Cranberry Jell-O Salad Is the Crown Jewel of My Family’s Thanksgiving

Prep: 15 mins

Cook: 5 mins

Difficulty: Easy

Servings: 12 Servings

Celebrating the holidays as a co-parenting family means my son rotates his holidays yearly between his two homes. He has his own traditions at each home, but his dad and I strive to establish consistency and shared traditions to show him that his family is rooted in love, and that we are bonded even if we’re not at the same place at the same time during the holidays. For Thanksgiving, we show this link between families with a sweet and savory cranberry Jell-O salad — popularly known as cranberry mousse.

Ingredients

2 (3-ounce) boxes cherry Jell-O (or 1 (6-ounce) box)
1 cup boiling water
1/3 cup chopped walnuts
2 medium celery stalks
1 (14-ounce) can whole berry cranberry sauce
2 cups plain whole-milk Greek yogurt or sour cream

Instructions

Place 2 (3-ounce) packages cherry Jell-O in a large heatproof bowl. Add 1 cup boiling water and whisk until the gelatin is dissolved. Refrigerate until thickened slightly but not yet set, 8 to 12 minutes.
Meanwhile, place 1/3 cup chopped walnuts in a small frying pan. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until lightly toasted, about 6 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and transfer the walnuts to a plate. Let the walnuts cool to room temperature. Finely chop 2 medium celery stalks (1 cup).
When the gelatin is ready, add the walnuts, celery, 1 (14-ounce) can whole berry cranberry sauce, and 2 cups Greek yogurt or sour cream, and fold or whisk until evenly combined (it should be chunky with no visible white streaks). Pour into individual pudding glasses or a glass serving bowl. Cover the bowl(s) with plastic wrap and refrigerate until the salad is set, at least 25 minutes for individual servings or 1 hour 15 minutes for the large bowl, or preferably overnight.