Cranberry Mousse

6 Comments

Homemade Cranberry Mousse is a delicious and fruity dessert salad made easy with Jello. This old fashioned recipe is great for the holidays!

Jello salads are a classic treat to have during the holidays- Thanksgiving especially. This recipe for Cranberry Mousse is very similar to Jello Salad- but with some interesting add-ins that make it unique!

Cranberry Mousse Jello Mold on a plate

Homemade Cranberry Mousse

I’m always looking for fresh, interesting dessert ideas- especially around the holidays. The holidays are a special time of year where you have to make something special: normal desserts don’t cut it for these special occasions! It’s also the perfect time to experiment with some seasonal flavors. With that in mind, this recipe for a Cranberry Mousse turned out great!

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Overhead Cranberry Jello Mousse Mold

Jello salads have always been a favorite of mine and this homemade mousse is made in a very similar way to those old fashioned recipes. The biggest difference is the addition of the sour cream- which changes the texture and flavor somewhat. This gives you something that’s a still-delicious alternative to Jello salad. Flavorwise, this Cranberry Mousse is a winner!

Slice removed from Cranberry Mold

It only helps that this recipe look great as well: we served it up in a bundt pan which really helps with presentation. This Homemade Cranberry Mousse would look perfect at the dinner table this Thanksgiving or Christmas. If you’re wanting a new and interesting cranberry dessert for the holidays this year, you’re going to love our recipe! Enjoy!

Text on image Cranberry Mousse

Other Delicious Recipes for Cranberry Desserts

  • If you’re looking for something closer to a proper Cranberry Jello salad, then you’ll want to look at our Old-Fashioned Cranberry Salad. It’s made in a very similar manner but yields an end-product that’s much more like the Jello salads you might be familiar with.
  • For another sweet salad, we have to recommend our Cranberry Fluff Salad. Similar to a Watergate or Ambrosia salad, this fluffy, creamy, fruity dessert is a great way to cap off a holiday or Thanksgiving dinner.
  • Needing something a bit more traditional and simple? Try making up some Homemade Cranberry Sauce with Apples. Making cranberry sauce from scratch give you something that’s way tastier than the canned stuff! The added apples sweeten things up perfectly.

Text on image Cranberry Mousse

Ingredients for our Jello Mousse Recipe

  • Jello – We went with the raspberry flavored Jello, but strawberry would probably work in this recipe just as well.
  • Whole Berry Cranberry Sauce
  • Crushed Pineapple
  • Sour Cream
  • Pecans, chopped

Ingredients to make Cranberry Mousse

How to make Cranberry Mousse

First, get your bundt pan greased and set it aside. Second, get your can of pineapple into the fridge and let it chill for at least half-an-hour. With those two things out of the way, you can start on the Jello: add your Jello packets to the boiling water. Stir until all the Jello mix has dissolved and let that sit for about 5 minutes while you work on the pineapples.

Jello mixed in a bowl with whisk

Empty your can of pineapples into a sieve over a bowl or measuring cup. Give the pineapples some light pressing- just don’t go crazy! We want to get as much juice as we can out of our pineapple chunks- but don’t throw that juice away! We’re going to add all that juice to the gelatin mixture from earlier.

Draining crushed pineapple

With all that juice strained off, place the pineapples on some paper towels to absorb any leftover moisture. Set that aside for the time being.

Drained crushed pineapple on a paper towel

Next thing we’re going to add is the reserved cold pineapple juice. Then add the whole berry cranberry sauce. Just crack the can open and empty the contents into the Jello mix. Stir that thoroughly until well-mixed, with the berries spread evenly throughout.

Cranberry sauce added to Jello

Transfer the cranberry Jello to the fridge for about half-an-hour (do not over chill). Once that’s thickened up a bit, pull it and add the sour cream, drained pineapple, and some pecans.

Pineapple, nuts and sour cream added to cranberry Jell-O mixture

Fold all those ingredients in until they’re spread evenly throughout the mixture. Once the mix is ready, transfer it to your prepared bundt pan.

Finished and chilled Overhead Cranberry Jell-O Mousse Mold

That’s going to need a little while to set- probably around 2 hours. Now, be very delicate when you’re ready to remove our cranberry mousse from its pan.

Cranberry Mousse on a fork

If it’s not dropping from the pan right away, carefully run a knife along the edges and center- just to try and get some air into the pan. Place a plate on top of your bundt mold and flip- give the pan a solid few taps if you’d like to try and get it to release. Just be patient and your Cranberry Mousse should release and you’ll be able to enjoy!

Overhead Cranberry Jello Mousse Ring

5 from 5 votes

Cranberry Mousse

Homemade Cranberry Mousse is a delicious and fruity dessert salad made easy with Jello. This old fashioned recipe is great for the holidays!
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 1 minute
Chill Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
Servings: 10

Ingredients 

  • 2 pkg Raspberry Gelatin, 3 oz each
  • 1 cup Boiling Water
  • 20 oz Crushed Pineapple
  • 14 oz Whole Berry Cranberry Sauce
  • 2 cup Sour Cream
  • 1/2 cup chopped Pecans

Instructions 

  • Heavily grease bundt pan and set aside.
  • Refrigerate can of crushed pineapple for 30 minutes.
  • In a large bowl, combine gelatin and boiling water. Stir until dissolved.
  • Drain pineapple through a sieve and add juice to gelatin.
  • Place the pineapple on a paper towel to absorb the moisture and set aside.
  • Stir cranberry sauce into gelatin mixture until blended.
  • Chill mixture until it starts to thicken about 30 minutes.
  • Fold in sour cream, pineapple and pecans.
  • Pour into prepared bundt pan.
  • Chill until set, at least 2 hours.

Notes

When ready to release the mousse from the bundt pan, use a knife around the edges and center to get air into the pan. Place a plate on top of the mold and flip. You may need to tap quite hard to get to release. Be patient, it will release.

Nutrition

Calories: 285kcal, Carbohydrates: 42g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 13g, Saturated Fat: 6g, Cholesterol: 24mg, Sodium: 129mg, Potassium: 168mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 39g, Vitamin A: 332IU, Vitamin C: 7mg, Calcium: 65mg, Iron: 1mg
Like this recipe? Rate and comment below!

Long pin collage with text Cranberry Mousse An Old Fashioned Recipe

Long pin collage with text Cranberry Mousse An Old Fashioned Recipe

Long pin collage with text Cranberry Mousse An Old Fashioned Recipe

About Jen Lunsford

A lover of food and frugal living. A wife to a wonderful hubby, momma to 5 fun kiddos. Welcome to my blog. You will find REAL TASTY RECIPES. Be sure to subscribe to my email list and follow me on social media, to never miss a recipe.

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5 from 5 votes (2 ratings without comment)

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6 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Jen, you just can’t beat some of those old fashioned recipes!
    Thank you for sharing your recipe at Create, Bake, Grow & Gather this week. I’m delighted to be featuring your cranberry mousse recipe and pinning too.
    Hugs,
    Kerryanne

  2. 5 stars
    Super easy and so delicious looking, for sure I will have to give this a whirl.
    Thank you for sharing your links with us at #286 SSPS Linky. See you again next week.

  3. 5 stars
    Hi Jen
    I found you at a pinch of joy!
    This recipe looks like a long lost recipe my mom would make.
    Thank you so much- I’m going to make this for the holiday!
    xo Lisa S

      1. I have made this without pineapple or nuts. It’s very nice but seems I have misplaced recipe. Believe I used one cup cold water after dissolving gelatin in boiling water. Would that work?