Classic Layered Blueberry Jello Salad Dessert Recipe

Learn how to make this easy old fashioned blueberry Jello salad with cream cheese and canned blueberries. Classic no bake dessert that tastes just like the one Grandma used to make! This recipe is perfect for potlucks, holiday dinners and family get-togethers.

One of my most popular recipes is how to make Jello from the box. I know, it sounds funny, but I’ve actually found that this recipe has helped quite a number of people, especially those who might have a hard time making the instructions on the box.

I love Jello because you can use it to make so many wonderful desserts like Jello cakes, Jello Jigglers and even this old fashioned blueberry Jello salad. For whatever reason, I don’t often see Jello salads at potlucks or family get-togethers anymore, but it’s such a quick and easy no bake dessert that I think everybody should know how to make.

Ingredients & Substitutions Notes

• Black Cherry Jello – The only Jello flavor containing actual blueberry is berry blue Jello, but I don’t really care for the raspberry taste in this recipe. So I use black cherry Jello instead, which tastes surprisingly close to the real deal.
• Canned Blueberries – I recommend using canned blueberries, or you can add blueberry pie filling for a little extra sweetness.
• Crushed Pineapple – Be sure to use canned crushed pineapples, and not fresh pineapples. Fresh pineapples contain an enzyme that will prevent your gelatin mix from setting up. Fortunately, this enzyme is deactivated during the heating process for canned crushed pineapple.
• Cream Cheese – You’ll need a full-fat cream cheese for the cream cheese layer in this no bake dessert.
• Sour Cream – Here’s the secret ingredient– I like to add just a little bit of sour cream to the cream cheese filling for a little extra “fluff”. Trust me, it works!
• Chopped Pecans – This is optional of course, but I really like to sprinkle chopped pecans all over the top of my blueberry Jello salad for a little extra “crunch”. If you don’t care for that, feel free to leave this ingredient out.

How to Make Blueberry Jello Salad

Before getting started, add the Jello mix and boiling water to a large mixing bowl, whisking together ’til totally dissolved. You’ll also need to drain the canned blueberries and crushed pineapple, but be sure to keep both the pineapple juice and the blueberry juice back for the first step.

How to Make Blueberry Jello

1. Measure 1/2 cup of blueberry juice and 1/2 cup of pineapple juice from the fruit, and add to the Jello.
2. Add the blueberries and pineapple to the Jello, stirring ’til everything is combined well.
3. From here, transfer your blueberry salad with Jello to whichever dish you’d like to serve it in, and chill in the fridge for about 4 hours, or ’til the Jello sets. I like to use my rectangular glass dish, or you can make miniature blueberry Jello salads with these cute little glass yogurt jars!

Layering Your Blueberry Jello Salad

1. In another large bowl, cream together the beaten cream cheese, sugar, sour cream, and vanilla extract.
2. Once the Jello is chilled, use a rubber spatula to spread this creamy mixture on top. That’s it!

How to Serve Blueberry Jello Salad

I like to sprinkle chopped pecans over top of my blueberry Jello salad before serving. You can also add a few mint leaves as a garnish, or you can top it off with a dollop of whipped cream. Yum!

Expert Tips and Recipe FAQ’s

Optional Add-Ins & Variations

• You can make Jello salad in any flavor. Use canned fruit cocktail to make this a fruit cocktail Jello salad, or you can use canned cherries to make cherry Jello salad. Just be sure to change the Jello flavor accordingly.
• You can also swap out the canned blueberries for any kind of pie filling. Think blueberry pie filling, strawberry pie filling, blackberry pie filling or even raspberry pie filling.
• Don’t really care for Jello salad? You can make a Jello cake instead. I like Mandarin orange Jello cake, strawberry Jello cake, raspberry poke cake, or even lemon Jello poke cake.

More Easy Jello Desserts

• Strawberry Fluff
• Strawberry Jello Cottage Cheese Salad
• Mandarin Orange Jello Salad
• Jello With Strawberries

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