pink stuff jell-o salad

Name: Pink Stuff Jell-O Salad
Prep time: 15 min
Yield: 16 serving(s)
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 2 cup(s) boiling water; 6 ounce(s) red Jell-O powder, any flavors; 2 cup(s) cold water; 2 can(s) fruit in juice, drained; 1/2 cup(s) chopped pecans or walnuts, optional; 24 ounce(s) cottage cheese*** see step #4 for using cream cheese instead.; 8 ounce(s) Cool Whip, thawed

3 Pinches 9 Photos

Fran Miller

Parkersburg, WV

Updated on Mar 19, 2026

Jell-O “salads” and “fluffs” were staples of my childhood, and I still love them to this day. They were inexpensive, and the add-ins were whatever was in the cabinet. I never knew if this dish had a real name, but we called it the Pink Stuff. If we were out of cottage cheese, cream cheese worked. Mom loved to buy fruit cocktail, so one of the cans would usually be that. Maybe both cans. No nuts? No problem! We didn’t have Cool Whip in my youngest years, so Mom would whip up a few packages of Dream Whip to take its place. Remember that? =^..^=

Rate

prep time 15 Min

cook time

method Microwave

yield 16 serving(s)

Ingredients

2 cups boiling water
6 ounces red Jell-O powder, any flavors
2 cups cold water
2 cans fruit in juice, drained
1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts, optional
24 ounces cottage cheese*** see step #4 for using cream cheese instead.
8 ounces Cool Whip, thawed

How To Make pink stuff jell-o salad

Step 1

In the largest microwave-safe bowl, add 2 cups of water and microwave for 2 1/3 - 3 minutes. Add the Jell-O powder and stir until the Jell-O dissolves in the hot water.

Step 2

Add 2 cups of cold water and stir.
Step 3

Add 2 cans of DRAINED fruit and chopped nuts. Stir. I used a 15 oz can of fruit cocktail and a 15 oz can of crushed pineapple. The choice is yours. If I use pears, peaches, maraschino cherries, or mandarin orange pieces, I chop them into smaller pieces first.
Step 4

Add the cottage cheese and stir into the Jell-O mixture. Not a fan of cottage cheese? Add a block (or two) of cubed cream cheese to the boiling water & jello mixture (Step #1) and press the cream cheese with a fork to break down the cubes into smaller pieces. Then go on to Step #2.
Step 5

Now it’s time to add the defrosted Cool Whip. I confess I ran out of room in my largest bowl, so I poured half of my Jell-O mixture into a 13 x 9-inch baking dish. Next, I stirred about half of the Cool Whip into the remaining mixture in the bowl, then poured this into the baking dish and mixed it all together.
Step 6

Plop the other half of the Cool Whip onto the Jell-O mixture and swirl with a knife to make a marbled top.
Step 7

Refrigerate until set and enjoy this classic dessert. =^..^=
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