Cranberry Jello Salad

cranberry pineapple jello salad with lemon cream cheese toppings in the center, garnished with sugared cranberries, on a cake stand

Our cranberry jello salad is sweet and tart with an amazing creamy topping. This perfect holiday treat might create a stampede to the table!

Course Dessert, Salad

Cuisine American

Keyword Cranberry Jello Salad, Cranberry Jello Salad Recipe, Cranberry Salad, Holiday Desserts, How Do I Make Cranberry Jello Salad, How To Make Cranberry Jello Salad, Jello Salad, No Bake Dessert

Prep Time 20

Total Time 20

Servings servings

Calories 291kcal

Author Kathleen

Ingredients

Cranberry Jello:

2 (3-ounce) boxes cherry or raspberry jello
1/2 envelope unflavored gelatin
1 cup boiling water
1/2 cup cold water
1 (14-ounce) can whole berry cranberry sauce
1 (20-ounce) can crushed pineapple juices included
1 fresh pear, peeled, cored, and chopped
2/3 cup walnuts, chopped

Lemon Cream Topping:

1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
2/3 cup granulated sugar, divided
1 (8-ounce) container Cool Whip, thawed per container instructions
zest of 1 lemon
4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Optional Garnish:

1 cup whole cranberries or sugared cranberries
lemon xest
2 sprigs fresh mint

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Spray a 9X9 inch baking dish or 6-cup Jello mold with nonstick cooking spray.
In a medium glass mixing bowl, place both jello packages and unflavored gelatin (1/2 envelope). Add boiling water (1 cup) and stir continuously, for 2 minutes, until the jello and gelatin are completely dissolved. Add cold water (1/2 cup) to the mixture.
Add the pineapple along with juice (1 can), the cranberry sauce (1 can), chopped pear, and chopped walnuts (2/3 cup). Stir mixture until evenly mixed.
Pour into prepared mold, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until firmly set.
Meanwhile, in a large bowl, beat the cream cheese (1 package), lemon juice (4 tablespoons), lemon zest, and 1 cup of sugar until the mixture is smooth.
Fold the Cool Whip (1 container) into the cream cheese mixture until just incorporated. Refrigerate it until firmed up enough to neatly spoon in to the Jello center.
About an hour before serving, invert the jello mold onto a serving platter. Allow it to sit and the jello will release onto the plate.
Fill the center of the Jello mold with lemon cream topping or serve in a bowl on the side.
Garnish with fresh whole cranberries or sugared cranberries, lemon zest, and fresh mint leaves.

Notes

Weeping: As any jello salad comes to room temperature, especially in a warm room, it can potentially weep a little. I like to serve this on a rimmed serving dish to make sure there’s no mess. To make it pretty, take a tip from all the grandma’s before us and place a layer of pretty ruffled lettuce under the jello salad before inverting from the mold to the platter! No one will ever notice if any weeping occurs!
Chopping walnuts: If you are like me, chopping small, dense ingredients without the help of a food processor often results in more bits on the floor than on the cutting board! Try this trusty method. Grab a chef’s knife, group your walnuts together, and use a base to tip rocking motion to slowly work through the pile.
Mold selection: As mentioned above, you can use a 9 by 9-inch baking dish if you don’t have a mold handy. If you prefer a swankier shaped salad, as long as the mold is a volume of 6 cups, you can’t go wrong. Maybe err on the side of a flatter-shaped top, since you will be decorating it with dollops and berries.
1. If you’re using a different type of mold that doesn’t have an open center, you can decoratively mound some of the lemon cream on the top of the Jello and then pipe any extra cream around the base. If you want to keep it real simple, you can serve the lemon cream in a bowl next to the Jello salad.
Jello selection: Cherry Jello is my personal favorite, but you can concoct a raspberry cranberry jello salad that works just as well. If you want to get even wilder, try a package of black cherry jello!
What to do if your jello splits: This shouldn’t happen if you allow your jello to set long enough. If you are having trouble removing it from the mold, try soaking the outside of the mold in warm water for about ten seconds, and loosening the edges with a knife. If all else fails, you can serve up your salad in fancy little cups! I promise it will taste just as great! Do a quick Pinterest search for pretty jello cups if you’re feeling discouraged.
Uses for leftover gelatin: This recipe calls for only half a packet of unflavored gelatin. If you are a Frugal Franny like me, you will want to make good use of that second half! And you will be happy to learn that gelatin has many uses. Add it to tea, broth, or smoothies for a silky texture and a boost of collagen. Or use it as a substitute for eggs in baked goods. Check out WebMD’s article on gelatin to learn more about all of its health benefits (think bones, joints, skin, nails, hair…)
Topping variations: If you need a break from cream cheese for some crazy reason, cranberry jello salad with cool whip (cool whip alone, not as an ingredient as we use it in our lemon cream) and cranberry jello salad with sour cream are also delicious.
Garnishing: really sets this salad off. I used fresh or sugared cranberries, a little lemon peel, and fresh mint.

Nutrition