• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

A Table Full Of Joy

Delicious food for everyone!

  • Easter Recipes
  • Spring Recipes
  • All Recipes
  • About & Contact
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • Easter Recipes
  • Spring Recipes
  • All Recipes
  • About & Contact
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • ×

    Home » Recipes » Side Dish

    Mandarin Orange Salad

    This post may contain affiliate links.

    Mandarin Orange Salad is a delicious classic recipe that is always a hit. Often made during the holidays, this Orange Jello Salad is full of flavor and a welcome addition to every dinner, BBQ, or potluck!

    mandarin orange salad with mandarins around it
    This is a favorite family recipe!
    Jump to Recipe Jump to Video Print Recipe

    Growing up my mom would make this every Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter. I never really thought much about it until I was an adult and it just hit different.

    It is such a delicious jello salad that I am happy to bring to holiday dinners and parties now that I am all grown up.

    mandarin orange salad with spoon in dish
    It's a dessert and side dish all in one!

    I’ve shared a few of my mom’s recipes in the past (like these deviled eggs and this cranberry relish) and they are always a hit! I couldn’t wait to share this treasured family recipe too!

    What you need:

    • Cottage Cheese
    • Canned Mandarin Oranges (we have used mandarin fruit cups too!)
    • Canned Crushed Pineapple- You can also dice up pineapple tidbits
    • Orange Jello
    • Frozen Whipped Topping- we tend to use cool whip but any brand works
    mandarin orange salad ingredients

    You only need a few ingredients for this delicious side dish!

    How to make Mandarin Orange Salad?

    • Drain the mandarin oranges and crushed pineapple
    • Mix the fruit with the jello powder
    • Fold in the cottage cheese
    mandarins, pineapple, and jello mixed
    folding in the cottage cheese
    • Fold in the cool whip
    • Cover and refrigerate 4-6 hours or overnight
    folding in the cool whip
    mixed orange salad
    mandarin orange salad in nice white dish

    Pro Tip: Try to squeeze out any excess liquid from the crushed pineapple. This will make for a better consistency overall.

    Variations and Substitutions

    Jello- I know this is called orange salad because of the orange jello but lime, strawberry, or even raspberry jello would be tasty!

    Fruit- swapping out the mandarins and pineapple for other fruit like strawberries or pears might be tasty!

    Low Calorie- Using low calorie/fat cottage cheese, fat free cool whip, and sugar free jello is a great way to lighten the calorie load. Just keep in mind low fat cottage cheese tends to be waterier and might affect the overall consistency of the jello salad.

    mandarin orange salad on plate
    This salad is so easy to make!

    How to store mandarin orange salad?

    Store orange jello salad in an air tight container in the refrigerator.

    How long does mandarin orange jello salad last?

    This orange jello salad will last 4-5 days. It might start to separate the longer it sits and need to be stirred to reincorporate everything.

    Top Tip: Make this mandarin orange salad the day before. Letting all those flavors come together overnight makes it even tastier!

    Jello salads have been around since the 70s but instead of a weird jello mold with peas and carrots this Orange Jello Salad is one everyone will eat and go back for seconds!

    If you like this recipe, make sure to check out my strawberry fruit dip, buffalo chicken dip, and this green bean casserole- all perfect for the holidays or potlucks!

    mandarin orange salad pinterest pin
    Don't forget to pin this recipe!

    Watch how to make this recipe!

    Want more? Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for all of the latest updates.

    mandarin orange salad featured image

    Mandarin Orange Salad

    Author: Lisa
    Mandarin Orange Salad is a delicious classic recipe that is always a hit. Often made during the holidays, this Orange Jello Salad is full of flavor and a welcome addition to every dinner, BBQ, or potluck!
    5 from 2 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 10 mins
    Total Time 10 mins
    Course Salad, Side Dish
    Cuisine American
    Servings 12

    Ingredients
      

    • 2 cups cottage cheese
    • 8 oz mandarin oranges drained
    • 8 oz crushed pineapple or tidbits*
    • 3 oz orange Jello powder
    • 8 oz cool whip thawed

    Instructions
     

    • Drain mandarins and pineapples. I recommend trying to squeeze excess juice from the pineapple.
    • In a large bowl combine mandarins, crushed pineapple and orange Jello powder.
      8 oz mandarin oranges drained, 3 oz orange Jello, 8 oz crushed pineapple
      mandarins, pineapple, and jello mixed
    • Fold in cottage cheese until everything is orange.
      2 cups cottage cheese
      folding in the cottage cheese
    • Fold in cool whip.
      8 oz cool whip
      folding in the cool whip
    • Let sit overnight if possible or at least 4-6 hrs., best to make day before
      mandarin orange salad in nice white dish

    Notes

    Tips and Tricks
    Pineapple: If you can't find crushed canned pineapple you can use canned pineapple tidbits. Just coarsely chop/crush them  before mixing them in.
    Leftovers: Eat leftovers within 4 days, you might need to stir leftovers if there is separation.
    Make Ahead: Make this dish up to 4 days ahead of time!

    Nutrition

    Calories: 111kcalCarbohydrates: 18gProtein: 5gFat: 3gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 9mgSodium: 157mgPotassium: 112mgFiber: 1gSugar: 15gVitamin A: 220IUVitamin C: 7mgCalcium: 60mgIron: 0.1mg
    Keyword mandarin orange jello salad, mandarin orange salad, orange jello salad
    Did you make this recipe?Tag me on Instagram at @atablefullofjoy

    More Side Dish

    • red white and blue cheesecake salad featured image
      Red White and Blue Cheesecake Salad
    • brown sugar bacon featured recipe
      Brown Sugar Bacon
    • franks red hot buffalo chicken dip featured image
      Franks Red Hot Buffalo Chicken Dip
    • thanksgiving corn recipe featured image
      Thanksgiving Corn Recipe

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      Leave a Reply Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      Recipe Rating




    1. Lisa

      March 15, 2023 at 3:49 pm

      5 stars
      Love this! We make it for every holiday!

      Reply

    Primary Sidebar

    Here you will find easy and delicious recipes and helpful posts!

    Trending This Month

    • bad potato held in hand featured image
      How to tell if potatoes are bad?
    • Rice Crispy Treat Featured Image
      Rice Krispies Treats Recipe
    • Chicken tenders featured image
      Best Crispy Chicken Tenders
    • How to tell if brussel sprouts are bad featured image
      How to tell if brussel sprouts are bad?

    Easter Treats

    • bunny cinnamon roll featured image
      Easter Bunny Cinnamon Rolls
    • jalapeno deviled egg featured image
      Jalapeno Deviled Eggs
    • Featured image of Cookie with a bite take out of it
      Carrot Cake Cookies
    • green bean casserole with cream cheese featured image
      Green Bean Casserole with Cream Cheese

    Featured On

    AS seen on Parade, Hearthstone, Yummly, Sam's Club, Congra, Red Tricycle, Chefling App. Foodgawker, Karo

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy
    • Copyright Information

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates- coming soon!

    Contact

    • About Me and Contact Info

    As an Amazon Associate, ThermoWorks Affiliate, and a Berkey Water Filtration Affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2020 A Table Full of Joy

    Copyright © 2023 ·ATableFullofJoy.com ·

    This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Cookie settingsACCEPT
    Privacy & Cookies Policy

    Privacy Overview

    This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
    Necessary
    Always Enabled
    Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
    Non-necessary
    Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
    SAVE & ACCEPT