Buttermilk Congealed Salad
This buttermilk congealed salad is the definition of a Southern delicacy. The fruity-flavored Jello salad is so refreshing to dive into on a hot summer’s day.
You might be wondering what exactly is congealed salad? Often called Jello salad, it’s a retro Southern treat that became popular in the 1930s when food was scarce and gelatin was cheap. Door-to-door salesmen carried a wide array of it and my grandmothers used to delight in purchasing a multitude of what was likely the only convenience food they could afford. The side dish is made with flavored gelatin, such as Jello, which is combined with fruit, vegetables, and/or nuts. Some options include cream cheese and sour cream rather than buttermilk, chopped walnuts or pecans for an extra crunch, and celery or carrot for a refreshing alternative. People usually serve it in a molded shape but scooping it in an ice cream dish is just fine too!
Now, my version of congealed salad includes buttermilk, strawberry gelatin, and crushed pineapple. The combination of the tropical pineapple with the salad’s creamy and crunchy texture is divine. Congealed salad is very popular in the South, and in particular around the holidays, so I highly recommend giving it a go. You can also use whatever gelatin is your favorite, whether that’s peach, orange, cherry, lime, or strawberry like me. If you’re going for a Christmas theme, I highly recommend using strawberry, cherry, or lime jello.
Recipe Ingredients
- Buttermilk
- Two small boxes of gelatin (I use sugar-free gelatin, but you can use whatever you prefer).
- Whipped topping (I use Cool Whip)
- Can of crushed pineapple (about 20 ounces)
How To Make Buttermilk Congealed Salad
Mix well. Remove gelatin mixture from heat.
Until it looks like this! Now refrigerate to your desired texture (I recommend at least four hours or overnight) and then serve!
You can also opt to add some on top, if you like.
Storage
This congealed salad can be stored, covered, in the fridge for up to five days.
Recipe Notes
If you want to go the traditional route and use a mold or bundt pan, first spray the mold with nonstick cooking spray before adding the ingredients. Then to remove the buttermilk salad from the mold, I recommend placing it in a shallow pan filled with hot water. Take a sharp knife and carefully separate the salad from the mold around the edges. Then after a couple of minutes, turn the mold upside down and deposit the salad onto a serving plate. If it doesn’t come out, repeat this process.
Recipe FAQs
Can you freeze congealed salads?
No, it’s best not to freeze this buttermilk salad. Because it contains gelatin, it won’t freeze properly. Fortunately, it lasts up to five days in the fridge.
Can you make this congealed salad ahead of time?
Yes, it’s best to refrigerate the buttermilk salad overnight, so making it one or two days in advance is actually recommended.
Is congealed salad the same as gelatin salad or Jello salad?
Yes, all of these salads refer to the same dish.
Ingredients
- 1 can crushed pineapple 20 ounces
- 2 cups buttermilk
- 8 ounces whipped topping
- 2 small boxes of gelatin your flavor choice
Instructions
- Heat pineapple in juice and bring to a boil.1 can crushed pineapple
- Add jello and mix well.2 small boxes of gelatin
- Remove from heat and add buttermilk, stir. Allow to cool for 20 to 30 minutes.2 cups buttermilk
- Stir in whipped topping.8 ounces whipped topping
- Refrigerate to your desired texture.
Shirley,
I just made this for my daughter’s second birthday party picnic. I wonder if you are supposed to cool the pineapple/jello mixture before adding the buttermilk (or at least before adding the whipped topping.) Mine is not as fluffy as the picture. I’ll try whipping it up a bit in the morning. I’m a bit late to the post, but in case anyone looks it up like I did:
**You might want to try cooling before adding whipped topping.**
Loved the stories!
Jo Claire
I am going to make this for Christmas, I am so glad to have the recipe. I know that my Grandma made it when I was little. She made a buttermilk congealed salad I know..there was one that was strawberry and it had crushed pretzels but they may have been two different ones, she made all kinds! Thanks for the recipe!
I followed the recipe exactly, and found, while dishing it up, that there was a small layer of what looked like pineapple juice at the bottom of the serving dish. Is this the way it was supposed to finish?
Kings QueenThank you so much!!! Every time I see a comment form you I know I’m gonna be smiling when I read it! LOL You are so sweet, I am so fortunate to have you among my friends!
Jan I am blessed, really really really blessed! I hope you get a chance to let me know if you get to try it!!
Anonymous Aww Kristi, thank you. I know just what you mean. This past weekend we had our big family thanksgiving (another one on the big day, too) and they pulled out a video of Thanksgiving about fifteen years ago. I saw my Grandaddy walk right up to the camera, smiling and joking and talking like he always did. Then my great grandmother, Lela, talked to the camera too, she was smiling and joking…I miss them terribly but wow, do we ever come from a great family!
Okay. Tangent and it might not have been too applicable but hey….it was on my mind.
BillGent I think we all called it that! LOL
Mel I’ll keep em coming as long as folks keep reading! Thank you!
Rachel I know just what you mean! We have some fabulous desserts but I always head to the congealed salad and fruit salad (I am in LOVE with my Grandmother’s fruit salad). We had a few folks in my family who didn’t really like children too much either (step grandparents on my dad’s side, you don’t hear me say too much about them because, well I never knew them that well and they never had an awful lot to do with us – My paternal grandfather lives less than half an hour away and I haven’t seen him in about fifteen years!), and they always seemed so very strange in comparison to my grandparents who did! Trust me though, my Grandmama and Grandaddy and great grandmother more than made up the difference!
Don’t y’all just love how I give you WAAAY too much information! LOL
Amber Hey! Let me know if you do! Thanks!
Debbie LOL Now I AM laughing!!!!!
We just have to call it what Mama says….
Coz Mama is right!
Amiyrah OOOOOOOOOH I LOVE me some jello!!
Goodness A-mighty did I get behind on these comments!!
Joan Oh I know exactly what you mean!! I love the old names, too! I have a grandmother Loraine and a step grandmother named Evelyn! I also had a great aunt Myrtle, then Anna Loyce, Great Aunt Lillian, and my grandmother is Lucille with her mother being a Lela Cordelia!
Joan, I hope you know how much it means to me to have you around here, I just love hearing from you!
Jessica Thank you so much!!! I still can’t believe y’all sit through all of my ramblings! Southern Plate readers are saints, I tell ya!
Iplay hmm I did add two packs of flavored gelatin…oh my now I’m confused. LOL
JoAnn I promise it doesn’t!!!! LOL!!! I know just what you mean, too!
Stephanie Man, I wish you lived in the south,too!!!!!! But I’d just feed you too much if you did…
Lindabelle I wonder also because all of my family’s congealed salads have them as well! LOL I bet it was that pineapple was so readily available and cheap. Even now some of those canned fruits are expensive! Most Southern food traditions go back to A. Cheap B. Easy to get!
Tamy Oh yes, they are so darn good, aren’t they? I always smile when I see your name……
Tomato Lady I was just a busy body who never sat still and had to be in on everything, really. Drove my mother crazy. She used to say “I hope when you grow up you have ten just like you!” Now she says “Well, you had two ten times more like you!”
I LOVE this type of salad and never knew how to make it. I am so happy to have the recipe now!!
Rosemary Mahoney
I LOVE this salad! I never knew how to make it. Thanks!