Whoever said nothing is impossible obviously hasn't tried nailing Jell-O to a tree.
- John Candy
Once I learnt how to make this layered Jell-O ambrosia from my friend Sandhya (who in turn learnt it from her boss's wife, and yes it is the same Sandhya who shared her yummy Nankhatai recipe with me), this has become a hit in my family. And I don't mind making it over and over again - hands on time is just 10 minutes tops - it is that easy. And it gets better ... even your kiddo can make it with a little help from you.
I love Jell-O, in all its colorful glory. I am in love with the bright and beautiful rainbow colors and wiggly-jiggly texture. It is very easy to dress up the plain ol' jello-o and make it look and taste like a sophisticated dessert - introducing layered Jell-O ambrosia.
Ambrosia (meaning divine nectar) is a dessert believed to be of American origin. It is considered to be a spin-off on the traditional fruit salad. This recipe uses Jell-O, canned mandarin oranges, and pineapple. I do not even make the whipped cream topping for this dessert - I use the store bought one. So, now, you have no excuses of "I do not cook", because this involves no cooking.
To make the topping, I use the cool whip, which you get in the dessert topping section in the grocery stores. If you do not find it or do not want to use the store bought whipped cream, you can definitely use the whipping cream that is whipped to a stiff peak stage. Please refer to the tasteofhome website for more details.
You can use any finely grated cheese for garnish. I prefer to use the Mexican four cheese because the I love how the beige and orange colors of the cheeses compliment the white whipped topping.
Since this recipe does not involve cooking and Sonshine loves Jell-O, I found this a good dish to "cook" with him. Follow the general common sense rules (like an adult handles the hot water) and the "harder part" of the recipe (like mixing, stirring etc.) can be totally left to your kiddo. I found these safety-measures on Maria Nasir's blog and instead of repeating the same over, I thought I will just point you towards it. While you are there, do not forget to browse hundreds of yummy recipes she has shared.
When cooking with kids be ready for spills, massive cleanups and repeating instructions over and over again. But at the end of which you will be amazed to see a super happy kid showing off his/her culinary skills. At least that is what happened at my house 🙂 .
This is an easy dessert ideal for parties since with a little effort (don't panic because you see 5 hours of "cook time". Here, I have included the time required to set the Jell-O), you can make this gorgeous dish(serves at least 25 people). But no one stops me when I make it at home just to celebrate the little things in life. This lasts In the refrigerator for about a week or so.
Jell-O Ambrosia
Ingredients
- 1 3 oz Lemon Jell-O
- 2 3 oz Orange Jell-O
- 1 20 oz Canned Crushed Pineapple with syrup
- 2 15 oz Canned Mandarin Oranges with syrup
- 2 -3 tsp Granulated Sugar Optional
- 3 cups Boiling water See Recipe Notes
Topping
- 8 oz Whipped Cream See Recipe Notes
- 1.5 cups 75g Mini Marshmallows (you can add more)
- 2-3 tbsp finely grated Cheese
Equipment Required
- Mixing Bowls
- Whisk
- Glass Tray Size - 9"X13" (See Recipe Notes)
- Measuring Cup
- Spatula Preferably icing spatula
Instructions
- Open the Jell-O packets and pour the Jell-O powder into a big mixing bowl.
- Add the sugar (this step is required only if you are adding sugar)
- Add 3 cups boiling water (see recipe notes) and mix well to dissolve the Jell-O powder. Let it cool for 3-5 minutes.
- Add the crushed pineapple and mandarin oranges along with the syrup to the Jell-O and mix well.
- Transfer to the glass tray. Place in the refrigerator to set it. This would take about 4-5 hours.
- Once the Jell-O is set completely, it is time to make the topping - in a bowl, mix mini marshmallows with the whipped cream (see recipe notes) .
- Spread the whipped cream mix evenly and make a thick layer over the set Jell-O.
- Top it with finely grated cheese (see recipe notes for more variations).
- Refrigerate again for 30 minutes or so before serving.
Oana | Adore Foods says
Cannot resist a good looking layered Jell-o dessert! Perfect for a summer day 🙂
Framed Recipes says
Thank you Oana.
Ariel Pingault says
Who would've thought adding cheese to a dessert would make it so tasty! Will have to give this a try! 🙂
Framed Recipes says
Ariel, sure. Thanks for stopping by.
Megan Marlowe says
i love ambrosia but I've never made it myself. I'm putting this one on my list!
Framed Recipes says
Megan, Of course. Do try.
Byron Thomas says
Looks very good! Could I leave out or substitute the marshmallows?
Framed Recipes says
Byron, You can leave out the marshmallows. But my sonshine loves those in the whipped topping.
Olivia Giovanni says
oh..jello! that looks so awesome and refreshing!
Framed Recipes says
Olivia, Thank you.
hreeves says
So many memories with this one!! Thanks for sharing such a great recipe.
Framed Recipes says
Thank you hreeves. I am so happy that enjoyed this.
Deepti Anand says
This is a yummy treat for all the dessert lovers. Have tasted it n just loved it! Thanks for the recipe.
Framed Recipes says
Thanks Deepti. I am glad you enjoyed it when you were here last time.
Sandhya says
wonderful Sreelatha. I should learn " how to serve" from you! individual servings look so nice.
Framed Recipes says
My pleasure Sandhya. 🙂 And thanks a ton for the wonderful recipe.