This light and fluffy raspberry fluff is the jello salad that everyone loves! Made with just 6 ingredients (including water), it’s the make-ahead dessert that is perfect for summer bbq’s and potlucks!
Raspberry fluff jello salad is a classic summer dessert here in the Midwest, and one that is completely customizable! As a natural make-ahead dessert, it’s cool and creamy texture is a favorite for both kids an adults!
I keep trying to get in the warm weather spirit and the weather here just keeps letting me down lol. Here in Ohio we had near 70 degree temperatures the other day, then snow the next day. I still have no idea how to dress the kids for school!
One thing I can always get in the mood for is a good old-fashioned jello salad. Have you had one before? There’s nothing “salad”-y about them, but they’re SO good!
This raspberry fluff is a nod to my family… since my mother makes something similar with pineapple (different ingredients, but also called fluff), and my mother in law makes something similar with all kinds of fruit. This jello salad is a lot like the one she makes, but I’m not sure if it’s exact or not.
WHAT IS JELLO SALAD
It’s confusing because with a name like “salad”, you wouldn’t think it would be a dessert right? Also a lot of people think of jello salad as the ring of colorful jiggly jello that is made in a mold. Around here that’s referred to as a jello mold, and doesn’t have the same ingredients as jello salad. This type of fluff/jello salad is made with jello, pudding, tapioca, fruit and cool whip.
HOW DO YOU MAKE JELLO SALAD
It’s a natural make-ahead recipe, so the night before you want to serve it, bring some water to a boil. Turn off the heat, then stir in one small box each (3 oz size) of vanilla pudding, tapioca, and raspberry jello. Whisk until it thickens, then pour into a container to chill overnight. Before serving, stir in fruit and cool whip and keep chilled until ready to eat.
CAN I MAKE JELLO SALAD WITH OTHER FRUIT FLAVORS
Absolutely!! I chose raspberry because it’s my son’s favorite fruit, but you could do this with just about any fruit you’d like. Just make sure to match the jello flavor with the fruit… so strawberry jello and strawberries, orange jello with mandarin oranges, etc.
WHAT ABOUT JELLO SALAD WITH COTTAGE CHEESE
That’s another great variation! The great part about using cottage cheese is that the recipe doesn’t need to be made the night before, so it’s perfect for when you are in a time crunch. Here’s how you make it:
- 16 oz container of small curd cottage cheese
- 3 oz box of raspberry jello
- 1 1/2 cups fresh raspberries
- 8 oz container of cool whip
Mix together the cottage cheese and jello, then stir in raspberries. Gently fold in the cool whip… if you whip it and stir it too vigorously, all the lovely cloud-like texture will be gone and you’ll end up with a soupy dessert. Chill about an hour.
Whatever part of the country or world you’re in, if you make something similar, let me know in the comments! I’d love to see how wide-spread this jello salad dessert is.
Even if it sounds totally weird to you, you should give it a try. The cloud-like texture is absolutely mouthwatering!
Want to try this Raspberry Fluff?
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Ingredients
- 3 cups water
- 3 oz package instant vanilla pudding
- 3 oz package instant, or cook and serve tapioca pudding
- 3 oz package raspberry jello
- 8 - 12 oz frozen whipped topping, thawed (cool whip)
- 1 pint fresh raspberries, plus extra for topping
Instructions
- In a saucepan, bring water to a boil. Whisk in pudding mixes and jello. Return to a boil, stirring constantly, and boil for 1 minute. Remove from the heat, pour into a container, and cool completely.
- Refrigerate jello mixture for several hours or overnight. Gently fold in cool whip and raspberries, being careful not to stir to vigorously. Keep refrigerated until ready to eat.
- Top with additional raspberries and serve.
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Shirley says
Entire family loved this. I added cut up bananas and since we love bananas it was even better! Will definitely add this to family favor!ite!!! -Shirley
Vivian says
Don’t care for cottage cheese , could I substitute with cream cheese ?
Amanda says
I’ve only tested this recipe as written. So without testing and retesting it myself, I can’t say for certain if that would work. If you try it, I’d love to know how it turns out!
Brian Slansky says
Made this for the first time at a small family gathering for my sons wedding and it is now a family favorite. So I will definitely be making it many more times.
Thanks for posting it!
Kathie Chappell says
This is a memory in a mouthful. We would use lime jello and a can of crushed pineapple (with the juice!) in my house. 🙂
Leah says
Hi! I can’t find ANY tapioca anywhere. Not cook or instant. What is it for in the dish? Does it just add texture or flavor? Anything I can substitute? Would it be crazy to add a snak pack tapioca?
The Chunky Chef says
I don’t know what is happening with tapioca pudding. Back in 2018 when I wrote this post, you could find it everywhere, and now people are having such trouble! Such a shame. Without actually testing, I can’t honestly say for certain if that would work or not… but I do have a version that doesn’t use tapioca written in the body of the post.
Joyce Wohlgemuth says
I couldn’t find instant or cook and serve tapioca pudding so I have
substituted with a box of 3 oz of vanilla pudding and 3 Tbs of Kraft Minute Tapioca and it worked.
Nancy Kuhn says
I bought my tapioca pudding on Amazon, think it acts a thickener.
Cynthia says
I found it at Walmart on 042021, but they only had one box. You have to arrive early.
