Cranberry Mousse is An Old Fashioned Recipe that's great for the holidays! (2024)

Cincy Shopper Recipe Index Side

By Jen Cincyshopper

on Nov 08, 2020

6 Comments

Jump to RecipeRate Recipe

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.

Homemade Cranberry Mousse is a delicious and fruity dessert salad made easy with Jello. This old fashioned recipe is great for the holidays!

Jello salads are a classic treat to have during the holidays- Thanksgiving especially. This recipe for Cranberry Mousse is very similar to Jello Salad- but with some interesting add-ins that make it unique!

Cranberry Mousse is An Old Fashioned Recipe that's great for the holidays! (2)

Homemade Cranberry Mousse

I’m always looking for fresh, interesting dessert ideas- especially around the holidays. The holidays are a special time of year where you have to make something special: normal desserts don’t cut it for these special occasions! It’s also the perfect time to experiment with some seasonal flavors. With that in mind, this recipe for a Cranberry Mousse turned out great!

Cranberry Mousse is An Old Fashioned Recipe that's great for the holidays! (3)

recipes in your inbox

subscribe for all the latest deliciousness

Cranberry Mousse is An Old Fashioned Recipe that's great for the holidays! (4)

Jello salads have always been a favorite of mine and this homemade mousse is made in a very similar way to those old fashioned recipes. The biggest difference is the addition of the sour cream- which changes the texture and flavor somewhat. This gives you something that’s a still-delicious alternative to Jello salad. Flavorwise, this Cranberry Mousse is a winner!

Cranberry Mousse is An Old Fashioned Recipe that's great for the holidays! (5)

It only helps that this recipe look great as well: we served it up in a bundt pan which really helps with presentation. This Homemade Cranberry Mousse would look perfect at the dinner table this Thanksgiving or Christmas. If you’re wanting a new and interesting cranberry dessert for the holidays this year, you’re going to love our recipe! Enjoy!

Cranberry Mousse is An Old Fashioned Recipe that's great for the holidays! (6)

Other Delicious Recipes for Cranberry Desserts

  • If you’re looking for something closer to a proper Cranberry Jello salad, then you’ll want to look at our Old-Fashioned Cranberry Salad. It’s made in a very similar manner but yields an end-product that’s much more like the Jello salads you might be familiar with.

  • For another sweet salad, we have to recommend our Cranberry Fluff Salad. Similar to a Watergate or Ambrosia salad, this fluffy, creamy, fruity dessert is a great way to cap off a holiday or Thanksgiving dinner.

  • Needing something a bit more traditional and simple? Try making up some Homemade Cranberry Sauce with Apples. Making cranberry sauce from scratch give you something that’s way tastier than the canned stuff! The added apples sweeten things up perfectly.

Cranberry Mousse is An Old Fashioned Recipe that's great for the holidays! (7)

Ingredients for our Jello Mousse Recipe

  • Jello – We went with the raspberry flavored Jello, but strawberry would probably work in this recipe just as well.

  • Whole Berry Cranberry Sauce

  • Crushed Pineapple

  • Sour Cream

  • Pecans, chopped

Cranberry Mousse is An Old Fashioned Recipe that's great for the holidays! (8)

How to make Cranberry Mousse

First, get your bundt pan greased and set it aside. Second, get your can of pineapple into the fridge and let it chill for at least half-an-hour. With those two things out of the way, you can start on the Jello: add your Jello packets to the boiling water. Stir until all the Jello mix has dissolved and let that sit for about 5 minutes while you work on the pineapples.

Cranberry Mousse is An Old Fashioned Recipe that's great for the holidays! (9)

Empty your can of pineapples into a sieve over a bowl or measuring cup. Give the pineapples some light pressing- just don’t go crazy! We want to get as much juice as we can out of our pineapple chunks- but don’t throw that juice away! We’re going to add all that juice to the gelatin mixture from earlier.

Cranberry Mousse is An Old Fashioned Recipe that's great for the holidays! (10)

With all that juice strained off, place the pineapples on some paper towels to absorb any leftover moisture. Set that aside for the time being.

Cranberry Mousse is An Old Fashioned Recipe that's great for the holidays! (11)

Next thing we’re going to add is the reserved cold pineapple juice. Then add the whole berry cranberry sauce. Just crack the can open and empty the contents into the Jello mix. Stir that thoroughly until well-mixed, with the berries spread evenly throughout.

