Easy 4 Ingredient Mandarin Orange Jello Salad is the perfect holiday side dish, family dessert salad, perfect for potlucks and barbecues, and oh so easy to make.
Mandarin Orange Jello Salad Recipe
Our Mandarin Orange Jello Salad does not include cottage cheese or pudding mix. It does include four easy ingredients that pair together to make a great holiday side dish.
This is one of those side dishes that everyone enjoys but maybe doesn't admit they love it as much as they do. I always laugh when the bowl of Mandarin Orange Salad is empty before other side dishes. You can look around the room and see all the adults savoring this childhood classic.
I love that it only takes a few pantry basic ingredients and a couple of minutes to whip up this holiday side dish. Ok, it isn't just for the holidays we enjoy it year-round and love bringing it to potlucks and barbecues.
We serve this with the regular meal not just at dessert. I figure it has fruit in it so it can be called a fruit salad. lol!
This orange fluff salad is a true family favorite for holiday dinners! So dang easy to make and you can make it ahead of time in the morning so you don't have to stress about getting it on the table when everything else is done.
Ingredients
- Orange Jello
- Cool Whip
- Mandarin Oranges
- Water
Orange Jello - You can change this recipe up a bit and use different flavors of Jello if you want to try something different. You can use regular or sugar-free jello
Cool Whip - Feel free to use regular, light, or any variety of Cool Whip. Just make sure to set the Cool Whip in the fridge so it thaws by the time you need it. Check out all of our Cool Whip Recipes.
Mandarin Oranges - I buy a 2nd can of Mandarin Oranges so I can to individual servings of this orange fluff jello salad with a dollop of cool whip and mandarin orange.
Optional Add-ins - You can add in pineapple chunks if you want another fruit in this jello salad.
You can top this salad with whipped cream, mini marshmallows, coconut, crushed pineapple and mandarin oranges, or more fresh fruit. For a bit of crunch you can add in a few chopped nuts.
Cottage Cheese - There are a few variations of this Orange Fluff Salad and many of them include mixing in a 12 oz container of cottage cheese. If you grew up with cottage cheese in your orange jello salad feel free to mix it in! We did not have cottage cheese mixed in growing up so I tend to make it without cottage cheese. It is totally up to you.
Equipment needed
Large Bowl - You will want to use a bowl large enough to handle all of the ingredients.
Whisk - A whisk works great for breaking up the orange jello before adding in the cool whip. You can also do this with a large spoon.
Serving Dishes - You can serve this in a large bowl or individual serving dishes.
Recipe Tips
This Mandarin Orange Jello Salad can be customized to your favorite flavors.
There are a ton of variations to this Mandarin Orange Jello Salad. Some families love making the orange jello and letting it almost set before mixing in the cool whip and mandarin oranges. Other families love adding in cottage cheese and pineapple pieces. This is one of those childhood recipes we all grew up with that has changed and adapted over time.
Great Side Dishes
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Mandarin Orange Jello Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 6 Ounce Orange Jell-O
- 8 Ounce Cool Whip
- 11 Ounce Mandarin Oranges Drained
- 2 cups Hot Water
- 2 cups Cold water
Instructions
- Mix hot water with orange jello mix in a large bowl until mix dissolves. Pour in cold water and mix together.
- Refrigerate for 3-4 hours until the Jello is almsot set. Use a whisk to break orange jello into pieces, stir in Cool whip, add in mandarin oranges.
- Refrigerate until just before serving.
Karen Treviranus
Just an idea I use the juice from the Mandarin oranges instead of the cold water. It adds more flavor