5 Minute Strawberry Jello Salad Recipe

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5 from 1 vote
Published: April 4, 2022Updated: June 14, 2022Author: Kristen Hills
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Our 5 Minute Strawberry Jello Salad is a classic dessert--and so easy to whip up. Whether you're headed to a pot luck, taking something to a work party, or you just want to end your family night with a tasty treat, this recipe is just what you need.
5 Minute Strawberry Jello Salad Recipe

Every Sunday my Mom used to make a jello salad. I grew up LOVING it. I don’t always have a lot of time to make an immaculate salad. This is my favorite “fast” salad. You don’t have to cook anything, it doesn’t need to set up before you eat it, and it is DELICIOUS!

The funny thing about this salad is how many names people have for it.  Pink Fluff, Heavenly Delight, Grandma’s Pink Stuff…whatever you decide to call it, we know it will be a hit at your next potluck or family dinner.

Love Jello salads? Try our Raspberry Cream Cheese Jello or our Layered Strawberry Jello Salad with Ripe Bananas! They are family favorites!


How to Make 5 minute Jello Salad

When we say this will take 5 minutes, there is no catch.  It really does take 5 minutes.

Start by putting the Cool Whip and the powdered (unprepared) Jello in a large mixing bowl. Whisk until they are well blended and most of the Jello dissolves into the Cool Whip.

Sliced strawberries for 5 minute jello salad.

Next, fold in the cottage cheese, strawberries, and bananas. Serve right away or store in refrigerator until you are ready to eat.

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What other add-ins can I use?

Just like there are so many different names for Jello Salad, there are so many things you can mix in.  Really, the trick is to pick the combination that sounds the tastiest to you. Here are some ideas:

  • Jello: orange, raspberry, just about any flavor
  • Fruit: fresh or canned, although we recommend draining your canned fruit
    • pineapple
    • mandarin oranges
    • raspberries
  • Additional mix-ins:
    • nuts
    • mini marshmallows
5 Minute Strawberry Jello Salad on six sisters stuff

Can you use sugar free jello?

While we haven’t personally used the sugar free Jello, many of our readers have let us know that it works great.  So, if you’re looking for a lower calorie option, go ahead and give it a try.

Some readers have paired the sugar free Jello with low-fat cottage cheese and Cool Whip.

If you love this 5 minute jello salad, you’ll want to try our creamy cherry whip salad. It’s so easy and delicious!

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You may also like these dessert recipes:

5 Minute Jello Salad on six sisters stuff
Serves: 8

5 Minute Strawberry Jello Salad Recipe

5 from 1 vote
Our 5 Minute Strawberry Jello Salad is a classic dessert–and so easy to whip up. Great for a holidays, a pot luck, or taking to a work party.
Prep Time 5 mins
Total Time 5 mins
Print Pin

Ingredients

  • 8 ounces Cool Whip thawed
  • 3 ounces strawberry jello
  • 12 ounces fat free cottage cheese
  • 8 ounces strawberries sliced
  • 1 banana sliced

Instructions

  • Spoon the Cool Whip and the powdered (unprepared) Jello in a large mixing bowl and whisk until they are well blended and most of the Jello dissolves into the Cool Whip.  
  • Next, fold in the cottage cheese, strawberries, and bananas.  
  • Store in refrigerator until you are ready to eat.

Notes

Other add ins that taste great in this salad:
  • Jello: orange, raspberry, just about any flavor
  • Fruit: fresh or canned, although we recommend draining your canned fruit
    • pineapple
    • mandarin oranges
    • raspberries
  • Additional mix-ins:
    • nuts
    • mini marshmallows

Nutrition

Calories: 136 kcal · Carbohydrates: 25 g · Protein: 6 g · Fat: 2 g · Saturated Fat: 1 g · Polyunsaturated Fat: 1 g · Monounsaturated Fat: 1 g · Cholesterol: 8 mg · Sodium: 211 mg · Potassium: 186 mg · Fiber: 1 g · Sugar: 18 g · Vitamin A: 66 IU · Vitamin C: 18 mg · Calcium: 73 mg · Iron: 1 mg

