A vintage family favorite, this creamy green gelatin salad has bright flavor and is fun to serve! This treat is coming to you from great-grandma’s recipe box.

This jello salad is a vintage favorite. It is creamy and filled with bits of pineapple. Of course the lime jello holds it all together. Make it in a big dish and serve it by the spoonful or chill it in small molds for an extra fun presentation. My great-grandma loved it and I have a feeling you will too!
It was hard to decide who to give credit to for this recipe. My great-grandma got it from her mom (my great-great-grandma of dutch apple cake fame).
But my dad and his siblings remember it as something their grandma would make. Apparently this one was a particular favorite of my uncle Mike. I can see why, it really is pretty tasty.
It seems as though my great-grandma Rees liked fruit salads with some substance. A lot of the recipes I have from her and gelatin and fruit or the frozen fruit salad that still makes an appearance at every Rees family holiday.
She isn’t the only one. My husband’s aunt also shared a cherry and pineapple jello salad that was also delicious!

This is a good mix of lime gelatin made creamy with some cream cheese. Plus, I love pineapple so that as an add-in is great for me! Just be sure to use canned pineapple and don’t try to get fancy and use fresh pineapple.
Much like when making the Hawaiian sweet rolls, there is an enzyme in fresh pineapple that doesn’t work well for bread baking or gelatin setting. The canning process neutralizes the problem.

I thought it would be fun to do it as a mold. I have these little jello molds that were my great-grandma Schwanke’s.
The first time I tried it did not work at all. Not to worry though, it was still good stirred up and served that way.
So this time I held my breath and crossed my fingers. I drained the pineapple pretty well to try to minimize any extra liquid as I assumed that was part of the problem last time.
I also did a couple of servings in ramekins just in case. But guess what… it worked!

The little mold was just begging for some sort of garnish. I can envision these served on a leaf of lettuce or something, but I didn’t have any. But I did have some maraschino cherries and after I put one on there, I knew it was perfect.
Can’t you just picture your great-grandma serving you something like this at a family dinner? I definitely can. And I can’t wait to be that grandma too! Do you have any jello salads in your family?
Great-Grandma's Green Gelatin Salad

A vintage family favorite, this creamy green gelatin salad has bright flavor and is fun to serve! This treat is coming to you from great-grandma’s recipe box.
Ingredients
- 3 oz package lime gelatin
- 1 cup hot water
- 1/2 cup cold water
- 3 ounces cream cheese
- 8 oz can crushed pineapple, drained
Instructions
- Mix together gelatin and cream cheese until well blended
- Pour hot water over cream cheese mixture and stir until completely dissolved
- Stir in cold water and pineapple
- Chill for at least two hours
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 83Total Fat: 5gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 14mgSodium: 50mgCarbohydrates: 9gFiber: 1gSugar: 7gProtein: 2g
All nutritional information is estimated and will depend on the exact ingredients you use.

Unknown
Monday 1st of April 2019
This is a family favorite of ours. My mom always made it. We just call it “green jello” and everyone knows what we mean. It can be made with sugar free jello. I actually use an electric hand mixer to add softened cream cheese to the hot gelatin and beat until frothy. I then add the cup of cold water and pour over drained crushed pineapple.
Carlee
Tuesday 2nd of April 2019
Isn't it so good?! I'll have to try it that way next time!
Anonymous
Saturday 21st of April 2018
Great recipe, I added small marshmallows.
Carlee
Thursday 26th of April 2018
What a great idea!
Loli
Friday 16th of March 2018
Hi! I'm new to your blog. Came over from Meal Plan Monday. This sounds so good and easy. Please, how many ounces is a small can of pineapple? Mine is 1 pound 4 oz. My best friend Vickie, always used to make a green Jello salad with pineapple, cottage cheese and celery. I think it had nuts too. It was so good. We grew up eating Jello a lot. So refreshing!
Carlee
Saturday 17th of March 2018
It's an 8 oz can, but you could measure out a cup of pineapple and drain it well if you'd like. The rest would be great in baked oatmeal! ;-) I think we need to bring jello salads back!
Miz Helen
Monday 12th of March 2018
I have those exact little molds, they make the prettiest presentation! Thanks so much for sharing your awesome post with us at Full Plate Thursday. Hope you have a great St. Patrick's Day and come back to see us real soon! Miz Helen
Carlee
Wednesday 23rd of December 2020
We are lucky enough to have my great-grandma's molds. However there are several different kinds on Amazon.
Unknown
Wednesday 23rd of December 2020
Where do you get the molds?
Carlee
Tuesday 13th of March 2018
Aren't they fun? Thank you!
Judith Hayes
Monday 5th of March 2018
I drain my chilled can of crushed pineapple into measuring cup then add the cold water to make 1/2 cup. More flavor that way! I love this pineapple and lime jello!
Carlee
Thursday 8th of March 2018
That is a great idea! Isn't it delicious?