Circus Peanut Jello Salad is a light and fluffy classic jello salad recipe that will bring back memories of childhood!  Orange Jello combines with circus peanut candy, pineapple and cool whip for an unforgettable treat!

circus peanut jello salad

You guys, I am going crazy over this retro dessert!  No, I haven’t lost my mind.  It’s really, really, good!  I happened to have gotten my hands on some of my mom’s old cookbooks, and this is the first recipe that really stuck out to me.

I think we all remember Circus Peanut candy from our childhood.  Do you still eat them?  I personally haven’t thought about them in years.  But, when I saw that Circus Peanut Jello Salad was an actual thing, it was definitely time to put them back in my diet.  At least for one day.

circus peanut jello salad with orange jello and cool whip

Jello Salad:

Jello salad is basically a dessert “salad” that contains flavored gelatin along with some kind of fruit.  Over the years people have come up with their own creations and added things like carrots, marshmallows, nuts, and even cottage cheese.

For our Circus Peanut Jello salad, we simply use two small boxes of orange Jello that get’s combined in boiling water with circus peanuts candy.

After the jello and candy have dissolved you chill the mixture for about 2 hours until it’s almost set.  Then, you will mix together a can of crushed pineapple with an entire container of cool whip.  The pineapple mixture gets folded into the gelatin, spread in a 9×13 inch pan, top with additional circus peanuts for fun!

If you want to cut this jello salad into squares like I have, you will want to chill it for another 2 hours before serving.  But, you can absolutely eat it right away, it just won’t be as firm.

Jello salad recipe with circus peanuts

Enjoy!

~Nichole

5 from 4 votes

Circus Peanut Jello Salad

Circus Peanut Jello Salad is a light and fluffy classic jello salad recipe that will bring back memories of childhood!  Orange Jello combines with circus peanut candy, pineapple and cool whip for an unforgettable treat!
Prep 5 minutes
Cook 3 hours
Total 3 hours 5 minutes
Servings 12

Ingredients 

  • 2 3 ounce Boxes Orange Jello
  • 25 Circus Peanut Candies Cut into small pieces
  • 3 Cups Boiling Water
  • 1 16 Ounce Can Crushed Pineapple, drained
  • 1 Container Whipped Topping

Instructions 

  • Stir the jello and cut up circus peanuts into boiling water until dissolved. Chill mixture for 1-2 hours until almost firm.
  • Drain the pineapple and fold into the cool whip.
  • Fold the cool whip mixture into gelatin.
  • Pour mixture into a 9x13 inch pan. Chill until ready to serve.

Notes

NOTE:  Cook time listed is chill time.

Additional Info

Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Like this? Rate & review this recipe below!

Hey! Nice to meet you! I'm Nichole!

Welcome to The Salty Marshmallow! I'm a mom, animal lover, photographer, & kitchen mess-maker. Here you will find the result of my decades-long passion for chasing the best flavors in the kitchen, all meant to be cooked by regular people with busy lives just like you and me.

Related Recipes

Rate & Review!

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




11 Comments

  1. Oh my gosh!! Circus peanuts were my brother’s favorite candy growing up. Can’t wait to surprise him with this on Memorial day! Thank you!!