This delicious layered jello salad is bursting with flavor from the fresh cranberries, an orange, and pineapple. Combined with the crunch of pecans and the creamy sour cream layer, it is the perfect holiday side dish or dessert.

How to Make a Cranberry Layered Salad?
This recipe is an old family favorite around the holidays. My Aunt Sheila has always made it and I love it.
It isn’t a traditional salad at all and to be honest, it is more of a dessert than a salad, but it is tasty and definitely one I wanted to share really quickly with you here on the blog.
This is one of those infamous jello salads you hear many southern talking about so prepare yourself if you take offense to those type of recipes. Lol
I have a video on my YouTube channel featuring three recipes using cranberries, so of course, this one made the cut! You can watch it by clicking on the video thumbnail below.
This layered salad is super easy to make but it takes a little planning head and some patience to make sure it is set and ready to eat when you serve it.
So make sure you make this a day or two ahead of time so it has time to be perfect for your meal. It does taste better the longer it sets and will last about a week in your fridge as long as you keep it sealed and airtight.
Here’s what you’ll need to make it:
- Cranberries: I have tried this with frozen cranberries and they work beautifully as far as taste, texture, and appearance, however, the texture of the Jello was a little looser, so I definitely prefer and recommend going with fresh cranberries if you can. If not your frozen will work but just know the excess water from the thawed cranberries will make the overall dish a little softer in Jello texture.
- Sugar: So this is not a diet recipe at all you guys, this recipe calls for white sugar and a lot of it so keep that in mind if you have to watch your sugars. I’ve not tried it with allulose or other sweeteners yet, but I hope to in the future. But for now, I just enjoy a little once or twice a year around the holidays as a treat.
- Jello: You’ll need either two three-ounce boxes or one Family Size (6 ounces) of Cherry Jello for this salad. I’m sure you could use a strawberry or raspberry is you wanted to but my Aunt always used cherry so that is my favorite too. You could totally opt for a sugar-free jello if you wanted to avoid adding more than the 2 cups you mix with the cranberries.
- A Large Orange: You may be surprised to see in the recipe card that you’ll use the entire orange rind and all. Don’t let that throw you for a loop, it adds so much flavor to this recipe because of all the zest that gets blitzed up with the orange flesh and juices. Just be sure to scrub the orange very well and don’t forget to remove all those stickers!

- Crushed Pineapple: You’ll need one can of crushed pineapple in fruit juice. I couldn’t find the crushed locally so I just got a can of slices and just measured out 15 ounces. I threw it into my Vitamix with my orange and it worked out just fine. Don’t skip the pineapple, the flavor with the cranberries and orange is out of this world.
- Pecan: The nuts add such a nice and much-needed crunch to this Cranberry Layered Salad. You can use any nut you enjoy, but the pecan is my favorite and the one my aunt always used. Of course, feel free to leave it out if you or one of your guests have a nut allergy.
- Sour Cream: I know weird right? But you guys it is magic in between the layers of this sweet jello salad. The cool creamy texture and the tang of the sour cream just work in this recipe. You’ll have to trust me, but the sour cream layer is one of my favorite parts! Use the full-fat sour cream and don’t skimp and buy the store brand, get a good quality sour cream because it is so worth it.
I hope you give this holiday favorite of mine a chance and try it out. Please feel free to tag me on social media or leave me a comment here if you make it and let me know what you think!

Cranberry Layered Salad
This delicious layered jello salad is bursting with flavor from the fresh cranberries, an orange, and pineapple. Combined with the crunch of pecans and the creamy sour cream layer, it is the perfect holiday side dish or dessert.
Ingredients
- 16 ounces of fresh cranberries
- 2 cups of sugar
- 6 ounces of cherry Jello
- 2 cups of boiling water
- 15 ounces of crushed pineapple in fruit juice
- 1 large orange, washed really well
- 1 1/2 cups of chopped pecans
- 16 ounces of sour cream
Instructions
1. Mix the two cups of boiling water with the Cherry Jello. Once all the Jello is dissolved set it aside to cool.
2. Cut each of the fresh cranberries in half and add them to a large bowl with the 2 cups of sugar.
3. Wash the orange thoroughly, see notes in the blog post above about how I clean the peeling of the orange. Put the orange in a food processor or high-powered blender and puree it.
4. Add the orange, crushed pineapple, and chopped pecans to the bowl of cranberries and mix well.
5. Slowly pour in the Jello mixture and stir to thoroughly combine the jello with the cranberry mixture.
6. Once it is well combined add half of the finished mixture to a 9X13 dish place it into the refrigerator and chill this half until it is set.
7. After the first layer is set carefully spread the sour cream all over the top of this layer and then very carefully add the remaining Cranberry Jello mixture over the top of the sour cream. Be careful not to mix the sour cream into the jello. You want that distinct layer between the cranberry layers.
8. Finally return the Cranberry Layered Salad to the refrigerator to remain until the Jello layer is completely set firm.
9. Serve cold as a festive side dish or savory it as a dessert. Either way, it is delicious and a tradition here in our family!
Nutrition Information
Yield
12Serving Size
1/2 cupAmount Per ServingCalories 365Total Fat 18gSaturated Fat 5gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 11gCholesterol 22mgSodium 40mgCarbohydrates 54gNet Carbohydrates 51gFiber 3gSugar 48gSugar Alcohols 0gProtein 3g
I am not a nutritionist. If you have strict dietary needs I always recommend using an online nutrition calculator to calculate your totals using your exact brands you're using in this recipe as values may vary per brand.

I am a southern girl through and through that loves to laugh, cook, read and spend time with family. My passions outside of home schooling my son are ministering to those in need and creating art in the kitchen! Every day is an adventure in our little house and I wouldn’t trade it or the chance to share here with you for anything!
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