Cranberry Jello Salad made with 3 festive, delicious layers of pretzels, pudding, cranberries & Jello! Impressive, easy cranberry recipe to add to your holiday meal.
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Cranberry Jello Salad is a staple to our holiday spread! I love the festive flavors. This version is perfect because it’s not too sweet and accompanies ham and turkey beautifully. It’s a very versatile recipe too- if you can’t find cranberry jello, feel free to use raspberry or cherry instead. You can also use a different flavor of pudding. I like to use white chocolate because of both the delicious flavor and the white color looks so pretty contrasted with the red jello. If you can’t find white chocolate pudding mix, you can use french vanilla or even regular vanilla instead.
My version of Cranberry Jello Salad doesn’t use cream cheese, which is intentional! I like the flavor, but I like a lighter taste to my jello salads, so I opt for whipped topping combined with crushed pineapple and pudding mix instead.
I topped my Cranberry Jello Salad with lovely sparkling sugared cranberries, a recipe I found on my friend Gina’s site. Check them out! They’re easy to make and I think they add a very festive element to the salad. She soaks her cranberries for 3 days, but I think you can make a quick version and just soak them overnight. Bonus too- they taste amazing! They’ve got a sweet crunchy exterior and pop with a fresh, bright flavor when you bite down. Yum.
Cranberry Jello Salad
Crust:
- 2 cups crushed pretzels
- 3/4 cup melted butter
- 3 TBSP sugar
Filling:
- 1 20-oz can crushed pineapple (NOT drained!)
- 1 3-oz box White Chocolate pudding mix
- 1 8-oz tub whipped topping*
Topping:
- 1 3-oz box cranberry Jello
- 1 cup boiling water
- 1 14oz can whole berry cranberry sauce
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Spray a 9×13 pan with non-stick spray.
- Combine crushed pretzels, sugar and melted butter in pan. Gently stir to combine and spread around pan evenly. Bake for 10 minutes and cool completely.
- Pour entire can of crushed pineapple (with juice!) into a medium sized mixing bowl. Sprinkle white chocolate pudding mix on top and stir until completely incorporated. Fold in whipped topping.
- Transfer mixture to 9×13 pan, spreading on top of baked pretzels, making sure mixture reaches all of the edges. Set pan in fridge to keep cool while you mix the jello.
- Combine 1 cup boiling water with box of cranberry jello. Stir until jello is completely dissolved. Add in the entire can of whole berry cranberry sauce and stir until combined. Pour mixture on top of pineapple-whipped topping.
- Cover salad and refrigerate at least 3-4 hours, until salad is completely cooled and set. Top with sugared sparkling cranberries, if desired. (Find the recipe here https://www.kleinworthco.com/sparkling-cranberries/ ) Cut squares to serve. Store leftovers in fridge.
*You can substitute 2 cups of fresh whipped cream in placeof the whipped topping in this recipe.
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CRANBERRY JELLO SALAD
Ingredients
- Crust:
- 2 cups crushed pretzels
- 3/4 cup melted butter
- 3 TBSP sugar
- Filling:
- 1 20- oz can crushed pineapple NOT drained!
- 1 3- oz box White Chocolate pudding mix
- 1 8- oz tub whipped topping*
- Topping:
- 1 3- oz box cranberry Jello
- 1 cup boiling water
- 1 14 oz can whole berry cranberry sauce
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Spray a 9×13 pan with non-stick spray.
- Combine crushed pretzels, sugar and melted butter in pan. Gently stir to combine and spread around pan evenly. Bake for 10 minutes and cool completely.
- Pour entire can of crushed pineapple (with juice!) into a medium sized mixing bowl. Sprinkle white chocolate pudding mix on top and stir until completely incorporated. Fold in whipped topping.
- Transfer mixture to 9×13 pan, spreading on top of baked pretzels, making sure mixture reaches all of the edges. Set pan in fridge to keep cool while you mix the jello.
- Combine 1 cup boiling water with box of cranberry jello. Stir until jello is completely dissolved. Add in the entire can of whole berry cranberry sauce and stir until combined. Pour mixture on top of pineapple-whipped topping.
- Cover salad and refrigerate at least 3-4 hours, until salad is completely cooled and set. Top with sugared sparkling cranberries, if desired. Cut squares to serve. Store leftovers in fridge.
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Cranberry Jello Salad made with 3 festive, delicious layers of pretzels, pudding, cranberries & Jello! Impressive, easy cranberry recipe to add to your holiday meal.
Rebecca Hubbell says
Jello salads are such classic recipes, I love this cranberry twist for the holidays!
Richa Gupta says
This is so perfect for the holiday season! Love the colours. I’m sure it’ll look beautiful on the table.
Edith says
I had to try this out right away and was not disappointed. Directions were prefect. Everyone who shared in tasting this deeeeelish recipe likes it. A new holiday staple in my house.
