Friends Thanksgiving trifle is possibly the most iconic holiday food in television history. You can make a tasty version of Rachel’s dessert that looks like it contains beef… but is actually a chocolate layer that tastes amazing! Learn how to make this tasty Friendsgiving dessert.
Rachel’s Thanksgiving Trifle
Rachel’s English trifle is the star of the most hilarious Thanksgiving episode in Friends’ 10-year history. The classic episode (Season 6, Episode 9, The One Where Ross Got High) revolves around Rachel working hard to create the perfect Thanksgiving dessert.
In case you need a refresher, Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) is in charge of dessert and is determined to impress Monica (Courteney Cox). Rachel’s dessert is supposed to be a classic English trifle…
But two cookbook pages get stuck together so the whole gang is forced to eat a combination of trifle and shepherd’s pie that “tastes like feet” according to Ross.
It’s a hilarious, epic fail!
What was in the trifle in Friends?
Rachel’s flubbed-up dessert is made from:
- a layer of ladyfingers
- a layer of jam
- custard (made from scratch)
- raspberries,
- more ladyfingers
- beef sautéed with peas and onions
- a little more custard
- sliced bananas
- and whipped cream.
Pop Culture Friendsgiving
A few days ago I discovered that people have actually made (and eaten) this horrible meat trifle concoction. SO GROSS! Others on the internet have created savory versions of the trifle with cornbread and mashed potatoes.
I applaud both efforts but I REALLY wanted to create a dessert version of the Friends Thanksgiving Triffle that you can actually serve and enjoy at your very own Friendsgiving.
(And since my friends are also Friends lovers I wanted to give them a little “beef sautéed with peas and onions” scare!)
Nutella and Coconut “Meat”
The key to the perfect Friends trifle is creating a layer that looks like sauteed beef but actually tastes delicious.
After much trial and error, I discovered that a mixture of unsweetened coconut flakes (shaved coconut) mixed with Nutella (hazelnut spread) tastes great and looks surprisingly like sautéed ground beef.
- To recreate the peas and onion I use small pieces of pears and kiwi.
- The onions are actually canned, diced pears cut into small pieces (think diced onion size).
- The kiwi is cut with a thick (smoothie) straw to make circular, pea-sized pieces.
How to Make Friends Thanksgiving Trifle
A traditional English trifle is made by layering cake, fruit, and custard. It looks complicated by is actually a very simple treat to assemble if you prepare the ingredients/layers ahead of time.
Trifle Ingredients
- Trifle Dish or Glass Bowl (7.5-inch diameter or larger)
- Pound cake (1.5 pounds, cubed)
- Raspberry Seedless Fruit Spread or raspberry jam(1/2 cup, 6 ounces)
- Custard or Vanilla Pudding (2 cups, 16 ounces)
- Fresh Raspberries (24 ounces)
- Unsweetened Shredded Coconut (1 1/2 cups, about 2 ounces)
- Canned, diced pears cut into slices (4 ounces)
- Kiwi, cut into “peas” with a wide straw (about 3 small kiwi fruit)
- Nutella Hazelnut Spread (6 Tbsp, about 4.5 ounces)
- Banana, 1 medium (cut into 1/4 inch slices)
- Whipped cream (
Recipe Prep Steps
- Make the custard. You’ll need 2 cups of custard. I made this easy stirred custard recipe. (You can also use vanilla pudding mix to make 2 cups of pudding as a substitute, but the homemade custard tastes amazing!)
- Make the meat layer components. Meat: Stir 6 tablespoons of Nutella into 1.5 cups of unsweetened coconut (about 2 ounces). Onions: Slice the canned, diced pears (1/4 cup) into small rectangles. Peas: Use the green part of 3 small kiwis to make “peas”. Slice the kiwi 1/4 inch thick then use a thick straw (the same way you use a cookie cutter) to make round shapes. Keep the fruit and coconut separate until you are ready to assemble the trifle.
- Cube pound cake. Slice the cake into 3/4 inch slices then cut each slice into six pieces.
- Make the jam layer. Mix 9 ounces of fresh raspberries into 1/2 cup (6 ounces) seedless raspberry fruit spread. Crush berries into the jam with the back of your spoon.
Assemble the Friends Thanksgiving Trifle
- Place half of the pound cake in the bottom of a large glass trifle dish. Cover pound cake with jam.
- Spoon one cup of cooled custard over the jam to make a thin layer of custard.
- Top custard with 9 ounces of fresh raspberries (make a layer of fresh raspberries).
- Layer on the remaining pound cake.
- Sprinkle pound cake layer with coconut “meat” and top with pear “onions” and kiwi “peas.” Make sure there are lots of peas and onions near the edges of the glass dish so they are easy to see when the trifle is fully assembled.
- Spoon the remaining custard over the “meat” layer, staying one 1/2-1 inch away from the edge. Top custard with banana slices.
