Learn how to make old fashioned strawberry Jello with strawberries inside. This easy recipe uses macerated fruit for the best flavor, and I’ll show you an easy trick to keep them from sinking to the bottom. It’s a quick side dish or dessert that’s perfect for potlucks, Sunday dinner, and holidays.
There’s just something so nostalgic about this strawberry Jello with strawberries recipe. I always knew it as mom’s strawberry Jello, but in the South this dish is actually considered to be a strawberry Jello salad. Either way, this recipe is my go-to easy side dish to feed a crowd, right up there with ambrosia fruit salad.
The secret to making the best Jello with strawberries is to use macerated strawberries. In a nutshell, maceration is basically where you slice up the fruit, mix in a little bit of sugar, and let it set in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes. In that time, the sugar will draw out the natural strawberry juices, forming a light syrup that’s packed with real strawberry flavor.
Why Use Macerated Strawberries
- The strawberry syrup gives your strawberry Jello a more concentrated strawberry flavor.
- This easy side dish tastes like real strawberries, and not just a box mix.
- The berries will become more tender and jam-like, which is the perfect complement to jiggly Jello.
- Because the juices are pulled out, macerated strawberries don’t weigh as much, which is exactly what you want for Jello with fruit suspended inside. Macerating your strawberries is the secret to keeping them from sinking to the bottom.
Ingredients & Substitutions Notes
Counting out the water, you’ll need just 3 ingredients to make this strawberry Jello with strawberries. Other than the little bit of time it takes for the Jello to set, this recipe is so quick and easy to make!
Jello With Strawberries Ingredients
- Frozen Strawberries – Thawed from frozen strawberries will work best for Jello with fruit suspended inside. They produce more juice than fresh strawberries, and they’re also less prone to sinking to the bottom.
- Sugar – You’ll need a little bit of granulated sugar to macerate the strawberries.
- Strawberry Jello Mix – When buying strawberry Jello mix, I highly recommend purchasing the actual Jello brand. I’ve tried other brands, and some of them can taste “fake”.
Optional Ingredients You Can Add In
There are a lot of things that you can add to this recipe to spice things up.
- Add more fruit. I like bananas and canned pineapple. Just don’t use fresh pineapple, because the enzymes in fresh pineapple can keep your Jello from setting up.
- I love mini marshmallows in my Jello salad. It’s a cheap and easy way to give it up an upgrade!
- You can also add things like chopped pretzels, pecans, walnuts or even granola. This recipe would make a great filling for a strawberry pretzel salad.
- I like to top mine off with homemade whipped cream, but you can also fold in whipped cream or Cool Whip for even creamier and fluffier texture.
How to Make Strawberry Jello With Strawberries
Be sure to let your frozen strawberries thaw out overnight in the refrigerator before making this recipe. Then you’ll need to drain and slice them up with a paring knife.
How to Make Strawberry Jello With Real Strawberries
- In a small mixing bowl, mix together the sliced strawberries and sugar. Then cover and set aside for at least 20 minutes to macerate; any longer, and they’ll need to macerate in the fridge instead of on the counter.
- Once the strawberries have fully macerated for 20 minutes or longer, strain the juices from the berries into a separate bowl. I recommend using a rubber spatula to really swish the strawberries around, in order to gently squeeze any juice you can from the berry mixture. Then let the berries sit in the strainer over the bowl to drip while completing the next step.
- In a separate large bowl or container, whisk together the Jello mix and boiling water, stirring for 2 minutes ’til the Jello mix is completely dissolved.
- Pour the strawberry juice into a 2-cup measuring cup, scraping the sides of the bowl to get any juice/sugar left on the sides of the bowl. Then finish filling with cold water to the 2-cup mark. Then stir into the Jello, stirring ’til blended well.
- Finally, stir the strawberries into the Jello.
- Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 4 hours, longer if possible.
Your strawberry Jello with strawberries is ready to serve when the Jello is set. The Jello will be slightly soft set but firm. This strawberry Jello recipe makes a fantastic family favorite side dish at any special gathering.
How to Keep Fruit From Sinking in Jello
If you’ve followed all of the above tips, and your strawberries are still sinking to the bottom of your Jello salad, you may have to wait to add your fruit until the Jello has started to set. Once the consistency of your strawberry Jello resembles that of an egg white, go ahead and add the fruit. All that said, this really should not happen so long as you use frozen strawberries that have macerated for long enough time.
What to Serve With Strawberry Jello With Strawberries
Jello with strawberries makes a great addition to any potluck, family gathering or holiday dinner. Down south, you’ll hear it referred to as a Jello salad, and it’s kind of a staple at Thanksgiving dinner. To be honest, it’s more of a sweet side dish than a dessert.
- Make it ahead for your next fish fry! There’s nothing better than strawberry Jello with strawberries and fried crappie.
- It also goes great with chicken, whether it’s a whole chicken roast or, my personal favorite, baked chicken drumsticks.
- It makes a great side for your Christmas ham– Or your Easter ham. It goes great at any holiday, actually.
- You can serve it alongside pork, including a pork roast. It’s perfect for these maple pork chops.
- If you’re taking it to a potluck, this Ritz chicken casserole makes a great main dish to go with it!
Expert Tips and Recipe FAQ’s
Yes, you can make this recipe in a Jello mold. Just be sure to grease up the Jello mold before adding your strawberry Jello.
Frozen strawberry make the best strawberry Jello. If you must use fresh strawberries, I would let them macerate for much longer, preferably overnight, so that the sugar has more time to draw the juices out.
Yes. In fact, Jello with strawberries is best made ahead of time so it has time to set. Cover it with plastic wrap, or transfer to an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
No, I don’t recommend freezing any Jello with fruit. Unfortunately, freezing this dish will make the fruit really soggy.
More Potluck Favorite Desserts
My family loves Jello, and I make a lot of it. Here are some other favorite desserts, most of which use Jello.
- Strawberry Jello Poke Cake
- Easy Mini Fruit Pizza Cookies
- Creamy Fruit Salad Dressing
- Homemade Jello No Bake Cheesecake
- Jello Sugar Cookies
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Strawberry Jello with Strawberries
Ingredients
- 15 ounces frozen strawberries mostly thawed, then drained and sliced*
- 3 1/2 tablespoons cane sugar *
- 6 ounces strawberry Jello mix
- 2 cups boiling water
- 1 cup cold water *
Instructions
- In a small mixing bowl, mix together the sliced strawberries and sugar. Then cover and set aside for at least 20 minutes to macerate; any longer, and they'll need to macerate in the fridge instead of on the counter.
- Once the strawberries have fully macerated for 20 minutes or longer, strain the juices from the berries into a separate bowl. I recommend using a rubber spatula to really swish the strawberries around, in order to gently squeeze any juice you can from the berry mixture. Then let the berries sit in the strainer over the bowl to drip while completing the next step.
- In a separate large bowl or container, whisk together the Jello mix and boiling water, stirring for 2 minutes 'til the Jello mix is completely dissolved.
- Pour the strawberry juice into a 2-cup measuring cup, scraping the sides of the bowl to get any juice/sugar left on the sides of the bowl. Then finish filling with cold water to the 2-cup mark.
- Stir the strawberry juice/cold water mixture into the Jello, stirring 'til blended well.
- Finally, stir the strawberries into the Jello.
- Cover and chill for at least 4 hours, longer if possible.
- It's ready to serve when the Jello is set; this Jello will be slightly soft set but firm. Makes a fantastic family favorite side dish at any special gathering.
