Our easy Christmas Jello Pie recipe can be prepared in 20 minutes and has 3 festive layers of fluffy filling that sit inside a no-cook graham cracker crumb crust.

Made with whipped cream, red and green jello, a few drops of food dye, and a homemade buttery graham cracker base, this no-bake jello pie is the best light and creamy dessert to serve after a delightful holiday dinner.

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About Our No Bake layered jello Pie

Our Christmas Jello Pie is a quick and easy, no-bake dessert that separately combines 2 fruity flavors of jello with whipped cream and stacks them inside a crunchy crust.

It takes only 20 minutes to prepare the cool whip jello pie filling and pile 3 layers of Christmas colors into your own graham cracker crust.

This easy jello pie recipe requires no cooking, no baking, and no complicated steps; it’s as simple as layering 3 tiers of colored jello and cool whip mixture into buttery sweet crust, then letting it set before garnishing with dollops of whipped cream and gold sanding sugar.

It’s not only delicious, but it’s the prettiest presentation for your Christmas table. 

Why We Love This Christmas Jello Pie Recipe

  • Quick and easy to make in 20 minutes.
  • Only uses a handful of simple ingredients.
  • Fun to customize a no-cook layered dessert with just about any color and flavor combination.
  • Turns a boring box of jello into a fluffy, flavorful, festive treat.
  • Delicious make-ahead dessert when you don’t want to heat up the house.
  • Perfect for Christmas parties, potlucks, or holiday celebrations.

More Easy Christmas Dessert Recipes

christmas jello pie ingredients

Ingredients

  • Whipped Cream or Cool Whip
  • Red Jello: Feel free to use regular or sugar free jello
  • Green Jello: Feel free to use regular or sugar free jello
  • Water: You will need both ice cold water and boiling water for this recipe.
  • Red food dye
  • Green food dye
  • Graham Cracker Crumbs
  • Butter
  • Gold Sanding Sugar (optional)

Substitutions and Additions

  • Fold In Fresh Fruit: You can easily fold chopped or sliced fresh fruit into your jello mixture before pouring it into the pie crust and refrigerating.
  • Cookie Crust: Feel free to use plain graham crackers, chocolate graham crackers, crushed Vanilla Wafers, or Golden Oreos to create your homemade crust. Or simply use a ready-made store-bought crust.
  • Garnish with Gold: Add some gold sanding sugar to match this layered look! A dollop of whipped cream or holiday sprinkles will also make a pretty presentation.
  • Make It Match The Holiday: You can easily make this dessert with different jello flavors so that the filling matches the season or holiday.
    • Patriotic Pie: Make a red, white, and blue layered jello pie for Memorial Day or 4th of July and top each slice with whipped cream and fresh blueberries.
    • Pastel Colored Pie: My Easter Jello-Pie is perfectly pastel for Easter. Try my no bake Strawberry Cool Whip Pie for Valentine’s Day and my Orange Creamsicle Pie for Halloween.
eating christmas jello pie with whipped cream on top
  • 9.5” deep dish springform pan
  • Microwave-safe bowl
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How to Make Christmas Jello Pie

  1. Create The Crust: Mix together the melted butter and graham cracker crumbs, pour it into a springform pan, and press evenly along the bottom up the sides. Place in the freezer until you’re ready to use it.
  2. Make The Jello: Add the red and green jello packets to separate bowls and dissolve with boiling water. Add cold water to each bowl and stir. Chill for 40-50 minutes or until the jello is thickened, but not fully set.
  3. Make The Filling Mixtures: Separate the green jello into 2 bowls and mix whipped cream into all 3. Add a dab of red dye to the red jello and a couple of drops of green dye to only one of the green jello bowls.
  4. Assemble: Pour the darker green mixture into the bottom of the crust and spread even. Pour the red over the dark green, spread even, and top with the light green mixture and spread even. Chill for 3 hours or until set.
  5. Serve: Garnish with dollops of whipped cream and gold sanding sugar if desired. Slice, serve, and enjoy!

Tips for making Christmas Jello Pie

  • If you do not have a food processor, you can easily crush your graham crackers by placing them in a Ziploc bag and crushing them with a rolling pin.
  • If your jello and whipped cream mixture seem a little thin and you’re afraid the colors will mix while layering them in the pan, simply place the mixture in the fridge for about 15-20 minutes and then proceed. 
  • Your crust won’t go all the way up the side of the pan, so the jello mixtures may sit above the crust, somewhat. This is perfectly fine, just run a thin knife along the top edge before trying to pop it out of the pan. 
  • Whipped cream and cool whip are the same thing when I refer to them. 
  • If you can’t find or don’t have a deep dish springform pan, you can cut the recipe in half or make two pies out of this mixture. 

Storage

  • To Store: Store any leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
  • To Freeze: I do not recommend freezing this dessert. The gelatin doesn’t freeze well and the texture and consistency will change once thawed.
christmas pie with jello

Frequently Asked Questions

What should I use to color my jello mixture?

I found that icing colors seem to do the best for coloring the jello mixtures. Gel worked ok, but didn’t always mix up and color as well as the icing colors did. Wilton sells these at Amazon and Walmart.

How can I ensure that my colors won’t mix?

