How to Add Fruit to Jell-O (& How Long it Takes to Set) (2024)

Co-authored byJanice TiepermanReviewed byMarrow Private Chefs

Last Updated: February 13, 2024Fact Checked

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1. 1

   Wash your fruit and slice it into small pieces. Thoroughly rinse your fruit under cold water in a colander. Then, slice it into small, bite-sized pieces using a knife and a cutting board. If you are using grapes, halve them to look extra pretty. If you’re using strawberries, remove the tops and cut them into halves or quarters. Slice a banana into coins.^[1]

   • Your Jell-O dessert will look gorgeous if you choose types of fruit that have different colors, like green grapes, raspberries, and banana slices.
   • Avoid fresh pineapple, kiwi, mango, ginger root, papaya, figs or guava. These fruits react with the Jell-O in a way that stops the Jell-O from solidifying, leaving you with a very mushy Jell-O. However, if you use canned pineapple, it doesn’t have this effect.^[2]
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   Layer your fruit in a bowl or Jell-O mold. Start by putting a layer of all of one kind of fruit. If you’re using a .5 pounds (8.0oz) of strawberries, then put them all in a layer. On top of that, layer your next kind of fruit, and continue until you used all of your fruit. Keeping the fruit in distinct layers will look really pretty once the Jell-O is set.^[3]

   • Make sure you don’t use a bowl that curves inward at the opening, or the Jell-O won’t be able to come out when you flip it upside-down.
   • The bowl's width will determine the fruit layers' thickness. Use a tall, narrow bowl for thick layers, or a wide, shallow bowl for thin layers, whichever you prefer.
   • Don’t worry if the fruit doesn’t fill the whole bowl. The Jell-O will get into all the cracks between the pieces of fruit.

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   Pour a 6 oz (176 g) box of gelatin powder into a bowl. Use the entire contents of a box of any flavor of dessert gelatin. Jell-O is just one brand name for dessert gelatin and you can buy different brands at your local supermarket.^[4]

   • This size of Jell-O is often labeled as “Family Size.”
   • Ideally, you should have about 14floz (410mL) of liquid Jell-O mixture for this.^[5]
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   Add 1c (240mL) of boiling water and stir until the powder dissolves. Boil a cup of water and pour it into the bowl with the gelatin powder. Stir until the powder dissolves entirely. This will take about 2 minutes.^[6]

   • Use a fork, whisk, or rubber spatula to stir the powder.
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   Add 1c (240ml) of cold water to the mix and stir for a few seconds. The cold water will help get the gelatin to the right temperature and dilute it. If you are using canned fruit in your dessert, use the juices from the fruit can instead of cold water.

   • Since the gelatin powder is already dissolved, this won’t take as much stirring.

   See Also

   How Jell-O lost its spot as America’s favorite dessert | CNN BusinessThe Secret to Keeping Jell-O Jigglers From Sticking to the Pan | Livestrong.comA Social History of Jell-O SaladHow to Make Jello: 12 Steps (with Pictures) - wikiHow
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   Pour the Jell-O liquid mixture over the fruit. Cover the fruit completely with the Jell-O mixture. Shake the bowl a tiny bit, so that the Jell-O filters down to cover the fruit at the bottom of the bowl. ^[7]

   • This works the same for both the conventional and the vegan version.
   • Alternative: Pour the gelatin into the mold and let it set for about 90 minutes.^[8] When the Jell-O is mostly (but not completely) set, stir in the fruit.^[9]
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   Place the bowl in the fridge for 2 hours.^[10] The cold will make the Jell-O set. If the Jell-O hasn’t set completely after 2 hours, let it refrigerate for another 30 minutes.

   • If the Jell-O hasn’t set after 2.5 hours, something likely went wrong in the process. You may want to try again or make sure your fridge is fully cold.
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   Turn the bowl upside down onto a plate. Your Jell-O dessert should fall out onto the plate. If it doesn’t slide out easily, place your bowl into a shallow dish of hot water, which will melt and loosen the Jell-O just a little bit. Once you see a bit of melting, take out the bowl and turn it upside down onto a plate. The Jell-O will slide right out.^[11]

   • The layers of colorful fruit will peek through the semi-translucent Jell-O. If you can’t see them too well from the outside, you’ll be able to see them once you slice the Jell-O.
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   Refrigerate your dessert until you are ready to serve it. You can eat the Jell-Oright now if you’d like, but refrigerate it if you’re preparing it to serve it later.^[12] To make sure it doesn’t dry out, seal it in a container or cover it in plastic wrap. Jell-O fruit cakes are great for summer potlucks, holidays, celebrations, or just for a fun treat after dinner.

   • This treat lasts about 5 days in the refrigerator.
   • When you’re ready to eat your Jell-O fruit cake, cut it into slices with a sharp knife, just as you would with an ordinary cake.

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   Pour agar-agar, fruit juice, water, and sugar into a pot on the stove. To make red Jell-O, combine 1.5 tsp (3 g) of agar-agar flakes, 1c (240ml) of red grape juice, 1c (240ml) of water and ¹⁄₄c (59ml) of white sugar. To make green Jell-O, combine 1.5 tsp (3 g) agar-agar flakes, 1c (240ml) of green apple juice, 1c (240ml) of water and ¹⁄₄c (59ml) of white sugar.^[13]

   • Put your burner on high heat so that the mixture boils more quickly.
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   Boil the mixture for 2 minutes and stir it regularly. Bring it to a boil, and once it’s fully boiling, start your timer for 2 minutes. After 2 minutes, remove the pot from the heat. If you’re making green Jell-O, add in a few drops of green food coloring; if you’re making red Jell-O, add in a few drops of red food coloring.^[14]

   • Pour your vegan Jell-O mixture into the Jell-O mold in the recipe provided above.

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The advice in this section is based on the lived experiences of wikiHow readers like you. If you have a helpful tip you’d like to share on wikiHow, please submit it in the field below.

• To prevent the fruit from settling at the bottom, put the jello in the fridge to thicken up first. Then, add your fruit pieces to the partially-set jello.

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