Cranberry Delight is a no-bake, layered dessert with a sweet graham cracker crust, cranberry sauce, and a creamy blend of vanilla-flavored cream cheese and cranberry Jell-O mix, finished off with whipped topping. It definitely lives up to its name for a truly delightful dessert! It’s a must-have for any time you crave a sweet, subtly tart, creamy treat! I also have Strawberry Delight, made with fresh strawberries, which you will love!
Ingredients & Substitutions
Crust: You will need about 2 cups of graham cracker crumbs for the crust. You can buy crumbs at the grocery store. Or, you could crush sheets of graham crackers. You will need about 14-16 full sheets of graham crackers for 2 cups of crumbs. The crumbs are sweetened with granulated sugar and coated in melted unsalted butter. It’s the same crust I used for my Woolworth Icebox Cheesecake Recipe, which you will want to try sometime, too!
Cranberry Sauce: Look for a can of whole berry cranberry sauce. You could make my Easy Cranberry Sauce or Homemade Cranberry Sauce for this dessert, too!
Cream Cheese: Before starting the recipe, be sure the cream cheese has come to room temperature. Mix it with confectioners’ sugar and vanilla. Then, to half of the cream cheese mixture, you will add cranberry gelatin mix.
Cranberry Jell-O Mix: A 3-ounce box of cranberry Jell-O dry mix will be added to half of the cream cheese mixture. This gives even cranberry flavor in each bite.
Whipped Topping: Two cups of whipped topping (like Cool Whip) will be mixed with the cream cheese. The remaining cup will be the topping. If you don’t want to use storebought, make homemade whipped cream (made with just two ingredients) to use.
Can I Use A Different Flavor Of Jell-O Mix?
Absolutely! You can certainly use a different flavor of Jello-O mix, especially if cranberry is hard to find. I recommend the dessert with raspberry. But, you could also try other flavors!
Can I Use A Different Sized Pan?
Sure, you can use a different-sized pan for Cranberry Delight. I used an 8×8-inch baking dish. But, you could also use a 9×9-inch dish. Or, for a thicker dessert, this recipe would work in a 7×7-inch dish. I would not recommend using a 9×13-inch, the layers would be too thin.
How To Store Cranberry Delight
Cranberry Delight is best when served and enjoyed within a day or two. Store it in the refrigerator, covered, for up to 1-2 days. When this dessert is stored longer than that, the crust can get a little soggy.
Cranberry Delight
Ingredients
Crust
- 2 cups (14-16 sheets / 168 g) honey graham crackers, finely crushed
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- ½ cup (1 stick / 113 g) unsalted butter, melted
- 1 can (14 ounces) whole berry cranberry sauce
Toppings
- 2 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 cup (125 g) confectioners' sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 box (3 ounces) cranberry Jell-O mix
- 3 cups (360 g) whipped topping, divided
Instructions
Crust
- Line an 8×8-inch baking dish with parchment paper, including up the sides of the dish.
- To a medium bowl, add graham crackers and sugar. Mix to combine.
- To the graham cracker and sugar mixture, add melted butter. Mix until all ingredients are fully incorporated with no dry spots.
- Press the crumbs firmly into the bottom of the lined baking dish.
- To a small bowl, add cranberry sauce. Using a fork, break up the sauce into smaller pieces.
- Top the crust evenly with the cranberry sauce. Place in the refrigerator to chill while you prepare the toppings.
Toppings
- To a large bowl, add cream cheese, confectioners' sugar, and vanilla. Using a hand mixer on medium speed, beat until creamy and no lumps remain (about 3 minutes).
- Fold in 2 cups of whipped topping.
- Remove the crust from the refrigerator. Add half of the cream cheese mixture on top of the cranberry sauce.
- To the remaining cream cheese mixture, fold in the cranberry gelatin mix. Add this mixture to the top of the cream cheese mixture.
- Top with remaining whipped topping.
- Place in the refrigerator to chill for 1 hour, up to overnight. Serve chilled.
Did you make this recipe?
Thank you for making my recipe! You took pictures, right? Well go ahead and post them on Instagram! Be sure to mention me @iambaker and use the hashtag #YouAreBaker.
What the Test Kitchen had to say about this recipe:
Autumn
Oh my gosh, this is so delicious! Definitely going on my holiday dessert list!!! The layers are smooth and creamy and the flavor is out of this world!
Elizabeth
I absolutely loved this dessert! It was not too tart from the cranberries at all. This would be a perfect addition to your holiday tables!
Rachael
This is an easy and delicious cranberry dessert. It's almost like a no-bake cranberry cheesecake bar. This is a crowd-pleaser for sure!
Bella
This Cranberry Delight recipe is definitely delightful! All of the flavors are delicious. The berry sauce has a lovely tartness and sweetness that is irresistible.
Annabelle
This is a lovely dessert! Super flavorful, but not sour like many cranberry dishes, and it's no-bake!
Selena
This is so so good. I don't usually like jello/whipped cream type of things and this one just hits the spot. I love that it's not too sweet. Can't wait to make it!