If desired, you can slip your jello pie into the freezer for about 10 minutes in between each layer if you would like to ensure it’s solid enough and the colors won’t mix. You shouldn’t have this issue, but it’s a quick way to make sure sets properly. Storing it short-term in the freezer won’t harm or change the consistency of the pie.

Can I make this jello pie in advance?

Yes, you can prepare your jello pie a day in advance if stored in the refrigerator. Leave the garnishes off until you are ready to serve.

Can I make my own homemade whipped cream?

Yes, you can absolutely make your own whipped topping. Simply combine 1 cup of heavy cream, 1 1/2 tablespoon of powdered sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract and whip them on a high setting. You’ll know it is done when you see “high peaks” form.
See my homemade whipped cream recipe and tips.

Why didn’t my jello pie set up?

Jello pie is basically a gelatin pie, so be sure to use boiling water to fully dissolve the powdered jello. This allows the gelatin to work correctly, which is crucial for the pie to set. The pie also must be refrigerated for at least 3 hours before serving. You can chill the pie overnight for best results.

festive christmas jello pie on plate

Other Easy Pie Recipes

5 from 6 votes
Christmas Jello Pie featured image

Christmas Jello Pie

Serves — 10
Christmas Jello Pie is an easy to make layered dessert with 3 tiers of fluffy filling piled inside a graham cracker crust. No bake, no cook, and no hassle, this is the perfect sweet treat for the holidays!
Prep Time 20 minutes
Chill Time 4 hours
Total Time 4 hours 20 minutes

Ingredients
  

  • 16 ounces Whipped Cream
  • 3 ounces Box Red Jello
  • 3 ounces Box Green Jello
  • 2 cups Boiling Water
  • 1 cup Cold Water
  • Red Food Dye
  • Green Food Dye
  • 2 cups Graham Cracker Crumbs
  • 10 tablespoons Butter
  • Whipped Cream optional for garnish
  • Gold Sanding Sugar optional for garnish

Instructions
 

  • Melt your butter in the microwave and add it to a bowl with the graham cracker crumbs and mix until well combined. The mixture should resemble wet sand.
  • Dump the mixture into a 9.5” deep dish springform pan and press evenly along the bottom of the pan and up the sides.
  • Place the crust in the freezer until you’re ready to use it.
  • Add the red jello to one bowl and the green jello to another bowl. Place 1 cup boiling water in each bowl and mix until there is no graininess left on the bottom.
  • Add ½ cup cold water to each bowl and stir once more.
  • Add the jello bowls to the fridge and let chill for about 40-50 minutes or until the jello is really thickened, but not fully set.
  • Place half of the green jello in another mixing bowl.
  • Add 4 ounces of whipped cream to one green bowl and another 4 ounces to the other green bowl. Add 8 ounces to the red bowl.
  • Mix all three bowls well until fully combined.
  • Add a dab of the red dye to the red bowl and mix until no color streaks appear. Keep adding dabs and fully mixing until the desired color is reached.
  • Add a couple of drops of the green dye to only one of the green jello bowls and repeat the same coloring steps as you did for the red. You’ll want to make one green a darker green, and the other green a light green. I had to add just a touch of green coloring to the lighter one, but literally barely anything. You don’t need much.
  • Pour the darker green mixture into the bottom of the crust and spread even.
  • Pour the red over the dark green and gently spread even, as you don’t want the layers to mix.
  • Finally, top with the light green mixture and spread even.
  • Place in the fridge to chill for 3 hours or until set. Garnish with dollops of whipped cream and gold sanding sugar if desired, and enjoy!

Jenn’s Notes

Storage:
  • To Store: Store any leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
  • To Freeze: I do not recommend freezing this dessert. The gelatin doesn’t freeze well and the texture and consistency will change once thawed.
Tips:
  • If your jello and whipped cream mixture seems a little thin and you’re afraid the colors will mix while layering them in the pan, simply place the mixture in the fridge for about 15-20 minutes and then proceed. 
  • Your crust won’t go all the way up the side of the pan, so the jello mixtures may sit above the crust, somewhat. This is perfectly fine, just run a thin knife along the top edge before trying to pop it out of the pan. 
  • I found that icing colors seem to do the best for coloring the jello mixtures. Gel worked ok, but didn’t always mix up and color as well as the icing colors did. Wilton sells these at Walmart. 
  • If desired, you can slip your jello pie into the freezer for about 10 minutes in between each layer if you would like to ensure it’s solid enough and the colors won’t mix. You shouldn’t have this issue, but it’s a quick way to make sure it’s good to go. Storing it short term in the freezer won’t harm or change the consistency of the pie.
  • Do not store your pie in the freezer long term. You’ll want to store it in the fridge. It will keep for up to 5 days. Freezing it makes it secrete water and it gets gross. 
  • Whipped cream and cool whip are the same thing when I refer to them. 
  • If you don’t have a deep dish springform pan or can’t find one, simply cut the red mixture in half and you should be good to go. 

Nutrition Info

Calories: 358kcal | Carbohydrates: 35g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.5g | Cholesterol: 65mg | Sodium: 295mg | Potassium: 103mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 22g | Vitamin A: 661IU | Calcium: 66mg | Iron: 1mg

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