Description

This Simple Cranberry Apple Jello Salad is a festive, sweet-tart side dish perfect for holiday gatherings like Thanksgiving and Christmas. Combining crisp apples, tangy cranberries, sweet pineapple, and crunchy walnuts suspended in vibrant raspberry gelatin, this no-bake recipe is easy to prepare ahead and adds a refreshing contrast to rich holiday meals. Its colorful, fruity flavors and smooth texture make it a crowd-pleasing dish that is also kid-friendly.

Ingredients

Scale

Fruits & Juices

1 medium Granny Smith apple, finely diced
20 oz crushed pineapple, drained (reserve juice)
1 orange, zested and juiced
Enough cold water to make 3 cups of liquid total with pineapple and orange juice

Gelatin & Sauce

6 oz raspberry gelatin powder
14 oz whole berry cranberry sauce

Nuts

2/3 cup walnuts, chopped (optional but adds nice crunch)

Instructions

Prepare Fruit and Juice Base: Finely dice the Granny Smith apple and set aside. Zest and juice the orange, combining the juice with the reserved pineapple juice and cold water to total 3 cups of liquid; this mixture forms the flavorful base for the gelatin.
Dissolve Gelatin and Incorporate Cranberry: Bring the 3 cups of juice mixture to a boil in a medium pot. Remove from heat immediately and stir in the raspberry gelatin powder vigorously for about 2 minutes until fully dissolved. Add the whole berry cranberry sauce and orange zest, stirring well for a smooth texture without lumps.
Chill and Fold in Remaining Ingredients: Pour the gelatin mixture into a large bowl and refrigerate for 15-30 minutes, until thickened to a syrupy consistency but not set. Carefully fold in the diced apple, drained crushed pineapple, and chopped walnuts if using, to suspend fruit evenly throughout the salad.
Final Chill and Serve: Transfer the mixture to your serving dish and refrigerate for at least 4 hours until fully firm and set. Serve cold straight from the fridge for clean slices and the best texture.

Notes

Choose crisp apple varieties like Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, or Fuji for the best texture; toss diced apples with a bit of lemon or orange juice to prevent browning if prepping ahead.
Substitute raspberry gelatin with cherry or strawberry gelatin for a similar fruity flavor and color.
Use pineapple chunks or fresh pineapple (pulsed in a food processor) if crushed pineapple is unavailable.
Whole berry cranberry sauce is preferred for texture, but jellied cranberry sauce can be used if broken up well.
Walnuts can be replaced with pecans or omitted for nut allergies or a smoother texture.
Do not add fruit before the gelatin mixture is thickened to a syrupy consistency to prevent sinking.
Allow the gelatin to cool to room temperature before adding pineapple juice to ensure proper setting.
Avoid speeding up chilling in the freezer to prevent an icy texture; refrigerate for at least 4 hours.
Store covered in the refrigerator up to 5 days; tastes better after sitting for a day as flavors meld.
Serve chilled and keep cold during transport to maintain firmness.

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Category: Salad
Method: No-Cook
Cuisine: American

Keywords: cranberry jello salad, holiday salad, Thanksgiving side dish, Christmas salad, apple jello salad, no bake dessert, fruit salad with gelatin