Juicy cherries and crushed pineapple are nestled under a smooth and tangy cream cheese topping in this old-fashioned Cherry Salad recipe. Packed with nostalgic flavor and texture, this retro dish has been a family favorite for generations. Plus, it's easy to whip up in a flash, so you can spend less time in the kitchen and more time with your family and friends.
Table of Contents
- 🗝️ Key takeaways: why this recipe is your new favorite
- 🧾 Gather your ingredients: what you'll need
- 📖 Make it your own: yummy variations
- 🔪 Step-by-step guide: instructions for success
- 🥫 Leftover love: how to store cherry salad
- Marye's Tip o' the day
- 💭 Insider tips: things to know
- 👩🍳 Let's answer those questions: FAQs
- 📚 More Southern comfort: related recipes you'll love
- 🍽️ No waste: creative ways to repurpose cherry salad
- 📞 Wrapping it up: the last word
- 📖 Recipe
- 💬 Comments
Save this recipe by clicking on the ❤️ heart on the right-hand side of the screen or in the recipe card.
🗝️ Key takeaways: why this recipe is your new favorite
- Sweet fruit perfectly complements the smooth cream cheese topping, and crisp nuts are just icing on the cake—er, salad!
- Cherry salad is a potluck favorite and perfect for casual get-togethers all year 'round.
- Using cherry pie filling and a box of cherry Jello provides the right punch of flavor and ideal texture with minimal prep work.
This easy, no-bake dessert recipe doubles as a side dish and doesn't need any fussy tools—just a few bowls and spoons will do the trick.
The simple flavors create an irresistible delight that your family will treasure for years and years!
🧾 Gather your ingredients: what you'll need
This is an overview of the ingredients. You'll find the full measurements and instructions in the green recipe card (printable) at the bottom of the page.
📖 Make it your own: yummy variations
- Experiment with different fruit flavors. Pretty much any pie filling will work, so it just depends on what you like.
- If you don't have crushed pineapple, use pineapple tidbits.
- Don't like pineapple? Swap it for mandarin oranges instead.
- Turn this cherry salad recipe into an easy, no-bake pie by assembling the ingredients in two pre-made graham cracker crusts.
- Some people like to use crushed pretzels instead of nuts. Use whichever you prefer, or try both for a sweet and salty combination!
- Lean into the tropical flavors—this cherry salad would be delicious sprinkled with toasted or sweetened coconut flakes.
🔪 Step-by-step guide: instructions for success
This is an overview of the instructions. Full instructions are in the green recipe card at the bottom of the page. Click on the image to see it full size.
Combine boiling water and Jello. Stir in pineapple and pie filling.
Spread the mixture in a baking dish. Chill for four hours.
Whisk sugar into cream cheese. Add sour cream and vanilla.
Spread topping over the cherry pie mixture. Add pecans.
🤫 Marye's secret for zhuzhing it up -
Add a few stemmed maraschino cherries and some mint or basil to the cherry salad just before serving as a garnish. It's pretty and gives your guests a hint as to what's inside the delicious dish.
zhuzh: verb. To make something more interesting or attractive
🥫 Leftover love: how to store cherry salad
Cherry salad is one of those easy recipes you'll want to keep eating—bowl after bowl. However, extras are easy to store if you have 'em.
Cover the casserole dish with plastic wrap or put leftover cherry salad into an airtight container. Refrigerate and enjoy within four days.
Since the topping is made from a combination of sour cream and cream cheese, I don't recommend freezing it. The creamy mixture tends to separate during thawing, tasting grainy and watery.
Marye's Tip o' the day
Toasting the pecans only takes about five minutes and it makes them taste more buttery and extra crunchy. Heat them in a 375-degree F oven, watching carefully so they don't burn.
💭 Insider tips: things to know
- Make sure that you whisk the Jello powder into the boiling water until it dissolves completely. Otherwise, it might taste grainy.
- Use full-fat cream cheese and sour cream. Low-fat dairy will taste too watery.
- This dish is best served chilled, and slices will be easier to cut if the cherry salad is cold.
👩🍳 Let's answer those questions: FAQs
Have other questions? Ask me in the comments!
That's the best part—it can be both! Some families love it as a not-too-sweet dessert. However, cherry salad is also a popular Southern side dish, served right along with your main meal, like cinnamon apples and sweet potatoes with marshmallows.
Yep. Keep in mind that the cherry Jello mixture has to set in the refrigerator for about four hours. Then, you'll add the topping. You can do this a day in advance if you need to.
You can make individual cherry salads in disposable plastic cups—look for treat cups or dessert cups for a prettier presentation. Let the Jello set in the cups, not a casserole dish.
You could try another flavor of Jello, like strawberry, raspberry, or even cranberry. Don't leave out the Jello, though, or the cherry/pineapple mixture will be runny.
⏲️ Marye's time saving hacks -
Soften cream cheese quickly by placing the unopened, foil-wrapped block in a bowl of warm water. Flip it every few minutes, and the cream cheese will be soft in about 10 minutes!
📚 More Southern comfort: related recipes you'll love
🍽️ No waste: creative ways to repurpose cherry salad
Do your kids—or husband—sigh when they hear the word "leftovers" for dinner? Whip that cherry salad into a whole new dish!
Stir the topping and cherry layer together, adding sweetened condensed milk and mini marshmallows. You'll create a similar dish to this vintage Cherry Junkyard Salad, a sweet, pink side dish made popular in the 1960s.
You can also transform leftover cherry salad into mini pies inspired by Millionaire Pie. Stir the cherry mixture and topping together, portion it into no-bake mini graham cracker crusts, and top with Cool Whip, more nuts, and coconut. It's super yummy—and super easy.
📞 Wrapping it up: the last word
I always think of this as a Christmas dish because that's when Mom usually served it, but it's just as delicious on the 4th of July, the 2nd Wednesday of the month, or the day that you finally got all the laundry put away.
🍒Whatever your celebration cherry salad is there for you. 😃
If you click on the number of servings in the recipe card you can adjust the measurements up or down for the exact number of servings you need.
If you love this recipe please comment below and give it 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
📖 Recipe
Cherry Salad
Print Pin Recipe Save Recipe Rate RecipeIngredients
- 6 ounces Cherry Jello
- 2 cups boiling water
- 20 ounces crushed pineapple, don't drain.
- 21 ounces cherry pie filling
- 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ cup sour cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ½ cup pecans, chopped & toasted
Instructions
- Combine the Jello and boiling water in a large bowl.
- Stir until the gelatin dissolves completely.
- Add the pineapple and cherry pie filling.
- Pour into an 8x10 casserole dish and chill for 4 hours or until set.
Topping
- Soften the cream cheese and whisk in the sugar.
- Stir in the sour cream and vanilla.
- Spread over the chilled and set cherry mixture.
- Sprinkle with the pecans. Garnish with maraschino cherries if desired.
Notes
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition information is estimated as a courtesy. If using for medical purposes, please verify information using your own nutritional calculator. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
This recipe has been tested several times. If you choose to use other ingredients, or change the technique in some way, the results may not be the same.
Amie says
My family loved this!