Cranberry Mousse is An Old Fashioned Recipe that's great for the holidays! (12)

Transfer the cranberry Jello to the fridge for about half-an-hour (do not over chill). Once that’s thickened up a bit, pull it and add the sour cream, drained pineapple, and some pecans.

Cranberry Mousse is An Old Fashioned Recipe that's great for the holidays! (13)

Fold all those ingredients in until they’re spread evenly throughout the mixture. Once the mix is ready, transfer it to your prepared bundt pan.

Cranberry Mousse is An Old Fashioned Recipe that's great for the holidays! (14)

That’s going to need a little while to set- probably around 2 hours. Now, be very delicate when you’re ready to remove our cranberry mousse from its pan.

Cranberry Mousse is An Old Fashioned Recipe that's great for the holidays! (15)

If it’s not dropping from the pan right away, carefully run a knife along the edges and center- just to try and get some air into the pan. Place a plate on top of your bundt mold and flip- give the pan a solid few taps if you’d like to try and get it to release. Just be patient and your Cranberry Mousse should release and you’ll be able to enjoy!

Cranberry Mousse is An Old Fashioned Recipe that's great for the holidays! (16)

5 from 5 votes

Cranberry Mousse

By: Jen CIncyshopper

Homemade Cranberry Mousse is a delicious and fruity dessert salad made easy with Jello. This old fashioned recipe is great for the holidays!

Prep: 15 minutes mins

Cook: 1 minute min

Chill Time: 2 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

Servings: 10

Save

Pin RecipeRate RecipePrint Recipe

Ingredients

  • 2 pkg Raspberry Gelatin, 3 oz each
  • 1 cup Boiling Water
  • 20 oz Crushed Pineapple
  • 14 oz Whole Berry Cranberry Sauce
  • 2 cup Sour Cream
  • 1/2 cup chopped Pecans

Instructions

  • Heavily grease bundt pan and set aside.

  • Refrigerate can of crushed pineapple for 30 minutes.

  • In a large bowl, combine gelatin and boiling water. Stir until dissolved.

  • Drain pineapple through a sieve and add juice to gelatin.

  • Place the pineapple on a paper towel to absorb the moisture and set aside.

  • Stir cranberry sauce into gelatin mixture until blended.

  • Chill mixture until it starts to thicken about 30 minutes.

  • Fold in sour cream, pineapple and pecans.

  • Pour into prepared bundt pan.

  • Chill until set, at least 2 hours.

Notes

When ready to release the mousse from the bundt pan, use a knife around the edges and center to get air into the pan. Place a plate on top of the mold and flip. You may need to tap quite hard to get to release. Be patient, it will release.

Nutrition

Calories: 285kcal, Carbohydrates: 42g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 13g, Saturated Fat: 6g, Cholesterol: 24mg, Sodium: 129mg, Potassium: 168mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 39g, Vitamin A: 332IU, Vitamin C: 7mg, Calcium: 65mg, Iron: 1mg

Like this recipe? Rate and comment below!

Cranberry Mousse is An Old Fashioned Recipe that's great for the holidays! (18)

Cranberry Mousse is An Old Fashioned Recipe that's great for the holidays! (19)

Cranberry Mousse is An Old Fashioned Recipe that's great for the holidays! (20)

About Jen Cincyshopper

A lover of food and frugal living. A wife to a wonderful hubby, momma to 5 fun kiddos. Welcome to my blog. You will find REAL TASTY RECIPES. Be sure to subscribe to my email list and follow me on social media, to never miss a recipe.

Read More About Me

You May Also Like:

Side

Parmesan Crusted Brussel Sprouts

Pantry

3 Ingredient Honey Mustard

Christmas

Christmas Fruit Salad

Side

Red Skin Mashed Potatoes

Cranberry Mousse is An Old Fashioned Recipe that's great for the holidays! (2024)

FAQs

Why do we eat cranberry sauce at Christmas? ›

Why Do We Serve Cranberry Sauce at Christmas? Following in the footsteps of America, we traditionally add cranberry sauce to our plates at Christmas to add a sweet and tangy taste to our turkey.

