Break out that box of Jell-O and put it to use making retro dessert recipes. Make a classic Jell-O mold, fluff salad or even a cake with your favorite flavor.
27 Retro Desserts that Start with a Box of Jell-O
Molded Strawberry Salad
This refreshing salad has two layers – a pretty pink bottom that includes sour cream, and a ruby red top with strawberries and pineapple. For years, Mom has included this salad in meals she prepares for our family. -Gloria Grant, Sterling, Illinois
1/26
2/26
Seven-Layer Gelatin Salad
Total Time
30 min
Servings
20 servings
From the Recipe Creator:
Here's an eye-catching salad that my mother makes for Christmas dinner each year. You can choose different flavors to make other color combinations for specific holidays or other gatherings. —Jan Hemness, Stockton, Missouri
3/26
Strawberry Pretzel Salad
Total Time
30 min
Servings
16 servings
From the Recipe Creator:
Need to bring a dish to pass this weekend? This make-ahead strawberry pretzel salad will disappear quickly at any potluck. —Aldene Belch, Flint, Michigan
4/26
Peach Bavarian
Total Time
15 min
Servings
8 servings
From the Recipe Creator:
Fruit molds are my specialty. This one, with its refreshing peach taste, makes a colorful salad or dessert. —Adeline Piscitelli, Sayreville, New Jersey
5/26
Berry Dream Cake
Total Time
45 min
Servings
15 servings
From the Recipe Creator:
I use cherry gelatin to give a boxed cake mix an eye-appealing marbled effect. It's so festive-looking. Top it with whatever fruit you like! —Margaret McNeil, Germantown, Tennessee
6/26
Orange Cream Pops
Total Time
10 min
Servings
10 pops
From the Recipe Creator:
For a lower-fat alternative to ice cream-filled pops, try this citrus novelty. The tangy orange flavor will make your taste buds tingle, while the silky smooth texture offers cool comfort. —Taste of Home Test Kitchen
7/26
Bing Cherry-Amaretti Fool
Total Time
30 min
Servings
8 servings
From the Recipe Creator:
When Bing cherries are in season, I make this fruity custard-style fool. The sweet cherries and whipped cream balance perfectly with the sour cream. —Mary Ann Lee, Clifton Park, New York
8/26
Pina Colada Molded Salad
Total Time
25 min
Servings
8 servings
From the Recipe Creator:
My gelatin ring gets a tropical twist from coconut, pineapple and macadamia nuts. It's a wonderful anytime treat. Now that I'm retired from teaching, I have more time for kitchen experiments. —Carol Gillespie, Chambersburg, Pennsylvania
9/26
Strawberry Pie
Total Time
35 min
Servings
8 servings
From the Recipe Creator:
For my mother's birthday, I made this strawberry pie recipe instead of a cake. Since it was mid-May in Oklahoma, the berries were absolutely perfect. It was a memorable occasion for the whole family. —Josh Carter, Birmingham, Alabama
10/26
Rainbow Jello Cubes
Total Time
30 min
Servings
9 dozen
From the Recipe Creator:
These perky gelatin cubes are fun to serve and to eat! I vary the colors to match the occasion—pink and blue for a baby shower, school colors for a graduation party, and so on. Kids of all ages snap them up. —Deanna Pietrowicz, Bridgeport, Connecticut
11/26
Creamy Chocolate-Banana Pie
Total Time
45 min
Servings
8 servings
From the Recipe Creator:
You can make almost any dessert more awesome with chocolate. In this cream pie, fresh banana and chocolate make a truly irresistible combo.
