How to Make Jell-O with Fruit

PDF download Download Article
A delicious, fruity twist on a classic dessert
PDF download Download Article

You can add almost any kind of fruit to Jell-O to make a colorful, delicious dessert. Start by washing, cutting, and layering your fresh fruit in a bowl or Jell-O mold. Then, mix regular Jell-O powder with water, or try using homemade vegan gelatin instead. Pour the gelatin mixture over the fruit and put the dessert in the refrigerator for about 2 hours. Once the Jell-O sets, remove the dessert from the bowl or mold and enjoy!

Things You Should Know

  • Wash, cut, and layer fresh fruit into a Jell-O mold.
  • Mix a 6 oz (176 g) box of gelatin powder with 1  c (240 mL) each of boiling and cold water.
  • Pour the liquid gelatin into the mold over the fruit pieces. Refrigerate the Jell-O for 2 hours so it sets.

Ingredients

Jell-O with Fruit Recipe

  • 6 oz (176 g) box of gelatin powder (Jell-O brand or other brand)
  • 1  c (240 ml) of boiling water
  • 1  c (240 ml) of cold water
  • .5 pounds (8.0 oz) of green grapes (optional)
  • .5 pounds (8.0 oz) of red grapes (optional)
  • .5 pounds (8.0 oz) of strawberries (optional)
  • .25 pounds (4.0 oz) of raspberries (optional)
  • Other fruits of your choice like bananas, pears, or canned pineapple

Vegan Jell-O Recipe

  • 1.5 tsp of agar-agar flakes
  • 1 cup (240 ml) of red grape juice or green apple juice
  • 1 cup (240 ml) of water
  • .25 cups (59 ml) of white sugar
  • A few drops of green food coloring (optional)
Section 1 of 2:

Jell-O with Fruit Recipe

PDF download Download Article
  1. Thoroughly rinse your fruit under cold water in a colander. Then, slice it into small, bite-sized pieces using a knife and a cutting board. If you are using grapes, halve them to look extra pretty. If you’re using strawberries, remove the tops and cut them into halves or quarters. Slice a banana into coins. [1]
    • Your Jell-O dessert will look gorgeous if you choose types of fruit that have different colors, like green grapes, raspberries, and banana slices.
    • Avoid fresh pineapple, kiwi, mango, ginger root, papaya, figs or guava. These fruits react with the Jell-O in a way that stops the Jell-O from solidifying, leaving you with a very mushy Jell-O. However, if you use canned pineapple, it doesn’t have this effect. [2]
  2. Watermark wikiHow to Add Fruit to Jello
    Start by putting a layer of all of one kind of fruit. If you’re using a .5 pounds (8.0 oz) of strawberries, then put them all in a layer. On top of that, layer your next kind of fruit, and continue until you used all of your fruit. Keeping the fruit in distinct layers will look really pretty once the Jell-O is set. [3]
    • Make sure you don’t use a bowl that curves inward at the opening, or the Jell-O won’t be able to come out when you flip it upside-down.
    • The bowl's width will determine the fruit layers' thickness. Use a tall, narrow bowl for thick layers, or a wide, shallow bowl for thin layers, whichever you prefer.
    • Don’t worry if the fruit doesn’t fill the whole bowl. The Jell-O will get into all the cracks between the pieces of fruit.
    Advertisement
  3. Use the entire contents of a box of any flavor of dessert gelatin. Jell-O is just one brand name for dessert gelatin and you can buy different brands at your local supermarket. [4]
    • This size of Jell-O is often labeled as “Family Size.”
    • Ideally, you should have about 14  fl oz (410 mL) of liquid Jell-O mixture for this. [5]
  4. Watermark wikiHow to Add Fruit to Jello
    Boil a cup of water and pour it into the bowl with the gelatin powder. Stir until the powder dissolves entirely. This will take about 2 minutes. [6]
    • Use a fork, whisk, or rubber spatula to stir the powder.
  5. Watermark wikiHow to Add Fruit to Jello
    The cold water will help get the gelatin to the right temperature and dilute it. If you are using canned fruit in your dessert, use the juices from the fruit can instead of cold water.
    • Since the gelatin powder is already dissolved, this won’t take as much stirring.
  6. Cover the fruit completely with the Jell-O mixture. Shake the bowl a tiny bit, so that the Jell-O filters down to cover the fruit at the bottom of the bowl. [7]
    • This works the same for both the conventional and the vegan version.
    • Alternative: Pour the gelatin into the mold and let it set for about 90 minutes. [8] When the Jell-O is mostly (but not completely) set, stir in the fruit. [9]
  7. [10] The cold will make the Jell-O set. If the Jell-O hasn’t set completely after 2 hours, let it refrigerate for another 30 minutes.
    • If the Jell-O hasn’t set after 2.5 hours, something likely went wrong in the process. You may want to try again or make sure your fridge is fully cold.
  8. Your Jell-O dessert should fall out onto the plate. If it doesn’t slide out easily, place your bowl into a shallow dish of hot water, which will melt and loosen the Jell-O just a little bit. Once you see a bit of melting, take out the bowl and turn it upside down onto a plate. The Jell-O will slide right out. [11]
    • The layers of colorful fruit will peek through the semi-translucent Jell-O. If you can’t see them too well from the outside, you’ll be able to see them once you slice the Jell-O.
  9. You can eat the Jell-Oright now if you’d like, but refrigerate it if you’re preparing it to serve it later. [12] To make sure it doesn’t dry out, seal it in a container or cover it in plastic wrap. Jell-O fruit cakes are great for summer potlucks, holidays, celebrations, or just for a fun treat after dinner.
    • This treat lasts about 5 days in the refrigerator.
    • When you’re ready to eat your Jell-O fruit cake, cut it into slices with a sharp knife, just as you would with an ordinary cake.
    10. Advertisement
Section 2 of 2:

Vegan Jell-O Recipe

PDF download Download Article
  1. Watermark wikiHow to Add Fruit to Jello
    To make red Jell-O, combine 1.5 tsp (3 g) of agar-agar flakes , 1  c (240 ml) of red grape juice, 1  c (240 ml) of water and 1 ⁄ 4   c (59 ml) of white sugar. To make green Jell-O, combine 1.5 tsp (3 g) agar-agar flakes, 1  c (240 ml) of green apple juice, 1  c (240 ml) of water and 1 ⁄ 4   c (59 ml) of white sugar. [13]
    • Put your burner on high heat so that the mixture boils more quickly.
  2. Bring it to a boil, and once it’s fully boiling, start your timer for 2 minutes. After 2 minutes, remove the pot from the heat. If you’re making green Jell-O, add in a few drops of green food coloring; if you’re making red Jell-O, add in a few drops of red food coloring. [14]
    • Pour your vegan Jell-O mixture into the Jell-O mold in the recipe provided above.
    3. Advertisement

Community Q&A

Search
Add New Question
  • Question
    My jello mold is broken. I'm covered in jello. What do I do wikiHow? I need help.
    Community Answer
    Make the best of the situation. Be the jello mold you always dreamed of being.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
    Thank you for your feedback.
    If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
    Yes No
    Not Helpful 29 Helpful 154
  • Question
    Can I add fresh strawberries to Jello?
    Community Answer
    Yes.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
    Thank you for your feedback.
    If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
    Yes No
    Not Helpful 7 Helpful 58
  • Question
    Can you use fresh watermelon as your fruit?
    Community Answer
    Yes.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
    Thank you for your feedback.
    If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
    Yes No
    Not Helpful 3 Helpful 32
See more answers
Ask a Question
200 characters left
Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.
Submit
      Advertisement

      Video

      Read Video Transcript

      Tips

      Tips from our Readers

      The advice in this section is based on the lived experiences of wikiHow readers like you. If you have a helpful tip you’d like to share on wikiHow, please submit it in the field below.
      • To prevent the fruit from settling at the bottom, put the jello in the fridge to thicken up first. Then, add your fruit pieces to the partially-set jello.
      Submit a Tip
      All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published
      Name
      Please provide your name and last initial
      Submit
      Thanks for submitting a tip for review!

      You Might Also Like

      How to
      Make Jello
      How to
      Make Gelatin
      How to
      Make Jello Juice
      How to
      Make Sherbet Powder
      Advertisement

      Expert Interview

      Thanks for reading our article! If you’d like to learn more about cooking, check out our in-depth interview with Sarena Nelson .

      References

      1. ↑ https://momsdish.com/recipe/602/jello-fruit-cake-dessert
      2. ↑ https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/bring-science-home-fruit-gelatin/
      3. ↑ https://momsdish.com/recipe/602/jello-fruit-cake-dessert
      4. ↑ https://www.recipezazz.com/recipe/aunt-bettys-holiday-jello-fruit-salad-mold-2530
      5. ↑ https://momsdish.com/recipe/602/jello-fruit-cake-dessert
      6. ↑ https://www.food.com/recipe/abears-diet-jello-281740
      7. ↑ https://momsdish.com/recipe/602/jello-fruit-cake-dessert
      8. ↑ https://www.recipezazz.com/recipe/aunt-bettys-holiday-jello-fruit-salad-mold-2530
      9. ↑ https://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-a-layered-jello-mold-243630
      1. ↑ https://momsdish.com/recipe/602/jello-fruit-cake-dessert
      2. ↑ https://www.recipezazz.com/recipe/aunt-bettys-holiday-jello-fruit-salad-mold-2530
      3. ↑ https://momsdish.com/recipe/602/jello-fruit-cake-dessert
      4. ↑ https://lovingitvegan.com/vegan-jello/
      5. ↑ https://lovingitvegan.com/vegan-jello/

      About This Article

      Article Summary X

      To add fruit to jello, start by adding 1 cup of boiling water to a bowl of gelatin powder. Mix the water and gelatin until the powder dissolves, then add 1 cup of cold water and stir. Next, put the bowl in the fridge for 90 minutes, which will give the jello the consistency of unbeaten egg whites. To add the fruit, stir in 1 cup of chopped canned or fresh fruit to the jello, but be careful not to add extra liquid as this will stop it from setting. Finally, return the jello to the fridge for at least 4 hours to let it set. For tips on how to make designs using fruit, read on!

      Did this summary help you?
      In other languages
      Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 691,886 times.

      Reader Success Stories

      • Anonymous

        Jul 29, 2016

        "I knew there were some fresh fruits that could not be used in Jello, but didn't remember which ones. I also ..." more
      More reader stories Hide reader stories
      Share your story
      If you buy through links on our site, we may earn a commission .

      Did this article help you?

      Advertisement