Furr’s Lime Jello Salad

Experience a delicious taste and nostalgia when you bring this Furr’s Lime Jello Salad copycat recipe to life. This beloved side dish comprises zesty lime gelatin, creamy cottage cheese, and crisp pecans, making every bite a delightful adventure. It will certainly upgrade any meal you serve it with.

Copycat Furr's cafeteria lime jello salad on a spoon and plate and in a baking dish.


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Lime delight jello salad

Growing up, Jello salads were always served on special occasions. When dining at Furr’s Cafeteria, we had the opportunity to enjoy some of those wonderful classic dishes that we could only enjoy on special occasions.

Jello salad was one of those dishes that we all would gravitate towards. Lime is the most popular flavor. It’s tart, sweet, and pretty too! A delight for the eyes and the tastebuds.

What makes Furr’s Jello salad so good?

This Jello salad offers a sweet yet tart essence. It is made with simple ingredients that combine to create an exceptional flavor profile. The cottage cheese adds richness to the salad, while the chunky pineapple pieces provide texture and tang. Nuts give it a nice crunch.

Meanwhile, the Cool Whip makes it incredibly light and adds to its overall deliciousness. I would say that there isn’t one specific ingredient that makes this recipe special, but rather, the unique combination of components.

Enjoying this dish will likely bring back memories of simpler times, especially if you grew up going to Furr’s.

Why you’ll love this recipe

This recipe is an effortless way to amaze your loved ones. You don’t need to put in a ton of elbow grease or have any prior experience in the kitchen to make a successful Jello salad like this.

Although the preparation time is only 10 minutes, the outcome is absolutely divine. The hardest part is being patient enough to wait for the salad to set! The rest of the process is a piece of cake.

And since it makes ten servings, it is perfect for small gatherings. Making it in a casserole dish means that it is easily transportable. Wait until it is set, cover it with foil, and bring it to your next potluck! Everyone will surely rave about it, especially since those on a gluten-free diet can enjoy it, too!

Recipe ingredients

This lime gelatin salad is made with a few simple ingredients. Chances are you already have everything on hand to make this delightful salad. Here’s a list of what you need:

  • Lime Jell-O
  • Water
  • Canned crushed pineapple
  • Small curd cottage cheese
  • Cool Whip whipped topping
  • Pecans – you can use walnuts if you prefer them.
Copycat Furr's Cafeteria lime jello salad ingredients in bowls.

How to make Lime Jello Salad

If you have never made a Jello salad, you will find that they are very easy to make. This simple recipe is great for a beginner cook. Here are the recipe steps:

  1. Combine gelatin and warm water in a large mixing bowl.
  2. Stir until the gelatin is dissolved in the liquid.
  3. Add cold water and stir to combine.
  4. Add crushed pineapple, cottage cheese, and Cool Whip.
Lime jello and cottage cheese in a bowl.
  1. Stir until the Jell-o mixture is smooth and blended with no large whipped topping lumps.
  2. Pour mixture into a 9 x 13-inch pan.
  3. Sprinkle pecans on top.
  4. Refrigerate the cottage cheese jello salad for several hours or until set.
Copycat Furr's lime jello salad in a glass casserole dish.

If you haven’t tried this creamy sweet lime green Jello salad you are missing out on a real treat. You don’t have to enjoy this one for Christmas dinner or special occasions you can make it any night of the week.

What to serve this side dish with

Enjoy this salad as a side. You can put it on your plate alongside your main entrée, and it provides a refreshing twist to your meal. Try it with hearty foods such as holiday meals or Sunday suppers: baked ham, beef stew, or meatloaf.

You can also eat it as an after-dinner treat.

How to store the leftovers

Storing this food is easy since you can keep it in the same casserole dish you make it in. The most important thing is tightly covering it.

You can first cover it with a layer of plastic, then foil. If your casserole dish has a tight-fitting lid, or if you want to transfer it to an airtight container, that’s even better! Keep it in the refrigerator.

How long does it last?

This lime Jello salad lasts approximately 5 to 7 days in the fridge. After that, it loses quality and begins to separate.

Copycat Furr's lime jello salad on a spoon.

More Furr’s copycat recipes

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Check out more of my easy salad recipes and the best copycat restaurant recipes here on CopyKat!

Copycat Furr's cafeteria lime jello salad on a spoon and plate and in a baking dish.

