Strawberry, Banana and Pineapple Jello Salad
This easy Strawberry, Banana and Pineapple Jello Salad with pecans and a layer of sour cream is a cool and refreshing no-bake dessert that's great for summer picnics, potlucks or any day!
Servings: 12
Estimated Calories: 285
Ingredients
- 2 (3-ounce) boxes strawberry-flavored gelatin, or one 6-ounce box
- 1 cup boiling water, see Notes below
- 1 (16-ounce) bag frozen whole strawberries, thawed completely, then halved or quartered and drained well of any liquid
- 3 medium ripe bananas, mashed with a fork until mostly smooth
- 1 (20-ounce) can crushed pineapple in juice, drained very well
- 1 cup chopped pecans, optional
- 1 pint sour cream, I use full-fat sour cream for the most creaminess
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the gelatin and 1 cup boiling water; stir until the gelatin has dissolved completely, about 2 minutes.
- Add the strawberries, bananas, pineapple, and pecans to the gelatin; stir until well combined.
- Pour half of the gelatin mixture into a 9x13x2-inch glass dish.Set aside the remaining mixture, keeping it at room temperature so that it doesn't set up while you are waiting for the first layer to partially set in the fridge in the next step.
- Place the dish in the refrigerator, uncovered, and chill until partially set, about 30 minutes. It only needs to be set up just enough that you can easily spread the sour cream over it in the next step.
- Give the sour cream a quick stir (this will loosen it up and make it easier to spread). Put several dollops on top of the partially-set gelatin mixture, and then spread it out evenly, going all the way to the edges of the dish.
- Pour the remaining half of the gelatin mixture over the sour cream layer, evenly spreading it out and going all the way to the edges of the dish.
- Cover the dish and refrigerate until set, at least 3 hours or up to overnight.
- Cut into 12 squares and serve cold straight from the refrigerator. If desired, top each serving with whipped cream.
Recipe Notes
- If you prefer to use sugar-free strawberry gelatin, use two 0.3-ounce boxes or one 0.6-ounce box. All other ingredient amounts remain the same.
- You can use frozen sliced strawberries instead of whole strawberries; thaw completely and drain well.
- Please note that we are only using 1 cup of boiling water total in this recipe. Don't follow the instructions on the box of gelatin. Also be sure that your strawberries and pineapple are very well drained. Too much liquid can prevent the gelatin from setting up properly.
- Keep the finished salad cold and serve it straight from the fridge. Not only does it slice and taste best cold, but because of that sour cream layer, you don't want it sitting out at room temperature for too long.
- You can make this salad several hours or up to a day in advance. But don't make it too far ahead, as the fruit will start to break down and get watery after a few days.
- Don't need 12 servings? Here's how I halve the recipe: I use an 8x8-inch dish and halve all of the ingredients except I use an 8-ounce can of pineapple (I can't find 10-ounce cans), and I use 2 bananas instead of 1½ so I'm not left with half a banana.
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