Cranberry Orange Jello Salad
This festively retro red jello salad comes together with sweet raspberry gelatin, lots of cranberries, oranges, and some walnuts and celery for a little crunch.
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Table of Contents
- About Cranberry Orange Jello Salad
- What kind of bundt pan should be used?
- How long can jello last once made?
- Can you freeze jello salad?
- Can you use another flavor than raspberry jello?
- Notes & tips for this cranberry raspberry jello salad
- More Retro Recipes
- More recipes for the holidays
- How to make cranberry jello salad
- Recipe Details
About Cranberry Orange Jello Salad
One of the most fun things about the holiday season is all the flashy decorations and color, and nothing is quite as eye-catching as a brightly colored jello mold.
And, you guys, this red cranberry jello salad totally steals the show.
Plus, if you can track down an ultra-festive bundt pan, this is bound to be a dessert your friends and family will snap a pic of before digging in.
What kind of bundt pan should be used?
You can use any style or design of bundt pan that you’d like, so long as the bundt pan can hold about 16 cups (or four quarts). This is what most standard, 10-inch bundt pans can hold.
To make things easier, I would recommend avoiding any bundt pans with very sharp edges. Jello is not as solid and nowhere near as forgiving as cake, so you’ll have more luck with round, sloping corners and designs on your bundt pan. That’s not to say that you “can’t” use a pan with a pretty design – because I clearly did in these pictures – but make sure you use a lot of cooking spray in the deep corners.
A couple bundt pans I recommend:
- ‘Classic’ bundt cake pan (with the domed top)
- Stained glass bundt cake pan
- Cast Star bundt cake pan
- Fleur De Lis bundt cake pan
- Wreath bundt cake pan
How long can jello last once made?
As a general rule, homemade gelatin can be stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to four days.
Can you freeze jello salad?
Bad news here, guys. I can’t recommend freezing this jello mold.
And it’s not about whether or not the jello can stay fresh in the freezer; gelatin won’t completely freeze, but the cold temperatures will preserve it. The real problem is what happens to the jello once you “thaw” it. The jello will lose it’s texture because essential components will separate. The jello may taste the same, but the new texture may make it impossible to enjoy it like you did when it was first made.
Can you use another flavor than raspberry jello?
Yes! If you feel you would like the flavor combination better with something other than raspberry (such as orange, cherry, or strawberry), then yes, you can definitely try that. Just keep the fresh fruit flavors in mind (cranberry, orange, and pineapple) when picking your jello flavor.
However, I do feel I should say that I’ve only tried this recipe using raspberry jello. Raspberry goes a long way in adding the right amount of subtle sweetness to combat the tart cranberries and tangy oranges.
Notes & tips for this cranberry raspberry jello salad
- Like the bundt pan that was used in this recipe? You can buy one here: 10 inch wreath bundt cake pan.
More Retro Recipes
More recipes for the holidays
How to make cranberry jello salad
This next part is only a photo tutorial of the recipe steps. If you’re looking for the full recipe measurements and instructions, scroll down to Recipe Details.
Step 1 – In a large bowl, add a small amount of water and sprinkle the gelatin on top. Give it a minute or two to bloom.
Step 2 – Pour boiling water and the raspberry jello mix into the bowl, then whisk well, until the raspberry jello dissolves.
Step 3 – Pour in some cold water, then whisk again.
Step 4 – Place the bowl in the refrigerator so the jello mixture can chill and thicken up a bit.
Step 5 – While the jello chills, toss some cranberries, orange slices, and apples into a food processor. Pulse the fruits a few times until chopped (but not too much!)
Step 6 – Take the jello mixture out of the refrigerator and give it a quick whisk, breaking up the film of jello. Then, toss the following ingredients in the bowl: the chopped fruit, a few more cranberries, walnuts, celery, and sugar. Mix everything together until combined.
Step 8 – Spray a 10 inch / 16 cup / 4 quart bundt cake pan generously with cooking spray, then pour the jello mixture inside. Use a spatula to smooth out the top so there aren’t any large pieces of fruit or walnuts protruding.
Step 9 – Chill for a few hours (or ideally overnight).
Step 10 – Serve and enjoy!
Cranberry Orange Jello Salad
Ingredients
- 2 cup water, divided
- 3 cup fresh cranberries, fresh or thawed, divided
- 2 medium apples, chopped
- 1 medium navel orange, peeled, wedges separated and seeds removed
- 1/2 cup celery, finely chopped
Instructions
- Bring 1 cup of water to a boil (either on the stovetop or in the microwave.) While water heats up, prepare the next step.
- In a large bowl add 1 tablespoon cold water and the unflavored gelatin. Let stand one minute.
- Add boiling water and raspberry gelatin to bowl, then whisk until gelatin is dissolved, about 1-2 minutes.
- Add remaining cold water (just shy of 1 cup) and whisk well.
- Transfer bowl to the refrigerator and let chill for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally, until consistency has slightly thickened. Mixture is ready once a solid film can form along the top of the gelatin. While gelatin sets, do the next step.
- In a food processor, add 2 1/2 cup cranberries, chopped apple, orange. Pulse a few times until ingredients are evenly chopped.
- Remove set gelatin from refrigerator. Add chopped fruit, remaining 1/2 cup cranberries, walnuts, celery, and sugar to the bowl with the gelatin, then use a spatula to toss until thoroughly combined.
- Spray a 16 cup bundt pan (standard bundt pan size) generously with cooking spray, then pour the gelatin salad mixture inside. Use a spatula to smooth out the top so that there aren't any producing pieces of walnuts or fruit.
- Place bundt pan in the refrigerator and chill until gelatin is completely set, usually anywhere between 3-5 hours. For best results, let gelatin set overnight.
- When ready to serve, remove bundt pan from refrigerator. Place a serving dish over the top of the bundt pan, then hold the plate in place while flipping the bundt pan over (so that the bundt pan ends up on top of the plate). If the gelatin doesn't immediately fall out, lift the bundt pan up about 1 inch and gently shake downwards; gelatin should quickly fall out. If needed, you can give the gelatin 5-10 minutes to warm up on the counter to help the gelatin release from the mold.
- Cranberry gelatin salad can be served immediately or stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Notes
Nutrition
I do my best to provide nutrition information, but please keep in mind that I’m not a certified nutritionist. Any nutritional information discussed or disclosed in this post should only be seen as my best amateur estimates of the correct values.