Equipment

  • Mixing Bowl
  • Rubber spatula

Recipe Details

Course: Dessert, Salad
Cuisine: American

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  1. Deirdra says:
    June 3, 2013
    I've made a version of this for years :) We use orange jello and mandarin oranges - will have to try it w/ the strawberries & banana!
  2. Karen says:
    June 3, 2013
    One of my favorites from growing up is the green jello salad. Pistachio pudding dry mix? mix with a container of cool whip, drain a big can of pineapple and add the chunks, add marshmallows?green goodness!! ""SALAD""" right!!??
  3. Maggie Marriott says:
    June 3, 2013
    I make and am asked to make often, this same jello salad, except that I also add drained, crushed pineapple. The pineapple completes what I have been calling "jello cottage cheese salad. What is so fantastic about this salad, you can use any flavor of jello and add other ingredients, such as different fruits, canned or frozen, nuts, and marshmallows (for kids). It is always a big hit at each meal I serve it with. My main ingredients are: cool whip, jello, cottage cheese and crushed pineapple. I then add the other ingredients, as desired. The pineapple gives it a citrus flavor and mellows the sweetness of the jello and cool whip. Oh, and always mix the jello with the cool whip before adding the other ingredients. As you can tell, I love this recipe!
  4. Nettie Sorenson says:
    June 3, 2013
    Great ideas!
  5. Tracie says:
    June 3, 2013
    I love this salad - I make it all the time and use a can of drained crushed pineapple and a can of cherry pie filling for fruit. I never thought to use strawberries and bananas! Great idea - thanks for sharing all your wonderful recipes!
  6. Christa says:
    June 3, 2013
    This looks easy and good. Pinning so I can make it this summer. Thanks for the idea
  7. carol black says:
    June 3, 2013
    Thanks for sharing this recipe, fast and good is key. Enjoy your page Thanks for posting this recipe, fast and good is always the key. Really enjoy your page.
  8. Happy Valley Chow says:
    June 3, 2013
    That is a beautiful jello salad, definitely want to try this! Perfect summer side :) Happy Blogging! Happy Valley Chow
  9. Chantel says:
    June 3, 2013
    I've had this salad my entire life and it was always my favorite thing that my mom made when I was little. I used to want to eat the entire bowl myself. We always put mandarin oranges in it as well. I actually made this salad for a neighborhood party this last weekend. yummy!
  10. Kathy says:
    June 3, 2013
    When you say "container of Jello" it could confuse some people. You do mean a 4 ounce box of dry Jello powder, right?
  11. Jonna says:
    June 3, 2013
    IMy grandmother used to make this and I thought I was the only one who liked cottage cheese in with Jello. Yum I am going to make this tonight. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
  12. Pamela S says:
    June 3, 2013
    where did your pin button go?
  13. Pam C says:
    June 3, 2013
    I just made this recipe for my diabetic mother with sugar free jello. I*t was great-thanks!
  14. Jewel says:
    June 3, 2013
    love your recipes!!!!!
  15. Wendy says:
    June 3, 2013
    Love this! We also use orange jello and mandarin oranges.
  16. MarleneHouse says:
    June 3, 2013
    This works out really well using orange jello and mandarin oranges in place of the strawberries and strawberry jello. Is like eating orange sherbet.
  17. Qurat Ul Ain Desai says:
    June 3, 2013
    Please can you tell what is cool whip? Thanks
  18. Beachgrammy says:
    June 3, 2013
    My Mom's recipe is almost like this. It is my go to for quick easy and delish! We use fruit cocktail, small curd cottage cheese, cool whip, sour cream and jello. I use small containers of everything for a small family meal, or large containers if I'm taking it for potluck!! We call it Pink Salad!! Will have to try yours!
  19. Rachel says:
    June 4, 2013
    This has been a family favorite since I was a little girl. We call it "Pink Salad". We make this using crushed pineapple and mandarin oranges instead of the strawberries and bananas. One tip, mix your jello with the cottage cheese and that way you don't have to worry about mixing your cool whip too much as sometimes it will lose it's "whip".
  20. Pam Kellogg says:
    June 4, 2013
    I make this with suger free jello, low-fat cottage cheese fresh fruit, [ when in season ] or no sugar added canned fruit , and sugar free cool whip . It taste great and you can't tell it's made with sugar free ingredients.
  21. Bev T says:
    June 4, 2013
    My mother in law made this a lot! But instead of strawberries and bananas, she used pineapple. The kids loved it and always called it Grandma's pink stuff.
  22. Melissa says:
    June 4, 2013
