JELL-O is a delicious treat that goes well with many different types of fruits. Whether you complement one JELL-O flavor with a different fruit or add a fruit to its matching JELL-O flavor, there are some careful considerations that you need to make before adding fruit to JELL-O. Only certain fruits will allow the gelatin in the JELL-O to solidify.
No Proteases
Proteases are proteins that are found in some fruits. Proteases do not allow the gelatin in the JELL-O to form correctly and solidify, which is why fruits with these proteins should not be used when creating a fruit-filled JELL-O treat. Pineapple, guava, mango and kiwi are just some examples of fruits that should never be mixed with JELL-O because of the proteases they contain. Stick with fruits that do not contain proteases to ensure that the JELL-O is able to solidify.
Fruits to Use
The Science Buddies organization lists apples, strawberries and oranges as fruits that make excellent additions to JELL-O. Berries like cherries, blueberries and blackberries are also good choices. Lemons, peaches and plums work well in lemon-flavored JELL-O. Raspberries and cranberries make colorful options. Add bananas or coconut to give your JELL-O a tropical flavor.
Preparing Fruits
Some fruits can be placed directly into JELL-O as whole pieces. For example, grapes and blueberries do not need to be prepared in any way before being added to the dessert. Other fruits like strawberries, apples, oranges and lemons should be cut or sliced. If you want to use fresh fruits such as kiwi, guava or pineapple that contain proteases, make your JELL-O dessert and let it solidify before placing the fruit on top of the JELL-O as a garnish. You can also make a sauce out of figs or papaya which can be spread on top of the dessert.
Combinations
JELL-O products are sold in a wide variety of flavors and fruits can be added to make unique combinations. For example, adding lemon slices to lime-flavored JELL-O offers a complementary taste. Try strawberries in kiwi-flavored JELL-O. Add orange slices to orange-flavored JELL-O or blueberries to the blueberry-flavored JELL-O. Get creative when trying to find the perfect combination.