7 Up Jello Salad

Cool and creamy with sweet pineapple and a refreshing 7 Up flavor this 7 Up Jello Salad is a perfect retro recipe for Thanksgiving, Christmas or a potluck anytime throughout the year.

7 Up Salad Recipe

This jello salad has a great balance of sweet 7up, creamy cool whip, a hint of rich with the cream cheese and the crushed pineapple gives it a fruity flair. Garnish with whipped cream and maraschino cherries to make a beautiful presentation that is easy to prepare.

My grandma was famous for Jello salads. The first dessert salad recipe I tried with pop was our very rich Cherry Coke Jello Salad. The lemon lime 7up or Sprite pop and lighter ingredients have a more refreshing than rich flavor that the Cherry Coke salad has.

Then a friend shared this crunchy Pineapple Pretzel Salad which also has pineapple and whipped topping, but with pretzel pieces that add a different texture.

This recipe can easily be cut in half for a crowd of 8 – 10 people. The original recipe makes a big batch that will easily feed 15 – 20 people if not more and fills a 9 x 13 inch pan. This is a great recipe to make the day before a holiday party to decrease stress, preparation and clean-up time the day of the big meal.

Another popular dessert salad that my mom and grandma have both made is our Watergate Salad which has pudding and marshmallows instead of gelatin and cream cheese. A fall favorite is our Pumpkin Fluff. It’s amazing how many options there are for dessert salads once you start exploring!

7 Up Jello Salad Recipe

1. Beat softened cream cheese in a mixing bowl.
2. Dissolve gelatin in boiling water. Carefully pour into the cream cheese bowl and begin mixing by hand. Finish mixing by hand or with the mixer on the slowest speed.
3. Stir in 7 Up and chill until the mixture begins to set-up. This takes about 2 – 3 hours.
4. Stir in whipped topping and then stir in mostly drained crushed pineapple. Pour into serving dish or bowl and refrigerate until set another 2 – 4 hours.
5. Garnish with a can of whipping cream and cherries and enjoy this classic jello salad!

Tips for Making 7 Up Salad

• Be sure cream cheese is a room temperature – do not use heat to soften cream cheese
• 6 – 8 ounces of cream cheese can be used but 6 ounces melts in the hot gelatin more easily than 8 ounces which affects the texture of the finished dish
• The gelatin dissolved in water is very sticky, take care not to spill or slash out of the mixing bowl or there will be serious cleaning involved
• Defrost frozen whipped topping in the refrigerator instead of on the counter to maintain the best possible consistency
• Lime gelatin can be substituted for lemon gelatin, but that will change the color from green to yellow and flavor of the salad from more lime to more lemon – both options complement the lemon-lime flavors in 7 Up
• This jello salad has too many solid ingredients relative to the amount of gelatin to set up nicely in a jello mold, so I recommend pouring into a square or rectangle dish to set-up and serve

How to Make 7-UP Salad

Defrost whipped topping 12 – 24 hours ahead of making this recipe in the refrigerator and soften cream cheese 1 1/2 – 2 hours before beginning.

Beat cream cheese in mixing bowl. It should be very smooth and there should not be any visible lumps – this step is very important. If you beat the cream cheese and notice lumps in the mixing bowl, wait 20 minutes and then beat again.

Boil 2 cups of water and stir in gelatin until dissolved. Dissolving the gelatin may take a couple of minutes of stirring so the gelatin doesn’t just sink to the bottom of the water. Take care not to spill, slop or slosh the gelatin mixture anywhere or you can be like me and spend some extra time cleaning your kitchen.

Stir gelatin mixture and cream cheese together by hand or start by hand and finish with an electric mixer. Then stir in 7 Up and chill for 2 – 3 hours until the gelatin has begun to set up.

The mixture will be cool, not cold and no longer warm when it begins to set-up. At this point stir in the Cool Whip or other defrosted whipped topping. Then stir in crushed pineapple. The original recipe calls for undrained pineapple, but I like the salad a little more set up, so I drain most of the juice but not all of it.

Pour into serving bowl, cover and place in a safe, level spot in the refrigerator to finish setting up for 2 more hours.

Garnish with whipped topping and maraschino cherries and enjoy.

Other Old-Fashioned Recipes:

• Blackberry Jam Cake
• Chocolate Chip Zucchini Cake
• Classic Cookie Salad
• Bacon-Onion Green Beans
• Marinated Tomatoes
• Overnight Salad