topping Layer:
- 1 package, 8 oz cream cheese
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
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Instructions
- Spray a 9×13 inch baking dish, or a 2-quart casserole dish, with cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the boiling water with the jello and stir well to dissolve, 1 or 2 minutes. When the jello is completely dissolved, stir in the cold water.
- Add the pineapple, mandarin oranges, and cranberry sauce. Reserve two tablespoons of the chopped nuts, and add the rest to the jello mixture. Stir.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared pan or casserole dish, cover with plastic wrap, and chill for at least two hours, or up to 24 hours, until set.
- When ready to serve, make the topping. Beat the heavy whipping cream until fluffy, gradually adding the powdered sugar to make sweetened whipped cream.
- In a separate bowl, beat the cream cheese until soft and light. Gently fold the cream cheese into the sweetened whipped cream.
- Spread the whipped cream mixture over the jello salad, and sprinkle with the remaining chopped nuts. Refrigerate until time to serve.
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Nutrition
More Festive Holiday Sides
- Homemade stuffing is so much better than store bought and worth the effort.
- My best ever green bean casserole recipe is a must try!
- You can’t go wrong with this refreshing apple cranberry sauce.
- Garlic mashed potatoes or make-ahead mashed potatoes are perfect with gravy.
- My mom’s sweet potato casserole with marshmallows is a family favorite.
- Jiffy corn casserole is an easy side dish that disappears fast.
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Quick question- do you think you could substitute frozen strawberries for the cup of apple? Or add them? It’s so close to an old recipe my Grandma made, but strawberries are missing :-/
Sure! I think strawberries would be a great addition!
With the jello package, do you mean a 6 oz package?…I don’t think they make a 16 oz package.
Ugh! What an awful place to have a typo! Thank you for catching it and letting me know, I will update it right now. Yes, it should be a 6 oz package!