5 Classic Jell-O Flavors You Rarely See Today

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If you’re a millennial or Gen Z-er, your memories of Jell-O likely involve plastic cups stuffed into your lunchbox, mainly in classic, inoffensive flavors such as Strawberry and Orange. But older generations know that Jell-O has been around for longer than you think, and throughout the iconic product’s decades-long tenure, tons of flavors have come and gone.

Some vintage Jell-O varieties still sound tasty to our modern sensibilities, while others will shock those who didn’t live through the rich history of Jell-O salad and other bizarre food trends involving wobbly, wiggly aspic. The first four Jell-O flavors made in 1897 were actually pretty tame – Lemon, Orange, Raspberry, and Strawberry – but it didn’t take long for the brand to expand rapidly.

Here are five discontinued flavors of Jell-O from the 1900s to the 1990s, from the fruity to the savory to mixes inspired by your favorite caffeinated drinks. These varieties can actually teach you a bit about how American tastes have shifted over the decades. Prepare to embark on a jiggly journey that might make you feel nostalgic, weirded out, or itching to try a bite.

When it comes to Jell-O products that make the youngsters say “yuck,” the savory flavors are low-hanging fruit (or vegetables?). Celery, Mixed Vegetable, and Seasoned Tomato Jell-O all debuted in the ’60s, but the Italian Salad flavor from 1965 is perhaps the most unique. Ostensibly, it tasted like Italian dressing, and as you can guess, these vegetable flavors were meant to help American cooks make Jell-O salads.

At their most basic, these “salads” are simply gelatin with stuff floating inside, poured into a decorative mold. This concept is by no means extinct, and we even have ideas for ingredients you should actually add to Jell-O. But the kind of salads that peaked in the ’50s and ’60s were less “easy dessert for the kids” and more “ham, peppers, and olives in towers of aspic.” For years, if cooks wanted to make the latter type of dish, they had to make do with sweet flavors of gelatin. 

Magazine ads for Italian Salad Jell-O and its brethren hailed them as innovative solutions, telling home cooks, “You’ll never again make a gelatin salad that’s a dessert at heart.” No matter your feelings on savory jellies, you can see why the company would release such flavors. But as the gelatin mold craze petered out in the 1970s — when more modern salads made of fresh produce got popular — savory Jell-O mixes went with them. R.I.P., Italian Salad; you zested up plenty of cocktail parties while you had the chance.

Tired of homemade café lattes? Why not satisfy your java craving by whipping up a square of coffee Jell-O? At least, that was a possibility in the early 1900s, when this discontinued flavor hit stores. Some sources name 1918 as its debut year, but others point to ads from 1908 that depict the flavor. A box of the mix sold for just 10 cents at the time, and was only available in certain regions of the United States.

The exact area where this Jell-O was sold has been lost to time, but coffee gelatin was popular in New England starting in the early 20th century (especially in Boston). While no hard facts back it up, we would guess that coffee Jell-O was meant for that market. There’s even a recipe for coffee Jell-O from 1904, but instead of using the coffee variety, it mixes Raspberry Jell-O with real brewed coffee (yum… ?). 

It’s also not clear when coffee Jell-O was discontinued, but it might have coincided with the decline of coffee jelly in America around the mid-20th century. If a cool, wobbly coffee dessert sounds good to you, you’re not alone. Today, coffee jelly is a popular dessert across Asia, most prominently in Japan. Truly refreshing and delicious on a hot summer day, you can make your own coffee jelly with just three ingredients: sugar, agar-agar, and your favorite cup of joe.

Black Raspberry Jell-O is mentioned in recipe books as late as the 1960s and ’70s, but it might have vanished soon after. For those wondering how black raspberries differ from blackberries and red raspberries, black raspberries are much smaller and sweeter than the other two fruits. In the U.S., black raspberries are mainly grown in Oregon, and you usually have to go to farmers’ markets to get a taste. 

Therefore, many people know the flavor from processed goods such as ice cream, candies, and, at one time, Jell-O. Jell-O actually sold a blackberry-flavored mix as well, which also made it into the ’70s before going extinct. We can’t help but think these long-lost flavors would be amazing in three-ingredient Jell-O gummy bears, but modern consumers have to make do with the plain old Raspberry flavor.

Coffee Jell-O isn’t the only beverage-inspired flavor that came and went in the 20th century. A Cola flavor was introduced in the 1940s, though precious little is known about it otherwise. An official advertisement calls it “the first cola dessert,” but it seems like America wasn’t quite ready for that, as the mix eventually vanished and has never returned. Recipes for Jell-O salads containing Coca-Cola were actually a thing at one point, but they usually called for fruity mixes such as Cherry or Orange, not the elusive Cola flavor. 

Nuts and cream cheese were common additions, with the dairy turning the whole wobbly mass into an interesting shade of orange or beige. Rather than weirdly opaque jelly molds, you might wish you could make artisanal Jell-O shots with this dearly-departed flavor, especially if your favorite cocktail is a rum and coke. Luckily, making a basic cola jelly is as simple as combining the soda with gelatin. Just make sure to use the right amount of booze for your Jell-O shots.

Calling all ’90s kids: This tropical Jell-O mix might have sat on your pantry shelf at one point. Peach Passion Fruit and its partners, Strawberry Kiwi and Island Pineapple, debuted as Jell-O “Tropical Blends” during America’s most fly and bomb decade. Unfortunately, while the Pineapple mix survives today and Strawberry Kiwi lives on in Jell-O cups, Peach Passion Fruit was the only part of the trio to get left behind. It’s probably having a crying sesh with Black Raspberry Jell-O right about now. During their time in the spotlight, the Tropical Blends sported an idea for “Jell-O Refreshers” on the back of the boxes. 

The instructions suggested swapping in seltzer, iced tea, lemon-lime soda, or orange juice for the plain water normally used in Jell-O. It really screams “pool birthday party with an irresistible spread of entirely processed snacks,” much like these nostalgic frozen foods from the ’90s that deserve a comeback. However, those who have made and eaten their share of elaborate aspic creations might call this “recipe” downright wimpy. We suggest splitting the difference and whipping up some Strawberry Jell-O-based vintage strawberry pretzel salad that perfectly toes the line between mid-century nostalgia and modern tastes. After all, that’s exactly what the Jell-O brand has been doing for over a century.