- Place trifle in the refrigerator to chill while you whip the cream. Spoon whipped cream over bananas and smooth gently.
- Top with 6 ounces of fresh raspberries. Cover and chill for several hours or overnight.
Printable Friends Trifle Recipe
A printable version of the Trifle recipe is included below. Check out the FAQ section below the recipe for more tips and substitutions.
I hope you try this tasty (and hilariously deceptive) dessert this Thanksgiving. All the Friends fans will enjoy a laugh about Rachel Green’s Thanksgiving Trifle in the middle of the stressful holiday season… AND everyone will love the delicious dessert!
Print
Rachel’s Friends Thanksgiving Trifle Recipe (With Fake Beef)
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 60 minutes
- Yield: 15 people 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: English
Description
Rachel’s English trifle is the star of the most hilarious Thanksgiving episode in Friends’ 10-year history. Delight your friends with this recreation that used a fake “meat” layer made from Nutella and coconut. It’s delicious and laugh-out-loud funny!
Ingredients
- 1 Trifle Dish or Glass Bowl (7.5 inch diameter or larger)
- 1.5 lbs pound cake (cubed)
- 0.5 cup Raspberry Seedless Fruit Spread or Jelly (6 ounces)
- 2 cups Custard or Vanilla Pudding (16 ounces)
- 24 ounces Fresh Raspberries (washed and air dried)
- 1.5 cups Unsweetened Shredded Coconut (about 2 ounces)
- 4 ounces canned diced pears (cut into “onion” slices)
- 3 small kiwi (cut into “pea” shapes)
- 6 tbsp Nutella Hazelnut Spread (4.5 ounces)
- 1 medium Banana (cut into 1/4 inch slices)
- 2 cups Whipped cream (2/3 cup heavy cream, 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, 2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar whipped into stiff peaks)
Instructions
Recipe Prep
- Make and cool 2 cups of custard. I used this easy stirred custard recipe. You can also use a vanilla pudding mix made with whole milk.
- Make the meat layer. Stir 6 tablespoons of Nutella into 1.5 cups unsweetened coconut (about 2 ounces). Make sure it is well combined. Slice canned, diced pears (1/4 cup) into small rectangles. Use the green part of 3 small kiwis to make “peas.” Slice the kiwi 1/4 inch thick then use a thick straw (the same way you use a cookie cutter) to make round shapes. (Keep fruit and coconut separate until you assemble the trifle.)
- Cube pound cake. Slice the cake into 3/4 inch slices, cut each slice into six pieces.
- Make the jam layer. Mix 9 ounces of fresh raspberries into 1/2 cup (6 ounces) seedless raspberry fruit spread . Crush berries with the back of your spoon.
Assemble the Trifle
- Place half of the pound cake in the bottom of a large glass trifle dish. Cover pound cake with jam.
- Spoon one cup of cooled custard over the jam.
- Top custard with 9 ounces fresh raspberries.
- Gently place remaining pound cake over raspberries.
- Sprinkle pound cake with coconut “meat” and top with pear “onions” and kiwi “peas.” Make sure there are lots of peas and onions near the edges of the glass dish so they are easy to see.
- Spoon remaining custard over “meat” layer, staying one 1/2-1 inch away from the edge. Top custard with banana slices.
- Place trifle in refrigerator to chill while you whip the cream. Spoon whipped cream over bananas and smooth gently.
- Top with 6 ounces fresh raspberries. Cover and chill for several hours or overnight.
Notes
Substitutions:
“Meat” layer – If you don’t want to use Nutella and coconut you can make no-bake chocolate oatmeal cookies and crumble them or crush Chocolate Filled Oreos.
Coconut in “meat” – Use Rice Krispies (puffed rice cereal) or chopped nuts if you don’t like coconut.
Kiwi “peas” – Use another green fruit or substitute green candy such as M&M or Sixlets. I prefer the texture of the fruit.
Pear “onions” – Use any white fruit in place of the canned pears. If you use fresh apples soak the slices in 1 cup of water with 1/8 teaspoon of salt then drain well, this will prevent them from browning.
Raspberries – Use any fresh berry in place of the raspberries. I recommend strawberries to keep the same look as the original trifle. If you use strawberries, replace the raspberry jam with strawberry jam for the best flavor.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 piece
- Calories: 245
Keywords: Thanksgiving trifle, Rachel’s trifle, Friends trifle
Frequently Asked Questions
Recipe Substitutions
What can I substitute for the meat layer? If you don’t want to use Nutella and coconut you can make no-bake chocolate oatmeal cookies and crumble them or crush Chocolate Filled Oreos.
What can I substitute for coconut in the meat layer? You can use Rice Krispies (puffed rice cereal) or chopped nuts if you don’t like coconut.
What can I substitute for the peas? You can use any green fruit in place of the kiwi or substitute green candy such as M&M or Sixlets. I prefer the texture of the fruit.
