This frozen cranberry salad comes straight from my mom’s favorite cookbook that I pretty much grew up on. A frozen cranberry and Jell-O base is topped with pecan-studded whipped cream for a retro holiday side dish that everyone loves!
The Frozen Cranberry Salad I Make Every Christmas
I’ve eaten this old-fashioned cranberry Jell-O salad each and every Christmas morning since I was 5 years old. It’s from my mom’s copy of The Junior League of Salt Lake City’s Heritage Cookbook, and we make it every year to complement the salty, savory bites of our favorite ham and cheese breakfast casserole. But it can be served with so much more!
This retro frozen salad combines the tartness of jellied cranberry sauce with the sweetness of cherry Jell-O. It’s mixed with maraschino cherries, then frozen in a bundt pan, topped with a nutty whipped cream topping, and frozen again.
This salad isn’t only amazing for breakfast or brunch, but also for Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner to give a sweet, fresh, chilled bite to the heartier savory dishes on the table.
Enjoy!
Heidi’s Tips for Recipe Success
You’ll be using both the maraschino cherries and the juice they’re packed in. Drain them over a bowl so nothing goes to waste.
My mom’s advice: Instead of metal, use a silicone bundt pan to easily release the frozen salad from the mold. It’s so much easier to bend and peel away.
Remove the salad from the freezer about 10 minutes before serving to slightly thaw before removing from the bundt pan.
You’ll Need These 8 Key Ingredients
The full recipe, with amounts, can be found in the recipe card below.
- Cranberry sauce — I’m normally on Team Homemade Cranberry Sauce, but this recipe keeps things super easy by having you crack open a can of the jellied stuff.
- Maraschino cherries — Buy any kind you like, no need to get fancy cocktail cherries.
- Jell-O — I use cherry Jell-O because that’s what Mom always did, but raspberry Jell-O could work too.
- Lemon — You’ll be using both the rind and the juice.
- Heavy cream — Skip the frozen whipped topping and make your own whipped cream instead for the creamiest, richest cranberry salad topping.
- Sugar — Granulated sugar is just fine.
- Mayonnaise — Keeps the whipped cream topping super smooth and creamy even after being frozen.
- Pecans — I like to give mine a rough chop so the topping isn’t too crunchy.
How to Make Frozen Cranberry Salad
- Drain the maraschino cherries. You’ll want to do this over a bowl, then measure out about ½ cup of the juice. Add enough cold water to the juice to make 1 ½ cups.
- Make the cranberry-Jello base. Pop the cherry juice mixture onto the stove and bring to a boil. Add in the Jell-O and keep whisking until it’s dissolved, then stir in the jellied cranberry sauce and lemon juice.
- Chill for 15 minutes. Then, stir in the chopped maraschino cherries.
- Freeze for 4 hours. I like to freeze this cranberry Jell-O salad in a 6-cup silicone Bundt pan for a pretty presentation, but any freezer-safe container works.
- Make the whipped cream topping. Working in one big bowl, whip the heavy cream to soft peaks before beating in the sugar and lemon zest. Gently fold in the lemon juice, mayo, and chopped pecans at the very end (try to knock as little air out of the cream as possible!).
- Top the cranberry Jell-O base. After 4 hours in the freezer, the cranberry base should be nice and firm. Spread out the whipped cream topping in an even layer (a rubber spatula works nicely for this).
- Freeze it, baby, one more time. Another 4 hours should do it, but I like to pop this into the freezer the night before so it’s ready to go on Christmas morning.
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating below, leave a comment to tell us what you think, and tag me on Instagram @foodiecrush.
Frosty Cranberry Salad Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
Cranberry Base
- 8 ounces maraschino cherries in juice
- 3 ounce package cherry-flavored gelatin (Jell-O)
- 16 ounces jellied cranberry sauce
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
Topping
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 3 tablespoons granlulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon lemon rind grated
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- ⅓ cup pecans chopped
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Instructions
- Prepare the cherry-cranberry base. Drain 8-ounce jar of maraschino cherries and save the syrup (about ½ cup). Roughly chop the cherries to make ¾ cup, and set aside. Add enough cold water to the cherry syrup to make 1 ½ cups, add to a saucepan, and bring to a boil. Stir in 3-ounce package of cherry-flavored Jell-O until dissolved. Whisk in 16 ounces jellied cranberry sauce and 3 tablespoons lemon juice. Refrigerate and chill until thickened, about 15 minutes.
- Freeze the fruity layer. Fold in the chopped cherries and pour into a 6-cup mold or bundt cake pan. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze for 4 hours or overnight until firm.
- Make the whipped topping. Add 1 cup heavy cream to a large bowl and whip until soft peaks form. Beat in 3 tablespoons sugar and ¼ teaspoon lemon rind until cream is stiff. Fold in ⅓ cup mayonnaise, ⅓ cup chopped pecans, and 1 tablespoon lemon juice.
- Freeze again until firm. Dollop the whipped cream mixture over the frozen layer and spread evenly. Freeze until firm, about 4 hours, or covered up to 3 days. Serve frozen.
Nutrition
What to Serve With Your Holiday Cranberry Salad
- Mains — Glazed Ham, Simple Roast Chicken, Roast Turkey Breast
- Sides — Sausage Stuffed Acorn Squash, Green Bean Casserole, Mashed Potatoes
- Drinks — Pomegranate Martini, Homemade Baileys, Champagne Punch
- Brunch — Ham and Cheese Breakfast Casserole, Eggs Benedict, Quiche Lorraine
More Old-Fashioned Side Salads to Try
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