This Cranberry Jello Salad is always on our holiday table. The combination of tart and sweet go perfectly together. This recipe is a must for every table.
This is the perfect side dish to my Thanksgiving Turkey recipe and bacon green bean salad.
This recipe was originally posted November 23, 2015, we’ve tweaked it a bit since then. This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.
Festive Cranberry Jello Salad
Cranberry jello salad is a must for our family on Thanksgiving because we love eating it with turkey.
Most Slavic people may find it strange eating something sweet with savory meat. Some of my relatives don’t even eat any kind of teriyaki or sweet and sour chicken because the thought of sweet meat is just too weird for them. I totally understand them. It’s something they aren’t used to.
My mother on the other hand always loved trying new things in the kitchen, and this cranberry jello happens to be one of them. Fortunately, everyone in my family loved it. Because of her, it’s now considered a “necessity” at the Thanksgiving table.
However, if you prefer not to eat it with your turkey, pour it into little individual cups and enjoy it just as a dessert. It’s a very refreshing dessert with the delightful texture of crushed pineapple and walnuts.
Ingredients:
- raspberry jello
- hot water
- cold water
- walnuts, chopped
- cans whole berry cranberry sauce
- crushed pineapple
How to Make Cranberry Jello Salad
1. In a large measuring cup dissolve the raspberry Jell-O powder with hot water. Then add cold water.
3. In a large bowl, combine the whole berry cranberry sauce, crushed pineapple, and chopped walnuts. Then pour in the jello and stir until well mixed in.
4. Pour the jello into either a large pan with raised edges or individual cups. Refrigerate overnight until it sets.
How long can I store cranberry jello salad in the fridge?
This will last about a week in the refrigerator. Any longer after that and the texture will begin to change.
Cranberry Jello Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 (6 oz) packages raspberry jello
- 2 cups hot water
- 2 cups cold water
- 2 14 oz cans whole berry cranberry sauce
- 2 can 20 oz crushed pineapple
- 1 cup walnuts chopped
Instructions
- In a large measuring cup dissolve the raspberry Jell-O powder with 2 cups of hot water. Then add 2 cups of cold water
- In a large bowl, combine the whole berry cranberry sauce, crushed pineapple, and chopped walnuts. Then pour in the jello and stir until well mixed in.
- Pour the jello into either a large pan with raised edges or individual cups. Refrigerate overnight until it sets.
Nutrition
More Thanksgiving Recipes
Here are some more of my family’s favorite Thanksgiving recipes:
- Pumpkin Bread Recipe - September 18, 2021
- Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies (VIDEO) - September 16, 2021
- Healthy Chicken Nuggets with Quinoa - September 15, 2021
Kristina Dale says
Made this Christmas Eve to have for Christmas dinner. Did not set at all and was a red, soupy mess☹️
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Kristina I am so sorry to hear that 🙁 did you use crushed pineapple or pineapple chunks? Maybe thats where the extra liquid came from?
Deb Booth says
I also made this and it didn’t set up either. And it kept bothering me. I read and reread and thought I’d decrease the water next time around as the flavor was really good. Finally figured it out. I used 2 small boxes of jello and not the large ones. Maybe that is the issue with the others. 🤦♀️
simplyhomecooked says
Deb, thank you so much for sharing that information with me. There is a high chance that this could be the reason why some people’s jello didn’t set.
Donna says
I made this but I cut the ingredients in half. I followed the recipe and refrigerated over night. I was very soupy,
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Donna, sorry to hear that happened. Did you use pineapple chunks or the crushed pineapple? Did you change any of the ingredients or did any of the ratios get adjusted more/less than half? Trying to see if I can help solve this problem for you.
Sherry says
This did not set up at all had to throw it all out
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Sherry, sorry to hear that. Not sure what happened. Did you change any of the ingredients or steps? Did you use crushed pineapple or chunks? Trying to see if I can help find out what happened.
Erica says
Unfortunately I bought chunked pineapple as you have in the picture then I read the recipe after!
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Erica, so sorry for the confusion!! I took a picture with the wrong pineapples but I made sure to put crushed pineapples in the ingredients and instructions. Most people don’t look at the photos for the ingredients so I didn’t think to change it. I am really sorry again! I hope you still are able to enjoy this cranberry jello salad.
Patty says
I make this for my father but I also add 2 small diced apples minus the nuts. It never lasts very long in the frig.
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Patty, that sounds like a really delicious addition 🙂
Joyce says
I did not drain the pineapple, it was so runny, we had cranberry soup
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Karen, I have made this recipe countless times and I have never had it runny. Do you think there’s a chance you might have misread the water to jello ratio? I’m trying to think of reasons why it might have been runny. How long did you let it sit in the fridge?
Jill says
How solidified should this be? Mine seems a bit runny.
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Jill, it shouldn’t be runny at all. How long did you refrigerate it for?
Patti Ellen says
Will this fit into a 9 x 13 dish?
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Patti, yes this recipe will fit into a 9×13 inch baking dish 🙂
Michele says
Hmmm….wondering if the crushed pineapple is drained or not?
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Michele, I don’t drain the crushed pineapple for this cranberry jello salad.
Michele says
Thank you!