Cranberry Pineapple Jello Salad Recipe (Nut and Gluten-Free)

I am normally assigned to bringing cranberry sauce to our thanksgiving meal. A few years ago, I decided that I was going to try something new and novel for our meal! So I took the inspiration of the classic flavors of cranberry sauce and found a recipe for cranberry pineapple jello salad! It gives you the flavor of cranberry sauce in a new and exciting way, and it tastes fantastic!

 

 

I found this recipe on Food.com for Cranberry Jello Salad.  I modified it a little to make it nut-free as well, since we have deadly peanut and tree-nut allergies in our house.

Even the people who strongly and stubbornly stood for the pure classics had to admit they enjoyed the cranberry pineapple jello salad! It was a fantastic recipe, one that I will most definitely make again and again by request of several people! No haters of this recipe were in sight. 

Please note, you will need at least 6-8 hours to make this! It is easy to make, you just need time for the Jello to set, as I really don’t think you want a mess. Unless you do, in which I will wholly support you in that… 

Here’s my version of this salad, as I did not want to use some of the ingredients that the original recipe said (i.e the nuts)

Cranberry Pineapple Jello Salad Recipe

The ingredients you will need are:

• 1 lb fresh cranberries (please note, most packages are sold in 12oz. sizes, so you will need 2 of these so you can get the additional 4oz.)
• 1 (20 ounce) can crushed pineapple
• 1/2 cup of shredded coconut
• 2 sm. packages raspberry Jell-O gelatin or 1 lg. package
• 2 cups boiling water
• 1 cup cold water
• 1 3/4 cups sugar
• 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese
• 1.5 tsp. of vanilla

Here’s how to make it:

Step #1 – Prepare  your Jello by mixing the two sm. packs or one lg. pack with 2 cups of boiling water. Stir for 2 minutes until fully dissolved.  Then add 1 cup of cold water and  stir. Set aside to start cooling.

Step #2 – Wash/rinse your 1 lb. of fresh cranberries.  Then place in a food processor/blender  and blend/pulse until they are minced cranberries.

Step #3 – Then mix the 1 and 3/4 cup of sugar in a bowl with the minced cranberries. Set aside until the sugar dissolves (about 10-15 minutes).

Step #4 – Add the drained pineapple and coconut to the cranberry mixture. Please note, you will want to drain the juices out of the crushed pineapple and reserve the juices for the topping.

Step #5 – Add the Jello to the mixture and stir until well blended. Add to a 9×13 pan and refrigerate for 6-8 hours until it is set solid.

Step #6 – Whip the cream cheese, pineapple juice and vanilla together until it is a frosting consistency.  It will not take all of the pineapple juice, just add a tablespoon or two at a time until you get the consistency you desire.

Step #7 – Spread the cream cheese topping over the set Jello mixture.

Step #8 – Keep chilled until ready to serve and then serve and enjoy!

Here’s a printable recipe for you to put into your home binder!  AND details on the Home Binder with FREE downloads are HERE.

Tell us below how your cranberry pineapple jello salad went! Any suggestions, any way you changed it to make it a bit more unique, or just how happy you were with it! 

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