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Lime Jello Salad

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This creamy vintage lime Jello salad has bright flavor and is fun to serve.  Our family lovingly refers to it as green Jello salad and it is coming to you from my great-grandma’s recipe box.

small green molded jello salad with maraschino cherry on top.

This pineapple lime jello salad is a vintage favorite recipe.  It is creamy and filled with bits of pineapple.  Of course the lime gelatin holds it all together. 

Make it in a big dish and serve it by the spoonful or chill it in small molds for an extra fun presentation.  My great-grandma loved it and I have a feeling you will too!

It was hard to decide who to give credit to for this recipe.  My great-grandma got it from her mom (my great-great-grandma of dutch apple cake fame).

But my dad and his siblings remember it as something their grandma would make for family gatherings.  Apparently this one was a particular favorite of my uncle Mike.  I can see why, it really is pretty tasty.

It seems as though my great-grandma Rees liked fruit salads with some substance.  A lot of the recipes I have from her and gelatin and fruit or the frozen fruit salad that still makes an appearance at every Rees family holiday.

She isn’t the only one.  My husband’s aunt also shared a cherry and pineapple jello salad that was also delicious!

bowl of creamy green jello mixture with assortment of greased molds

This is a good mix of lime gelatin made creamy with some cream cheese.  Plus, I love pineapple so that as an add-in is great for me!  Just be sure to use canned pineapple and don’t try to get fancy and use fresh pineapple.

Much like when making the Hawaiian sweet rolls, there is an enzyme in fresh pineapple that doesn’t work well for bread baking or gelatin setting.  The canning process neutralizes the problem.

swirly creamy green jello unmolded onto a plate

I thought it would be fun to do it as a mold.  I have these little jello molds that were my great-grandma Schwanke’s.

The first time I tried it did not work at all.  Not to worry though, it was still good stirred up and served that way.

So this time I held my breath and crossed my fingers.  I drained the pineapple pretty well to try to minimize any extra liquid as I assumed that was part of the problem last time.

I also did a couple of servings in ramekins just in case. But guess what… it worked!

small molded jello salad on plate with red cherry on top

The little mold was just begging for some sort of garnish.  I can envision these served on a leaf of lettuce or something, but I didn’t have any. 

But I did have some maraschino cherries and after I put one on there, I knew it was perfect. A dollop of Cool Whip or whipped cream would also be a great way to take this dessert salad to the next level.

Can’t you just picture your great-grandma serving you something like this at a family dinner?  I definitely can.  And I can’t wait to be that grandma too!  Do you have any jello salads in your family?

For another retro looking gem, try grandma’s date nut loaves. They are baked in cans making them look really cool and they are perfectly giftable that way as well!

More Fun Jello Recipes

If you really like trying different vintage recipes and creamy Jello salads, you can try my friend Jennifer’s grandma’s green jello salad. It features small curd cottage cheese and pineapple for a different version of this recipe.

Or try making lime jello fudge for a different kind of treat. It is another fun retro recipe that you are sure to love.

Red white and blue stained glass Jello is perfect for patriotic summer holidays like Memorial Day and the Fourth of July. However you can mix and match the colors to make it perfect for any holiday or event.

Or try cherry pretzel salad. It has a salty pretzel base, creamy cream cheese layer and cherry jello topping that come together for a fun sweet treat.

Love this recipe? Give it a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review in the recipe card below!

molded green jello salad with red maraschino cherry on top.

Vintage Lime Jello Salad

Carlee
A vintage family favorite, this creamy green gelatin salad has bright flavor and is fun to serve!  This treat is coming to you from great-grandma’s recipe box.
4.82 from 61 ratings
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 0 minutes
Additional Time 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 10 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 6 Servings
Calories 83 kcal

Ingredients
 

  • 3 oz package lime gelatin
  • 1 cup boiling water
  • ½ cup cold water
  • 3 ounces cream cheese
  • 8 oz can crushed pineapple drained

Instructions
 

  • In large mixing bowl, beat together gelatin and cream cheese until well blended
    3 oz package lime gelatin, 3 ounces cream cheese
  • Pour hot water over cream cheese mixture and stir until completely dissolved
    1 cup boiling water
  • Stir in cold water and pineapple. Spoon Jello mixture into serving dish or mold.
    ½ cup cold water, 8 oz can crushed pineapple
  • Chill for at least two hours, but longer is better.
  • Serve cold.

Nutrition

Serving: 1ServingCalories: 83kcalCarbohydrates: 9gProtein: 2gFat: 5gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 14mgSodium: 50mgFiber: 1gSugar: 7g
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Recipe Rating




Joanne

Monday 11th of April 2022

Bring 1 large can of crushed pineapple to a boil, juice and all. If not very juicy (brands vary), add 1/2 cup water. Dissolve 2 boxes of lime jello in the pineapple. Also dissolve 1/2 cup sugar into the jello. Cool until it starts to set up. Meanwhile mix 4-6 oz of cream cheese into 2 cups of Half and Half. Stir the creamy mixture into the jello and refrigerate. Stir occasionally so the pineapple doesn't settle to the bottom. This is very rich so sometimes I use a bit of water for the Half and Half.

Carlee

Monday 11th of April 2022

That sounds delicious!

Lorraine

Sunday 26th of December 2021

I remember a Jello mold we used to make more than 50 years ago but can't find a recipe for it. It was made with lime Jello, Jello pistachio pudding, drained crushed pineapple and finely crushed pecans. It was always my favorite Jello mold and my sister would always make it for holiday dinners. If anyone has this recipe, I would love if you can post it or email to me at [email protected]. Thank you

Carlee

Sunday 26th of December 2021

I will definitely keep my out for it!

Deborah Stewart

Sunday 21st of November 2021

My MIL always made this (and I do too). We just call it “Lime Jello”. We make it with pineapple chunks or tidbits. I drain the juice and use the juice in the jello preparation. We use a full standard size block of cream cheese (6oz) and don’t dissolve the cream cheese. I add the cream cheese to the jello while it is still warm and mash the cream cheese with a potato masher, leaving large chunks. Then add the pineapple. We enjoy the chunks of cream cheese.

Carlee

Sunday 21st of November 2021

I can see chunks of cream cheese tasting good! So yummy!

Janine

Monday 20th of September 2021

We used to call this garden jello , stuff monster poop , my grandma used to get so mad at us , glad l found this recipe gonna make it to pass around at a fish fry this Friday. YEA!!!!:)

Carlee

Monday 20th of September 2021

Ha! That is soo fun. I hope everyone enjoys their monster poop on Friday!

Anita

Monday 2nd of August 2021

I made this with 8 oz of crushed pineapple with its juice, 1 C of hot water, 1C of fat free plain yogurt and a 3 oz size of sugar free lime jello. Yummy.

Carlee

Monday 2nd of August 2021

That sounds delicious!