The best Jello salad recipe! Grandma’s Cranberry Pineapple Jello is stuffed with goodness and topped with a cream cheese topping! It’s a holiday must-have for my family!
Grandma’s Cranberry Pineapple Jello Salad Recipe
I’m usually not much of a Jello person but I make my Grandma’s Cranberry Pineapple Jello every Thanksgiving dinner and Christmas with my family and it is so good! I just can never get enough! My sweet grandmother taught me this recipe when I was about 13 and having Thanksgiving with her in Arizona. It was the first time I has Jello salad and wow was it amazing! I loved all the textures and the creamy topping! She passed away in April so I decided I needed to revamp my post for this recipe. The first time I posted this recipe (I’ve updated it a little here) it was in 2010 and oh goodness my photos were terrible! If you need a good laugh check out Grandma’s Jello!
Holiday Jello Salad
This is a holiday recipe in my family only because it has fresh cranberries in it. The tartness of the berries balances out the sweetness of the jello and I love the texture of the fresh berries. Most cranberry Jello salad recipes call for cranberry sauce… no thanks! I’ll stick with my fresh berries! Just roughly crush them in a food processor or a little at a time using a blender. You’ll add those, a can of crushed pineapple, cold water and walnuts (optional) before letting the Jello set. I know gelatin desserts scare some people, and that’s okay. They usually scare me too.
Thanksgiving Cranberry Salad
You’ll notice I use raspberry jello and strawberry jello. I sometimes swap in cranberry jello when I can find it or I will use all raspberry jello! The strawberry flavor is just too sweet to me, but you can pick whatever red Jellos your family prefers! You can also use fresh pineapple if you want, but I always use the can. It’s much easier for me. And when it comes to the Thanksgiving menu, I like to keep things as simple as possible. I’m no pro at cutting pineapples, ha!
How to Make the perfect Jello Salad
Jell-o Salad can be tricky to get to look pretty! If you saw my old post I linked to you understand! I wanted part of this update to make it look as good as it tastes! I even experimented by making it in a bundt pan (I don’t have a proper jello mold)! It’s very pretty in the Bundt but I will say it’s much trickier to serve. I’ll probably stick with the casserole dish version and the added fresh strawberries on top is a new must for me, they taste so good with Grandma’s Cranberry Pineapple Jello! And can we just laugh at the common name of “jell-o salad” or “cranberry salad recipes” for this dessert? It still always confuses me. I know many people add mandarin oranges and other fruits into it so that can make it more of a “salad” but still! It’s jello people, not a salad! I don’t even consider this to be a side dish. It’s just too sweet!
The trick to spreading on the topping is to place a few dollops all around the jello and then “connect” them by spreading them together!
Mmm… I love having a slice of this Jello on my plate every Thanksgiving. Even when I’m with my in-laws I still make this jello! It’s really just not Thanksgiving without it. One year we were out of town for Thanksgiving and ate at a restaurant. Well, when I got home the first thing I did was make myself a half batch of this jello! I just HAD to have it.
Jello desserts tend to be ugly, unless you do the pretty colorful layers. So I knew I needed to make this dessert as pretty as I could! You can add strawberry halves like I did, chop up the berries, do raspberries, walnuts or nothing at all! I change how I decorate the top depending on what I have on hand. If you do chop your berries, I would wait to put them over the topping until just before serving. You don’t want the juices from the berries “bleeding” out onto the white cream cheese topping.
How pretty is this Jello in a bundt pan? I just piped on the topping instead of spreading it on! If I were to do the bundt pan again I would add a little less liquid to help keep the shape better.
I hope you love my Grandma’s Cranberry Pineapple Jello as much as I do! We make this for every Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner. It’s not quite the holiday season until I’m on the couch with a slice of cranberry jello and watching a cheesy Hallmark movie.
Grandma's Cranberry Pineapple Jello
Ingredients
- 1 large pkg raspberry jello
- 1 small pkg strawberry or raspberry jello
- 3 cups boiling water
- 1 1/2 cups cold water
- 1 20-ounce can crushed pineapple, with juice
- 8 oz bag fresh cranberries chopped
- 1 cup walnuts, chopped optional
Topping:
- 12 oz cream cheese
- 1/3 cup sour cream
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1-2 cups fresh strawberries, chopped optional
Instructions
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Pour jello packages into 9X11 casserole dish (or large bundt pan) and add boiling water. Stir to dissolve jello. (You can pinch the liquid and if you feel any grains between your fingers keep stirring.)
