This homemade Red Jello Salad recipe is easy to make and is very popular with the kids and our entire family. It is one of the recipes we almost always prepare for major holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas. We hope you enjoy it!
Red Jello Salad Recipe
This easy red jello salad recipe is a family favorite and a staple for Christmas! The family says that we can’t celebrate Christmas without the Red Jello Salad! ;-) It adds a beautiful red color to the Christmas table and children and men seem to really love it.
Ingredients
Units
1/2 cup boiling water
1 small package cherry Jello
1/4 to 1/2 cup red hot candies
1 1/2 cups applesauce
Instructions
- Dissolve Jello and candies in boiling water. I usually do this in a small saucepan so I can keep it on low heat and keep it warm while dissolving the candies.
- When the Jello and candies are mostly dissolved, add the applesauce.
- Chill until set.
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This recipe has been in our family for years, but we call it Red Hot Salad. I love it, and it brings back fond childhood memories.
I make this frequently for potluck dinners at church and always have requests for the recipie. It looks good and tastes so refreshing.
With the leaves starting to turn a little, the red of this Salad reminds me of the pretty trees. Can’t wait to make this tonight.
Do you know how envious I am of you Bea living where you do and getting to see the trees turn like that? Living in Kansas we do have trees and a few turn but nothing at all like what you have. Even coming from Colorado the trees still aren’t the same as back East.
Jill, You’re welcome to visit me ANYTIME! I do love the view of the mountains in my town. SO many trees. Even in my neighborhood there are a lot of trees. I love going into a room I have on the 2nd floor, which is a lovely enclosed porch, with all windows on one side, and looking out at the mountains and the trees. This time of year it’s so pretty. And I also like looking out on snow on trees in winter and on the mountains. God made nature so pretty.
By the way, that Red Jello Salad is so yummy and pretty. Did you ever use any other flavor Jello? I was wondering if any other flavor would work?
Oh Bea I have always dreamed of having a room will lots of windows where I could curl up with a good book, cup of tea and watch the different seasons outside. Some day I might get my room but you be sure to enjoy yours now for me. :) I didn’t know you could see mountains from your home too. That is soooo nice.
The red jello salad I have always made with the cherry jello so I don’t know how it would taste with something else. You would probably have to be a little careful to make sure it was a flavor that would go well with the cinnamon candies and I can’t think off hand what other flavor that would be. Maybe someone else has tried it and can give a better answer.
Jill, I live real close to mountains and the view on my 2nd floor from the old enclosed porch, with was made into a room by my landlord, has a nice view because it’s on the 2nd floor, and I can see the trees in the yards around me. It is real nice. The sun shines in the windows in the morning which is lovely, and the moon the other night was lovely too.
As far as the Red Jello Salad is concerned I had one box of Cherry Jello and used that and wanted to make a 2nd batch, so I used Strawberry, since I didn’t have more Cherry,and it came out good. I was wondering if Orange would taste good??? I think I may try that next. It might end up having a fruit punch kind of flavor???
It sounds like you have one of those rooms that almost makes you feel like you are sitting in a tree house. It really must be so pretty.
It will be interesting to see Bea what the orange taste like. I know I love cinnamon orange tea and I wonder if it would be kind of like that.
Jill, I didn’t think of that BUT I bet the Cinnamon and Orange Salad combo WOULD taste like Cinnamon Orange Tea and I like that TOO! Something to look forward to when I make it. It probably wouldn’t taste that bad regardless.
And Yes, it’s like being in a tree house when I’m in that room on my 2nd floor. PRETTY DESCRIPTION Jill. You have a great imagination. And what makes it seem like that even more is the room is paneled in wood and the ceiling has wooden beams, so that description is perfect. That room is one of the reasons I really liked the apartment and wanted it after I looked at it.
Jill, I’ve been making Jello salads a lot lately for side dishes and desserts, and I made the Salad using orange Jello with the Red Hots and applesauce, and it does taste a lot like the tea. Very good. I think you would like it. Also, since it’s orange it’s nice for Halloween and thanksgiving to have something orange on the table for seasonal colors. Red is also nice.
That would be the perfect color for Halloween and Thanksgiving. Will have to try it and see.
Hi! I am so excited to try this red hot salad. Can a jello mold be used to chill until set?
Thanks!
Kim
Yes Kim you can put it in a Jello mold. It is pretty much glorified Jello so like Jello when put in a mold may have to be babied a little more when you try to get it out of the mold. Can’t wait for you to try it. This is always a big hit because of the flavor and the color at Christmas.
We always have “green jello salad” (it would never occur to me to use Red Hots in anything!), but maybe we’ll try the red one! Where would I find red hots when it wasn’t Valentines?
Our salad is 1 package of green jello, 1 brick of cream cheese and 1 small can of crushed pineapple.
Drain your pineapple but reserve the juice. Add cold water to make 1 cup of liquid.
Add the jello powder to 1 c. of boiling water, then add the the brick of softened, chopped cream cheese. Beat until most of the cream cheese is dissolved. Then add the pineapple & the juice/water mixture. Refridgerate until set.
My SIL & husband usually fight over the leftovers. :)
You can find them most places like Wal Mart, grocery stores,$ tree, Walgreens and they are usually hanging up in the bags. You can find them in those “movie” boxes too sometimes.
This red jello salad fabulous! I have a version that my family also loves.
1 can cranberry sauce (I buy this on sale after the holidays. I’ve gotten it for 39 cents a can!!)
1 can cherry pie filling (I buy a generic store brand-Aldi has a great one at a super price!)
1 15 oz. can crushed pineapple (generic and always on sale!!)
2 boxes cherry jello (I buy Aldi brand, or the cheapest I can find!)
3/4c. sour cream
Dissolve the two boxes of jello in 1 1/3c. boiling water. Stir in all the other ingredients, including all the juice from the crushed pineapple. Put one half of the mixture in a 9×13 pan and chill well. Then spread the sour cream over the set jello. Gently pour the rest of the jello mixture over the sour cream. Cover with plastic wrap and chill until firm. My family eats this as a salad, or dessert!!
We make a similar recipe, but we omit the candies and melt in a can of cranberry sauce. Everyone loves it!
Oh oh I followed a similar recipe used 1 cup water and 2 cups applesauce. It’s been over 2 hours and it’s not setting up. Too much liquid?
There’s always next time. It tastes really good tho
Yes too much liquid