Kirsten says
I wonder if this would freeze into a good ice cream? From the pics, it looks pretty fluffy and if a splash of vanilla extract was added to keep it from hardening into a brick in the freezer, I’m wondering if I’m on to something…
I’m really just in search of very low sugar treats lol. I figure if I can switch the Jell-o and pudding for sugar-free options, I might just be in heaven.
Cherry fluff ice cream here I come!!!! (Unless somebody tells me this isn’t going to work in the next few days lmao. If that’s the case, add a bunch of obscenities to my post and carry on.)
P.S. Thank you for the recipe!
Brittini says
This looks delish! I picked up the vanilla pudding as well as cheesecake pudding, in case you think that might be yummy too? Have you tried cheesecake pudding in place of the vanilla? Thanks for the recipe!
P.s. sorry you have to deal with rude people like the comment above about posting a novel. Some people have too much to complain about.
The Chunky Chef says
Hi Brittini 🙂 I’ve not made it with cheesecake pudding before, but it sounds yummy!
cyn says
When I look up a recipe, I don’t want to read a novel, I just want the ingredients and the instructions. Good grief!!!
The Chunky Chef says
#1, it’s my website. #2, a lot of tips and tricks for the recipes are written in the post. #3, there’s a “jump to recipe” button on EVERY post, feel free to use it. #4, it’s for search engine optimization purposes… to help users, like yourself, find the recipe in search results. #5, if scrolling to get to the FREE recipe is just too much effort… please feel free to buy a cookbook 🙂
Kirsten says
You are the epitome of a Karen LMFAO!!!
Who’s the manager of this page? I demand you remove all instructions, images, and recipe variations and design your website to fit my liking.
bEV says
ARE YOU SERIOUS, OR ARE YOU JOKING? IF YOU ARE SERIOUS, YOU SHOULD HANG YOUR HEAD IN SHAME, FOR BEING SO CRUMMY. IF YOU ARE JOKING, I GET IT.
J says
It’s not even that bad, most recipes have three or four times that much, and this is actually useful info
Sherry Franklin says
CYN?
What does that stand for?
Clearly
Your
Nasty attitude sucks
I hope you learn to be nicer at some point in your life smh
Krystal Schware says
Hello. Can’t wait to make this. Been trying to get the ingredients together. The recipe calls for instant tapioca but no one carries it in-store or online. it appears no one makes an instant tapioca. Did you mean the Jell-o Cook and Serve tapioca and cook n serve vanilla pudding? Same box as the instant, but says cook n serve instead of instant. Thank you!
The Chunky Chef says
This recipe was posted some time ago, and it seems that yes, no one carries instant tapioca anymore. The cook and serve will work 🙂
Molly MacCarty says
this recipe looks delicious, I am going to take this dish to my families for thanksgiving.
NANCY says
I have been making this for years with mandarin oranges rather than raspberries. We call it ridiculous salad. I may try it with raspberries next time.
Robin biscorner says
This raspberry fluff sounds delish. I grow my own red raspberries. I’m just wondering about using instant vanilla pudding and cook and serve tapioca pudding together? It just seems the instant pudding wouldn’t come out with the same consistency as the Cook & Serve Pudding? Please let me know if I’m wrong?
The Chunky Chef says
I had to amend this recipe to include cook and serve, since apparently it’s impossible to find instant tapioca pudding anymore. I haven’t personally tested it, but several readers have emailed me that it worked well.
Carolyn Williams says
I can’t find instant tapioca pudding…it’s all cook & serve….
Would like to try the recipe…
The Chunky Chef says
The cook and serve should work fine, as you’re whisking it into a hot, boiling liquid. It seems they’ve discontinued the instant tapioca since this recipe was published.
Renee anderson says
Can you make frosting with cool whip and jello?
The Chunky Chef says
I’m sure you can, although I didn’t test it for this recipe.
Jillann Krieger says
I have a variation on jello jigglers. I mix 1 box of jello and 1 envelope of knox gelatin. Once it is all dissolved I add 6 oz of yogurt. Let them sit in the fridge and you have yogurt jigglers. Use any flavor jello and the same flavor yogurt or vanilla yogurt. My kids love them.
Pat Ugowski says
Loved the cottage cheese raspberry fluff—- SOOOO—– easy and great with the wild raspberries we just picked. Awesome!!!
Damian Moss says
AMAZING
Kathy says
I was asked today to provide a salad for a funeral tomorrow at my church. I had a busy day today and tomorrow morning is busy, too. I have lots of salad recipes, but was looking for something super fast. I found your recipe in a search, then saw the cottage cheese one. After a quick run to the store, I was able to make a double batch in less than 5 minutes!! I took a little taste, and it was really good. 🙂 I will have to make some again – for MY family.
p.s. I’m in Eastern Iowa.
Margaret says
Just spotted this recipe…. mixed up a pink fluff for great granddaughter birthday party yesterday…. but I just made it up myself.. hadn’t seen a recipe. Did it simple and quick
Mixed two reg. size container whipped topping , 1-1/2 boxes strawberry jello, 1/2 container
cottage cheese, 3 small bananas, 2 lg. handful marshmallows, some pineapples, lots of pecans……. I love this because the only important items are the whipped topping and the jello…… Its a mix and match what tiggers your taste buds..