This is the vintage, throwback recipe that won’t quit! It’s too easy and delicious not to serve classic orange jello salad at potlucks, holidays, and celebrations with a fluffy combination of Cool Whip, mandarin oranges, cottage cheese, orange gelatin, and pineapple. See why our family’s favorite old fashioned side dish refuses to retire!
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Old Fashioned Orange Jello Salad with Cottage Cheese
Holidays would not be complete without our family favorite mandarin orange jello salad. Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter meals always included some sort of jello dish to eat with our festive dinners.
Generally my mom alternated between two favorites, this cottage cheese jello salad or her standard cream cheese raspberry jello. If I was weighing in, which I often did, my resounding vote was always for this cool and creamy recipe.
I’m sure Mom appreciated it because holidays are hectic, so an easy five minute recipe was probably a welcomed relief! (It’s right up there with our fluffy corn casserole with recipes that require zero brain power.)
It doesn’t take hours to set or use boiling water. Simply dump, mix, and chill for a refreshing tropical light dessert or fruity side dish. It tastes like diving into a creamy orange dreamsicle, and better yet, doubles as a fruity side dish or refreshing dessert.
This was so good I can’t believe it. I took it to a going away party hoping I would have some left over. It was gone in a flash!!
—Janet
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Ingredient Tid Bits
The important thing to remember when making the recipe is to drain the canned fruit well! Simply pouring the excess liquid out of the can will result in liquidy, separated jello.
- Canned fruit – Use large cans of mandarin oranges and pineapple tidbits in juice, not syrup. If you prefer orange only, the pineapple may be left out.
- Cottage cheese – Small curd, any milk fat will do.
- Orange gelatin – Strawberry jello or sugar-free jello may also be used.
Let’s Make This Together!
(Below shows step-by-step photos and modified instructions. For the complete recipe, along with ingredient amounts, scroll down to the recipe card.)
Drain the fruit – so important!
For a fluffy texture, without any liquid, be sure the mandarin oranges and pineapple are well drained. My mother would often drain the fruit in a colander overnight in the fridge. For a shortcut, drain the fruit for at least 30 minutes. Then pour fruit onto a paper towel-lined plate to blot extra juice.
Mix jello and cottage cheese
Grab a large mixing bowl because the rest of the recipe will come together in this bowl. Stir together the cottage cheese with jello. Then gently fold in whipped topping with the fruit. You may want to set a few pieces of fruit aside to garnish the top.
And that’s it! It’s ready to serve now, or cover and refrigerate until you are ready to dive in.
Bonus Tips and Ideas
We have a hard time breaking away from the traditional mandarin orange recipe, but sometimes we do like to get a little zany and mix it up! Here are some other yummy ideas!
- Mini marshmallows make a great addition fluff salads. Fold in the marshmallows with the oranges and pineapples. Top with additional marshmallows for a decorative garnish.
- If you can’t find pineapple tidbits, use pineapple chunks and cut into smaller pieces or use very well drained crushed pineapple.
- For a more tropical flavor add 1 cup sweetened coconut flakes to the mixture.
- Adapt this recipe for a variety of jello flavors using different fruits, such as fresh or canned pears, bananas, fresh or frozen strawberries, grapes, or berries.
- More garnish options are additional whipped cream, chopped walnuts, pineapple tidbits, mini marshmallows, or maraschino cherries.
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Fluffy Retro Orange Cottage Cheese Jello Salad
Ingredients
- 20 ounce can pineapple tidbits*
- 15 ounce can mandarin oranges
- 16 ounces small curd cottage cheese
- 3 ounce box orange jello gelatin
- 8 ounces (about 3 cups) Cool Whip whipped topping, thawed
Instructions
- Drain pineapple and mandarin oranges in a colander. Place colander over a bowl and set aside for at least 1 hour. TIP: For a shortcut, drain for 30 minutes and pour fruit onto a paper towel-lined plate. Blot gently on top with another paper towel. If desired, set aside some fruit for a garnish.20 ounce can pineapple tidbits*, 15 ounce can mandarin oranges
- In a large bowl stir together cottage cheese with orange jello. Gently fold in Cool Whip and well-drained fruit.16 ounces small curd cottage cheese, 3 ounce box orange jello gelatin, 8 ounces (about 3 cups) Cool Whip whipped topping
- Garnish with reserved fruit, cover, and refrigerate until ready to serve.
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Love this. My family wants it all the time.
Thank you,Reba! This is my favorite jello salad to make because my mom made it all the time growing up.
Best,
Melissa
Is the jello made/cooked or is it just powdered?
Hi Teresa,
It’s just in its powdered form.
Best,
Melissa
This was so good I can’t believe it. I took it to a going away party hoping I would have some left over. It was gone in a flash!!
Oh this makes me so happy! I requested my mom to make this every holiday and now I do the same for my own kids. I LOVE this jello salad!
Best,
Melissa