Furr’s Lime Jello Salad

Here is a fancy and fun green Jello salad with sweet lime flavor.
5 from 4 votes
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Course: Salad
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Furrs Cafeteria Green Jell-O Salad, Lime Jello Salad
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings: 10
Calories: 194kcal

Ingredients

  • 6 ounces Jello lime gelatin 2 small boxes
  • 2 cups boiling water
  • 1 cup cold water
  • 20 ounces canned crushed pineapple drained
  • 16 ounces small curd cottage cheese
  • 8 ounces Cool whip whipped topping
  • 1/4 cup finely chopped pecans

Instructions

  • Place the lime gelatin in a large mixing bowl.
  • Add 2 cups of boiling water and stir until the gelatin is dissolved.
  • Add 1 cup cold water into mixture and stir to combine.
  • Add drained crushed pineapple, cottage cheese, and Cool Whip whipped topping.
  • Stir mixture until the mixture is smooth and blended. There should be no large lumps of the whipped topping.
  • Pour the mixture into a 9 x 13-inch pan.
  • Sprinkle chopped pecans on top.
  • Refrigerate until set.

Notes

You can lightly toast the pecans if desired.

Nutrition

Calories: 194kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 11mg | Sodium: 265mg | Potassium: 152mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 27g | Vitamin A: 130IU | Vitamin C: 5.4mg | Calcium: 74mg | Iron: 0.3mg

About Stephanie Manley

I recreate your favorite restaurant recipes, so you can prepare these dishes at home. I help you cook dinner, and serve up dishes you know your family will love. You can find most of the ingredients for all of the recipes in your local grocery store.

Stephanie is the author of CopyKat.com's Dining Out in the Home, and CopyKat.com's Dining Out in the Home 2.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Jaky Broussard

    I worked for Furr’s in the mid 80’s and even trained a salad department for an opening in California. While I don’t remember exact quantities, I am positive the ingredients include lime jello, water, crushed pineapple, mayonnaise, evaporated milk, cottage cheese and pecans. There is no whipped topping in Furr’s recipe. This was my absolute favorite thing to eat at Furr’s!

  2. Rebel

    I was a salad backer at Furrs Cafeteria in the late 70 and early 80s. This would be called Lime Delight.
    I don’t recall whipped cream for some reason???

    • Rosie

      Theres is a salad at Furr’s that I want to make but not sure what its in there ☹️ it’s green too but for the taste, seems like imitation crab. All the ingredients are white and green. Any change someone knows what it is?

  3. sharron

    have used this for years I add1/4 cup grated cheese and 1 cup carrots making this about 3weight watcerpoins sharron

  4. Michael Pringle

    My family makes a version of this for special occasions such as Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas. Differences: Pistachio pudding powder only(6 oz box), no water, use the “cool whip” or the store brand of it and very, very well drained pineapple and the cottage cheese for any needed liquid. They used to call it “green stuff” but when the Grandma made once with a strawberry or cherry jello, still with no extra water, and it becomes a pink color, so when the grandkids saw this, they called it “pink green stuff” or sometimes it would be “green pink stuff”. This is a thick mixture and goes well with any meal. It does taste good. Give it a try and see. I dare you!

    • MAry

      Michael Pringle
      Please post the recipe, I love the pistachio salad and have been looking for it. I remember eating it at lubbys when I was a kid. Thank you

  5. Georgia

    I make this, jello water can pineapple with juice and 2 tbsp. Sugar , boil 1 minute, chill til jelled add cottage cheese ,cool whip and chopped walnuts, comes out perfect every time!

  6. Daisy Rose

    Mama’s Green Christmas Salad was similar, but she used 16 oz. cream cheese (mixed with jello water) in place of cottage cheese. Let jello cheese cheese mixture partially set (chilling in fridge). Then gently folded in pineapple, drained. Cover top with miniature marshmallows and chopped pecans. Back to fridge to solidify overnight. She always insisted we had at least one ‘green’ vegetable with dinner, be it beans, peas, greens, or salad. We kids called this our ‘greens’ and ‘salad’ and would ‘convince’ Mama we were being doubly good, because of Christmas. Yeah, Mama knew, even though she tried to act ‘put-out’ with us. Remember…she made it for us, made sure it was ‘green’ and called it ‘salad’… {]:< ] ~

  7. Nshargis

    I used the pineapple juice as part of the 1 cup cold water and it did not gel. Also I think maybe it would gel better if jello was chilled a little before adding the remaining ingredients.

    • Michael Pringle

      I believe Waldorf salad has coconut flakes and miniature marshmellows in it as well. Sometimes the Pecans are changed to Walnuts in this salad. Some people like it this way. Personally I do not knowingly eat anything with big chunks of Walnuts in it as they are disgusting, again to me. I know others like Walnuts, but to each their own.

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