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This light and fluffy Mandarin Orange Jello Salad has a sweet creamsicle flavor and can be made in 5 minutes. It’s made with only 5 ingredients, but without cottage cheese. This side salad can be served as a sweet side dish or even a dessert.
Why This Recipe Works
Sweet gelatin salads, also known as fluff salads are a staple when entertaining a crowd. Whether you’re planning a huge backyard gathering, prepping for a potluck, or entertaining friends this delicious side dish is made in 5 minutes.
Initially considered a side dish this jello salad can be served as a dessert too. It makes a delicious pairing with heavy main dishes such as pulled pork, ribs, or even turkey.
This version is made without cottage cheese and only contains 5 ingredients that you fold together. I’m not opposed to cottage cheese, but just like in the Lime Jello Salad I prefer to leave it out.
Similar to pistachio pudding salad this side is light and highly addictive making it a great option for a traditional addition to any holiday meal.
Often these sweet salads are prepared during the summer, but the brilliant orange color and delicious taste make this a great option for Thanksgiving too. If you’re looking for a replacement for cranberry sauce or want a brilliant red salad for Christmas then try this Cranberry Fluff Salad.
What Goes Into This Recipe
- Mandarin Oranges: for this recipe, I recommend using canned mandarin oranges that you’ll drain before adding like I do in this Fruit Cocktail Salad. You could use fresh oranges, but it will take you a good bit longer to prepare the dish.
- Orange Jello: I prefer to use regular orange jello, but you can also use sugar-free jello for a slightly less sweet and sugary version.
Ingredient Swaps
- Crushed Pineapple: the crushed pineapple takes the place of cottage cheese in this recipe. If you’d prefer a super smooth orange flavor then swap the pineapple for cottage cheese.
- Cool Whip: you can prepare a homemade version of stabilized whipped cream or you can use heavy whipping cream to make a traditional whipped cream. Using Cool Whip is simple, but if you’d like a richer flavor then try making your own whipped cream.
Recipe Variations
You can use this exact recipe and make just a few swaps to get a different variation if you’d like.
- Peach Jello Salad: you can use fresh chopped peaches or you can use canned peaches and drain them. Then use peach jello instead of orange.
- Fruit Cocktail Jello Salad: swap the orange jello for tropical fusion jello or island pineapple jello and use this Fruit Cocktail Recipe instead of mandarin oranges. I recommend adding some shredded coconut to this version.
- Cherry Jello Salad: instead of using orange jello use cherry jello and mix in fresh pitted cherries or maraschino cherries (drained) instead of the oranges.
Step-by-Step Instructions
This recipe takes only 5 minutes to prepare and you can make it just before you plan on serving it and serve it at room temperature, or you can place it in the fridge to chill overnight for a chilled and firmer texture.
- Scoop the Cool Whip into a large bowl and sprinkle the orange jello mix directly on top. Fold the two ingredients together until the jello is fully mixed in and doesn’t look as grainy.
- Drain the crushed pineapple and mandarin oranges well so no water or syrup remains then add them to the jello mixture. Gently fold them in.
- Add the marshmallows to the mixture and again gently fold them into the salad.
- If possible chill the salad in the fridge for a minimum of 1 hour and up to 4. This is not necessary but creates a chilled and firmer salad texture.
Recipe Notes and Tips
- For a nice chilled texture allow the salad to set in the fridge for 4 hours before serving it. This is optional, but I recommend it for optimum taste.
- To get the fluffiest salad use a spatula to fold all the ingredients together. This keeps the Cool Whip from falling flat when you mix it.
- Make sure to drain the pineapple and oranges well so that no water or syrup remains. Any excess water or liquid will eventually separate from the salad. If this happens don’t worry though! You can easily give the salad a good stir to mix it all back together.
- Try adding some shredded coconut for added sweetness.
Equipment Needed
- Large Mixing Bowl
- Rubber Spatula
- Air-tight Storage Container
Frequently Asked Questions for Making Mandarin Orange Jello Salad
Yes! Using vanilla pudding will slightly change the texture of this recipe and require a couple more steps. I suggest using this recipe for strawberry jello fluff and swapping the strawberries for mandarin oranges and the strawberry jello for orange jello.
Yes, you can make this recipe ahead, and I recommend making it the night before. If you let this salad chill in the fridge for a minimum of 4 hours it will create a firmer texture.
Sure. This will make the recipe a tad less sweet, but it will still be delicious and it’s a very small change.
If you made this Mandarin Orange Jello Salad I want to hear all about it! Share a photo and tag me on Instagram using @AimeeMarsLiving and #AimeeMars so I can see your beautiful work. Enjoy!
Mandarin Orange Jello Salad
Equipment
- Large Mixing Bowl
- Rubber Spatula
- Air-tight Container (for storage)
Ingredients
- 8 ounces Cool Whip thawed
- 1 3 ounce box Orange Jello
- 2 11 ounce cans Mandarin Oranges drained
- 2 8 ounce cans Crushed Pineapple drained
- 1½ cups Mini Marshmallows
Instructions
- Scoop the Cool Whip into a large mixing bowl and sprinkle the orange jello mix directly on top. Use a rubber spatula to fold the ingredients together until well incorporated. Some graininess will remain.
- Drain the oranges and crushed pineapple well and then add to the mixture. Once again fold the fruit in until incorporated.
- Pour the mini marshmallows into the bowl and fold them in (you can add more or less if you'd like).
- Place the salad into an air-tight container or cover with plastic wrap and store in the fridge for a minimum of 1 hour and up to 4 hours before serving. This is optional, but it will chill the salad and allow it to firm up a bit.
Notes
- For a nice chilled texture allow the salad to set in the fridge for 4 hours before serving it. This is optional, but I recommend it for optimum taste.
- This recipe is super quick to make and the jello doesn’t need to be prepared first. Just mix the powder with the Cool Whip.
- To get the fluffiest salad use a spatula to fold all the ingredients together. This keeps the Cool Whip from falling flat when you mix it.
- Make sure to drain the pineapple and oranges well so that no water or syrup remains. Any excess water or liquid will eventually separate from the salad. If this happens don’t worry though! You can easily give the salad a good stir to mix it all back together.
- Try adding some shredded coconut for added sweetness.
- If you’d like like to make individual servings of this salad then I recommend getting an additional container of Cool Whip as well as canned mandarin oranges to garnish the top.
