Looking for a festive dish that’s sure to impress? This jello fruit salad bursts with tart cranberry, crisp apple, and refreshing raspberry gelatin—and it’s perfect for your holiday table! With each bite, you’ll get a delightful mix of flavors that pairs perfectly with savory dishes and sparks conversation. Ready to wow your guests? Add this nostalgic, crowd-pleasing Christmas jello salad to your holiday spread and watch it disappear!
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3 Reasons to Make Jello Fruit Salads
- It’s easy to prepare and can be made ahead of time, allowing for stress-free entertaining or a dish to share at potlucks.
- Jello recipes with fruit are a hit with all ages, and this one, with its bold holiday color and chunky fruit texture, makes a stunning dessert or sweet side dish that’s sure to dazzle at any gathering.
- It’s dairy-free so everyone can enjoy it. We don’t use cottage cheese or cream cheese, so this is the ideal dish to “take to pass” at any event.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Cranberry juice or Cranberry apple juice – or substitute with your favorite juice or even water. Don’t use sugar-free cranberry juice or another juice with artificial sugar, as heating the juice will give it a bitter taste.
- Raspberry or Strawberry Jello gelatin – we went with raspberry jello salad for a festive red vibe and flavor, but you can use any flavor or even sugar free gelatin.
- Whole berry cranberry sauce – we recommend our easy whole cranberry sauce, though you can use canned cranberry sauce. Or, use canned crushed pineapple or mini pineapple chunks instead. Avoid using fresh pineapple, as the enzymes prevent the gelatin from gelling properly.
- Apple – diced apples provide a crisp bite to this fruit jello but feel free to swap them for mandarin oranges, fresh strawberries, or diced bananas. Use any fresh fruit except for kiwi or pineapple. The natural enzymes in those fruits prevent gelatin from setting properly.
Recipe Variations
Strawberry Jello Salad – use strawberry gelatin and apple juice and substitute 2 cups of chopped strawberries for the cranberry sauce for the perfect summertime jello fruit salad.
Jello with Fruit Cocktail – use 2 1/2 cups of drained, canned fruit cocktail in place of the cranberry sauce and apples. This quick and easy salad would eliminate any need to prep the fruit.
Do you have an abundance of apples? Check out these apple desserts like apple cobbler with Bisquick or sourdough cake with apples to help use them up!
How to Make Jello with Fruit
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, bring the cranberry juice or hot water to a low boil, about 5 minutes.
- Add the boiling juice and gelatin packet to a large bowl. Do not follow the packet directions. Stir for 2 minutes or until the gelatin is completely dissolved.
- Add the ice cubes. Stir until the mixture thickens, about 3-5 minutes. Remove any unmelted ice cubes.
🎯 TFN Pro Tip
Be sure to use a bowl for this gelatin salad instead of a mold. We tried using jello molds to set the gelatin for a fun, Christmas jello salad look, but the amount of cranberry sauce prevented it from molding thick enough to create a molded gelatin salad.
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- Adding fruit to jello – add the cranberry sauce and chopped apples to the gelatin mixture. Stir well.
- Refrigerate for 4 hours or until firm. Stir before serving.
How Long Does Jello Take to Set
Typically, it takes 4 hours to fully set. Using the speed set method with ice cubes like in our recipe, it takes 30-90 minutes. But since we’ve added added cranberry sauce and chopped apples, we’re recommending 4 hours for this fruit jello salad recipe to set.
Serving Suggestions
For a festive dessert topping, add a bit of cool whip or whipped cream on top with fresh cranberries, cherries, or mint leaves to your fruit in jello dish. Serve it with a Crock Pot ham or Prime Ribeye roast entree.
Recipe FAQs
No, you can use homemade cranberry sauce! You’ll love our super easy homemade cranberry sauce recipe.
Yes you can use water instead of juice, or even half water and half juice for a slightly less sweet gelatin salad.
It can take anywhere from 30 minutes to 4 hours, depending on how it’s prepared. For the speed-setting method, with ice cubes instead of cold water, it will take from 30 to 90 minutes. Using the traditional method with boiling water (or juice) and cold water, it takes 4 hours.
Our recipe uses the speed set method, but since we’re adding cranberry sauce and chopped apples, allow up to 4 hours for your raspberry jello salad to set.
You can! Just avoid using fresh pineapple and kiwi, as the enzymes in those fruits will keep the gelatin from setting properly. Or use 2 1/2 cups of drained canned fruit instead.
Yes, use whatever flavor or color gelatin or even unflavored gelatin in this jello fruit recipe.
You can use sugar-free Jello/gelatin. All other measurements and instructions remain the same. Don’t follow the direction on the box to prepare the jello, though.
You can keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Other Holiday Side Dish Recipes to Consider…
If you tried this jello salad recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Jello Fruit Salad
Equipment
- small saucepan
- whisk - or large spoon
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups cranberry juice or cranberry apple juice or water, see notes for substitutes
- 6 ounce (large) box Raspberry or Strawberry Jello gelatin or a .6 ounce (large) box of sugar free gelatin
- 3 cups ice cubes
- 14 ounces whole berry cranberry sauce (about 2 cups)
- 1 medium apple peeled and chopped (about 1 ¼ cup)
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, bring the cranberry juice or water to a low boil, about 5 minutes.
- Add the boiling juice and jello packet to a large bowl. Do not follow the packet directions. Stir for 2 minutes or until the gelatin is completely dissolved.
- Add the ice cubes. Stir with a whisk or large spoon until the mixture thickens, about 3-5 minutes. Remove the unmelted ice cubes.
- Add the cranberry sauce and chopped apples to the gelatin mixture. Stir well, ensuring that the fruit is evenly mixed throughout.
- Refrigerate for 4 hours or until firm. Stir before serving.
- For a festive dessert topping, add a bit of cool whip or whipped cream on top with a fresh cranberries or mint leaves.
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