Cranberry Salad with Jello

5 from 1 vote

This sweet-tart cranberry salad with jello recipe is perfect for the holidays! Try this raspberry cranberry jello salad for your festive table.

Prep Time10

Cook Time5

time for gelatin to set4

Total Time4 15

Course: Side Dish, Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: servings

Calories: 131kcal

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

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.

Be sure to use a bowl for this gelatin salad instead of a mold. We tried using jello molds to set the salad, but the amount of cranberry sauce prevented it from molding thick enough to create a molded salad.

Ingredient Notes:

Cranberry juice or Cranberry apple juice - use your favorite juice or water. Don't use sugar-free cranberry juice or another juice with artificial sugar as heating the juice will give it a bitter taste.
Cranberry sauce - 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. Don't use fresh kiwi as the enzymes will keep the gelatin mixture 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. Cherry jello is also a great option.
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.

Storing Instructions:

Nutritional information facts were calculated using regular Jello and cranberry juice