Savor fall with this lovely fresh apple cider and cranberry salad!
Apples, cranberries and pecans combine with the spicy warmth of cinnamon and nutmeg to create a delicious blend of autumnal flavors!
You’ll love how easy it is to make this no-bake holiday recipe. It’s a beautiful jello salad to grace your Thanksgiving or Christmas table, either as a side or dessert!
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Ingredients
This is the short and sweet list of ingredients you’ll need to make the jellojoy’s Apple Cider Salad. Also check out the possible replacements below in case you don’t have something available.
- Diced apples – 1 cup
- Cranberries, fresh or dried – 3/4 cup
- Pineapple tidbits in juice – 8 ounces
- Cold apple cider (not apple cider vinegar!) – 2 cups
- Crushed pecans or walnuts – 1/2 cup
- Orange jello – 1 8-servings box (6 oz or 0.6 oz for sugar-free jello)
- Spices: Cinnamon sticks, star anise and nutmeg
Toppings: I also suggest adding a thin layer of whipped cream (canned or homemade) or whipped topping (Cool Whip) on top, with a sprinkle of apple pie spice or powdered cinnamon. It elevates this apple salad to a whole new level of creamy and spicy deliciousness!
Notes and substitutions
Apple cider: It’s an unfiltered and raw apple juice, made of pressed fresh apples. It’s the highest quality, freshest and most delicious apple juice you can find!
This autumnal beverage is in season right now, and November 18th is official apple cider day, so go ahead and make this recipe right now to celebrate!
For those outside the US, apple cider is a light alcoholic sparkling beverage. This in the US is called hard cider. You can totally use that instead if making this off-season and cannot find apple cider. I’ve tested it, and the recipe comes out insanely delicious, with a refreshing and crisp flavor.
You could also use plain apple juice, but do it only as a last resort. It doesn’t offer as much in terms of flavor and the recipe won’t come out nearly as tasty.
Spice substitute: You can use 1 teaspoon of apple pie spice in place of the cinnamon sticks, star anise and nutmeg. If you don’t have it, pumpkin pie spice works, too.
Cranberries: I used dried cranberries, but soaked them in boiling water from the day before so they would get extra plump and not too sweet. You can use fresh cranberries as well.
Canned pineapple: You can use any type of canned pineapple. I recommend the tidbits because they come diced in smaller pieces.
There’s no problem if what you have is pineapple chunks or even slices, you can use those too. You’ll need to chop them up in smaller, bite-sized pieces before adding to the recipe.
Just be sure not to use fresh pineapple in this recipe, or in any recipe containing jello or gelatin. Fresh pineapple contains an enzyme that prevents gelatin from setting.
How to make
Before you start making the apple cranberry salad, there are three quick preparation steps:
- Place the apple cider in the freezer for about 20 minutes. The cold apple cider will help cool down the hot gelatin mix faster to reduce the setting time.
- Drain the pineapple tidbits from the juice, and transfer the juice to a cup. Complete it with water, to make a whole cup of liquid to add to the saucepan.
- Decide if you’ll be serving the salad out of individual glasses or a serving dish. Single servings are best for dessert, but for a side a large dish makes easier for guests to spoon it up directly on their plates.
In a saucepan, add the diced apples, cranberries, drained pineapple tidbits, cinnamon sticks, star anise and nutmeg. Add 1 1/2 cup of water, plus the cup with the reserved pineapple juice and water.
Place the pan over medium-high heat. Bring it to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Let it simmer on medium-low heat for 5-6 minutes.
Remove the saucepan from the stove and immediately sprinkle the jello powder over the hot liquid. Mix it until the jello is fully dissolved.
Add the 2 cups of cold apple cider that were in the freezer and mix to combine.
Let the mixture cool down completely and remove the cinnamon sticks and star anise. Fold in the pecans (they will remain crunchy for longer if added after the mixture is cold).
Divide the apple salad into dessert glasses (or pour into a serving dish) and refrigerate until set, about 2-3 hours.
Before serving, add a tablespoon or two of whipped topping or whipped cream to each glass. To make it festive, garnish the jello salads with extra crushed pecans and apple pie spice or powdered cinnamon.
Recipe variations
Naturally sweetened (without jello)
You can also make this recipe naturally sweetened only with fruit juice, without jello powder. Simply substitute the water for orange juice, and the orange jello powder for two envelopes (or two tablespoons) of unflavored gelatin powder (Knox or beef gelatin).
Do not add the dry gelatin powder directly over the simmering liquid or it will clump up.
Instead, while the saucepan is on the stove, sprinkle the gelatin powder over 1/2 cup of orange juice, mix and let it sit until it’s hydrated. When ready, it will have the texture of apple puree.