    are you talking about a box of jello dry mix or that premade stuff
  23. Leona says:
    June 4, 2013
    Our family has been making this for years, but didn't know the name. We always call it 'pink stuff'.
  24. Cyd says:
    June 4, 2013
    Use the 4 ounce box of jello. No premade stuff.
  25. Cyd says:
    June 4, 2013
    Cool whip is an imitation whipped topping. It is located in the freezer section of your store.
  26. Cyd says:
    June 4, 2013
    Yes, a 4 ounce box of dry jello powder. We changed it so that it won't be so confusing. Thanks!
  27. Ellicia says:
    June 4, 2013
    I had forgotten about these salads. My aunt used to make this back in the late 70's. Behind her back, her kids used to call it the Pepto salad or the pink barf because of the texture. However, that didn't keep them from eating it up down to the last spoonful.
  28. Rhonda P. says:
    June 4, 2013
    We've made another version of this "salad" for years, since my aunt introduced us to it. We use fruit cocktail, small box of orange flavored jello, cottage cheese, cool whip and top it with walnuts. Can't wait to try it with strawberries!!
  29. Chrissy says:
    June 5, 2013
    Our family made this with red or green gelatin powder, drained crushed pineapple, whipped topping, and cottage cheese. My mother knew I liked it and made it even as I got older. There's something about the texture of the cottage cheese in the whipped topping. Thanks for reminding me of it.
  30. heather curtis says:
    June 7, 2013
    I made this for my family. We have 7 children so I doubled the recipe!! Turned out great.
  31. sears prom dresses says:
    June 11, 2013
    Hey, you used to write wonderful, but the last few posts have been kinda boring?I miss your great writings. Past few posts are just a bit out of track! come on!
  32. ERIN says:
    June 13, 2013
    I have made the same version as Deirda. It is one of your signature dishes when we go to parties. We love it and can't get enough of it.. I will have to try it the Strawberry version except I will not add the banana.
  33. Jennifer says:
    June 14, 2013
    About how many servings does this make? I am helping put on a bridal shower and will need to make a LOT.
  34. Heather says:
    June 15, 2013
    I know this might seem like a silly question, but can I substitute Reddi whip in place of cool whip for any of your recipes that require it?
  35. Cyd says:
    June 17, 2013
    Not sure how comparable Reddi Whip is to Cool Whip. You may have to check out the ingredients and consistency to see how close they match.
  36. Cyd says:
    June 17, 2013
    It makes about 8 servings. Just click on the magic button under the picture and then click on "Nutrition". It will give you the serving size, calories, and all kinds of fun info on the recipe. It's our new sister site - MyRecipeMagic.com. Hope you'll stop by and leave a fun family recipe! -The Six Sisters
  37. Monica says:
    July 3, 2013
    I made this and I think it would be great for a wedding/baby shower, potluck or a funeral brunch.
  38. Angela @ Honey, I Shrunk the Mom says:
    July 27, 2013
    5 minute Jell-O salad saved my booty today when I didn't plan ahead for a family reunion. Whipped this baby up in 5 minutes flat. :)
  39. Pixie says:
    August 12, 2013
    Our family has always made it with raspberry jello with raspberries. DELISH!
  40. Tracy says:
    August 13, 2013
    I grew up with this salad and love it! My husband and kids won't eat it which makes me sad so I never make it. I might have to come over next time one of you make it!
  41. Kelle Scott says:
    August 14, 2013
    I, as most of you grew up with this salad except we did this...pistachio instant pudding, cool whip, crushed pineapple, mini marshmallows (optional) and Acini di Pepe macaroni which are really tiny pieces of macaroni that you cook ala dente and add...anyone guess what it called??? FROG EYED SALAD!!! The boys LOVED it and the girls went screaming out of the room!!! O how I love the holidays!!!
  42. Debbie says:
    August 30, 2013
    We have been making this for years, ours is called "Heavenly Delight", thanks for reminding me of this recipe.
  43. mf says:
    September 8, 2013
    this recipe is great but instead of strawberrys & bananas i put diced pears
  44. Cindy says:
    November 25, 2013
    Oh, I Love this stuff. I call it Pink Fluff. Just recently tried the Orange and Green jello's in it and they are yummy to. I always put pineapple and mandarin oranges in it. But I have just started adding marshmallows and coconut. I Love It!!! So excited to try the Strawberries and Banana's. Sounds yummy! :0)
  45. Deedee says:
    December 25, 2013
    We use peach Jello and canned peaches. It's Delish!
  46. Norma Wright says:
    January 11, 2014
