This frosted cranberry Jello salad has a fluffy cream cheese topping and a surprise ingredient inside. The Jello features cranberry sauce, pineapple, and Coke for that extra bit of kick. This old-fashioned recipe is still super delicious and fun.
Cranberry Jello Salad is a fruity dish loaded with crushed pineapple, cranberries, and a tangy cream cheese topping. It’s perfect to serve as a side dish or dessert for Thanksgiving dinner, Christmas dinner, or any night of the year!
That is the beauty of a Jello salad. The word salad makes it an acceptable side dish, like a fancy fruit salad, even if it is a bit more like a simple dessert.
I don’t make the rules, I am just grateful for them! 😆 We should thank the midwestern ancestor who decided these counted as salad.
I am a bit surprised they don’t have a statue in the town square. Heroes like that usually do. 😉
This recipe comes from Sharon on Facebook. We were discussing another Jello recipe that had Coke as an ingredient, and she shared this recipe that has that in common.
The minute I saw it, I knew I had to make it. It is a perfect dish for the holidays.
If you don’t want to use the Coke, you can use ginger ale or a white soda instead. You can even use water if you prefer.
Other than the soda, the base layer of this salad isn’t too much different than my cranberry Jello salad. And I knew the cream cheese topping would be fabulous because we love the creamy layer in cranberry pretzel salad.
The topping is just a bit sweet, but the tang of the cream cheese really shines through. The toasted pecans on top are optional, but do add both flavor and texture that is a nice contrast.
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The only changes I made to Sharon’s recipe were to use a 20 oz. can of crushed pineapple instead of two 8 oz. cans. I love pineapple, so the extra sounded good and the big can is cheaper than two small cans at the grocery store.
Sharon makes hers in 9×9-inch pan. I opted for a 9×13-inch, which resulted in thinner layers and makes it easier to have more servings.
Easy Substitutions and Alterations
If you like more chunks in your Jello, feel free to use whole cranberry sauce instead of the jellied version. You can even use homemade cranberry sauce if you want. Just make sure it is nice and thick.
You can also change the flavors of Jello that you use. Cherry and raspberry are both delicious, but use cranberry if you can find it.
I have even seen versions that use lemon Jello. Orange would be tasty, too, as oranges and cranberries are so good together.
I think pretty much anything goes in a Jello salad. So feel free to go wild!
Frosted Cranberry Jello Salad
Ingredients
- 20 ounces canned crushed pineapple
- 6 oz cherry Jell-O
- 14 oz jellied cranberry sauce
- 8 oz Coke
- 8 oz cream cheese softened
- 8 oz Cool Whip
- 1 Tablespoon butter optional
- ½ cup chopped pecans optional
Instructions
- Drain the 20 ounces canned crushed pineapple. Reserve the juice and add enough water to make one cup of liquid.
- Heat the water and pineapple juice mixture to a boil in a small saucepan. Remove from the heat and stir in the 6 oz cherry Jell-O until dissolved.
- Stir the crushed pineapple and 14 oz jellied cranberry sauce together in a 9×13-inch glass dish. Try to chop the cranberry sauce up into really small pieces.
- Stir in the hot Jell-O mixture and the 8 oz Coke.
- Refrigerate for at least 3 hours, or until fully set.
- Beat the 8 oz cream cheese in a medium bowl until it is fluffy and lump free. Stir in the 8 oz Cool Whip. Spread over the set salad.
- If desired toast the ½ cup chopped pecans in 1 Tablespoon butter in a 350℉ oven for 5-10 minutes. Sprinkle over the cream cheese mixture.
- Chill until ready to serve. Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.
Notes
- Raspberry and cranberry Jello make a great alternative to the cherry.
- Try using white soda, ginger ale, or water in place of the Coke if you want.
- Whole cranberry sauce is also wonderful in this salad.
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Very interesting indeed, the combination of ingredients. Just because of that, I will have to try it
I hope you enjoy it!
This is so festive! My mom makes a cranberry fluff, which is similar. She continues to make it Thanksgiving along with cranberry relish.
I like to have options for cranberries too. I have a really simple cranberry relish recipe that we love.