This Raspberry Jello Salad has been a cherished addition to our family table quite often. I can’t believe I’ve never shared it here. Maybe because Jello isn’t as stylish now as it was when this recipe was published in the Evangelical Free Church cookbook from Huntington Beach, CA in 1968, but I’d say it’s definitely stood the test of time. Jello or not, this salad is too delicious to keep to ourselves. And SO EASY! Let me show you how to make it.
Pour the raspberry gelatin right into a 9 by 13 inch baking dish or equivalent. I like to use my 2 1/2 quart Corningware dish because it has a lid. Dissolve the gelatin by stirring in 2 cups of boiling water.
Next, stir in 2 cups of applesauce. You can use sweetened or unsweetened and it will be good either way.
I think the applesauce is what gives this salad a unique and pleasing texture. Are we okay with me calling this a salad??? Let’s just go with it :0)
Carefully pour in the frozen raspberries. I try to buy a couple of bags at a time to keep in the freezer so I always have everything on hand to make this Raspberry Jello Salad. You can also buy in bulk and use the triple berry blend from Costco – then the salad has blackberries, raspberries, and blueberries. So pretty!
Cover the dish, and refrigerate the salad until it is set. It will only take a couple of hours- adding the frozen raspberries really speeds that up! A couple of hours before serving, mix the sour cream and mini marshmallows together. Even those in our family who do not care for sour cream, enjoy it in this salad. As the marshmallows blend into the sour cream a bit, it becomes mellow and sweet.
You can also make this salad in mini mason jars for individual servings. I brought dinner over to my parents last week, and the Raspberry Jello Salad mason jars were so easy to take over to them, along with mini chicken pot pies ready to bake. If you have a smaller crowd to feed, you can cut the recipe in half.
In our family, the hardest part of this recipe is my boys fighting over the leftovers for breakfast the next morning. They love it so much, I know they’ll ask me to make it for them every time they come home when they are all grown! It’s so perfect for holidays and looks so bright and festive on a Thanksgiving or Christmas table, or even with blueberries on the 4th of July. I hope your family will enjoy it as much as we do.
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Raspberry Jello Salad
- Prep Time: 4 hours
- Total Time: 4 hours
- Yield: 10 servings 1x
- Category: Salad
- Cuisine: American
Description
This Raspberry Jello Salad could not be easier to make, and it looks so beautifully bright and festive on a holiday table.
Ingredients
- 2 packages of raspberry gelatin, 3 oz (two small boxes)
- 2 cups boiling water
- 2 cups applesauce
- 24 ounces frozen raspberries
- 2 cups sour cream
- 2 cups mini marshmallows
Instructions
- Pour raspberry gelatin into the bottom of a 9 by 13 inch baking dish. Pour boiling water over the gelatin, and stir to dissolve.
- Add applesauce and stir.
- Carefully add frozen raspberries, and press them down in an even layer.
- Cover and refrigerate, 2 hours or until set.
- An hour or two before serving, stir sour cream and mini marshmallows together and spread over the set raspberries. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Serving
- Calories: 256
- Sugar: 31g
- Sodium: 103mg
- Fat: 9.4g
- Saturated Fat: 4.7g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2.5g
- Trans Fat: 0.4g
- Carbohydrates: 42g
- Fiber: 5g
- Protein: 3.5g
- Cholesterol: 27mg
Nancy Braun says
Love love love it! It is fun to have recipes that just speak of good memories around the table!
Sarah says
I followed all these steps exactly, and used a 3oz box of jello and 2 cups of boiling water like it says. I refrigerated overnight, and this morning it is still completely liquid 🙁 it did not set at all! Very disappointed, as I was going to bring this to my family’s Thanksgiving… Do you have any idea what might have gone wrong?
Julie says
Sarah, look at the recipe ingredients once more please – it calls for TWO 3 oz boxes of Jello, so that is why yours didn’t set. Hope you’ll try it again. Sorry!
Sarah says
Thanks, Julie. I think maybe you need to make an adjustment to it? I thought maybe it was 2 boxes at first, but when I click the 2X button, it says “4-6 oz” which logically told me 1 serving would be 2-3 oz? Because 4×6=24 oz? Does that make sense?
I can see now it was my error, but I just want to make sure no one else makes the same mistake I do 😅
I will try it again sometime! Thanks
Julie says
I do see that it doubles both numbers when you click the 2X button… not sure why it does that. Thank you for clarifying – we’ll try to fix that.
Sarah says
I attempted this recipe a second time (this time with the correct amount of jello) and it turned out great! I made it for my family Christmas, and it was very popular, especially with the kids.
sharon furminger says
I’s say try a recipe first for a try out before taking a new dish to a gathering that has your name on it lol
Cindy says
Hi just a question on this recipe. I can’t wait to try it. All I could find was frozen unsweetened raspberries is that what you use?
Julie says
Yes, those will work well!
Linda Gooch says
I found this recipe in my Mother’s recipe file box, probably from the early 60’s .I’m excited to find your instructions because they were very limited on her card.
Thanks for posting –
Linda Gooch
Childress, TX
Ashlee Lawrence says
Hi! I’m so nervous to use sour cream as I can’t imagine it tasting right with a dessert… even tho I’m sure it’s one of those yummy things you don’t expect… can you use yogurt or similar?
Julie says
I understand! You could use a plain yogurt. As the marshmallows sit in the sour cream, they sweeten it. I’m the only one in my family who likes sour cream and everyone loves this salad!
A says
Oh one extra thing I wanted to add for others, around the holidays you could add a can of whole cranberries
And it puts a spin on cranberry sauce no one likes! I did this recipe with cranberry too and everyone loves it! Can’t wait to try yours tomorrow!
C Simpson says
Can this be made the day before Thanksgiving amd kept refrigerated
Julie says
Yes it can. We prefer the topping made about 3-4 hours before serving, but the jello layer can definitely be made the day before.
Rebecca says
I’ve made this with my family forever. Quick note that it won’t set if you use sugar free jello. Also recommend making it all the night before and letting the sour cream marshmallows mix overnight. Thanks for posting this! Always wondered where this recipe came from!
Lola Stavos says
Just made this for the first time as a last-minute addition to our Thanksgiving dinner and it was SO good! I love the texture that the applesauce lends to the dish – makes it not so “jello-y” and it’s not too sweet. If you’re worried about the sour cream, don’t be. The mini marshmallows blend in so nicely and the result is a fluffy, not-too-sweet topping.
Jane says
We loved this recipe. I only had 10oz of frozen raspberries but it was delish!