A classic cranberry jello salad recipe made with raspberry jello, crunchy walnuts, fresh orange, and tart apple. This is not a molded jello salad, but a tangy and sweet cranberry salad that is akin to cranberry relish. This cranberry recipe has 5 minutes of hands-on time making it the easiest Thanksgiving side dish recipe ever.
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This recipe came from my mother-in-law, Cathe. And yes, I know you don't want 4 paragraphs about my life so I will keep it brief. Her love for cooking was really an act of love for the people in her life.
She inspired my husband to cook, now it is an activity we do together almost every day. And while she is no longer with us I wanted to memorialize my favorite recipe of hers.
She made it every Thanksgiving and Christmas and those holiday dinners just aren't the same without it, or without her. I sincerely hope it becomes a tradition on your holiday table.
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📖Why My Recipe Works
- Old Becomes New- This is an old-fashioned recipe made modern. While it does contain raspberry gelatin, no jello mold is needed.
- No Cooking- It is made entirely in a food processor and then you allow the salad to set overnight. Give it a stir and voila!
- Texture- This recipe has tart cranberries, crunchy walnuts, and tangy oranges. It is sweeter than my roasted whole cranberries but just as delectable.
🧾Ingredient Notes
- Cranberries- you need fresh whole cranberries. Not dried, cooked, or canned cranberries.
- Green Apple- This recipe requires one tart apple. I use a granny smith.
- Orange- Any fresh variety like navel or cara cara. Do not use canned mandarin oranges. We are going to use the whole orange, including the peel in this recipe.
- Raspberry Jello- You can use any brand of gelatin you like. If you can't find raspberry, you can substitute cherry jello or strawberry jello.
- Walnuts- You can substitute pecans, but I definitely prefer walnuts in this recipe.
- Celery- Celery is the secret crunch in this recipe.
- Lemon Juice- I use bottled juice, it will act as the cold water in this recipe. You can substitute orange juice but the final recipe won't be as tart.
- Sugar- I use less sugar the the original; recipe. If you like things sweet, consider adding more.
⏲️How to Make Cranberry Jello Salad
The majority of this recipe is chopped up in the food processor with the exception of your walnuts and celery. You want small dice on the celery and small walnut pieces.
Chop
Cut the apple and the oranges into quarters. Remove the core of the apple but leave it unpeeled.
Place the orange, apple, and whole fresh cranberries in a food processor. Pulse until you have a relish consistency. If you have an older food processor, chop the apple and orange pieces up first then add the cranberries.
Mix
Transfer the mixture to a large bowl. Stir in the walnuts and celery. They are going to add crunch!
In a glass mixing bowl heat the water in the microwave until just boiling. Add the lemon juice, sugar, and jello. Whisk until both are dissolved.
Pour the jello mixture over the cranberry mixture and stir together. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.
Set and Serve
The salad needs to chill for 8 hours. Your jello will be set in about 6 hours. It will take longer than the package directions for the jello to set. The additional two hours will break down a bit of the tartness.
The cranberry salad will never be totally set because of the additional items we added. Stir the salad well and transfer it to a serving dish. Top with additional chopped walnuts and orange zest.
👩🏻🍳 Expert Tip
Skip the mixing bowl and chill the salad in a casserole dish for easy serving.
🌡️Storing Leftovers
When covered or stored in an airtight container this cranberry salad will last up to 5 days. If making it for Thanksgiving dinner or Christmas dinner make it 1 day in advance for the best results.
🦃More Easy Recipes for Thanksgiving
💬Frequently Asked Questions
Can you freeze cranberry jello salad?
No, you cannot freeze cranberry jello salad. Any recipe using jello won't completely freeze and is not recommended for long-term food preservation.
Can cranberry jello salad be made vegan?
Yes, you can substitute a vegetable-based gelatin dessert like raspberry Jel. You may have to order online because not all grocery stores will carry this type of item.
Did you enjoy making this recipe? Show it some love with ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ and leave a comment! Hungry for more FLAVORFUL recipes?
📖 Recipe Card
Cranberry Salad with Raspberry Jello
Ingredients
- 16 ounces fresh cranberries
- 1 orange unpeeled and cut into quarters
- 1 green apple unpeeled and cut into quarters with core removed
- 1 cup celery chopped
- 1 cup walnuts chopped
- 1 ¼ hot water
- ½ cup lemon juice
- 1 package raspberry jello 6 ounce size
- ½ cup sugar
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- Add the cranberries, orange, and apple to a food processor and pulse until chopped. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the celery and walnuts.16 ounces fresh cranberries, 1 orange, 1 green apple, 1 cup celery, 1 cup walnuts
- Whisk together the hot water, lemon juice, jello powder, sugar, and salt. Stir until the jello is totally dissolved.1 ¼ hot water, ½ cup lemon juice, 1 package raspberry jello, ½ cup sugar, pinch of salt
- Pour over the cranberry mixture. Stir to combine and chill for 8 hours or overnight. Stir the salad to loosen the raspberry jello base before serving.
Video
Notes
- This recipe was initially made with 1 cup of sugar. But was reduced to a half cup based on feedback. If you prefer a sweeter cranberry sauce you can increase it.
- You can boil the water in a small pan on the stovetop or heat it in a glass measuring cup in the microwave. Add the juice, jello, and sugar directly to the measuring glass and stir.
Chris Hagwood says
I love that you honor your Mom-in-law in your post. My Sister introduced our family to a holiday recipe with the same ingredients, and it became the go-to tradition (as well as my favorite thing about any dinner that includes roasted turkey).
Your modification with the sugar is a win.
Thank you for publishing this recipe. I hope that loads of people discover this amazing fresh, sweet-tart, healthy salad.
Elsa Higby says
It was delicious! I love the brightness and crunchiness of this recipe. The inlcusion of celergy is the show stopper!
Jen Wooster says
This is a family recipe so it warms my heart to hear this!
Janet says
Guys, I need help!
I’m a decent cook, but for the life of me, I get this wrong EVERYTIME!
This is the 3rd Thanksgiving I’ve tried and it never sets for me. I will say, I didn’t use boiling water, just hot tap water. Does the water have to be a certain temperature? Thanks in advance!
Jen Wooster says
I am sorry to hear it isn't working for you. I use very hot tap water and pop in the microwave to get super hot (but not a rolling boil). It isn't going to set firm like jello or a molded salad. It is supposed to be looser, between the texture of a compote and jello.
Lisa says
Could I use sugar free gelatin instead?
Jen Wooster says
As long as you like the flavor then yes!
Robin says
I have been making this cranberry salad for several years now, one of my peers in their 70s gave me their mothers recipe so this recipe it’s been around a long time folks. However, I must say that this online recipe has been broken down to much nicer degrees than the handwritten scribbles I received. Peel and seal has has made it so wonderfully straightforward. It’s amazing. Thank you so much for the recipe and everyone that has a big food processor give it a try. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone..
Lisa says
Just made this and for my family was very tart. I ended up adding more sugar. If I make it again will most likely reduce the amount of lemon juice and increase the sugar by half to see how that taste
Jen Wooster says
Thanks for the feedback. The original recipe had about 2x the sugar but all the taste testers agreed it was way too sweet for us. But you can always try that.
Connie Volkman says
This is it. My mothers 1950's Christmas Cranberry Jello recipe. I remember watching her grind those cranberries with this metal grinder that you had to attach to the counter.
After I left home, I just didn't want to do all that grinding and this was before food processors. I can't get her recipe now, because she died in 2001 but this is pretty close. Thank you.
Connie in Wichita, Kansas