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This old-fashioned green jello salad recipe is a time-honored tradition in our Midwestern family! Made of lime jello (gelatin), crushed pineapple, and cool whip we then add chopped nuts and shredded cheese before serving. A retro jello recipe that’s perfect for holiday get-togethers or backyard barbecues.

This is one of those very special Midwestern jello salads that’s part side dish recipe, part dessert, and all delicious. It deserves a spot on your potluck table and is sure to be enjoyed by anyone who takes a bite! At least that’s how it is in my husband’s family.

His great Aunt Frieda used to make this every year, and then it was his Aunt Kay, and a few years ago it became my husband’s responsibility to make this lime jello salad and bring it to family Christmas.

Lucky for you he’s letting me share this beloved family recipe!

Ingredients for this recipe

Lime Gelatin – How else do you make your jello salad green?
Crushed Pineapple – The flavors of pineapple compliment the lime so well and using crushed pineapple means you get little bites of fruit in the whole salad.
Lemon-Lime Soda – Such as 7-Up or Sprite. The fizzy magic of soda in this jello salad is a lot like making champagne jello shots.
Extra Creamy Cool-Whip – According to the family, using extra creamy is a must! A total game changer.
Shredded Cheddar – A little bit of savory in our sweet salad. It sounds weird but it works.
Nuts – We use chopped walnuts or pecans, though you can omit them if desired or you're allergic.

Cheese in Jello Salad?!

Yes, I know. It sounds a little crazy. And thousands of people have made their strong opinions known on social media when I’ve shared videos of us making this green jello salad.

However! It’s not uncommon to add cheese to jello salads. Whether that’s cream cheese like in my raspberry jello pretzel salad or cottage cheese in other variations.

My husband’s family just happens to use shredded cheddar (can you say “dairy farmers?”).

If the idea of adding shredded cheese makes you totally uncomfortable, you can omit it. I do think it adds something really special to the dish and the creaminess of the mild cheddar blends in nicely with all the other textures of the salad.

Making a vintage jello salad

This is just a brief overview, find detailed instructions in the recipe card below!

Prepare the jello. This is done with pineapple and soda instead of the standard boiling water.
Allow the jello to set. It needs to chill before mixing in everything else. You should be able to touch it with your fingertip without any sticking to you.
Add the cool whip. The best part of any jello salad, in my opinion. The cool whip helps make this salad light and fluffy and oh-so-creamy!
Mix in the cheese and nuts. And chill until ready to serve.

Using water and sugar instead of lemon-lime soda

If you don’t have lemon-lime soda for this recipe you can use 1 cup of water with ⅔ cup sugar in its place.

This substitution is Aunt Kay approved so you know it’s good!

Making your own crushed pineapple

Last year my husband accidentally bought cut pineapple instead of crushed for his batch of Frieda's salad so we had to troubleshoot.

Did you know you can use a blender or immersion blender to chop up pineapple tidbits into what equates to "crushed" pineapple? It worked perfectly in this recipe!

Serving and storing

We typically serve this salad in a big bowl, scooping it out alongside our other side dishes on our dinner plates.

That’s kind of a thing here in Wisconsin. These recipes are considered “salads” and as such don’t go on the dessert table but are eaten with the main meal. Don’t knock it ‘til you try it, ok?!

Leftovers can be stored, covered, in the refrigerator for two days. Any longer and the pineapple kind of starts leaking into the dish and making everything a big runny mess.

That is, if there are any leftovers!

A large white serving bowl filled with lime jello salad and topped with cool whip and a cherry.

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