Cranberry Jell-O Salad with Mandarin Oranges

Cranberry Jell-O Salad with Mandarin Oranges is a delicious mix of tart cranberries, juicy mandarin oranges, and colorful Jell-O. Plus, it's a refreshing and unique spin on traditional cranberry sauce.

This easy-to-make jello salad is the perfect side dish for any Thanksgiving feast and also pairs beautifully with a holiday ham. Best of all, you can make this family-favorite dish with just 5 ingredients and less than 10 minutes of prep time.

Jump to Recipe

With its vibrant, festive colors and sweet, tart taste, Cranberry Jell-O Salad with Mandarin Oranges is always the star of the show every holiday season.

About This Recipe

Jello salad recipes are a perfect dish for both small gatherings and potlucks and this easy cranberry salad recipe is the perfect festive side dish for your Thanksgiving feast or holiday table.

While other families had a bowl of cranberry sauce or cranberry relish for their Thanksgiving dinner, my mom always made this cranberry Jell-O salad. I'm not sure where she got the recipe. Most likely it was from a can, box, magazine, or newspaper in the 1960s. And I remember clearly the first time she made it she added chopped nuts, but decided they added nothing to the flavor and never added them again.

This old-school recipe is a basic fruited gelatin salad where gelatin is made, chilled until slightly thickened, and fruit is added so they are suspended in the jelly.

The twist with this Jell-O fruit salad is that whole-berry cranberry sauce is added to the hot gelatin so that it melts and is evenly distributed throughout the jelly. The Jell-O is then chilled until slightly thickened and crushed pineapple and whole mandarin oranges are added.

We didn't have an extra bowl or fancy mold to set the salad in, so we always used a 13" x 9" Pyrex baking dish, and the salad was cut into squares for serving.

The tricky part of this salad is to reduce the amount of cold water added to the gelatin so the salad sets firmly. Another key point is to drain the crushed pineapple and mandarin oranges well.

Some recipes, use the liquid from the canned fruit to replace the cold water when making Jell-O. However, we found that using the canned fruit liquids made the salad too sweet and we lost the sweet/tart balance that makes this salad so delicious and refreshing.

So, let's cook!

Ingredient Notes

Here's what you need to make my mom's cranberry jello salad recipe:

• Raspberry Jello - I prefer to use the Jell-O brand because the flavor is consistently good and strong. Bargain brands sometimes have a weaker flavor or the box makes less than 8 - ½ cup servings.
• Whole Berry Cranberry Sauce - This needs to be the jellied sauce that contains whole cranberries. Using a whole berry sauce adds more texture and bursts of tart cranberry flavor to the salad.
• Crushed Pineapple - I've used "canned in own juice" and "light syrup" and both are delicious. You must drain the pineapple well to prevent the gelatin from being diluted.
• Mandarin Orange Segments - I generally buy a "canned in light syrup" for the best flavor. They also need to be drained well before being added to the salad.
• Boiling Water & Cold Water - You will need boiling water to dissolve the gelatin and cold water to cool it so it will set more quickly. (not shown)

Please see the recipe card for the exact quantities.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Dissolve. In a large bowl mix the Jell-O powder with the boiling water and stir for 2 to 3 minutes or until the gelatin is well dissolved.

Add and Chill. Add the entire can of cranberry sauce to the hot Jell-O and stir for 5 to 6 minutes or until it is completely melted. Then, add the cold water and stir well.

Refrigerate the cranberry mixture for 1 hour or until it is slightly thickened.

Stir-in. Add the drained crushed pineapple and drained mandarin oranges to the thickened cranberry Jell-O. Stir gently and transfer the gelatin mixture into a 13 x 9” baking dish, a large decorative serving bowl, or a 2-quart flat casserole.

Chill. Refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight until completely set.

We like to cut the salad into squares and serve it plain, but you can serve it with a dollop of mayonnaise, whipped cream, or Cool Whip, or simply scoop it from the dish with a spoon.