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Add cold water, crushed pineapple with juice, chopped cranberries (I'll chop them in a blender or food processor), and walnuts. Stir mixture.
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Let set in fridge for at least 4 hours.
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Topping: Using a stand mixer (or hand beater and medium bowl) combine all ingredients until smooth. Spread evenly over firm Jello and top with fresh strawberries!
Could you use a can of whole cranberry sauce instead of the chopped cranberries?
Yes, you can! But I always suggest using fresh cranberries.
I like to know the recipe
It looks and sounds fantastic. What size can of crushed pineapple does the recipe call for?
You’ll want to use a 20-ounce can. I’ll be sure to include that in the recipe!
This looks so good! CAn you make with other jell-o flavors?
Can you use another fruit, such as blueberries for this recipe? Because it is not heated, the blueberries would not bleed into the jello.
THanks for sharing! How far ahead of time can I make it?
My GranMa Hogue made this and so did mom and I made it this year as always. But, we added 1 cup sugar over the cranberries and let sit about hour in fridge. Extra ingredients that tops it off is a cup of halved red seedless grapes and also grind up a red delicious red apple/skin to and add to the cranberries with the sugar. We also add a few drops red food coloring for a brighter color. My advice Dutch that topping-you don’t need it!!! Chill till firm- good made a day ahead🤗
This is wonderful! Word to wise: do not use fresh pineapple without pouching first. Jello will not set!
yummy recipe
The enzymes in fresh pineapple will not allow the mellow to harden. A chemical reaction takes place. From a biologist who did experiments with kids.
Your recipe looks very delicious, however there is a reminder to be delivered! Fresh pineapple does have an enzyme that keeps the gelatin from setting, hence you have to use canned! 🙂
Wow its Delicious addition, Thanks for sharing the details of such a sweet recipe.
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Strawberry cake is my favorite because it’s delicious and visually appealing.
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It turned out amazing. I boiled the fresh Cranberries until they popped then used the boiled water for the jello and then added the cold water and pineapple and stuff. Soo good especially with the cream cheese topper.
This Cranberry Pineapple Jello looks absolutely delightful! It’s such a nostalgic recipe that brings back memories of family gatherings. I can’t wait to try it for the holidays—thank you for sharing such a lovely dish!
I made this for Thanksgiving, we liked it so well I made it again for a luncheon today. My daughter has asked that I make this for Christmas Eve.
Today’s luncheon was small. So I made it in two 8×8 dishes. One for the luncheon and. One for home.
This Cranberry Pineapple Jello looks absolutely delicious! I love how vibrant and festive it is – perfect for holiday gatherings. Can’t wait to try making it for our family dinner! Thank you for sharing this nostalgic recipe!
This cranberry pineapple jello looks absolutely delicious! I can’t wait to try making it for our holiday gatherings. Thanks for sharing this lovely recipe!
my daughter so loves this cake
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Love how you shared those precious details about learning this recipe from your grandmother in Arizona – it really shows how family recipes carry so much meaning beyond just ingredients! As someone who uses body visualizer to maintain a balanced diet, I appreciate how this dessert lets me track my portions while still enjoying traditional holiday treats.
I was bringing a traditional ham to my mother’s for an Easter meal. I knew she liked a jello dish with ham
I saw this recipe and thought I’d make it because she also loves cranberries and walnuts.
It was a hit with everyone!
Unique and I tasty!
I also loved the topping with it. 😋
Love the nostalgic touch here! Using fresh cranberries instead of sauce really elevates the texture and flavor—something I’ve also found makes a big difference in jello salads. Your tips on spreading the cream cheese topping are super helpful for getting that perfect finish on Grandma’s Cranberry Pineapple Jello.
Such a heartwarming tribute to Grandma’s recipe! I love how you balance the tart cranberries with the sweetness of the Jello—fresh berries truly make a difference. Your tip about spreading the cream cheese topping with dollops really helps achieve that smooth finish on the perfect Jello salad.