    Could whipping cream be used? Has anyone tried that? In addition, I really dislike cottage cheese. I am wondering if anyone knows of a Jello dish that is yummy like this, with no cottage cheese? (It is too late to do this for the potluck tonite, but as Baptists, we do lots of potlucks!)
  47. Cyd says:
    January 13, 2014
    Hi Norma. I think we can help you for your next potluck. We have our sister site - MyRecipeMagic.com. It has over 20,000 recipes and also will give you the nutrition on each one. Just go to Myrecipemagic.com and in the tab "search by ingredient" you can type in jello salad or whatever kind of salad you are looking for. There may be over a thousand, so give it a minute to load and all of the pictures and recipes will come up. Just click on the recipe you are interested in. Hope this helps and you will stop by and check it out! Cyd (mother of the six sisters)
  48. Maribel says:
    April 8, 2014
    When you add the jello to the cool whip, is it just the powder or the actual jello after it's done?
  49. Cyd says:
    April 8, 2014
    Just add the powder jello!
  50. cathey harris says:
    June 27, 2014
    my sis in law and her four sisters said they made this salad in every possible flavor Jello has, and hands down they preferred the orange with the mandarin oranges. Love it
  51. James Davis says:
    July 13, 2014
    I can't find a 4 ounce box of jello. Can I use three 1.4 ounce boxes?
  52. Cyd says:
    July 14, 2014
    That should work just fine!
  53. Jayma Emrick says:
    November 16, 2014
    Have you ever used frozen berries?
  54. Cyd says:
    November 17, 2014
    You would have to be sure they were thawed and drained well. Frozen berries are a little mushier than fresh.
  55. Rhonda S Adams says:
    December 25, 2014
    1st... Awesome site... You girls have done a great & outstanding job for the beginner to the more fortunate one's for their favorite recipe's.... I'm 60 yrs old and never enjoyed anything to do with the Kitchen growing up. My mother nor my aunt's ever required my help, but, this recipe was a staple on all dinner tables of all of our family gathering's. Thank you for allowing and for providing everyone's replies. So many sound so close to what use to be. Again Thank you.
  56. Bob says:
    May 25, 2015
    Frustrated again! Unable to watch the advertisement video on my ipad to then be able to copy the recipe. Sadly....Will not be searching your site anymore due to this problem.
  57. Dana says:
    May 25, 2015
    I found I only had peach jello, so I drained four individual packs of diced peaches and added those. It was delicious! I also like marshmallows in mine, but not mini marshmallows. I found ULTRA mini marshmallows (NOT dehydrated) at a bulk food store, and they are perfect!
  58. sharon martini says:
    June 25, 2015
    Try adding cream cheese instead of cottage cheese but make sure cream cheese is a room temp. before whipping up with cool whip or use dream whip instead !!
  59. jennifer says:
    June 26, 2015
    I still make the pistachio salad!!! I LOVE it!!! I use the cottage cheese with pineapple :-)
  60. jennifer says:
    June 26, 2015
    There's ALWAYS room for Jell-O!!!
  61. Sue's Akorn Shop says:
    June 27, 2015
    Awesome and totally delicious!
  62. tina franceschi says:
    June 27, 2015
    Love this salad used all ingredients except I use pineapple cottage cheese instead of the plain. I also add a few chopped walnuts to it, I also add one packet of Knox geletin to give it a little bit of thickness so its not to runny, everyone I've made it for loves it. Also u can add a can of fruit cocktail to it, but it must be drained really well
  63. Maureen says:
    June 28, 2015
    We always called the green salad made with pistachio pudding "Watergate Salad". We added mini marshmallows, pineapple chunks, and crushed pecans. It is still one of my husbands favorites! I make a large batch, and he has a bowl every night for desert until it is gone. Of course I love it also.....
  64. shirley says:
    June 30, 2015
    I made this last night, it looked excellent. Today it turned watery... what went wrong? is this dish a must eat same day dish?
  65. Katy says:
    July 2, 2015
    Can you make this the night before? Will it set up? I wanted to take this to a party but I'm afraid I will have a puddle when I get there(2hrs away but plan to take on ice)
  66. janet says:
    November 15, 2015
    I used what was on hand: raspberry jello........drained some mandarin oranges and pineapple tidbits to add. Thought is was too sweet so added about 1/2 c. plain yogurt. Thank you for the idea, it tastes really good.
  67. Holly says:
    September 1, 2017
    All I could find at grocery store is a 3 1/2 oz box of jello. Not 4 oz.
  68. Cyd says:
    September 1, 2017
    Just use the small box you find at the store. It will work great. When I googled ounces in the small box of strawberry jello, everything came up as 3 ounces. Just be sure it's the small box and not the large box. Be sure you don't use the sugar free.
