Crisco Salad: The Retro Recipe You Never Asked For (2024)

By Lydia Greene |

Crisco salad is the old-school sweet treat that's so much more than just a salad or a dessert. If you're familiar with Jell-O salads, you know that the word "salad" can be interpreted in many different ways. This legendary Southern recipe is the amazing combo of graham crackers, cool whip, pineapple, and of course Crisco!

Crisco Salad

Crisco salad
byu/uipo inallbestrecipes

Crisco is an American brand of vegetable shortening, made completely of vegetable oil. Similar to ambrosia salad, ice cream salad or Jell-O salad, Crisco salad is only a salad in name. However, it does involve pineapples and nuts, so it's not all bad for you! Crisco salad starts off with a graham cracker crust, as you might use for a cheesecake. This is made with graham crackers, sugar and butter. For an easier route, you can always pick up a pre-made one from the store. If you need a gluten-free option, some yummy alternatives are Schär, Pamela's, and Kinnikinnick.

Crisco Salad: The Retro Recipe You Never Asked For (2)

This Crisco and fruit salad recipe is as quick and easy as they come, and the hardest part is waiting for it to chill. If you prefer fresh fruit to canned, you can always use fresh pineapple. No matter which you opt for, make sure to drain the pineapple juice to avoid sogginess. As for the nuts, these can be almonds, peanuts, or pecans- just choose your favorite. This retro and delicious salad is ideal as an appetizer at brunch or a summery dessert.

Crisco salad is so legendary that it was featured on #recipetest! Here's a video where Emmymade shows how it's done.

How to Make CriscoSalad

To make Crisco salad, start off by lining a pan with a graham cracker crust. We recommend using a 9 x 13-inch pan, and for the crust, combine 1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs, 1/4 cup sugar, and 2/3 cup of melted butter. Mix together until fully combined, and then press into the pan.

Then, mix your 1 cup of Crisco and sugar in a large bowl and beat until creamy, either by hand or with an electric mixer. Add in your eggs, one at a time, until fully mixed. Fold in the nuts and pineapple.

Then, pour the filling into the crust, patting until even across the pan. Place into the fridge for now.

Make two boxes of cherry Jell-O, allowing it to set. Then, pour your partly set Jell-O on top of the filling.

Cover with aluminum foil and store in the fridge until Jell-O has set. When you're ready to serve, top with cool whip, spreading whip out evenly to cover the surface. Enjoy!

Watch: Ambrosia Salad

Crisco Salad: The Retro Recipe You Never Asked For (3)

Crisco Salad

Crisco salad is the old school Southern recipe we all need in our lives. This combo of Crisco, pineapple, Jello-O and graham cracker is everything

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Servings 6 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 1/4 cups sugar
  • 1 cup Crisco
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 15 oz can crushed pineapple, drained
  • 1 cup chopped nuts
  • 1/4 cup Graham crackers
  • 2/3 cup melted butter
  • Cool Whip
  • 2 boxes cherry Jell-O

Instructions

  • To make Crisco salad, start off by lining a pan with a graham cracker crust. We recommend using a 9 x 13 inch pan, and for the crust, combine 1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs, 1/4 cup sugar, and 2/3 cup of melted butter. Mix together until fully combined, and then press into the pan.

  • Then, mix your 1 cup of Crisco and sugar in a large bowl and beat until creamy, either by hand or with an electric mixer. Add in your eggs, one at a time, until fully mixed. Fold in the nuts and pineapple.

  • Then, pour the filling into the crust, patting until even across the pan. Place into the fridge for now.

  • Make two boxes of cherry Jell-O, allowing it to set. Then, pour your partly set Jell-O on top of the filling.

  • Cover with aluminum foil and store in the fridge until Jell-O has set. When you're ready to serve, top with cool whip, spreading whip out evenly to cover the surface. Enjoy!

Crisco Salad: The Retro Recipe You Never Asked For (2024)

FAQs

Why did Crisco change their recipe? ›

In order to compete, Crisco had to change its recipe. Since 2007, the brand has eliminated nearly all of the trans fats in its Crisco products. The new Crisco recipe has removed cottonseed oil from the equation, and the easily recognizable tubs of Crisco are now filled with a mixture of soy and palm oils.

How do you use Crisco? ›

This shortening can be used instead of butter or margarine in cooking and baking, or it can be combined with either one (or both). Among other things, it's known for making good pies with a flaky crust, cakes and cookies soft, and frosting fluffy.

What is the old name for Crisco? ›

After rejecting the names "Krispo" and "Cryst" (the latter for its obvious religious connotations), Procter & Gamble called the product Crisco, a modification of the phrase "crystallized cottonseed oil".

Should Crisco be refrigerated after opening? ›

The Food Marketing Institute's FoodKeeper recommends storing unopened solid shortening, such as Crisco shortening, at room temperature for 8 months. After opening, store at room temperature for 3 months for best quality.

Is Crisco more unhealthy than butter? ›

Neither Crisco nor butter are considered inherently healthier than the other. Both should be consumed in moderation as part of a balanced diet with their differences in fat content in mind.

What does Crisco stand for? ›

In addition to looking at some of the more outrageous modern uses of the word “crisco,” Deutsch says he will cover the product's early naming–”Crisco is an acronym for its main ingredient, which is crystallized cottonseed oil.

When did Crisco change its formula? ›

2002 – PRESENT. Over the past decade and a half, the Crisco brand continues to evolve– like in 2007 when our all-vegetable shortening became 0g trans fat per serving.

What is the difference between old Crisco and new Crisco? ›

The new formula of Crisco uses less partially hydrogenated cottonseed and soybean oils and more fully hydrogenated cottonseed oil — which contains no trans fat. Hydrogenated oils are what gives shortening its semisolid consistency and high performance cooking attributes, according to the company.

What changed in Crisco shortening? ›

Unfortunately, these wonderful qualities depended on "trans fats" that have since been implicated in heart disease. As a result, partially hydrogenated oils have fallen out of favor in the food industry. Even Crisco changed its recipe, cutting the amount of transfats in one serving to less than . 5 grams.

What was old Crisco made of? ›

When Crisco launched in 1911, it did things differently. Like other brands, it was made from cottonseed. But it was also a new kind of fat – the world's first solid shortening made entirely from a once-liquid plant oil.

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