Enjoy fun and refreshing strawberry Jello with Fruit Cocktail! This no bake dessert combines the wiggly delight of Jello with the juicy sweetness of assorted fruits.
It's perfect for a summer party or even adding o a cold packed lunch.
My kids absolutely adore jello, especially when there's some fruit cocktail or other canned fruit added into the mix. Don't even get me started about them looking for the one or two token cherries in the mix!
I grew up on recipes like this jello and fruit cocktail, orange fluff jello salad and ambrosia salad with cool whip. It makes me happy to share these recipes that remind me of my childhood.
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Ingredients
You won't find an easier recipe than this! Only three ingredients and that's if you count water.
- flavored gelatin - best known by the brand name, Jello. I'm using a strawberry flavor but we'll talk about other flavors, too.
- canned fruit cocktail - you'll save some of the fruit cocktail juice to use in the recipe.
- water
See recipe card for quantities.
Tip: Throw away the jello directions (the ones on the box) before you get started. We're altering the instructions somewhat.
How to make Jello with fruit cocktail
Grab a medium sized glass bowl or an 8x8 baking dish to make this recipe.
Empty the strawberry gelatin mix into your bowl.
Add boiling water. Stir to dissolve the jello crystals into the water. Take a whiff of it while you stir, it's like a strawberry scented facial!
Add the cold water, reserved juice, and the fruit cocktail. Stir to combine gelatin with fruit cocktail.
Place in the refrigerator, uncovered for five hours. Halfway through the chill time, give the jello fruit salad a stir to evenly spread the fruit.
Tip: I really love this electric tea kettle to boil the water for this recipe, as well for a cup of tea!
Substitutions
Because there are so few ingredients, there are only a few substitution ideas.
- Sugar Free - use a sugar free version of geletin
- Canned Fruit - use canned mandarin oranges, diced peaches or pears.
Variations
Fruit cocktail in jello is easy to switch out seasonally. Here are a few ideas to vary the colors over the different holidays and seasons.
- Summertime - perfect for the 4th of July and Memorial Day, use red or blue colored jello in flavors of strawberry, cherry, or raspberry or blue raspberry.
- Halloween or autumn - use orange jello
- Spring - use lime or lemon jello
You can also stir in mini marshmallows with the fruit cocktail, or top with cool whip or whipped cream before serving.
Leftovers
Leftover jello will keep in the refrigerator up to a week. Cover with a lid or plastic wrap.
Top tip
Partially set the Jello and then give it a stir. This will help suspend the fruit evenly throughout the Jello and prevent it from sinking to the bottom or floating on top.
FAQ
Absolutely! Canned fruits like mandarin oranges, diced or sliced peaches, canned pears, canned pineapple and fruit cocktail are easy and delicious to add to flavored gelatin.
The time to set varies on the brand of jello you use, the temperature of your water and your desired consistency. When adding fruit cocktail to the jello, I found the ideal timeframe to be about five hours.
Yes and no! Fresh fruits like strawberries, blueberries, bananas, kiwis, or peaches are great additions.
Other fruits have enzymes in them that make them unsuitable for adding to jello. Avoid using fresh pineapple or kiwi as they won't allow the gelatin to properly firm up.
If you make this jello with fruit cocktail, leave a recipe review or comment below. I'd love to hear from you!
Related
Looking for other dessert recipes like this? Try these:
No Bake Dessert Recipes
Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with jello with fruit cocktail:
Main Dish Recipes
Jello with Fruit Cocktail
Ingredients
- 3 ounce package of flavored gelatin I used red/strawberry Jello
- 15 ounce can fruit cocktail ¼ cup juice reserved
- 1 cup hot water
- ½ cup cold water
Instructions
- Add Jello (or other brand flavored gelatin mix) to a 4 cup bowl or dish.
- Add one cup boiling water. Use a spoon to stir the mixtures and disolve the crystals, about 1-2 minutes.
- Add the cold water, ¼ cup reserved fruit cocktail juice, and drained fruit cocktail. Stir to combine.
- Place, uncovered, in the refrigerator for 5 hours, stirring after about 3 hours to evenly disperse the fruit.
- Once the jello is set, you can serve using a large serving spoon.
Deni
Small or large Jello? Thanks.
Elsa Solomon
hello. if I use sugar free jello... what size box and are the water and juice ratios the same?