As soon as you remove the pan from the heat, pour the bloomed (hydrated) gelatin into the hot liquid and mix until it’s fully melted, then proceed with the recipe steps as described.
Make it less sweet
This dessert is perfect to satisfy a sweet tooth, as it combines the sweetness of apple, apple cider, pineapple, cranberries (if using the dried ones) and the orange jello.
Some tips to make this dessert less sweet:
- Use fresh cranberries or reduced-sugar cranberries instead of regular dried cranberries. Or soak the dried cranberries in hot water to remove some of the sugar content.
- Use a less sweet apple variety, like Granny Smith or Pink Lady.
- Instead of using 6 ounces of orange jello, combine a 3-ounce box and one envelope of unflavored gelatin (like Knox).
You do not need to separately bloom the unflavored gelatin when using it together with flavored jello in the same recipe.
Just mix both the orange jello and the gelatin powders together. This will coat the crystals of unflavored gelatin with the jello mix and prevent them from clumping together with the addition of boiling water.
Gelatin-free (vegetarian)
Simply substitute the orange jello for plant-based jel dessert mixes. You can adapt different mixes to this recipe based on the temperature of the liquid required. These are examples only, see if you can adapt them to your jel mix:
Carrageenan mixes need to be dissolved in cold liquid first, and then mixed into hot liquid (like unflavored gelatin).
So if using a carrageenan-based jel, you could dissolve them in the cold apple cider (use the amount of liquid required on the package) and then pour the dissolved mix into the hot liquid in the saucepan and mix.
Agar mixes usually need to be simmered, so if using this type of jel you could add it straight to the saucepan, together with the water, apples, cranberries and other ingredients.
I try my best to include diet-specific variations on all my recipes so everyone can enjoy them, but I have limited experience with plant-based jels, so please read carefully and follow the instructions on the package.
Making ahead and storage
This recipe will keep well refrigerated for up to one week, so it’s a wonderful dessert to make ahead and save time in the busy kitchen during the holidays.
If serving with whipped topping (Cool Whip) you can leave the desserts fully prepared in the fridge with the toppings.
If topping the apple gelatin with canned whipped cream or homemade whipped cream, it’s best to leave adding this ingredient for just before serving, as they tend to melt away or separate after a short time, even in the fridge.
Place all the dessert glasses on a tray, and cover them with cling film to avoid drying out the top and absorbing fridge smells.
Apple cider salad with cranberries and pecans
Ingredients
- 1 cup diced apples
- ¾ cup cranberries fresh or dried, see notes below
- 8 ounces canned pineapple tidbits drain juice and reserve in a cup
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 1 star anise
- ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg, freshly grated
- 1 ½ cup water
- 6 ounces orange flavor gelatin or unflavored Knox, see recipe notes
- 2 cups fresh apple cider NOT apple cider vinegar
- ½ cup crushed pecans or walnuts
- 1 cup thawed whipped topping or whipped cream, canned or homemade
- cinnamon powder optional, to garnish
Instructions
- Before starting:Place the apple cider in the freezer for about 20 minutes to help cool down the gelatin quicker. Complete the cup with the drained pineapple juice with water, to make a whole cup of liquid to add to the saucepan.
- In a saucepan, add the diced apples, cranberries, drained pineapple tidbits, cinnamon sticks, star anise and nutmeg. Add 1 1/2 cup of water, plus the 1 cup of pineapple juice and water.
- Place the pan over medium-high heat. Bring it to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Let it simmer on medium-low heat for 5-6 minutes.
- Remove from heat and immediately sprinkle jello powder, mix until it's fully dissolved. Add the cold apple cider and mix to combine.
- Let the mixture cool down completely and remove the cinnamon sticks and star anise, then fold in the pecans.
- Divide it into dessert glasses or pour into a glass serving dish and refrigerate until set, about 2-3 hours. Before serving, add a tablespoon or two of whipped topping to each glass. To make it even more festive, you can sprinkle some cinnamon powder and extra crushed pecans.
Notes
- Replace fresh apple cider with apple juice or hard cider. Hard cider makes the recipe slightly alcoholic.
- You can use chopped-up pieces of canned pineapple chunks or slices instead of tidbits. (Make sure the pineapple is caned and not fresh, or the jello won’t set!))
- If you don’t have the individual spices, replace the cinnamon sticks, star anise and grated nutmeg for 1 teaspoon of apple pie spice or pumpkin pie spice.
- Use fresh cranberries or dried cranberries. Soak the dried cranberries in hot water for a couple of hours if you prefer a less sweet dessert, or use reduced-sugar dried cranberries.
