Are you craving a delightful and refreshing dessert or side dish? Look no further than delectable 6-ingredient Orange Jello Salad! Made in less than 10 minutes with cottage cheese, it's a great make-ahead recipe that bursts with tangy citrus flavors with a smooth, and creamy texture.
Orange Jello Salad is incredibly easy to make with six ingredients, requires no baking, and can be prepared ahead of time. Thereโs never a shortage of salad dishes at one our family get togethers, and this fruit salad is always in the starting lineup! Itโs quick, creamy, cool, and super yummy!
I have to be honest, cottage cheese has never been one of my favorite foods. However, the fullness and texture it gives this side dish and the way it melds with the other flavors makes it delicious! If youโre like me and donโt typically prefer it, believe me, made this way...itโ a game changer!
A little history on Jello salads since we are such fans! They were created as early as the 1920s and gained in popularity over the years. The 1960s they gained the strongest growth in popularity. Jello-based salads come in all types of flavors, forms and textures.
A couple more family favorite Jello sensations I would encourage you to try are my Pistachio Fluff Salad (similar to Watergate salad) and Green Jello Salad! They're also light, fluffy, and easy to make! Perfect for Easter, a summer barbecue, Christmas Dinner and any holiday dinners in between!
Table of Contents
Why Youโll like this Recipe
- Nostalgic Treat: Old fashioned orange Jello salad brings back fond memories of family gatherings and potluck dinners. It's a traditional dish for many folks.
- Easy Recipe: Orange Jello fluff takes less than 10 minutes to mix together before refrigerating! It's also a great recipe to transport to potlucks and parties.
- Basic Ingredients: This delicious side dish or dessert salad takes minimal preparation with only six simple and affordable ingredients.
- Incredible Textures: The perfect balance of smooth jello, thick cottage cheese, creamy Cool Whip, and lots of fruit makes this a refreshing salad you can't say no to! It's a guaranteed crowd favorite.
Laura Ashley's Tip: We use orange jello here, but you can use any fruit flavor you like! We love strawberry, raspberry, or lemon too.
Ingredients
Ingredient Amounts Listed in the Recipe Card Below
- Cottage Cheese: Adds a creamy texture and a subtle tangy flavor. Small curd cottage cheese is what we prefer, but any size works.
- Orange Jello: The star of the show, it binds the salad and gives it its vibrant color and sweet, citrusy flavor.
- Crushed Pineapple: Adds a juicy, tropical sweetness that complements the orange flavor perfectly. Pineapple tidbits can also be used.
- Canned Mandarin Oranges: These juicy little segments add a burst of flavor and a nice texture.
- Cool Whip: Gives the salad its light, fluffy texture and creamy consistency.
- Maraschino Cherries: A classic garnish that adds a pop of color and an extra touch of sweetness.
Tools Youโll Need
How to Make Orange Jello Salad
- In a large bowl, combine the cottage cheese and orange Jello mix. Stir until the Jello is fully incorporated into the cottage cheese.
- Gently fold in the drained crushed pineapple and mandarin oranges into the Jello mixture, mixing until evenly distributed.
- Add the Cool Whip and maraschino cherries to the mixture, folding it in gently to maintain its fluffy texture.
- Cover the bowl and refrigerate the salad for at least 2 hours, or until itโs well chilled and set. Before serving, top with additional maraschino cherries.
Pro Tips and Substitutions
- Low-Fat and Sugar-Free Options: Use low-fat cottage cheese and light Cool Whip to make a lighter version of this dish. Sugar-free Jello can be used in place of regular.
- Different Flavors: Experiment with other Jello flavors like strawberry, raspberry, or lemon for a fun twist.
- Additional Mix-Ins: Add 1-2 cups mini marshmallows or ยฝ cup-1 cup chopped nuts for extra texture and flavor. Toasted and cooled pecans and walnuts are a popular choice.
- Fruit Tips: Drain and pat dry the tropical crushed pineapple pieces and juicy mandarin oranges before blending into the mixture. You can also choose to use fresh oranges and pineapple. If doing so, make sure to peel, segment, and drain any excess juice.
- Moisture Control: Orange Jello salad separates a bit as it chills. Simply pour off any excess moisture and give it a stir before serving. Also, some cottage cheese brands have more moisture content than others. Make sure to drain excess moisture before blending.
- Homemade Whipped Topping: While Cool Whip is a popular choice, you can use homemade whipped cream as a more natural alternative.
- Simply whip together 1 ยฝ cups heaving whipping cream, ยผ cup powdered sugar and ยฝ teaspoon vanilla extract until stiff peaks form. The salad will keep for a couple days.
Storage
This orange cottage cheese jello salad is the perfect make-ahead salad recipe. Store leftovers in an airtight container or cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate up 3 to 4 days.
We don't not recommended to freeze and thaw as it will compromise the texture of the salad.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! This mandarin orange jello salad recipeย is perfect for making ahead. Prepare it the night before and refrigerate it overnight for the best texture and flavor.
While Cool Whip is a popular choice, you can use homemade whipped cream as a more natural alternative. Simply whip together 1 ยฝ cups heaving whipping cream, ยผ cup powdered sugar and ยฝ teaspoon vanilla extract until stiff peaks form. The salad will keep for a couple days.
If youโre not a fan of cottage cheese, you can substitute it with an equal amount of ricotta cheese or Greek yogurt for a similar texture and tanginess.
Make sure to fold the fruit gently and evenly into the mixture. The Cool Whip helps to suspend the fruit throughout the salad, but if it sinks, you can give it a gentle stir before serving.
Yes, orange jello salad made with the ingredients shown above in my recipe is gluten-free.
Yes, you can substitute regular Jello for sugar-free. There will still be carbohydrates/sugar in the salad, primarily from the fruit.
