Strawberry Jello Salad: A Southern Tradition

by Stacey Published: Nov 21, 2024

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Classic Layered Strawberry Jello Salad with its dreamy sour cream layer surrounded by crushed pineapple, bananas, pecans and, of course, loads of strawberries has made its required appearance in a 9×13 glass baking dish on our family’s tables for as long as I can remember.

A slice of layered strawberry jello salad with a creamy sour cream center.

Every southern cook needs a good Jello salad recipe in her back pocket. These fruit-filled gelatin wonders have graced every church potluck, picnic, bbq and family get-together since the beginning of… well, since gelatin as we know it was invented. And that, my friends, was in 1894. 1894! That’s 124 years of wiggly, jiggly goodness!

Looking down at 3 servings of strawberry jello salad topped with bananas and a dollop of sour cream.

And since we call it a salad, this magical dish has the ability to transcend all kinds of dinner rule boundaries. It functions as a lovely side- move over fruit salad; you don’t quite have the personality.

My dad claims that it is best as dessert accompanied by a brownie. My son eats it by giant spoonfuls in the afternoon after school. And there might even be a time or two that the leftovers have shown up as someone’s breakfast.

A salad with handfuls of fruit and pecans with a dreamy sour cream center? Why not? I can’t imagine a time that wouldn’t perfect for a slice (or bowl) of this.

Recipe Ingredients & Overview

Ingredients required to make a layered strawberry salad with a sour cream center, made easier to identify with a text overlay.

I’ll walk through an overview of ingredients & steps in these next sections along with helpful tips!

Look for specifics at the end of the post in t he recipe card.

strawberry gelatin
frozen sliced strawberries
crushed pineapple, drained
sliced bananas
chopped pecans
sour cream

Recipe Variations: If nuts aren’t your thing or you don’t think your family will like them, feel free to leave them out.

How to Make Layered Strawberry Jello Salad

4 part collage showing all the steps to create a layered jello fruit salad.

For years, how my mom created the separate jello and sour cream layers was a complete mystery to me, but it’s really not hard at all. It’s all about timing. And most of the time needed for this recipe has to do with allowing the gelatin to set before moving on to the next step than actual time in the kitchen.

Making the Fruit-Filled Jello

Start by whisking together 1 cup boiling water and 6 oz of Strawberry Jello in a large mixing bowl. (This is different than the instructions on the box, but don’t let that get you off track. Stick to the recipe!)
When the gelatin is completely dissolved, add in your drained pineapple, bananas + frozen strawberries.
The hot water will help thaw the frozen strawberries and break them apart. But at the same time, your frozen strawberries will start to set your gelatin, so work like your jello depends on it (because it does)! Mix just until all the strawberries are broken up. Throw in the pecans and give one last good stir.

PRO TIP: I like to use a large 8 cup measuring cup instead of a mixing bowl to mix my ingredients together because it’s also easy to pour from when it’s time to add the jello to a 9×13 pan.

The First Layer

Pour half of your fruity jello mixture into a 9×13 glass baking dish. The clear glass will show off your layers. And everyone likes a preview of the yum!
Pop that first layer of salad in the fridge for 20-30 minutes. Just long enough to start to set.
But DO NOT put your mixing bowl with the remaining jello in the fridge. You don’t want it to set up, so just place it on the counter until we’re ready to throw on the last layer.

The Sour Cream Layer

It really is this middle layer that makes this salad something special. Now, some recipes add a bit of sugar to the sour cream, but this one does not. The fruit + gelatin have plenty of sweetness of their own, and the sour cream ‘as is’ adds that perfect creamy balance without extra fuss. And believe me, coming from a family of sweet tooths, no extra sugar is necessary (even if you use sugar-free jello).

Give the sour cream a good stir or two in the container to fluff it up.
The best way to add the sour cream is to add dollops evenly spaced over the first layer and gently spread outward to connect the dollops.
The back of a metal spoon works best for this, even better than a spatula. I don’t know why. It just works.
Make sure to spread the sour cream all the way to the edges, touching the sides of the dish to seal that layer. You don’t want any top layer jello trickling down and messing up your 3 distinct layers.

The Top Layer

Grab that remaining bit of jello and fruit you set aside on the counter earlier, gently pour it over the top of the sour cream and gingerly work it out to the edges.
Give it one last smooth down so it will be pretty and hide it away in the fridge for a couple of hours. The longer the better. I think overnight is the best.

NOTE: The longer this Strawberry Jello Salad sets up, the easier it is to cut it into squares and serve. AND the more your layers will be preserved when you cut into it. So two hours would be my very minimum set up time, but overnight or all day is perfection!

2 serving of layered jello salad on plates with extra strawberries, pecans and dollops of sour cream to show how to cut and serve this jello salad.

Look at that beautiful, fresh deliciousness! Aren’t you ready to just dive right in?

Storing Leftovers and Making Ahead

Store leftovers for 3-5 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator. The fruit and the sour cream layer will start to break down the longer it sits. So the sooner you eat it, the better. Take into consideration how many days in advance you made this layered jello salad too. Those days do count against the lifespan of the dish.

I recommend making this dish no more than 2 days in advance.

More Fruit Salads and Jello Salads To Love