5 Minute Jello Salad with Cream Cheese

This Jello Salad recipe takes five minutes and uses only jello and cream cheese to make! Easy, old fashioned jello salad can be adapted for raspberry, strawberry, lime, or orange flavors, mixed with fruit, or topped with a creamy dollop of cool whip.

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 5

refrigeration 2

Total Time 2 10

Servings

Author Melissa Erdelac

Ingredients

6 ounce box any flavor jello
8 ounce package cream cheese softened and chopped into large pieces
2 cups boiling water
Optional toppings: Cool Whip, fresh fruit, mini marshmallows mixed with sour cream (see recipe notes)

Instructions

Pour jello into a large bowl (helps with splatters while mixing). Add 2 cups of boiling water and stir to dissolve.
6 ounce box any flavor jello , 2 cups boiling water
Add 8 ounce softened and chopped cream cheese to dissolved, hot jello. Let stand for 5 minutes for cream cheese to soften. Use hand mixer (or blender) on LOW speed to thoroughly combine. (TIP: A blender or immersion blender makes the least amount of mess and blends in the cream cheese best. If you don't have a blender, place the mixing bowl in the sink and beat it in there with a hand mixer. You will have yourself a kitchen counter clean up!) Mix until smooth and large lumps are no longer visible. (This will take a couple minutes to mix and some very small lumps may remain).
8 ounce package cream cheese
Add 1/2 cup cold water. Stir and pour into individual cups or serving bowl. Refrigerate until set, about 6 hours or overnight. Top with whip cream or fresh fruit before serving.

Notes

Adding Fruit

Pick a fresh, frozen, or canned fruit to pair with raspberry, strawberry, orange, or lime jello flavors. Read tips below to save yourself from jello mishaps.

You may stir in fruit after adding cold water, but it may sink to the bottom. For perfect presentation, refrigerate jello first to partially set (approximately 90 minutes).
Once it’s the consistency of unbeaten egg whites, stir in about 1 cup of fruit.
Drain fruit well so extra liquid doesn't prohibit the jello from setting.

More Ideas / Tips

If using a hand mixer, be careful mixing the cream cheese with jello because it's very liquidy. To avoid a mess throw it in a blender or use an immersion blender.
For ultra creamy jello salad, whisk in 2 cups cool whip topping into jello after adding cold water. Refrigerate until set.
Add Cool Whip, homemade whipped cream, or miniature marshmallows mixed with sour cream (see heading below) as a topping.
Go nuts and make a parfait – In individual serving dishes layer jello cream cheese salad, fresh fruit, cool whip, marshmallows, and coconut.

Adding Marshmallows and Sour Cream

Mix together 1 cup of sour cream, 2 tablespoons powdered sugar, and 2 cups of miniature marshmallows. Spread on set jello.

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