More Salad Recipes Like This
- Broccoli Salad
- Sweet and Crunchy Ramen Salad
- Marinated Vegetable Salad
- Best Ever Tuna Egg Salad
- Southern Layered Salad
Old Fashioned Orange Jello Salad
Ingredients
- 1 cup cottage cheese excess moisture drained
- 3 ounce box orange Jello mix
- 1 cup drained crushed pineapple
- 15 ounce can mandarin oranges drained
- 8 ounce Cool Whip
- ยผ cup maraschino cherries halved
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the cottage cheese and orange Jello mix. Stir until the Jello is fully incorporated into the cottage cheese.
- Gently fold in the drained crushed pineapple and mandarin oranges, mixing until evenly distributed.
- Add the Cool Whip and maraschino cherries to the mixture, folding it in gently to maintain its fluffy texture.
- Cover the bowl and refrigerate the salad for at least 2 hours, or until itโs well chilled and set. Before serving, top with additional maraschino cherries.ย
Video
Notes
- Low-Fat and Sugar-Free Options:ย Use low-fat cottage cheese and light Cool Whip to make a lighter version of this dish. Sugar-free Jello can be used in place of regular.ย
- Different Flavors:ย Experiment with other Jello flavors like strawberry, raspberry, or lemon for a fun twist.
- Additional Mix-Ins:ย Add 1-2 cups mini marshmallows or ยฝ cup-1 cup chopped nuts for extra texture and flavor. Toasted and cooled pecans and walnuts are a popular choice.
- Fruit Tips:ย Drain and pat dry the crushed pineapple and mandarin oranges before blending into the mixture. You can also choose to use fresh oranges and pineapple. If doing so, make sure to peel, segment, and drain any excess juice.
- Moisture Control: Orange Jello salad separates a bit as it chills. Simply pour off any excess moisture and give it a stir before serving.ย Also, some cottage cheese brands have more moisture content than others. Make sure to drain excess moisture before blending.
- Homemade Whipped Topping:ย While Cool Whip is a popular choice, you can use homemade whipped cream as a more natural alternative. Simply whip together 1 ยฝ cups heaving whipping cream, ยผ cup powdered sugar and ยฝ teaspoon vanilla extract until stiff peaks form. The salad will keep for a couple days.
Brenda
this is delicious and refreshing! Very quick and easy to make! My husband is going to love it!
Laura Ashley
Awesome! I'm so happy you made it! I hope your hubby loved it as much as you did!
Audra Ellis
Personally, I loved this! My husband and children were not so excited, which I found odd because they love (just about) anything orange flavored. I think it was the cottage cheese texture that bothered them and not so much the taste. Nonetheless, this was an easy recipe for my 10 year old to make all on her own and was great to snack on in the 105* Texas heat!
Laura Ashley
The texture of cottage cheese is definitely unique and I could see not being loved by everyone. ๐ I'm happy you and your 10 year old got to make it together. It's such a great cool treat on these hot summer days!
Polli Turner
I have made this for years, after finding it in a 1980's lowfat diet book. In recent years I have subbed out the Jello using the True Lemon and True Lime drink mixes, which are sweetened with stevia, and I feel much better about making it often! I use 2 cups of cottage cheese, add 1 cup of greek yogurt, and use only a third of a Cool Whip package, increase the protein and cut back the sugar more.
This is my favorite flavor, one packet of the drink mix makes it so light and refreshing!
https://www.amazon.com/True-Lime-Watermelon-Limeade-10/dp/B01CS47C6A/ref=sr_1_2?crid=1O8XSFNCJGWCA&keywords=realemon+watermelon&qid=1689612720&sprefix=realemon+watermelon%2Caps%2C342&sr=8-2
Laura Ashley
Those substitutions sound great as well! Thank you for sharing that!
Kelley N
I personally loved this jello salad (some of my family members are not jello fans, so their opinions donโt count on this one), but I will admit it was very sweet, so next time I try it, I will use Lauraโs suggestion to cut down the sugar.
Laura Ashley
I hope those adjustments will match your taste buds perfectly ๐
Amy Nash
This has been one of my favorite dessert salads since I was a kid! Orange is the best flavor!
Laura Ashley
Aww!! I love that you have such wonderful memories of it!!
Debi
Made this side dish for a family dinner - the kids loved it. They asked me to make it every time!
Laura Ashley
Aww!! That is just so wonderful! Thank you!
ellen
I made this with raspberry because I'm the only one who likes orange. It was delicious and not a bit was left. Definitely a keeper.
Laura Ashley
AWW! That makes my heart so happy! Love that the raspberry version was such a hit!
Jules
I just love these easy salad recipes and my granddaughter loved the addition of the cherries in this salad. She now knows where I store the cherries too.
Laura Ashley
Aww!! That makes my heart so happy to hear! Thank you SO MUCH! I love that your granddaughter liked it so much!
Lynn
One of my favorites! I usually use sour cream for my recipe but I liked the added texture of the cottage cheese!
Laura Ashley
Aww!! Thank you! I can see sour cream being a perfect zip in it too! ๐
Jennifer
This brings me back to my childhood! I can eat a whole batch of this:)
Laura Ashley
Aww!! I love that it brought back those memories!
Kathleen
Making this jello salad reminded me of our big family dinners growing up, and tasted like I remembered!
Laura Ashley
Aww!! That makes my heart so happy to hear!
Janelle
My mom used to make this growing up. A favorite recipe! I love the addition of cherries your recipe has!
Laura Ashley
Thank you SO MUCH!! ๐
Joanne Trumbetas
This is perfect for summer- so refreshing!
Laura Ashley
Thank you so much! I'm so happy it was a hit!! ๐