Lime Pear Gelatin Salad with Cream Cheese and Walnuts

This is the classic green holiday salad: lime gelatin, canned pears, cream cheese and whipped topping, set soft in the fridge and finished with maraschino cherries. It is the retro version, the one that sits next to the ham every December.

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It is a full-sugar recipe. The gelatin, the pears in juice, the whipped topping and the cherries are all sweetened, so treat it as a holiday treat and keep the spoonfuls reasonable.

Texture comes down to timing. The gelatin has to thicken to a syrup before it meets the cream cheese. Pour it in hot and you get a runny mess. Wait too long and you get green rubber with white lumps.

What goes into lime pear gelatin salad

• 1 box (6 oz) lime gelatin
• 1 can (29 oz) pear halves in juice
• 1 cup boiling water
• 8 oz cream cheese, softened
• 8 oz whipped topping, thawed
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 6 maraschino cherries, halved

Save the juice when you open the can. The recipe uses 1 cup of it in place of cold water, which carries pear flavor through the whole salad so the fruit and the lime taste like they belong together.

How to make it

The hands-on work is about 20 minutes. The rest is fridge time, so plan on making it the morning of, or the day before. A hand mixer or stand mixer handles the cream cheese easily. A whisk works if the cheese is truly soft, though your arm will feel it.

• Prep the pears. Drain the 29 oz can of pear halves, saving 1 cup of the juice. Dice the pears.
• Make the gelatin base. Dissolve the 6 oz box of lime gelatin in 1 cup boiling water. Stir in the saved pear juice and chill about 1 hour, until thick like syrup but not set.
• Beat the cream cheese. Beat the 8 oz softened cream cheese until smooth. Then slowly beat in the thickened gelatin until the mixture turns pale green.
• Fold. Fold in the 8 oz thawed whipped topping, the diced pears and the 1/2 cup chopped walnuts. Go gently to keep the air in the topping.
• Chill and top. Chill 4 hours until softly set. Top with the 6 maraschino cherries, halved, right before serving.

Getting a smooth, pale green cream

Beat the cream cheese completely smooth first, then add the thickened gelatin slowly. That is the whole difference between a silky salad and one dotted with little white specks of cream cheese.

Cream cheese has to be soft and fully beaten before anything wet goes in. When cold, firm cream cheese meets liquid, it seizes into lumps that no amount of beating fixes afterward.

Watch the gelatin, then the clock

After 1 hour in the fridge you want the gelatin coating a spoon, still pourable. By then it is cool enough to leave the whipped topping alone and loose enough to blend into the cream cheese. Check it at 45 minutes if your fridge runs cold.

If it goes past syrup and starts to set in the bowl, set the bowl over a little warm water and stir until it loosens, then carry on.

Small changes that work

Use a big bowl for the folding. The whipped topping doubles the volume fast, and you need room to turn it over without squashing it. You can leave out the walnuts; the salad sets the same way and simply stays soft all the way through.

If you like the cream cheese and nut combination here, try our cranberry cream cheese dip topped with toasted pecans and green onion.

Serving it next to the ham

This salad usually sits beside rich, savory food: thin slices of glazed ham, roast turkey or chicken, green beans with butter and toasted almonds, or a plain green salad with a vinegar dressing to cut the sweetness. It also works as a dessert after the meal, since the texture is closer to a light mousse than a firm molded salad.

Keeping leftovers soft and green

Fridge: keep it covered. It keeps well for a few days, though the walnuts slowly soften. Add the cherries just before serving so their red does not bleed into the green.

Freezer: skip it. Gelatin and whipped topping both change texture after freezing and thawing, and the salad turns weepy and grainy.

Serving: no reheating needed. Serve it cold, straight from the fridge. On a long buffet, set the bowl in a larger bowl of ice so it holds its soft set.

More retro gelatin and fluff salads: the cranberry orange gelatin salad is the Thanksgiving cousin of this one, and the orange creamsicle salad uses a similar creamy base. For Christmas, try the pink cherry pineapple fluff or the 10 minute pineapple cheesecake fluff salad .

Lime pear salad questions

Can I make it the day before?

Yes, and it is easier that way, since it needs about 5 hours of total chilling anyway. Keep it covered and put the cherries on when you set it out.

Why does my salad have white lumps?

The cream cheese was not smooth enough, or it was too cold when the gelatin went in. Next time let it sit at room temperature longer and beat it on its own before adding anything.

Can I pour it into a mold?

This one sets soft, closer to a mousse, so it will not hold a sharp shape when turned out. Serve it from a bowl or a glass dish.

Should the pears be well drained?

Yes. Extra juice clinging to the diced pears thins the cream around them. Let them sit in the strainer a few minutes and pat them lightly before folding.

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Written and edited by The Foodie Yummy Kitchen Team

The Foodie Yummy Kitchen Team writes and edits the recipes on Foodie Yummy: classic American potluck salads, holiday sides and easy comfort food, with a few low-carb options. Every recipe lists exact quantities, numbered steps and a printable recipe card, plus notes on swaps, storage and make-ahead timing. Spot a problem with a recipe? Tell us through the contact page and we will correct it. About us