Retro Jello Salads: 13 Wobbly Holiday Molds Grandma Brought to Every Christmas Table That Nobody Makes Anymore

Retro jello salads were the shimmering stars of every holiday table from the 1950s through the 1970s, and grandma always had one chilling in the fridge by Christmas Eve. They wobbled, they sparkled, and somehow every family had its own version that nobody else was allowed to bring. Some were sweet enough to pass for dessert, some were savory and full of vegetables, and a few were so pretty that guests were afraid to cut them. Here are 13 of the classic molds and pans that showed up at church suppers, potlucks and Christmas dinners for decades. Every one is cheap, made a day ahead, and frees up the oven when you need it most. Dust off that old ring mold and bring one back this year..

Red, White and Green Christmas Retro Jello Salad Ring

This is the showstopper grandma saved for Christmas dinner, and it still makes people gasp when it lands on the table. A layer of tart red cranberry gelatin sits on a creamy white layer, with bright lime gelatin at the bottom, so every slice looks like a holiday ribbon. The trick is patience: each layer must set until just firm before the next goes on, or the colors bleed together. Fill the center with whipped cream and sugared cranberries and this retro jello salad doubles as dessert..

You will need: 1 box (3 oz) cranberry or cherry gelatin, 1 box (3 oz) lime gelatin, 1 envelope unflavored gelatin, 1 cup sour cream, 1/2 cup sugar, 1 cup milk, boiling and cold water, whipped cream and sugared cranberries to serve.

How to make it: 1. Dissolve the lime gelatin in 1 cup boiling water, add 3/4 cup cold water, pour into an oiled 8 cup ring mold and chill until just set, about 1 hour. 2. Soften the unflavored gelatin in 1/4 cup cold water, heat with milk and sugar until dissolved, cool, whisk in sour cream and spoon over the green layer; chill until set. 3. Make the red gelatin the same way as the green, cool to room temperature and pour on top. 4. Chill overnight, unmold and fill the center with whipped cream and cranberries.

Seven-Layer Ribbon Jello Mold

Of all the retro jello salads, ribbon jello was the dish that proved somebody’s aunt had a whole free afternoon. Six or seven colors are stacked one at a time, each flavor alternating with a creamy layer, so the slice looks like a stained glass rainbow. It takes time, but almost none of it is hands-on: you pour, chill for 20 minutes, and pour again. Kids always fight over the end piece with the most stripes, so cut it at the table where everyone can watch.

You will need: 6 boxes (3 oz each) gelatin in different colors such as cherry, orange, lemon, lime, berry blue and grape, 1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk, 2 envelopes unflavored gelatin, boiling and cold water.

How to make it: 1. Dissolve one flavor in 1 cup boiling water, stir in 1/2 cup cold water, pour 1/2 cup into an oiled Bundt or ring pan and chill 15 to 20 minutes until just set. 2. Bloom the unflavored gelatin in 1/2 cup cold water, dissolve in 1 1/2 cups boiling water and mix with the condensed milk. 3. Spoon 1/2 cup of the creamy mix on top and chill until set. 4. Keep alternating colors and creamy layers, chill overnight and unmold.

Lime Pineapple Cottage Cheese Retro Jello Salad

If one dish defines retro jello salads, it is this pale green mold that every grandmother seemed to know by heart. Lime gelatin is whipped up with cottage cheese, crushed pineapple and a little mayonnaise or cream cheese, then set in a fancy mold and turned out onto lettuce. It sounds odd today, but the flavor is light, tangy and creamy, a bit like a fluffy cheesecake. It was the cool side dish that balanced a rich holiday ham.

You will need: 1 box (3 oz) lime gelatin, 1 cup boiling water, 1 can (8 oz) crushed pineapple with juice, 1 cup small curd cottage cheese, 4 oz softened cream cheese, 1/2 cup chopped pecans, lettuce leaves and a strawberry for garnish.

How to make it: 1. Dissolve the gelatin in boiling water and beat in the cream cheese until smooth. 2. Stir in the pineapple with its juice and chill until thick like egg whites, about 45 minutes. 3. Fold in the cottage cheese and pecans and pour into an oiled 5 cup mold. 4. Chill at least 4 hours, unmold onto lettuce and top with a strawberry.

Strawberry Pretzel Salad

Only in America would a dessert with a salty pretzel crust be called a salad, and only grandma could get away with serving it next to the turkey. The bottom is crushed pretzels baked with butter and sugar, the middle is a cloud of sweet cream cheese, and the top is bright strawberry gelatin full of berries. Salty, sweet, crunchy and cold all at once, it is still the first pan scraped clean at any holiday potluck.

You will need: 2 cups crushed pretzels, 3/4 cup melted butter, 3 tablespoons sugar, 8 oz cream cheese, 1 cup sugar, 8 oz whipped topping, 1 box (6 oz) strawberry gelatin, 2 cups boiling water, 1 lb sliced strawberries.

