Creamy, fluffy, and sweet, this Orange Jello Salad is the perfect dessert to brighten up your barbecue! Serve it as a side dish or an after-dinner treat that everyone will love.
This old-fashioned classic will really take you back to simple times and fun days.
Since the 1930s, moms everywhere have been making desserts like this one, Watergate Salad, and No Bake Jell-O pies. These no-bake desserts are super simple to make using common ingredients, including a box of Jell-O (or Jell-O pudding mix).
Orange Jello Salad is creamy, tangy, and sweet, packed with juicy mandarin oranges, fluffy marshmallows, and flakes of coconut. It’s quite possibly the easiest dessert you’ll ever make.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Quick and Easy – This Jell-O salad comes together in just a few minutes, in one bowl, with 7 simple ingredients. You literally just stir everything together and it’s ready!
- No Cooking – This is a no-bake dessert. We’re using a box of Jell-O, but we don’t need to boil water or actually prepare the Jell-O. The powder is mixed in to make this “salad” sweet and delicious.
- Cottage Cheese – There aren’t many recipes that make good use of this tasty dairy product. It adds some protein, creaminess, and bulk to our orange fluff salad
Ingredients In Orange Jello Salad
Just 7 Simple Ingredients are needed to make the best ever jello orange salad.
Complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
- Mandarin Oranges – Canned mandarin slices are soft and sweet. Drain the liquid away from them before adding.
- Crushed Pineapple – This finely chopped canned pineapple is a staple in many dessert salads. Just like the oranges, drain off any excess juice.
- Orange JELL-O – One standard-sized box of jello powder is added to the salad.
- Cottage Cheese – This makes the salad creamy and rich. Buy full-fat (usually 4% milkfat), small curd cottage cheese. Avoid using low-fat dairy products in desserts like this one.
- Whipped Topping – Use Cool Whip or a similar pre-made whipped topping. If you want to, you can make fresh whipped cream to use instead. Orange Fluff Salad is delicious either way.
- Coconut – Look for sweetened shredded coconut or small coconut flakes to add amazing texture.
- Mini Marshmallows – These are optional, but I only say that because they aren’t a traditional ingredient in this salad. I think they are a delicious addition!
How To Make Orange Jello Salad
- Mix the Fruit: In a large bowl, combine pineapple with mandarin oranges and jello mix.
- Add the rest: Stir in the cottage cheese, whipped topping, and coconut flakes. If you’re adding marshmallows, stir those in too.
- Cover and chill until ready to serve. The salad benefits from at least 30 minutes or so in the fridge, but can also be served immediately if needed.
Tip!
Feel free to add your own spin to this recipe! Try adding other fruits or chopped walnuts.
Recipe Tips
- Let it Chill. The salad may seem liquidy when you first mix it all together but will thicken as it sets in the fridge.
- Use other flavors. Try making jello fluff salad with strawberry jello, or any other flavor that you enjoy.
How to Store Orange Jello Salad
You can store this dessert covered, in the fridge for up to three days. This makes it an excellent make-ahead recipe!
What To Serve With This Jello Orange Salad
This simple dessert belongs at all of your summer parties this year! Try some of my other favorite summer dishes too:
- Sugar Cookie Fruit Pizza
- Caprese Salad with fresh tomatoes
- Grilled BBQ Chicken
- Mediterranean Chickpea Salad
- Ground Chicken Burgers
- No Bake Oreo Pie
More Dessert Salads
All No Bake Desserts
FAQs
Orange fluff is definitely more of a dessert than it is a salad! This recipe is for a dessert salad and is one of many that are popular in the United States, particularly in the Midwest. This type of dessert was created when gelatin was first available to the public, around 1930.
Yes, you can use one package of sugar-free orange jello in place of the regular version if you like.
I really enjoy the texture of cottage cheese in this dish, but if you’d prefer, you can replace it with the same amount of whipped cream cheese, greek yogurt, or sour cream.
This orange jello salad is dangerous! You’ll make it once, and everyone will beg you to make it again! It’s a good thing that it’s such an easy dessert to make.
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!
Orange Jello Salad
Recipe Video
Ingredients
- 1 8-ounce can crushed pineapple drained
- 1 15-ounce can mandarin oranges in light syrup or juice, drained
- 1 3-ounce box orange flavored JELL-O
- 16 ounces small-curd cottage cheese regular, not low-fat
- 8 ounces whipped topping (Cool Whip) thawed. See note 1
- 1 cup sweetened coconut flakes
- 2 cups mini marshmallows optional
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine pineapple with mandarin oranges and jello powder.
- Stir in the cottage cheese, whipped topping, anc coconut flaves. If you're using marshmallows, stir them in too.
- Cover and chill until ready to serve. Store chilled in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Notes:
- If you’d like, replace the cool whip with homemade whipped cream.
- Be sure to drain the canned fruit, or the mixture will be runny.
- There’s no need to prepare the Jell-O, simply add in the powdered mix!
- If you have time, allow the salad to chill in the fridge for at least a half hour. This will thicken it.
- You can replace the orange Jell-O with other flavors if you like.
- To Store: Keep your orange fluff covered in the fridge for up to three days.
Nutrition Information
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
© Little Sunny Kitchen
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