Orange Cottage Cheese Jello Salad

Orange cottage cheese Jello salad is full of mandarin oranges and pineapple. It is creamy, nostalgic, and delicious. The final texture is more like a fluff salad than a wiggly jiggly Jello salad, and it is a perfect refreshing treat.

This creamy orange cottage cheese Jello salad is perfect for picnics, family reunions, and barbecues. It is also a great refreshing treat when you need something sweet, but you don’t want to heat up the kitchen.

If you like cottage cheese with fruit, this is a great way to take that pairing to the next level. Cottage cheese is having a bit of a moment right now.

You can find people using it as a way to add protein to everything from pancakes to ice cream. So it seems like a great time to bring back Jello salads with cottage cheese as well.

You will frequently find this orange jello salad served as a side dish, but it also makes a great after school snack or simple dessert. We love that calling it a salad makes it versatile like that.

This retro treat is sure to bring back memories for you, especially if you grew up in the Midwest during a certain era. Even if you’ve never had it, this orange fluff is sure to have a nostalgic feel to you.

Carlee’s Tips and Tricks

This recipe uses Jello powder. Don’t add any water or anything. Just use the powder straight from the little envelope.

That is part of what makes this recipe great for summer. You don’t even need to boil water or anything.

Use a whole tub of cottage cheese. You can use small curd or large curd, whichever you prefer.

I like using a 24 oz. tub of cottage cheese because it keeps the salad from being too sweet. You can use a 16 oz. container if you want a sweeter salad.

Make sure your crushed pineapple and mandarin oranges are well drained. Too much juice left in the cans will make for a watery salad.

Feel free to experiment with different flavor combinations. Strawberry Jello is another great option.

For bolder orange flavor, use two boxes of orange gelatin. Or you could add a second can of mandarin orange slices if you want more fruit.

You can use fresh whipped cream if you would like, but Cool Whip or other whipped toppings stay stable for longer. If making your own, just fold in a couple of cups of lightly sweetened whipped cream.

There are so many variations you can try. Luckily this is a forgiving recipe, so you can go wild!

Why is my Jello salad watery?

If you didn’t drain the cans of fruit well, the salad can get a little bit watery. Try and pour off a little bit of the excess liquid if you can.

If it was thick and then got watery, just give it a stir. That will likely fix it.

If stirring the jello salad doesn’t thicken it back up, there are other options. You can stir in some mini marshmallows or shredded coconut and return it back to the refrigerator for an hour or two.

Check out my collection of fruit salad recipes for more tasty inspiration.