This Cran-Raspberry Jello Salad has been on my Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner table ever since I first tasted it. I’m not much of a Jello salad fan, but this one deserves to be sitting next to the turkey on your holiday table. It’s that good! The center layer of sour cream is just enough to offset the sweet jello and the tartness of the cranberries. 
I love remembering the old friends that shared recipes with me. This Cran-Raspberry Jello Salad was given to me by a gal that I worked at the bank with probably 35 years ago. Oh my good golly, that means, excluding the years we spent traveling on Thanksgiving, I’ve made this salad probably 50 times! I’ve also been making it in the exact same Tupperware Jello mold for all those years. And now, I’m kind of cracking myself up, I just looked it up online, and yes, they still sell the exact same “ring mold.” Obviously, if it lasts all these years, and the jello pops out easily, it’s worth having!!
**My jello mold (listed above is a 6 cup). This recipe fills my jello mold to the brim. If you have a smaller mold, you can either make two, or simply put the extra layers of the jello recipe into a small mold. It won’t be as fancy, but it will taste just as good!
Cheers to old friends and new recipes!!
Don’t forget to pin this recipe!!
Cran-Raspberry Jello Salad
Ingredients
- 1 6 oz pkg strawberry jello *I use sugar free
- 1 1/2 cup hot water boiling
- 1 14 oz can whole cranberries *Use at least one cup, or a little more
- 1 #2 can crushed pineapple undrained 20 oz. can
- 3/4 +/- cup sour cream **More/less depending on the jello/pan you make it in.
- 1 6 oz pkg raspberry jello *I use sugar free
- 1 1/2 cup hot water boiling
- 1 1/2 cup frozen raspberries
Instructions
- Mix strawberry jello with 1 1/2 cup hot water until dissolved.
- Stir in 1 cup whole cranberries and can crushed pineapple.
- Pour into large jello ring mold (*see note above), refrigerate until set.
- Spread with a thin layer of sour cream, let set.
- Mix raspberry jello with 1 1/2 cup hot water until dissolved.
- Stir in frozen raspberries.
- Slowly pour (or spoon) raspberry jello mixture on top of sour cream layer. refrigerate until set.
- Remove from jello mold and enjoy.
- **optional, you may use a little baking spray to spray mold for easy removal of jello
- If you don't have a jello mold, a large clear bowl or even a rectangle clear baking dish would work (but it's so pretty made in a jello mold)
- **Disclaimer, this original recipe (unknown source) is at least 40 years old. I've made a few suggestions/corrections to my original post to help clarify some confusion.
Here’s more holiday recipes you might also like:
Cranberry Croissant Bread Pudding 
Fab recipe! I’m going to try this I just need to buy some jello
Can’t wait to try this 1 on the table this year!!
This is gorgeous! Pinned 🙂
Jello Molds remind me of my Aunt Harriet!
What great flavors for a dessert!
Such a holiday tradition! Gorgeous!
1 can of whole cranberries? Is that like cranberry sauce?
#2 can = ? oz.
Thanks
Is that 32 ounce?
2 1/2 cups 20 onces. I googled it
Such a classic!
I’ve never had jello salad before – but this looks yummmm!
Girl, it will delight everyone at your holiday table. It is required for me to bring this marvelous dessert to every Thanksgiving dinner!!!
So festive and flavorful!!
Do you think you could sub cream cheese for the sour cream? Thanks!
i use non fat fage greek yogurt instead of the sour cream. i like it better…
I use cream cheese. It is delicious.
Super-duper delish!
Can you substitute creme fraiche for the sour cream?
How do you think substituting creme fraiche for the sour cream would work?
Hi Marjorie,
I expect that should work just fine, but I have never tried. It is surprisingly good with the sour cream. Please let me know if you give it a try and how you like it.
Thanks – will do…
Can u use cream cheese and whipped creme cheese for a topping? Just wondering if it would taste good with the sour creme in the middle.
A friend brought this to church last Sunday for our church family Thanksgiving dinner. I don’t see a lot of Jell-0 offerings anymore, and I do like them. I tried this one and it is amazingly delicious. I asked her for the recipe, she emailed to me, and it has just become a part of my Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner menu. Thank you, Renee!