How to make it: 1. Mix pretzels, butter and 3 tablespoons sugar, press into a 9×13 pan and bake at 400°F for 8 minutes; cool completely. 2. Beat cream cheese with 1 cup sugar, fold in the whipped topping and spread over the crust, sealing the edges. 3. Dissolve gelatin in boiling water, stir in the strawberries and chill until slightly thick. 4. Pour over the cream layer and chill 4 hours before cutting.

Raspberry Pineapple Sour Cream Jello Ring

Among retro jello salads, this one hides the best surprise: cut into the ruby red ring and you find a thick ribbon of tangy sour cream running right through the middle. Raspberry gelatin with crushed pineapple and applesauce makes the top and bottom, and the creamy stripe keeps it from tasting too sweet. Grandmothers loved it because it looked fancy on the buffet but used only pantry staples. It is just as good the next day with leftover turkey sandwiches.

You will need: 2 boxes (3 oz each) raspberry gelatin, 2 cups boiling water, 1 can (8 oz) crushed pineapple with juice, 1 cup unsweetened applesauce, 1 cup sour cream, 1 cup frozen raspberries.

How to make it: 1. Dissolve the gelatin in boiling water, stir in pineapple, applesauce and raspberries. 2. Pour half into an oiled 6 cup ring mold and chill until firm, about 1 hour. 3. Spread the sour cream evenly over the set layer. 4. Gently spoon the remaining gelatin mixture on top (keep it at room temperature while waiting), chill overnight and unmold.

Orange Sherbet Gelatin Ring With Mandarins

Orange sherbet ring was the 1960s answer to a holiday dessert that needed no oven at all. A scoop of real orange sherbet melts right into warm orange gelatin, and as it sets it turns pale, creamy and almost fluffy, like a frozen dreamsicle. Mandarin oranges piled in the center make it glow on a Christmas buffet. If you like these vintage throwbacks, our roundup of 1970s desserts that are trending again has plenty more grandma favorites.

You will need: 2 boxes (3 oz each) orange gelatin, 1 cup boiling water, 1 pint orange sherbet slightly softened, 2 cans (11 oz each) mandarin oranges drained, 1 cup whipped topping, fresh mint.

How to make it: 1. Dissolve the gelatin in boiling water. 2. Stir in the sherbet until completely melted and smooth. 3. Chill until it mounds slightly on a spoon, then fold in the whipped topping and 1 can of mandarins. 4. Pour into an oiled 6 cup ring mold, chill 4 hours, unmold and fill the center with the remaining mandarins and mint.

Sunshine Salad With Carrots and Pineapple

Sunshine salad was one of the cheapest retro jello salads, and it was how 1950s home cooks got kids to eat their carrots at a holiday dinner. Bright lemon gelatin is set with shredded carrot and crushed pineapple, then cut into neat golden squares and served on a lettuce leaf with a dab of mayonnaise. It tastes sweet and tangy, a little like a light carrot cake without the cake. It cost pennies to make, which is exactly why it showed up at so many church suppers.

You will need: 1 box (6 oz) lemon gelatin, 2 cups boiling water, 1 can (20 oz) crushed pineapple with juice, 1 1/2 cups finely shredded carrots, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, lettuce and mayonnaise to serve.

How to make it: 1. Dissolve the gelatin in boiling water. 2. Drain the pineapple juice into a measuring cup, add cold water to make 1 1/2 cups and stir into the gelatin with the lemon juice. 3. Chill until thick, then fold in the pineapple and carrots. 4. Pour into an 8 inch square dish, chill 4 hours, cut into squares and serve on lettuce with a little mayonnaise.

Old-Fashioned Tomato Aspic

Not every retro jello salad was sweet, and tomato aspic was the grown-up version that sat proudly beside the relish tray. Seasoned tomato juice is set with plain gelatin, then studded with celery, green olives and onion, so every bite tastes like a cold, tangy spicy tomato juice cocktail without the alcohol. Southern hostesses still serve it with a dollop of mayonnaise in the center. Readers who grew up with it say the first bite brings back the whole dining room.

You will need: 4 cups tomato juice, 2 envelopes unflavored gelatin, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 2 dashes hot sauce, 1/2 cup finely chopped celery, 1/3 cup sliced green olives, 2 tablespoons grated onion, lettuce and mayonnaise.

How to make it: 1. Sprinkle the gelatin over 1 cup cold tomato juice and let it soften 5 minutes. 2. Heat the remaining juice with lemon juice, Worcestershire, salt and hot sauce, then stir in the softened gelatin until dissolved. 3. Chill until syrupy, fold in celery, olives and onion and pour into an oiled 5 cup ring mold. 4. Chill overnight, unmold onto lettuce and fill the center with mayonnaise.

Broken Glass Jello Squares

Broken glass jello, also called cathedral window or crown jewel dessert, looks like a stained glass window on a plate. Cubes of red, green and orange gelatin are suspended in a creamy white layer, and every square comes out a little different. The name made kids giggle and the colors made it perfect for Christmas, so it became the most famous of all retro jello salads at holiday bake sales. Make the colored gelatin a day early so the cubes are firm and cut clean.