  69. Olympia says:
    December 3, 2017
    We always made this too...called it "Pistachio Salad" but we did not drain the crushed pineapple. One of our favorites!
  70. Olympia says:
    December 3, 2017
    Really dislike cottage cheese. I would use cool whip or cream cheese instead. So many options for this recipe!! Thanks for posting!
  71. Natalie says:
    April 25, 2018
    Does anyone know how many smartpoints this ends up being?
  72. Cyd says:
    April 26, 2018
    Here is the nutritional information we have on this recipe. https://www.myrecipemagic.com/5-minute-jello-salad-2500714306.html We should have the "Get Nutrition Info" button by the end of the day. We lost a lot of them when we switched our blogsite.
  73. Mandy says:
    May 10, 2018
    2 cups boiling water turn off add 8oz cream cheese till it dissolves keep stirring it's ok if you see small specks of cream cheese drain large can crushed pineapple reserve the juice to make 2 cups cold water stir in to cream cheese stir for 2 min.add drained pineapple and 1 cup chopped pecans set in 9x13 aluminium pan in fridge over night.
  74. Norma says:
    July 22, 2018
    How many points are I no thanks is dessert?
  75. Deana says:
    November 19, 2018
    Why not sugar free?
  76. Chellag says:
    November 20, 2018
    What size cool whip and cottage cheese are you using?
  77. Cyd says:
    November 27, 2018
    Scroll down on the post to the recipe and ingredients and all of the measurements are listed.
  78. Cyd says:
    November 27, 2018
    You can try sugar free jello in the recipe. We have not yet tried it with Sugar free, so not sure of the outcome and didn't want her to waste all of those ingredients if it doesn't taste good.
  79. Maxine Arnold says:
    January 18, 2019
    Yes, do use sugar free jello. I do it all the time and it tastes great. It has fewer calories. Great diet dessert if you use sugar free and fat free products.
  80. Sandy says:
    May 28, 2019
    I used frozen raspberries. I folded them in very frozen while they are firm at the end. Worked great. They mush up if you let them thaw. I used raspberry jello, bananas, drained pineapple, cottage cheese and frozen raspberries. Be very careful about over whipping your cool whip. You will lose the airiness as I found out once when my daughter-in-law tried to help.
  81. Sandy says:
    May 28, 2019
    Did you drain the pineapple? Very important step.
  82. Karalynn Freeman says:
    July 8, 2019
    We have used the Cottage Cheese, sugar free jello, pineapple, (crushed that is) for years, and LITE cool whip for years. Lite cool whip reduces the sugar along with sugar free jellow. This is great for Diabetic's. Pineapple is in its own juice and drained. We have always combine jello and cottage cheese first, using a fork to reduce the size of the cottage cheese curds.
  83. Kim H. says:
    November 1, 2020
    As you said, this salad has many variations and many names! My family always called it “pink” salad as we would use raspberry or strawberry jello but we make it with 2 cans of fruit cocktail and one can of pineapple tidbits! The cottage cheese and cool whip are the same! And yes we used to primarily use sugar free jello in ours and it was always delicious! But the fun thing is with the fruit cocktail you can easily change up the jello flavor/color to whatever you want!
  84. Karen says:
    November 9, 2020
    Can you use ricotta instead of cottage cheese the the jello salad? Thanks
  85. Momma Cyd says:
    November 11, 2020
    We haven't used ricotta cheese in this salad, Cottage cheese is probably best.
  86. Stephanie Sands says:
    November 25, 2020
    Can you make the5 min jello salad the night before?
  87. Camille Beckstrand says:
    November 25, 2020
    Yes! This will work just fine if you make it the night before - just give it a good stir before serving!
  88. Momma Cyd says:
    November 25, 2020
    Yes, you can make this the night before.
  89. Darlene Lemons says:
    February 11, 2021
    Love this recipe. Make it often. I use sugar free Jello, lite Cool Whip and 1% cottage cheese. Sometimes use pineapple and mandarins oranges. Always use pecans.

    5 stars

  90. Marilyn says:
    June 3, 2021
    What can be subbed for the cottage cheese---yuck?
  91. Greg says:
    June 27, 2021
    I’m going to make this as it sounds delicious but I have a question. It says to use 4oz of strawberry jello but at the store the jello boxes only come in 3oz or 6oz packages. Do I need to get the 6oz and measure out 4ozs? Or can I just use the 3oz or 6oz package?
  92. Momma Cyd says:
    June 28, 2021
    Thanks for catching that. It's 3 ounces of strawberry Jello. We have fixed the recipe in the post.

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