Mandarin Orange Salad is the Perfect Dessert for Any Occasion

Mandarin Orange Salad is a light and refreshing dessert that is perfect for every occasion. Serve it as a dessert (or southern salad side) at potlucks, summer barbecues, Thanksgiving and holiday celebrations. It has just 4 Weight Watchers SmartPoints per serving!

It’s the season of potlucks and backyard barbecues.

So that means you need an arsenal of easy desserts, salads and side dishes you can whip up in a snap like this mandarin orange salad.

JELL-O Mandarin Orange Salad is a potluck two-fer: it works as a dessert or a salad. And making a batch is as easy as opening up some cans, tubs and boxes, then pouring and stirring. Seriously, it takes only a few minutes to make.

How to Make JELL-O Mandarin Orange Salad

This is a seriously quick recipe that you’ll find yourself making again and again. Everybody loves Orange Fluff, even if we can’t agree whether it’s a dessert or a salad.

You’ll find the complete recipe and ingredient list at the end of this post, but here’s a quick video to show you just how easy it is to make.

It will take you longer to open the cans of oranges and pineapples than it will be mix up a batch of the sweet, low-calorie mandarin orange salad.

How to Serve Orange Fluff Salad

Orange JELL-O salad is perfectly suited to outdoor parties where you want a light and fresh dessert, instead of something rich and heavy that will weigh you down. When made with low-fat cottage cheese, fat-free whipped topping and sugar-free JELL-O, the recipe is just 4 Weight Watchers SmartPoints per serving! Pair it with one of these Weight Watchers air fryer recipes for a meal that won’t weigh you down.

Mandarin orange salad is also a good choice at Thanksgiving or Christmas. The ingredients are always in season!

Plus, it’s kind of a potluck tradition to bring a JELL-O salad, at least here in the South. But this is one people will actually eat, unlike some of those congealed JELL-O salads that were so popular in the 60s and 70s!

I personally think Mandarin orange salad is a pretty tasty breakfast, too.

Tips for Making JELL-O Orange Salad

When you make this Mandarin orange salad, be sure to give it a little chill time in the fridge before serving. It’s so much better served cold, after the flavors have had time to meld.

If you’re making this for a crowd, you’ll probably want to double (or triple) the recipe. You can easily do that, just make sure you have a bowl that is large enough to mix everything together.

I’ve lightened up this recipe by using oranges and pineapples in their own juice, sugar-free gelatin and low-fat or fat-free cottage cheese and whipped topping. You can use full-fat cottage cheese and whipped topping and regular orange gelatin, but it will change the nutritional information included in the recipe below.

You can use it either crushed pineapple or pineapple tidbits in the recipe. Just make sure you drain the fruit before adding it to the recipe.

5 from 2 votes

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JELL-O Mandarin Orange Salad

Prep Time

5 mins

 

JELL-O Mandarin Orange Salad is a light and refreshing dessert. perfect for potlucks and summer barbecues. It's easy to whip up a batch in a hurry.

Course: Dessert, Salad

Cuisine: American

Servings: 4

Calories: 168 kcal

Ingredients

• 1 small can mandarin oranges drained
• 1 small can crushed pineapple or pineapple chunks drained
• 1 package sugar-free orange-flavored gelatin
• 8 ounces frozen whipped topping thawed
• 12 ounces fat-free cottage cheese

Instructions

1. Pour all ingredients into a large bowl and stir to combine.

2. Refrigerate for several hours before serving.

Nutrition Facts

JELL-O Mandarin Orange Salad

Amount Per Serving

Calories 168

% Daily Value*

Cholesterol 5mg2%

Sodium 314mg14%

Potassium 153mg4%

Carbohydrates 27g9%

Sugar 10g11%

Protein 9g18%

Vitamin A 150IU3%

Vitamin C 5.9mg7%

Calcium 81mg8%

Iron 0.1mg1%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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