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Cranberry Salad

This festive cranberry salad made with fresh cranberries, pineapple, mandarin oranges, cherry gelatin, and pecans is a sweet side dish with turkey or a dessert dish to be eaten alone.

Holiday Side Dish

This favorite side dish we have eaten for many Thanksgiving and Christmas celebrations (and any other time we have fresh cranberries) is a holiday tradition. A dear aunt (and an excellent cook!) originally shared this recipe with us. One Christmas, she dropped off a crystal bowl filled with this beautiful red cranberry salad for our Christmas celebration. The dish was pretty, festive, and so delicious that we have prepared it every holiday since.

Gelatin Salad

This cranberry salad is also called cranberry Jell-O salad or even cranberry relish. However, we never call it by its real name, but everyone knows what you mean when you say Aunt Jane’s cranberry salad! It works well as a side dish, fruit salad, or dessert. Fortunately, it is not as heavy as some traditional holiday desserts, which is always welcome after a large meal.

Vary the Ingredients to Suit Your Taste

This salad has lots of fruit listed in the recipe, but you can vary the amounts if you like one ingredient more than another. You can also omit the pecans, and the recipe will still turn out delicious!

Working with Gelatin

It is essential to have the Jell-O at the correct consistency before adding the fruits. If it has not thickened enough, the fruit will float to the top of the Jell-O, and none will be in the bottom of the dish. It takes about an hour or more in the refrigerator to thicken enough.

When the Jell-O is at the correct consistency to add the fruit, its texture is like thick egg whites or a soft jam. Set a timer to remind you to check the Jell-O after 45 minutes. If not ready, then check again after 15 more minutes. At this point, it should be thickened or soon will be.

Also, don’t skip heating the water before adding it to the Jell-O. Hot boiling water is what activates the Jell-O.

How to Serve

Serve this cranberry salad side dish in a clear or white bowl. White always enhances beautiful food, while clear bowls let the red color show.

Here are some other ideas for serving this beautiful cranberry salad:

  • Pour the thickening gelatin into individual serving bowls after you add the fruit and serve each person in a bowl. 
  • Place the salad into a large silicon mold. Then turn the molded shape onto a platter and scatter fruits around the base. 
  • Use small individual molds to make set the gelatin salad. Then turn out each small molded salad onto dessert plates and garnish with greenery.
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Other Congealed Salad

If you like this cranberry salad, here are some others you might like:

Print Recipe
Cranberry Salad
A side dish or dessert with chopped fruits in a cherry gelatin base.
Votes: 2
Rating: 5
You:
Rate this recipe!
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 3 minutes
Passive Time 4 hours
Servings
Ingredients
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 3 minutes
Passive Time 4 hours
Servings
Ingredients
Votes: 2
Rating: 5
You:
Rate this recipe!
Instructions
  1. In a medium-sized bowl, mix together the Jell-O and sugar and set aside.
  2. In a microwave-safe bowl, heat the water to boiling, about 3 minutes. Pour boiling water over the Jell-O and stir until dissolved. Let cool for a few minutes and then place the Jell-O in the refrigerator to thicken.
  3. Sort through the cranberries and discard any soft ones. Measure out 1 1/4 cups of cranberries and then wash them and let them drain. Use an electric chopper to finely chop them.
  4. Drain the mandarin oranges and then chop them into pieces.
  5. Chop the pecans.
  6. Remove the Jell-O from the refrigerator when it has thickened but not completely set. This may take an hour or longer. Keep a check starting at 45 minutes.
  7. Add the cranberries, pineapple, oranges, and pecans. Stir until the fruit and nuts are distributed throughout the Jell-O.
  8. Place back in the refrigerator and leave until set, about 3 hours.
Recipe Notes

Do not substitute fresh pineapple in this recipe or the gelatin may not set.

Omit the nuts if desired.

To Decrease Sugar:

  • For a lower sugar amount, omit the 1/2 cup of sugar and just use the 2 boxes of cherry Jell-O.
  • This recipe can be made with sugar-free gelatin.  Substitute 2 boxes of sugar-free cherry Jell-O for the regular cherry Jell-O and omit the 1/2 cup of sugar from the recipe.
  • Use fruits packed in fruit juice or very light syrup.

 

 

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