What do you eat cranberry sauce with on Thanksgiving? ›

Cranberry sauce is a crucial component of the Thanksgiving table, where its tart, bright acidity cuts through all of the heavy turkey and gravy and stuffing and mashed potatoes.

What is the history of cranberry sauce? ›

Cranberry sauce was first offered to consumers in North America in 1912 in Hanson, Massachusetts. Canned cranberry sauce appeared on the market in 1941, allowing the product to be sold year-round. Cranberry sauce can be used with a variety of meats, including turkey, pork, chicken, and ham.

What do cranberries have to do with Christmas? ›

Like no other fruit cranberries are a symbol of Christmas time. The red berries matching perfectly with the warm glow of heat from the first, the neatly hung Christmas stockings and of course Santa's red outfit.

Is cranberry a Christmas thing? ›

Besides the obvious turkey, one of the symbols of the holiday is the cranberry. For many, this means canned cranberry sauce. Cranberries are a fruit native to North America. Harvest is a short few weeks in the fall, but like most farmers, they are working the ground and crop year round.

Is cranberry sauce served hot or cold on Thanksgiving? ›

Is cranberry sauce supposed to be hot or cold? Either! Some prefer to have it served fresh and warm, straight out of the pot, while others need it completely cooled down to enjoy the flavours. Personally, we prefer cooled sauce.

What is the purpose of cranberry at Thanksgiving? ›

But cranberries may have played some sort of role, as the Wampanoag tribe used the fruit for a variety of things—including dye, medicine, and food. If the Pilgrims and the Native Americans ate cranberries at that festival, it was probably in the form of pemmican, a dish of crushed cranberries and dried meat.

Should homemade cranberry sauce be served warm or cold? ›

Should cranberry sauce be served warm or cold? You could, of course, serve it straight out of the pot, but I think it's best after it's chilled in the fridge. Chilling it helps it firm up some more in the fridge, plus, serving it this way means you can make it days ahead of a holiday.

What state produces the most cranberries in the US? ›

The top-producing State, Wisconsin, typically harvests around 60 percent of the annual U.S. cranberry crop.

Who canned the very first jellied cranberry sauce in 1912? ›

And this year marks the 110th birthday for the sauce, which was invented in 1912 by Marcus Urann, a Massachusetts farmer. Less than two decades later, in 1930, Mr. Urann would establish the Ocean Spray cooperative with two other cranberry farmers: John Makepeace, also of Massachusetts, and Elizabeth Lee of New Jersey.

Is cranberry sauce an American thing? ›

This is jellied cranberry sauce. It is an American tradition. Like so many American traditions, including Thanksgiving itself, its existence is controversial. It is a feat of engineering.

What is the tradition of cranberry sauce? ›

Cranberry sauce is traditional in New England. The "traditional" Thanksgiving dinners which were served to troops during the Civil War, WW1 and WW 2 were "New England Dinners" with turkey and cranberry sauce. The tradition spread throughout the US and was taken up by marketers when canned food became available.

What's the deal with cranberry sauce? ›

This side dish has become essential to Thanksgiving menus, whether you opt to buy it (as 76% of Americans do) or make it yourself. It's hard to pinpoint exactly who invented the concept of cranberry sauce. Native Americans have been growing and eating the fruit, which is indigenous to North America, for centuries.

When did cranberry sauce become a Thanksgiving tradition? ›

The traditional cranberry sauce, made with sugar, did not become popularized until the 19th century. By the early 20th century, farmers began harvesting cranberries in bogs instead of dry-harvesting, which led to cranberry sauce as a Thanksgiving staple.

Why is cranberries a symbol of Thanksgiving? ›

Seasonal availability. One of the reasons cranberries have become synonymous with Thanksgiving is their seasonal availability. Harvested in the fall, cranberries are at their peak during the holidays time.

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Carlyn Walter

Last Updated:

Views: 6159

Rating: 5 / 5 (50 voted)

Reviews: 81% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Carlyn Walter

Birthday: 1996-01-03

Address: Suite 452 40815 Denyse Extensions, Sengermouth, OR 42374

Phone: +8501809515404

Job: Manufacturing Technician

Hobby: Table tennis, Archery, Vacation, Metal detecting, Yo-yoing, Crocheting, Creative writing

Introduction: My name is Carlyn Walter, I am a lively, glamorous, healthy, clean, powerful, calm, combative person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.