This cranberry Jello salad would make a perfect fruity addition to your Thanksgiving or Christmas menu. It takes only three ingredients and is a perfect make ahead dish. Serve it plain or top with with whipped cream for an extra special treat.

Bowl of cranberry pineapple jello salad topped with whipped cream ready to eat.

Cranberry pineapple Jello salad is perfect for the holiday season. It is full of flavor, easy to make, tastes amazing and adds a vibrant red pop of color to your plate.

It seems I am all in on cranberry recipes this year. After making a fun cranberry fluff recipe, you would think I would be done with berry side dishes for the year.

But my husband prefers canned cranberries to fresh. Plus I saw one of those posts about what people search for heading into the holidays and it turns out huge chunks of the midwest search for Jello recipes heading into Thanksgiving.

So I thought I would please him and the searching masses and make a fun jiggly cranberry salad. It is based off his Aunt’s recipe for cherry pineapple Jello salad so it was really easy to put together.

How should I serve the Jello salad?

I made the Jello salad in an 8 inch square baking dish. It almost filled the pan, so definitely don’t try anything smaller.

You could easily make this in a fancy bowl or cute serving dish that will look good on your holiday table. Or go ahead and make it in a 9×13-inch pan for a thinner layer of Jello.

Ingredients ready to be made into cranberry jello salad.

pan of cranberry jello salad with crushed pineapple, ready to go in the refrigerator to chill and set up.

If you would like to use a mold or ensure you get a defined slice of jello, reduce the water in the recipe by a half cup. As written it mostly holds its shape, but isn’t super firm.

Here in the Midwest, this kind of salad is perfectly acceptable as a side dish. It would be perfect alongside your Thanksgiving turkey or as part of your Christmas dinner.

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However, you can also serve it as a simple dessert. It is perfect either way.

Easy Additions and Substitutions

If you happen to have a can of jellied cranberry sauce instead of the whole berry cranberry sauce, go ahead and use it. You will still get great cranberry flavor even if you don’t have the whole berries.

For a little bit of crunch, stir in some chopped pecans or walnuts. Otherwise, you can place of bowl of chopped nuts alongside the salad when you serve it and people can sprinkle them on top.

The recipe is fabulous on its own, but a little bit of whipped cream takes it to the next level. We just made some fresh slightly sweetened whipped cream this time.

Serving of pineapple cranberry jello salad in front of remaining pan of gelatin.

Small bowl of cranberry jello salad with a dollop of fresh whipped cream on top.

Storage

This cranberry jell-o salad can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a week. It can be made several days ahead of time without any problems.

4.85 from 13 ratings

Cranberry Jello Salad with Pineapple

Author: Carlee

Servings: Servings

Prep: 5

Cook: 5

Additional Time 2

Total: 5

Equipment

Ingredients

▢ 6 oz. raspberry Jello or cranberry
▢ 2½ cups boiling water
▢ 20 oz. crushed pineapple in juice
▢ 14 oz. can whole cranberry sauce

Instructions

Stir Jello powder into boiling water until it is completely dissolved.
6 oz. raspberry Jello, 2½ cups boiling water
Add can of pineapple (not drained) and cranberry sauce, stirring until combined.
20 oz. crushed pineapple in juice, 14 oz. can whole cranberry sauce
Pour the mixture into an 8 inch square or 9×13-inch pan and chill until set.
Serve cold topped with whipped cream if desired.

Notes

Reduce water to 2 cups for a firmer set Jello.