Cranberry Sauce Leftovers in glass dishes topped with a dollop of whipped cream on a wooden serving platter all on a wooden surface (with logo overlay)

Cranberry Sauce Leftovers in Mini Jello Cups

Use leftover cranberry sauce from your holiday meals and mix it with a few other fruits suspended in jello for an easy holiday dessert.

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Who else is still working on the leftovers from Christmas Dinner? Do you have any cranberry sauce leftovers? Try using it up to make some mini jello cup full of fruit and flavor to add a bit of flair to regular cranberry sauce.

I will admit, I’ve never cared for cranberry sauce on it’s own. The canned stuff is just so wiggly and strange and I just can’t do it! My family almost always has some for Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner. While others eat it up, I leave it off my plate. 

But, that also sometimes means having an extra can or two in the pantry if your family didn’t eat it. Or, maybe, you forgot to put it out to begin with and now are wondering what to do with the can. Maybe, just maybe, you have a bunch leftover from the holidays.

Instead of letting it gather dust, try this recipe. My boys weren’t too sure about the jello cups at first, mostly because of the texture. But they both said they liked the flavor. While they didn’t eat many, Justin and I ate all of the Cranberry Sauce Leftovers. 

There are so many different fruit flavors in these cups, but you can change it as you want. I did two different flavors of jello because I didn’t want one flavor to be overpowering.

These cups are similar to Fluffy Frozen Fruit Salad in a way but in individual servings. I’ve posted a lot of recipes with pineapple. It’s my favorite fruit. It adds a lot of sweet and tang to recipes like this.

Cranberry Sauce Leftovers Step by Step

Ingredients

  • 20 oz crushed pineapple
  • water
  • 3 oz raspberry jello
  • 3 oz strawberry jello
  • 16 oz cranberry sauce
  • 2 apples (chopped)
Diced apples on a bamboo board next to a can of crushed pineapple, a can of cranberry sauce, and two boxes of jello all on a wooden surface

Preparation

Drain the can of pineapple, making sure to reserve the pineapple juice. I used a mesh strainer for this to get as much as possible out. 

Mesh strainer filled with crushed pineapple over a glass measuring cup with boxes of jello, a can of cranberry sauce, and diced apples on a wooden board all on a wooden surface

Add enough water to the juice to measure 2 1/2 cups total. This amount will vary based on how much juice you can extract from the pineapple. 

Glass measuring cup with pineapple juice and water next to a box of jello on a wooden surface

Pour the pineapple and water into a medium saucepan and bring it to a boil. 

Medium saucepan with pineapple juice and water boiling next to open boxes of jello and a can of cranberry sauce on a wooden surface

Remove the pan from the heat. Whisk in the jello powders and stir until the jello is completely dissolved in the liquid. 

Medium saucepan with dark red liquid of jello next to a can of cranberry sauce, a bamboo board with diced apples, and a stainless steel bowl of crushed pineapple all on a wooden surface

Add the rest of the fruit to the pan and stir until everything is thoroughly mixed together. 

Medium saucepan with jello and fruit mixture on a wooden surface

Spoon some of the fruit mixture into each baking cup until they are almost full. 

Jello and fruit mixture in glass dishes on a wooden surface

Refrigerate for at least 3 hours or until the jello is firm.

Cranberry Sauce Leftovers in glass dishes topped with a dollop of whipped cream on a wooden serving platter all on a wooden surface (vertical)

Recipe

Originally Published On: December 17, 2018

Last Updated On: August 1, 2023

Cranberry Sauce Leftovers in glass dishes topped with a dollop of whipped cream on a wooden serving platter all on a wooden surface

Cranberry Sauce Leftovers in Mini Jello Cups

Use leftover cranberry sauce from your holiday meals and mix it with a few other fruits suspended in jello for an easy holiday dessert.
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Cooling Time 3 hours
Total Time 10 minutes
Course:
Dessert
Cuisine:
American
Keyword:
cranberry
|
fruit
|
holidays
Servings: 24 servings
5 from 7 votes

Ingredients

  • 20 oz crushed pineapple
  • water
  • 3 oz raspberry jello
  • 3 oz strawberry jello
  • 16 oz cranberry sauce
  • 2 apples (chopped)

Instructions

  • Drain the pineapple, reserving the juice
  • Add enough water to the juice to make 2 1/2 cups total liquid
  • In a medium saucepan, bring the pineapple juice mixture to a boil
  • Remove from the heat and add the jello powder, whisking until completely dissolved
  • Stir in the pineapple, cranberry sauce, and apples until well combined
  • Spoon into baking cups, filling most of the way
  • Refrigerate for at least three hours, until the jello has set
  • Serve cold
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Nutrition Facts
Cranberry Sauce Leftovers in Mini Jello Cups
Amount Per Serving
Calories 71
% Daily Value*
Sodium 52mg2%
Potassium 50mg1%
Carbohydrates 19g6%
Sugar 15g17%
Protein 1g2%
Vitamin A 30IU1%
Vitamin C 3.3mg4%
Calcium 5mg1%
Iron 0.1mg1%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutrition content will vary based on brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes, and more.

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34 thoughts on “Cranberry Sauce Leftovers in Mini Jello Cups”

  1. This is amazing, I’m sure my siblings would love to try this. That should be quick to do in week days, but might try it in the weekend.

  2. 5 stars
    I love Cranberry sauce and prefer to make it myself or buy freshly made from my favorite store.. Like you, I can’t stand the wiggly canned stuff… You did a great job of using the left overs to make a jello. I have made that and like it.

    1. I’ve never tried it homemade. I didn’t even really know it was a possibility! My family has always bought the canned stuff. I’ll have to see if I can find a good recipe and try to make it myself this year.

  3. 5 stars
    This looks festive and it will be so nice to serve them for my party during the Holiday. Although I am going to make it this weekend, I will save the recipe and I will share my table picture with you when I serve it for Christmas dinner.

  4. These look good enough to maybe make me change my mind about cranberries. Although its one of those Thanksgiving dishes I have never been a fan of . But this looks amazing!

  5. 5 stars
    This is a neat idea, especially for the upcoming holiday season, to deal with leftovers! I don’t have cranberry sauce but will share it with friends and family who do!

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