Jessica says
I’m SO glad you liked it Edith! Can I ask- did you make the sugared cranberries for the top? I’d love to hear your thoughts on those. I love the jello salad both with and without those, so I’m curious to hear your take!
Lyne says
what is tub of ofwhipped topping . Never heard of it I’m in Australia is there anything to substitute for it.
Jessica says
You can use whipped cream. 🙂
Deb says
One 8 oz container of Cool Whip.
Brenda Cline says
I like the sound of the recipe, but I was wondering if I use cream cheese, how much would I use.?
Jessica says
I wouldn’t use cream cheese in place of anything, but you could add a softened block to the pineapple mixture and it’s taste great!
Vbaker says
Actually I used 24 oz fresh cranberries with apple pear mandarin oranges to jello and added 8 oz cream cheese with pineapple… I didn’t have any pretzels as I was making cranberry sauce when I found this recipe…But I will be doing it your way at Christmas. Great idea…wouldn’t have thought to put jello salad and homemade cranberry sauce together….Love it.
Gloria Petersen says
Have looked at 5 stories for cranberry jello and unable to find any. Very disappointed.
Jessica says
Did you see my suggestions for if you’re unable to find it? Use raspberry or strawberry Jello! It still tastes wonderful- it will be slightly sweeter, but with the cranberry additions, I bet most won’t even be able to tell! 😉
Babalwa says
Hi I’m from South Africa. .We only have brown chocolate instant pudding..What can I use to substitute white chocolate pudding?
Jessica says
Do you have dry milk? You can essentially make your own pudding mix- 1 rounded tablespoon of dry milk powder, 2 rounded TBSP powdered sugar and 1 rounded TBSP of cornstarch. Then also add 1 tsp vanilla. 🙂
Jackue Kruze says
For this pretzel cranberry salad
Can i use cheese cake pudding
Instead?
Jessica says
That sounds amazing Jackue!
Dorothy says
How do you make the frosted cranberries
Jessica says
Here you go Dorothy- https://www.kleinworthco.com/sparkling-cranberries/
Kathy says
How do I make the sugared cranberrys
Jessica says
I linked to them above Kathy- here you go! https://www.kleinworthco.com/sparkling-cranberries/
Rosemary Lee says
Do you use salted pretzels ? Salted or unsalted butter?
Jessica says
I use salted pretzels and salted butter. 🙂 I think both counter the sweetness well!
Tammy Currie says
I was wondering if you could use sugar free pudding and sugar free jello for this recipe.
Jessica says
I’ve never actually tried that, but I *think* it’d work out just fine!
Amanda says
There is no link for your friend GIna’s cranberries…where do I go to find that?
Jessica says
Here you go Amanda! https://www.kleinworthco.com/sparkling-cranberries/
Michelle says
Can I make this a day before serving or will the pretzel crust get soggy?
Jessica says
I always make this a day ahead Michelle! It’s fantastic. The pretzels don’t start getting soggy until day 4 or 5.
Tamara Klouse says
It is Christmas Eve 2018. I am making this for our dinner tomorrow with family. I have read through the comments and do not see where any one asks you to clarify if this is COOKED pudding mix or INSTANT. I am hoping it turns out right.
Jessica says
You use use either instant or cooked pudding mix- they have the same effect!
Paula Isenberg says
HELP! I make cranberry celebration every yr. for Thanksgiving & Christmas & have only been able to find cranberry jello at 1 store in the Knoxville area. But now they don’t even carry it. The store manager said he could order it, if they still make it, but it won’t be here in time for Thanksgiving!!! Everyone is expecting this, so, is there ANYTHING I can substitute it for? I’m desperate & need it by tonight. Please help me!
Jessica says
You can use raspberry or cherry and it’ll taste great!
Wendy Mead says
This was the first time I made any cranberry salad because my family likes the jelled cranberry can stuff and are not open t o “new” things that may mess with their Thanksgiving dinner…….Well this changed their mind and everyone else at dinner. What a hit!! Thanks so much.
Cindy P says
Hi really want to make this recipe! I’m wondering is there anything I can use in place of crushed pineapple? My family likes things “ smooth” without chunks of fruit etc. can I just use pineapple juice? Or do I need something else to make it thicker?
Thanks
Jessica says
Maybe try apple sauce?
Suzanne says
partial disaster! the directions seem to be wrong. a 3 oz box of jello and 1 cup hot water yield nothing! The layer was so skimpy even with the can of whole berry cranberry. My crust was fine, the middle layer a little thick and the final step disaster. I had to go to the store and get another 3 oz box of jello 5 hours before guest arrive and add more jello to the top. Also!!! to this additional box of jello I added the 1 cup boiling water and 1 cup of cold sprite. and it brought the layer up to the top of the 9×13 dish.
no way these people didn’t get the same result. never again.
Jessica says
Crazy Suzanne- I’ve made this (and have had family members make this) and it turned out great, exactly like the pictures.