Mandarin Orange Jello Salad is a retro dessert that comes together in just a few minutes. Add some chill time, and soon you'll have an easy breezy citrusy dessert with only four ingredients. Sweet!
GREETINGS 👋
Quick question: can anyone spot me 50 clams to buy a book about Jello? Nobody? Nuts. I just found this promotional cookbook that Jell-O put out in 1937 and I simply must have it. It's called Jack & Mary's Jell-o Recipe Book, and it's by Jack Benny and his comedy and life partner Mary. Just think of all the fun old recipes I could share.
(And terrible terrible one liners.)
But Mandarin Orange Jello Salad, let's discuss.
This recipe is based on a delicious dessert that my grandmother used to make for special occasions. I know that that is a blogging cliche, but in this case it is the honest truth. Her Jello salad was to die for. It was a mixture of orange and peach Jello, Cool Whip and canned mandarin oranges. Sometimes she threw in some marshmallows, pineapple and coconut, but that wasn't set in stone.
Marshmallows are always optional.
🥣 Ingredients
- orange Jello
- peach Jello
- boiling water
- ice water
- Cool Whip
- mandarin oranges
- mini marshmallows, optional
- pineapple chunks, optional
- unsweetened shredded coconut, optional
🌈 Sugar-Free Jello
Now you might be one of those people who likes to leave comments about how bad Jello is for your health. Not to worry. You can substitute regular Jello with the sugar-free version. There are four brands that make sugar-free Jello and one of them naturally sweetens it with stevia leaf. It's called GramZero and you can find it on Amazon. (So please, no salty comments.)
Buy Now →
Buy Now →
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📖 Instructions
- Add Jello to a large boil and dissolve in boiling water.
- Make ice water by filling a 4 cup Pyrex glass measure to 2 ½ cups with ice. Add water until it reaches the 2 ½ cup line. Mix ice water into Jello and stir to quick set. Remove any unmelted ice cubes.
- Chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes until just set.
- Whisk in Cool Whip. Made it as lumpy or as smooth as you like.
- Drain the liquid from the mandarin oranges and fold them into the Jello. Reserve a few slices as a garnish. Mix in marshmallows, coconut or pineapple if using.
- Keep in the large bowl or pour into 8 small custard cups. Chill for 1-2 hours until set.
- Top with a dollop of whipped cream and the reserved mandarin orange slices.
❄️ Storage
Mandarin Orange Jello Salad keeps for 5-7 seven days in the refrigerator. It's best to cover it well with plastic wrap or keep it in an airtight container. Don't leave it out at room temperature for too long, or it will get runny.
🤓 Fun Facts
Heavens no. Jello is primarily made of gelatin which is made by boiling the skins, bones, tendons, and ligaments of animals, so no, Jello is not vegan. But there are brands that make vegan Jello and vegan Cool Whip, so where there is a will there is a way. Just prepare the vegan Jello according to the package instructions and mix it with the whipped topping and mandarin oranges.
Sure. The speediness of this salad is one of its redeeming qualities, but if you want to make your own whipped cream, have at it. Just whip 1 ¼ cup heavy whipping cream with ½ cup powdered sugar and ¾ teaspoon vanilla until stiff peaks form.
Jell-o cannot be defined as either, because it is a colloid. “The gelatin component is a solid material derived from collagen. The solid materials are suspended in sugar water to make Jello. Jello is both solid and liquid,” says Mr. Cloe, Meridian High School science teacher. So there you have it, straight from the mouth of Mr. C.
If you like this Cool Whip Jello salad, then you will love my Cool Whip Ambrosia Salad. And if you are on a Keto diet, try my Orange Creamsicle Jello Whips. All the taste with far fewer carbs.
And that's all she wrote. 🤷♀️
Soon you'll have a refreshingly retro salad with only 116 calories per serving. It's only got four ingredients that are all easy to find at the store. And it's a great way to get a little fruit into your diet. Because after all...
It makes a little fruit go such a long way!
📋 Recipe
Mandarin Orange Jello Salad
This is an easy breezy citrusy dessert with only four ingredients.
- Prep Time: 100
- Cook Time: 5
- Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Chilled
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Low Calorie
Ingredients
- 1 small (3oz) package orange Jello*
- 1 small (3oz) package peach Jello*
- 1 ½ cups boiling water
- 2 ½ cups ice water
- 1 (15oz) can of mandarin oranges, drained
- 1 (8oz) tub of Cool Whip, thawed
- Optional Add-Ins
- 1 cup mini marshmallows
- ½ cup pineapple chunks
- ¼ cup unsweetened shredded coconut
Instructions
1. Add Jello to a large boil and dissolve in boiling water.
2. Make ice water by filling a 4 cup Pyrex glass measure to 2 ½ cups with ice. Add water until it reaches the 2 ½ cup line. Mix ice water into Jello and stir to quick set. Remove any unmelted ice cubes.
3. Chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes until just set.
4. Whisk in Cool Whip. Made it as lumpy or as smooth as you like.
5. Drain the liquid from the mandarin oranges and fold them into the Jello. Reserve a few slices as a garnish. Mix in marshmallows, coconut or pineapple if using.
6. Keep in the large bowl or pour into 8 small custard cups. Chill for 1-2 hours until set.
7. Top with a dollop of whipped cream and the reserved mandarin orange slices.
Notes
You can substitute Sugar-Free Jello if you like.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: ⅛ of the recipe
- Calories: 116
- Fat: 1
- Carbohydrates: 25
- Protein: 1
Keywords: Orange Jello Salad, Mandarin Orange Jello Salad, Jello Salad, Jello
Lucas says
This recipe is incredible! Can't stop eating and it's so easy to make. Yields a lot of desserts, which is great, too for family dinners.
★★★★★
Emily Krill says
Awww, thank you!