Pomegranate Jello Salad
This Pomegranate Jello Salad is the perfect appetizer, snack or dessert for any special occasion. The raspberry jell-o is filled with a sweet raspberry pie filling, crushed pineapple for added texture and flavor and a delicious crunch of pomegranate seeds! All that is topped with sliced bananas and fluffy whipped cream!
This delicious pomegranate jell-o recipe has made an appearance at my family’s annual Christmas dinner for over 10 years. We love it, and everyone who tastes it loves it too! It’s practically dessert, but we eat it as an appetizer. Dessert first, dinner second, right? 😉 If you love this, you’ll love my Pretzel Jello Salad too.
You’ll be amazed at how easy this Christmas pomegranate jello is to make. The hardest task you’ll face will be extracting the pomegranate arils (seeds) from the pomegranate. Once you’ve successfully removed the arils, you’re ready to go!
Why This Recipe Works
- Amazing texture. The texture of this jell-o is amazing! That’s thanks to the raspberries from the raspberry pie filling, the crunch from the pomegranate seeds, and the added depth of texture from the crushed pineapple. The soft banana slices and the fluffy whipped cream on top also add to this texture heaven!
- Easy make-ahead dish. This is a great dish to make ahead of time for a family meal or holiday dinner since the jello needs time to set. You can remove the jello from the fridge and add the sliced bananas and whipped cream day of.
- More than your typical jello! The flavor of this jello amazing! Stop making jello salads without anything else in the jello! Simply adding the crushed pineapple, pomegranate seeds and pie filling make a world of difference in the flavor of this jello salad recipe!
Ingredient Notes
- Raspberry Jell-O: This is classic jell-o, not jell-o instant pudding.
- Raspberry Pie Filling: This is from a can. No need to make it!
- Water: Only use 2 cups boiling water. Jell-o package instructions call for 2 cups boiling water and 2 cups cold water. Due to the liquid content in the raspberry pie filling and the crushed pineapple can, don’t use the 2 cups cold water the package calls for.
- Pomegranate: See my FAQs for the easiest way to remove the seeds from a pomegranate.
- Crushed Pineapple: Use everything in the can, including the liquid. We cut the water in half to account for the pineapple juice.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Add boiling water to the jell-o powder and stir until the jell-o powder is dissolved.
- Add in the raspberry pie filling and stir until the pie filling looks incorporated into the mixture and is no longer clumpy
- Add in the crushed pineapple (including the juice) and the pomegranate arils. Stir until combined.
- Pour the jell-o mixture into a 9×13-inch pan. Refrigerate for 3-4 hours or until set.
- Garnish with sliced bananas and fresh whipped cream.
Recipe Tips
Be sure to follow the recipe card as written. We aren’t making the jell-o according to the package instructions. The added ingredients to the jello salad recipe changes the amount of water we add — which is different from the package instructions.
Jell-O packages typically call for 2 cups boiling water and 2 cups cold water. Since we are adding additional liquid found in the pineapple can and the pie filling, we omit the 2 cups cold water.
Cover the bananas completely in whipped cream to avoid oxidation and the bananas color to go brown.
Make Ahead, Storing, and Freezing
You can make this dish the night before and then add the sliced bananas and fresh whipped cream right before serving.
Store the pomegranate jello salad in the fridge, covered, for 3-4 days.
I don’t recommend freezing jello since the texture will change greatly once thawed.
FAQs
Cut the top off of the pomegranate, not cutting too into the fruit so you don’t cut into the seeds. You’ll see white ribbing showing sections of the seeds. Cut down the sides of the pomegranate skin along the white ribbing, being careful not to cut into the seeds and not cut all the way down. Fan out the sections of the pomegranate like a flower opening its petals. Remove any of the white ribbing covering the pomegranate seeds. Flip the pomegranate with the seeds facing down over a bowl. Using the back of a wooden spoon, hit the pomegranate one section at a time so the seeds fall into the bowl. Do this for each section. When done, flip the pomegranate skin over and hand-pick the remaining stray pomegranate arils left.
Pomegranate arils are the seeds inside a pomegranate. Arils is the technical term for them, but they are often referred to as pomegranate seeds as well.
Sure! The great thing about this jell-o salad is you can switch out the pie filling and jell-o flavor. You could do a blueberry jell-o and a blueberry pie filling. Just keep in mind that you’ll want a pie filling and jell-o flavor that is complementary for the pomegranates.
It will take about 3-4 hours to set. The pomegranate jello salad should jiggle but not be liquidy.
If you are using the whipped cream on top, then it won’t be dairy-free. However, you can try my coconut whipped cream recipe for a dairy-free whipped cream option!
Related Recipes
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Pomegranate Jello Salad
Ingredients
- 6 oz raspberry Jell-O
- 2 cups boiling water
- 20 oz can of crushed pineapple
- 21 oz can of raspberry pie filling and topping - I use Duncan Hines brand
- 1 pomegranate, seeded
- 3-4 bananas
Whipped topping
- 2 1/4 cups heavy whipping cream
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
Jell-O
- In a medium bowl combine the Jell-O powder and 2 cups of boiling water. Mix until the Jell-O is dissolved (about 2-3 minutes).
- Add the can of raspberry pie filling and topping to the Jell-O. Mix until the pie filling is dissolved (or no longer clumpy). Once dissolved, empty the can of crushed pineapple (including the juice) into the Jell-O mixture.
- Add the pomegranate fruits to the Jell-O. Pour the Jell-O mixture into a 9×13″ pan. Place in the refrigerator to set. About 3-4 hours.
- Once Jell-O is set, remove from the fridge. Slice bananas (about 1/4"-1/2" thick) and distribute evenly over top the Jell-O. Make the whipped topping.
Whipped Topping
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, or using a hand mixer, add the heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla. Beat until stiff peaks form.
- Spread the whipped topping mixture over the sliced bananas. Serve immediately, or place back in the fridge to keep cold until ready to serve.
Notes
This recipe was originally published on Dec. 30, 2017. It was republished on Dec. 21, 2021, to include additional information and photos.
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5 Comments on “Pomegranate Jello Salad”
We loved this Jell-o salad at our Christmas dinner today!! The pomegranates gave it a delicious twist! And I’m all about “texture!” Yum! We all, will be making it again!! Lovin your recipes Whit!
Love, Renae, Karly and Katee!
I made this for Christmas Eve! It was so simple to make and such a hit we had the whole think slicked up in two days. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Thank you
This was a favorite at the Christmas Eve party and for breakfast on Christmas morning. It made all feel like kids
I love the idea of adding pomegranates to the jello! This is a recipe I’ll definitely be repeating!
YUM! It looks delicious!