Red Hot Jello

A bowl of Red Hot Jello is a delicious addition to potlucks, parties, or holiday dinners. This sweet red Jello gets a spicy cinnamon kick from Red Hot candies.

Jump to:

• Why You Will Love Applesauce Jello
• Ingredients Needed
• How To Make Red Hot Jello
• Storage Recommendations
• Tips and Tricks
• Recipe FAQ's
• More Jello Desserts
• Recipe

I love making sweet salads for church potlucks or holiday dinners. The simplicity of using a few ingredients to create a tasty side dish is so satisfying.

A few of my go-to salads and parfaits are this banana split fluff salad, strawberry fluff salad, or this orange protein Jello!

But my all time favorite dessert salad is this cinnamon Jello. I grew up eating it at my grandparent's house, and now I make it for our kids.

Why You Will Love Applesauce Jello

Red Hot Jello is vintage recipe that is still popular today for many reasons. For me, it brings up some great childhood memories of eating my grandma's easy jello dessert.

• Easy to make in minutes with just 3 ingredients.
• The combination of red jello, applesauce, and cinnamon candies is amazing.
• Delicious side dish to serve with ham or turkey.
• Adds a pretty pop of red color to holiday dinner tables.

Ingredients Needed

One of the great things about making this applesauce jello recipe is that you only need 3 simple ingredients.

• Red Jello - One 6 ounce box of strawberry Jello is used as the base. You can also use cherry or raspberry Jello. Honestly, any flavor gelatin will work.
• Unsweetened Applesauce - This ingredient gives the gelatin an amazing texture.
• Red Hot Candies - The candies are melted down and mixed in to create a delicious cinnamon Jello flavor. If you cannot find Red Hots, look for cinnamon Imperials instead because they are the same thing.

BruCrew Tip - Use leftover cinnamon candies to make this homemade cinnamon applesauce.

How To Make Red Hot Jello

Now that you have your 3 ingredients, let me show you the quick and easy steps to prepare this applesauce cinnamon Jello. The longest part is waiting for it to set up, so you can dig in.

1. Melt the candies. Place hot water and Red Hots cinnamon candies in a saucepan on the stove top. Stir and simmer on low heat until the candy is melted.
2. Add the Jello. Remove from the heat and add the dry Jello powder. Stir or whisk until dissolved. 
3. Add the applesauce. Stir in the applesauce until everything is mixed together.
4. Refrigerate until set. Pour the mixture into a 2 quart size bowl, and chill in the fridge until set.

Storage Recommendations

Store this applesauce Jello in an air tight container in the refrigerator for up to one week.

Tips and Tricks

• Do not cover the warm jello until it sets. You want to allow the steam to escape, so it doesn't form condensation on top of the red jello salad.
• Serve it as a side dish at holiday meals instead of cranberry sauce.
• Add some fresh fruit, nuts, or celery to the applesauce Jello salad to change it up.
• Top it with a swirl of whipped cream or Cool Whip and fresh strawberries.

Recipe FAQ's

More Jello Desserts

Love a recipe you tried from Inside BruCrew Life? 

Please leave a 5 star ⭐️ rating and/or a review in the comments section further below. 

*The post for Red Hot Jello was first published July 2010. It has been updated and republished December 2022.

**We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Program, an affiliate program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com .