Loaded with fresh ground cranberries, sweet apples, and loads of chopped walnuts. I’ve topped it off with vanilla nutmeg whipped cream.

Grandma made this jello salad for every Christmas and Thanksgiving meal. It was my Dad’s favorite. Dad loved tart dishes…just like me.

If you’re a fan of cranberry sauce, you’ll love this salad. In fact…if you make this delicious salad…you don’t even need cranberry sauce on your dinner table. (We will not debate cranberry sauce in this post! Jellied or fresh? Yes or No?… Nope…we’re not doing it!)

I have taken a few liberties with this salad. (Trust me… Grandma was a big fan of taking liberties with cooking! Still trying to recover from Wheat Germ in my pancakes! Scarred for life!)

Grandma used Cherry Jello…and you can too. I used Cranberry and I love the difference it makes in this retro salad. I have also added fresh vanilla whipped cream sprinkled with nutmeg.

How To Make Cranberry Apple Jello Salad

You’ll need to quarter and seed 6-7 fresh red apples.  Like Galas or Pink Ladies. DO NOT remove skin. Remember we are grinding these up, so it won’t matter.

TIP: You’ll need either a food processor or a food grinder to make this salad. Grandma used an old-fashioned hand-cranked food grinder. I used my KitchenAid food grinder. However, you can use a food processor.

Grinding Apples Instructions

Slice apple quarters into thinner slices. This will make it easier to grind them up or process them in your food processor. (Plus, it makes it less noticeable when you snitch a slice!)

Grind them up in your food grinder or food processor.

This will create a small chunky pulp. However…we are not going for baby food!  So don’t over process the apples.

Remove the apples from the food processor if you are using a food processor.

Preparing cranberries

Next, grind up the fresh cranberries, or place them through your food grater. 

Set a bowl of ground apples and cranberries aside.

Preparing remaining salad ingredients

Chop 1 cup of walnuts.

Add chopped nuts to the apples and cranberries. Mix together.

Preparing Jell-O

In a separate medium-sized bowl, mix together one 6.0 oz package cranberry jello…or two smaller boxes. You can also use cherry if you’d rather. (That’d make Grandma happy!)

Add 1½ cups of sugar.

I know…my sugar isn’t white! It’s okay. I had a huge 50 lb bag of sugar given to me, and it is evaporated sugar…which means it wasn’t processed as much as pure cane sugar.  

Add 2½ cups boiling water. Mix until sugars have dissolved. 

Combing Salad Ingredients

Add in the apple and cranberry mixture. Mix well.

Pour into a 9 x 13 baking dish.

Chill until set…about 6–8 hours. I suggest you make this salad the day beforehand!

Serving Cranberry Jell-O Salad

Remove from refrigerator right before serving. Cut into squares. Place a slice of jello salad on a bed of lettuce.

In the mixer, add 1 cup heavy whipping cream. Add 1/4 cup powdered sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Whip until firm peaks form.

Place a scoop of whipped cream on top of the jello salad and sprinkle with nutmeg. Garnish with sugared cranberries and apple wedges.

Recipe Wrap-up

It’s a beautiful salad that goes so fantastic with turkey, ham, or any holiday meal. I love the vivid stunning colors of this salad.

It’s full of fresh flavors from all the tasty fall fruit. The addition of the vanilla whipped cream adds another depth of flavor.

I’ve loved this salad for years. If it isn’t on my holiday table at least once during the season I feel like something is missing…besides Grandma. We sure do miss her, but I’m so thankful to have some of her amazing recipes to share.

Other Favorite Thanksgiving Recipes

• Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cheesecake
• Best Sausage and Herb Stuffing
• Best Thanksgiving Turkey
• Homemade Turkey Gravy
• Cranberry Orange Jello Salad
• Cranberry Orange Cheesecake
• Herb Crusted Boneless Turkey Roast
• Southern Collard Greens from Soulfully Made

Thanks so much for stopping by. I hope you love this salad as much as everyone in my family does.

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Happy Nesting My Friends!

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