Followed the recipe using 2 strawberry jellos, 2 raspberry jellos, 1 can pineapple (20 oz.) 1 can cranberry sauce (14 oz.) and it fills 2 (6 cup) molds, not 1. Luckily I have an extra mold.
Definately had to use 2 of my Tupperware molds which look like the pictuure. Or 1 12 mold. (maybe they made bigger molds in the old days). Thanks for the warning, Barbara.
Pineapple is supposed to have an enzyme that stops jello from setting. Does this recipe actually set up well or have people had problems?
I think only fresh or frozen pineapple does that to Jello. I’ve used canned multiple times for years and have never had a problem. 🙂
How well should the pineapple be drained.
Hi Colleen, you don’t drain the pineapple.
What size mold do you need. I see people have struggled w/that. Seems like a lot of ingredients for one mold. Do you need a 9 or 12 cup mold? Both are hard to find.
I believe the ring mold I use is a 9 (maybe 12 cup) and the recipe fills it to the brim. If you have a small mold or extra ingredients, you can always use two smaller molds or make the extra in a bowl.
Do you use crushed pineapple in juice or heavy syrup?
I have a family member who is allergic to pineapple. Do you have any suggestions for a substitute for the pineapple?
I do also and maybe sub the same size can of canned cherries in juice?
Or diced pears? It will change the flavor for sure but will probably be good too.
Mandarine oranges (canned drained or not)
A bit milder than pineapple!
I just do cranberry and jello.and a small layer of sour creAm. Its delicious and i cannot stomach plain sour cream!
My classic Tupperware jello mold was filled nearly all the way with the first layer. How did you make it fit? I just skipped the other layers and added the raspberries. There must be different size molds?
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This is gorgeous!
The recipe calls for one pint of sour cream, and the recipe says to spread a thin layer of sour cream onto the previous layer. Does this mean you use only a portion of the sour cream or do you use the entire pint?
did you ever get an answer to this ? good question . let me know …. please email me at [email protected]
This creation iz an abomination tu humanity, and it tazted like a foul-smelling potatoe fart.
Sorry that was my son. This recipe is really good!
Can you sub strawberries for the raspberries? Not a big raspberry fan.
Delicious!!!! However, it did not fit in my jello mold either. It was so good though, I’m going to make it again in a 9 x 13 Pyrex.
For the life of me, I couldn’t find a 12 cup mold so I just worked with the raspberry jello and put all the fruit in with that. Poured half in a 9×13 glass dish, stick in frig and let it gel, spread the sour cream and then top with the other half of the jello. Fits perfectly in the 9X13. Delicious and beautiful!! Ready for Thanksgiving!!
Thank you for posting this!
Instead of the sour cream in the middle, I mixed it with sugar and lemon juice then tossed in miniature marshmallows then spooned it into the open circle.
Hi Renee,
I thought maybe your name was Joy ( mine is) because of your website name. Anyway I have been making a version of this recipe for more then 35 years. ( In the same Tupperware mold, LOL) It was first published in our Children’s Hospital Cookbook and became one of our family favorites. My recipe uses frozen strawberries ( which I put in each section of the jello mold) and it looks so pretty when it’s un molded. . Two mashed bananas, one cup chopped pecans mixed in with the crushed pineapple.
Merry Christmas everyone. 🌲
Yummy!!!! Super-duper delish!
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GREAT recipe! Had to make in 9×13 glass dish as Downsizing Me gave away my Tupperware mold, being that you aren’t supposed to keep single-purpose items like that. Sigh. So, mine wasn’t as pretty (no smooth-ish bundt pans have I, either) as this picture, but it tasted GREAT. Store ran out of raspberry jello after I got the last box, they never HAD cranberry jello that I could see, so I subbed in a box of cherry for the 2nd rasp. box. Worked just fine, and the whole thing tastes wonderful! Thanks for sharing!
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I can’t have whole cranberries, can I use the jell, what else can I replace sour cream? Cool whip, cream chose?
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Can I substitute jellied cranberry sauce instead of whole cranberry sauce?
Hello,
I want to try this but need to know if you use the 6 oz jello size?
Thank you
Thanks for sharing this! Even as a non-fan of Jello salad, I’m excited to try this Cran-Raspberry Jello Salad. The balance of sweet and tart sounds perfect for holiday meals! Also see |
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For the cranberry, the recipe says to use one cup of cranberry. So I do not use the whole can, just one cup? Thank you.