—Diane Nemitz, Ludington, Michigan
12/26
Strawberry-Rhubarb Upside-Down Cake
Total Time
55 min
Servings
12 servings
From the Recipe Creator:
I prepare this colorful dessert quite often in the late spring or summer when fresh rhubarb is abundant. I make this rhubarb cake with cake mix and take it to church potlucks. People actually line up for a piece. —Bonnie Krogman, Thompson Falls, Montana
13/26
Peach Panna Cotta
Total Time
40 min
Servings
8 servings
From the Recipe Creator:
This no-bake dessert is guaranteed to cool you off in the summer heat. I really enjoy the texture—rich and creamy panna cotta balanced by the sweet and pulpy texture of the peach puree. —Andrea Campbell, Los Angeles, California
14/26
Apricot Fluff
Total Time
10 min
Servings
10 servings
From the Recipe Creator:
When we were young mothers, I asked my best friend if she had a recipe for an easy ambrosia salad that I could take to a cookout later that evening. She shared this recipe with me and it's become a must-have at every barbecue I attend. It's sublime with peaches and peach gelatin, too. —Melissa Meinke, Fawn Grove, Pennsylvania
15/26
Strawberry-Lime Bars
Total Time
35 min
Servings
2 dozen
From the Recipe Creator:
Our family loves fresh strawberries, so I look for different ways to use them. This tempting, yummy dessert has sweet strawberries, tart lime and salty pretzels. —Alexandra Barnett, Forest, Virginia
16/26
Fluffy Key Lime Pie
Total Time
20 min
Servings
8 servings
From the Recipe Creator:
For a taste of paradise, try this no-bake Key lime pie recipe. It's low in fat, sugar and fuss. It truly is the best Key lime pie recipe ever! —Frances VanFossan, Warren, Michigan
17/26
Strawberry Banana Trifle
Total Time
20 min
Servings
14 servings
From the Recipe Creator:
No matter where I take this dessert, the bowl is emptied in minutes. It's fun to make because everyone oohs and ahhs over how pretty it is. —Kim Waterhouse, Randolph, Maine
18/26
Stained Glass Gelatin
Total Time
25 min
Servings
15 servings
From the Recipe Creator:
Kids love this sweet, wiggly gelatin and whipped topping dessert. Use different flavors of gelatin to make color versions that are as wild as your imagination. —Taste of Home Test Kitchen
19/26
Refrigerator Lime Cheesecake
Total Time
30 min
Servings
12 servings
From the Recipe Creator:
I made this for a Father's Day party, and it was a hit! I guarantee compliments when you serve this fantastic dessert. —Cher Anjema, Kleinburg, Ontario
20/26
Red, White ‘n’ Blue Salad
Total Time
30 min
Servings
16 servings
From the Recipe Creator:
Our striking "flag" salad drew plenty of attention at our Independence Day party. The shimmering stripes are formed with distinctive gelatin layers. It makes you want to salute before spooning some up! —Laurie Neverman, Green Bay, Wisconsin
21/26
Rhubarb Icebox Dessert
Total Time
30 min
Servings
15 servings
From the Recipe Creator:
A light and fluffy marshmallow layer tops the tart rhubarb filling in this delicious make-ahead recipe. —Renee Schwebach, Dumont, Minnesota
22/26
Lemon Snowball
Total Time
25 min
Servings
20 servings
From the Recipe Creator:
For a special occasion like a church supper, I make this beautiful dessert. The lemon and coconut flavors go so wonderfully together. Everyone will be asking for the recipe.—Lucy Rickers, Bonsall, California
23/26
Lime Gelatin Salad
Total Time
20 min
Servings
10 servings
From the Recipe Creator:
Looking for a festive dish to light up the buffet? This pretty green gelatin salad is eye-catching and has a delightful, tangy flavor. —Cyndi Fynaardt, Oskaloosa, Iowa
24/26
Mamaw Emily’s Strawberry Cake
Total Time
40 min
Servings
12 servings
From the Recipe Creator:
My husband loved his mamaw's strawberry cake recipe. He thought no one could duplicate it. I made it, and it’s just as scrumptious as he remembers. —Jennifer Bruce, Manitou, Kentucky
25/26
Lemon Chiffon Blueberry Dessert
Total Time
25 min
Servings
15 servings
From the Recipe Creator:
This cool and creamy no-bake dessert is perfect for hot summer days. I sometimes replace raspberries for half of the blueberries to make it look more patriotic. —Jodie Cederquist, Muskegon, Michigan
26/26
Creme de Menthe Squares
Total Time
30 min
Servings
9 servings
From the Recipe Creator:
This layered bar hits all the sweet spots: It’s airy, creamy, crunchy and the perfect mix of cool mint and rich chocolate. It has a vintage dessert appeal that no one in our family can resist. —Marilyn Blankschien, Clintonville, Wisconsin