You will need: 3 boxes (3 oz each) gelatin in red, green and orange, 3 cups boiling water, 2 envelopes unflavored gelatin, 1/2 cup cold water, 1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk, 1 cup boiling water, graham cracker crumbs (optional).

How to make it: 1. Dissolve each flavor in 1 cup boiling water, pour into three small pans and chill overnight; cut into 1/2 inch cubes. 2. Soften the unflavored gelatin in cold water, dissolve with 1 cup boiling water and stir in the condensed milk; cool to room temperature. 3. Scatter the cubes in a 9×13 pan and pour the creamy mixture over them. 4. Chill 4 hours and cut into squares.

Layered Stoplight Retro Jello Salad Bowl

Before anyone called it a trifle, grandma just called this retro jello salad the stoplight bowl. Red, yellow and green gelatin are poured one on top of the other in a clear glass bowl so the stripes show from across the room, and often finished with a layer of whipped cream or custard. It is the easiest way to make a crowd of kids excited about dessert, and the colors fit right in on a Christmas table. Use a straight-sided bowl so the layers stay even.

You will need: 1 box (3 oz) cherry gelatin, 1 box (3 oz) lemon or pineapple gelatin, 1 box (3 oz) lime gelatin, 3 cups boiling water, 3 cups cold water, 2 cups whipped cream or vanilla pudding, sprinkles (optional).

How to make it: 1. Dissolve the lime gelatin in 1 cup boiling water, add 1 cup cold water, pour into a glass bowl and chill until set, about 1 1/2 hours. 2. Repeat with the lemon gelatin, cooled to room temperature, and pour gently over the back of a spoon. 3. Chill until set, then repeat with the cherry layer. 4. Chill overnight and spread whipped cream or pudding on top before serving.

Mexican Mosaic Gelatin Cake

In Mexican and Mexican American homes, gelatina de mosaico is the party dessert every abuela knows. It is a cousin of broken glass jello, but the creamy layer is made with evaporated and condensed milk and set in a tall ring mold, so it slices like a cake. Families bring it to Christmas parties, birthdays and posadas, and it travels well in a cooler. Gelatin desserts have a surprisingly long history, and this history of gelatin desserts shows how far back these jewel-like molds go.

You will need: 4 boxes (3 oz each) gelatin in assorted colors, 4 cups boiling water, 3 envelopes unflavored gelatin, 1 cup cold water, 1 can (12 oz) evaporated milk, 1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk, 1 teaspoon vanilla.

How to make it: 1. Make each colored gelatin with 1 cup boiling water in a separate small pan, chill overnight and cut into cubes. 2. Bloom the unflavored gelatin in cold water and melt it gently in the microwave. 3. Whisk the evaporated milk, condensed milk and vanilla, then whisk in the melted gelatin. 4. Fill an oiled Bundt pan with the cubes, pour the milk mixture over, chill 6 hours and unmold.

Classic Orange Jello Mold

Sometimes the simplest mold was the one kids loved most: a plain, glowing orange gelatin turned out of grandma’s little fluted mold. Made with orange juice instead of water, it tastes bright and fresh, and the shape alone made it feel like a treat. For a kid-friendly spin on retro jello salads, many families made a tray of small individual molds so every child got their own at the kids’ table. A spoon of whipped cream or a few mandarin slices on the side is all it needs.

You will need: 1 box (3 oz) orange gelatin, 1 cup boiling water, 1 cup cold orange juice, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, cooking spray, whipped cream and mandarin slices to serve.

How to make it: 1. Lightly oil 4 small molds or one 3 cup mold with cooking spray. 2. Dissolve the gelatin in boiling water, then stir in the orange juice and lemon juice. 3. Pour into the molds and chill at least 4 hours or overnight. 4. Dip each mold in warm water for 10 seconds, invert onto a plate and serve with whipped cream and mandarins.

How to Unmold Retro Jello Salads Without Tearing Them

The scariest moment with any of these retro jello salads is flipping the mold over the platter. The old tricks still work best: lightly oil the mold before filling, chill overnight, then dip it in warm (not hot) water for 10 to 15 seconds. Wet the serving plate with a little cold water so you can slide the mold into the center if it lands off target. For layered molds, add each new layer when the one below is just set but still sticky, so they bond.

You will need: A metal mold or Bundt pan, neutral oil or cooking spray, a sink or large bowl of warm water, a thin knife, a chilled serving plate, lettuce leaves (optional).

How to make it: 1. Oil the mold and chill the finished salad at least 8 hours. 2. Run a thin knife around the top edge, then dip the mold in warm water up to the rim for 10 to 15 seconds. 3. Wet the plate, place it over the mold and flip both together; give a gentle shake. 4. If it sticks, dip again for 5 seconds; never use hot water, or the edges melt.