Our family gatherings wouldn't be the same without this classic gelatin salad with its festive fruit layers. Since it stays nice and firm, it travels well and is ideal for taking to covered-dish suppers and church potlucks.

Strawberry-Banana Gelatin Salad

gelatin

water

(20 ounces) crushed pineapple, drained

mashed firm bananas (about 3 medium)

walnuts

sour cream

sugar

vanilla extract

In a large bowl, dissolve gelatin in water. Stir in strawberries, pineapple, bananas and nuts. Pour half of the mixture into a 13-in. x 9-in. dish. Refrigerate for 1 hour or until set.

Set the remaining gelatin mixture aside. Combine the sour cream, sugar and vanilla. Spread over the chilled gelatin. Spoon remaining gelatin mixture over top. Chill overnight.

The reason this turns out soupy is because the directions are incorrect; the pineapple should be DRAINED  NOT UNDRAINED;  made this  for a church gathering and it never set; it also does not mention to drain off strawberries; hope people read reviews or directions are corrected.

My mom made this every Thanksgiving and Christmas and it is the best!  It wouldn't feel like the holidays without it! To fix the problem of not setting, follow this instead:Drain the pineapple very well.Use very ripe bananasHere is the recipe that has always worked well for my family:1 lg pk strawberry Jello (or 2 small)1 1/2 cups boiling water**Melt jello in water.  CHILL jello (but not set!)In separate bowl:Mash 2 ripe bananasAdd a small can of drained crushed pineappleAdd - sm pk frozen strawberries ( thaw halfway and crush with fork before adding)Stir all gently into chilled jello and mix in a handful of crushed pecansLayer in a casserole dish - 1/2 jello mixture in bottom.Chill 45 minSpread sour cream (no sugar) on top.Pour remaining jello mixture on topChill completely**the chilling process is important to help it set properly.ENJOY!!

For those whose salads did not congeal, THIS is your problem. Your water must be BOILING, not just super-hot. A real full-on rolling boil. You MUST stir the boiling water and jello together for THREE entire minutes. Use a timer. No shortcuts. You must also well-drain your pineapple, and pour off any runny liquid at the bottom of the partially thawed strawberries. This is a technique sensitive recipe, but if you do my "helps", I guarantee yours will set up nice and firm! I can cut mine in tight clean squares that do not slop or ooze, and serve it with a spatula. Hope that helps!

How far in advance can I prepare this with the middle layer of sour cream?

I use one packet of unflavored gelatin dissolved in two tablespoons of cold water. Mix into jello mixture. This will make it firm.

My mother made this every year for Thanksgiving and it was such a hit! It is a perfect dish for the holidays!

Awesome sweetness/tartness combination, not so good at setting up.

The flavor of this salad is delicious, however, it does not ever set up, it is like strawberry soup. I have made it several times and follow the recipe to the letter and it turns out the same every time.

strawberry-banana gelatin salad

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Total: 20 minutes

Servings: 15

Author : Taste of Home

Ingredients

Instructions

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