Easy cranberry Jello salad recipe for the holidays - bright, fruity, and make-ahead friendly. Perfect Thanksgiving side dish for turkey or orange glazed ham dinners.
You can make a similar creamy whipped topping as easy blueberry jello salad but this jello is creamy with no pineapple in it. It's nostalgic and a nice light dessert after the heavy food during the holidays!
Raspberry cranberry jello salad has been in our family for decades, ALWAYS served at Thanksgiving by my sweet grandma, and I haven't changed much besides using real whipped cream or a nice homemade whipped cream cheese topping.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Taste: Tart, sweet, and filled with whole cranberries balanced out with the sweet whipped cream on top.
- Ease: No oven/stove required, just a microwave to boil the water for the jello mix. Beginner friendly recipe!
- Time: about 10 minutes to make the jello, 3 hours to set, and 5 to put the toppings on before serving.
🛒 Key Ingredients
- Cranberry sauce - make sure to get the kind with whole cranberries. They're so good in the jello!
- Fresh cranberries vs canned - Fresh cranberries could also work if cooked into a sauce. They can be a little more tart. I like to use canned for the convenience and also because it melts into the jello mixture well.
- Sour cream- this is what makes the jello pink and have a creamy appearance. It also mellows out the sour cranberries.
- Whipped topping - my grandma always used CoolWhip, but I prefer to use homemade whipped cream. You can choose what you like! It's easy to make ahead and spread it on right before serving. I usually make a lot to use for desserts like this and for caramel apple pie.
See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities.
✏️ Substitutions & Variations
- Garnish with orange zest, mint sprigs, sliced almonds, or fresh fruit! Cranberry and orange go together with almonds really well, like in my cranberry orange coffee cake.
- Use another jello flavor that complements cranberries, like cherry or strawberry.
🧑🍳 Instructions
- Step 1. In a bowl, combine 2 packages of raspberry jello powder and boiling water. Whisk until the jello powder is dissolved.
- Step 2. Add 1 cup (8 oz) of ice to bowl of jello mixture and stir until melted. Careful not to add too much, or it will thin out the jello too much and it won't set properly.
TIP: Use a kitchen scale to weigh the ice to make sure you don't use too much, more than 8 oz ice can prevent the jello from setting properly!
- Step 3. Add in cranberry sauce (with whole cranberries) and sour cream and stir together until creamy and there are no sour cream chunks left.
- Step 4. Pour into a 9x9 inch serving dish or 9-10 inch pie pan, cover, and refrigerate for 3-4 hours until set.
- Step 5. Optional homemade whipped cream: in a bowl, combine 2 cups heavy whipping cream and ½ cup powdered sugar with ½ teaspoon vanilla and whip on medium-high speed for 3-4 minutes until fluffy.
- Step 6. Spread or pipe whipped cream over set cranberry jello and sprinkle chopped pecans on top. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
TIP: Keep the pecans separate from the jello until ready to serve, they can become a bit soggy if left on for more than 3-4 hours.
📌 Troubleshooting
- Too runny: not enough gelatin or too much ice/canned liquid → add dissolved gelatin (warm) and chill.
- Bitter or too tart: add honey/simple syrup or top with sweetened whipped cream.
❄️ Make Ahead, Store, and Freezing Tips
Make ahead: up 1-2 days in advance, a set jello can keep 3-4 days chilled total.
Refrigerate: 3-4 days covered.
Freezing: Avoid freezing due to jello texture loss. If using dairy topping, spread on close to serving time to avoid weeping.
❓Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! It works fine with those. You can also use sugar free CoolWhip to lower the sugar amount.
Fresh, raw pineapple has enzymes in it that prevent jello from setting properly; canned pineapple is safe because the enzymes are deactivated by heat processing.
If you want the cranberries throughout the jello, just make sure the ice is completely dissolved and the sour cream mixed in well, cooling for about 10 minutes. I've never had to add extra time besides stirring in the ice and other ingredients. The cranberry sauce helps to make the cranberries evenly layered in the jello.
🧁 More Delicious Holiday Dessert Recipes
Did You Try This Recipe? ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Make sure to leave a star rating and a comment below the recipe card. I love hearing from you, and it is so helpful to other readers! Better yet, share it with family and friends. Thank you!!
📝 Printable Recipe
Easy Cranberry Jello
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 (3 oz) boxes raspberry jello
- 1 cup boiling water
- 1 cup (8oz) ice
- 8 oz sour cream
- 1 (14 oz) can whole cranberry sauce
- 8 oz Cool Whip or homemade whipped cream
- ½ cup chopped pecans
Optional homemade whipped cream:
- 1 pint heavy whipping cream
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a bowl, combine 2 (3 oz) boxes raspberry jello and 1 cup boiling water . Whisk until jello powder is dissolved.
- Add 1 cup (8oz) ice to bowl of jello mixture and stir until melted.
- Add in 1 (14 oz) can whole cranberry sauce and 8 oz sour cream and stir together until creamy and there are no sour cream chunks left.
- Pour into a 9x9 inch serving dish, cover, and refrigerate for 3-4 hours until set.
- Optional homemade whipped cream: In a bowl, combine 1 pint heavy whipping cream and ½ cup powdered sugar with 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and whip on medium-high speed for 3-4 minutes until fluffy and spreadable.
- Spread whipped cream over set cranberry jello and sprinkle ½ cup chopped pecans on top. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Hi, I'm Sara!
Registered Nurse by day, food blogger by weekend. Perfect dip tester & snack quester. I love short walks on the beach and long naps. Sharing my love for food, one bite at a time.
Sara says
This is so nice and easy to make for the holidays! We love to put fresh berries on it too! So good.