Jello Fruit Cocktail Dessert
What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you think of Jello? Is it Bill Cosby dancing on the tv screen with a bunch of little kids? Is it warm, long, and lazy days in the summer time? The first thing that comes to my mind is the picture above 🙂
I don’t remember when I learned to make this or even who gave me the recipe for it, however I love making it because it only requires the two ingredients in the picture below…….
How awesome is that?!My kids LOVE this dessert. Absolutely, positively <3 it. And who wouldn’t love it? You have Jello and Fruit Cocktail and Whipped Cream, all combined into one 😉 Heck, you can even make it sugar free by using the sugar free Jello. You can even try putting fresh fruit inside instead of the canned. With most of us watching our weight these days, these are good options to have. This is such a versatile recipe. So if you have any left over Jello and Fruit Cocktail just sitting in your pantry, I invite you to go ahead and give this dessert a try. Even better if you have little hands in the kitchen to help make it 😉
Jello Fruit Cocktail Dessert
(makes one big bowl)
Ingredients:
1 small box (4 serving) of Jello Gelatin Dessert (could be any flavor…but we prefer Strawberry)
1 to 2 cups of Fruit Cocktail (or any other fresh fruit that you may have on hand)
Whipped Cream and Cherries for garnishing
Directions:
Make Jello as directed on the box. Before putting it in the fridge to thicken, add the fruit (juice and all). Place in the fridge until Jello has thickened. We normally leave ours in the fridge overnight. Garnish with whipped cream and a cherry on top 😉
This looks like something my kids would love! I love your kids picture so cute!
won't the fruit just sink to the bottom of the jello? :/
No…it actually floats to the top…from what I can remember 🙂 At least it does for us 😉
Thanks! I wasn't sure if the fruit would sink either. I haven't had this for about 20 years. I'm making it for my husband and I, now, for tonight.
I hope it turned out well for you and the hubby 😉
My school foods class says not to use fresh pineapple, as the chemical "bromelin" doesn't allow the jello to set. Just a tip
Thank you for the tip!
How long does it take to set? Mine hasn’t firmed up yet
When we make it, we normally leave it in the fridge overnight to set.
Other recipes day drain the can of fruit cocktail. I went by yours. You say juice is added. Not sure. I hope it gels. If not I just wasted it.
I hope it worked out for you. Let us know if it didn’t and we can troubleshoot why.
I follower your recipe and made this salad for a holiday lunch and to my disappointment it never did gel up. I had left it in fridge overnight too. I think there is too much liquid in the overall recipe. Perhaps draining the fruit cocktail would fix it??
I’m sorry it didn’t work out for you 🙁 Yes…I would suggest draining the liquid out of the fruit cocktail can next time if you do decide to make it again. Thank you for letting me know about it 😉
Use the liquid as part of the added cold liquid. Instead of a cup of cold water add the liquid to the measuring cup and top off to the one cup mark with water.
It probably won’t setup as the -extra- juice of the fruit being added in. Either drain the fruit, use the juice as the liquid to make the one package of jello…or… use 2 pkgs of jello but only the water for one pkg, then when adding your fruit -with- liquid (talking canned fruit here folks) it will have a better chance to set up.
Can I add bananas and strawberries and wait until it thickens up so the fruit will not float to the top? Or will that ruin the look of the jello?
We have never tried that, however, it may turn the fruit into a mush-like consistency. I’m all about experimenting though so try it and see what happens 🙂
When I make jello with fruit I drain the fruit real well & only use 1.5 cups of water. I refrigerate the jello for about 1.5 hours or until it starts to set. Then I FOLD the drained fruit into the jello & return it to the fridge to set completely. The fruit will end up well blended throughout the jello & it won’t be runny.
Thank you for sharing this tip Sandi. It is appreciated 🙂