What can I substitute for the onions? You can use any white fruit in place of the canned pears. If you use fresh apples soak the slices in 1 cup of water with 1/8 teaspoon of salt then drain well, this will prevent them from browning.
What can I substitute for raspberries? You can use any fresh berry in place of the raspberries. I recommend strawberries to keep the same look as the original trifle. If you use strawberries, replace the raspberry jam with strawberry jam for the best flavor.
Friendsgiving Questions
Which Friends episode does Rachel make the trifle? Rachel Green makes her Thanksgiving dinner trifle in Season 6, Episode 9, The One Where Ross Got High. The episode revolves around Rachel working hard to create the perfect Thanksgiving dessert… and failing miserably! (Here’s a clip of the episode.)
What does Joey say when eating Rachel’s trifle? While Ross (David Schwimmer) reacts with disgust (“It tastes like feet”), Joey (Matt LeBlanc) wonders, “What’s not to like? Custard? Good! Jam? Good! Meat? Good!”
What ingredient did Rachel mistakenly put in her Thanksgiving trifle? After two pages of the cookbook stick together, she accidentally combines two recipes and adds layers of beef, peas, and onions to the dessert.
Who attends the Season 6 Thanksgiving on Friends? Monica hosts Thanksgiving so Chandler can try and win her parents over. Jack and Judy Geller (Monica and Ross’s parents) don’t like Chandler because Ross told them Chandler smoked weed in college when it was really Ross. Monica tries to get Ross to admit the truth while hiding her relationship with Chandler. The episode’s subplot is Rachel making the beef trifle. The entire Thanksgiving guest list is Rachel Greene (Jennifer Aniston), Monica Geller (Courtney Cox), Phoebe Buffay (Lisa Kudrow), Joey Tribbiani (Matt LeBlanc), Chandler Bing (Matthew Perry), Ross Geller (David Schwimmer), Jack Geller (Elliott Gould), and Judy Geller (Christina Pickles).
More Friends Entertainment for Your Friends
Friends-themed Friendsgiving parties are so much fun! Make your annual Thanksgiving dinner memorable with these free printable Friends quotes, perfect for dressing up your Friendsgiving meal.
Rachel’s Thanksgiving Trifle Free Printable Illustration
These free printable Friends’ Thanksgiving illustrations feature Rachel’s Trifle, Chandler’s Funyun Feast, and All the Potatoes.
I’ve also got free printable Thanksgiving Joke Tellers for kids!
I hope you enjoy this fun Friends Thanksgiving Trifle recipe. Sign up for my free newsletter below and never miss another creative idea!
Jamie
This is a great recipe! I’ve been making it for three years now for a yearly Friendsgiving get together. Always a hit! This year I made the ‘meat’ layer with rice crispies instead of coconut and it was delicious!
★★★★★
Benita
I cannot wait to try this recipe!!!! Thank you for creating Fake Beef, peas and onions!!!!
Christina
Can this be made with something other than coconut?
Bren
Crispy rice cereal or chopped nuts work too!
Moxie
I used a recipe off of Food Network that made the beef sauteed with peas and onions out of ground up chocolate sandwhich cookies (oreos) and green m/ms if you don’t want to do the coconut and fruit.
★★★★
DM
I love this idea. My husband and I are huge Friends fans. Unfortunately, he is allergic to kiwi. Is there anything else that might work for the “peas” in this dish? I’d love to make it for Thanksgiving!
Bren
Some people sub green M&Ms or jelly beans. Any green fruit would work too.
Eleah Stadler
you could use honeydew!
Bren
Yes, but I’m not sure how the melon flavor would taste in this recipe.
Petey Petes
Made this for a Christmas gathering with my ‘Friends’. I was on dessert duty and wanted to do something unique. They were so excited when I unveiled it and we were all pleasantly surprised with the flavour combo. Was worried the pears, kiwi and Nutella might be weird (not as weird as actual beef), but it was quite scrumptious. AND after chilling, the Nutella and coconut firms up and it’s almost wafer like. Thanks so much for the recipe. I showed the pics to a co-worker who is a massive Friends fan, and she’s borrowing my trifle bowl to make it for her Christmas with Friends this weekend.
Thanks for the clever recipe! It won’t be the last time I make it.
Bren
Thanks, Petey! I am glad it was a hit!
Jeanette
This is absolutely Brilliant!!! 😆
Kristen
I made this today (11/28/19) as a surprise for my mother-in-law, who used to watch Friends with my husband back when it was on. I printed out the beautiful printable for the recipe that shows all the layers and we set the trifle in front of her while I pointed out the layers like Rachel did in the show while I read it off the printable. My MIL clapped her hands to her face and stared, and after the recitation was done she had to ask…… is it really beef? *LOL*. It really looked that good! I did let her know that it was NOT beef! I’m not a fan of coconut or nutella, but the combination looked so absolutely perfect! It was easy to eat around the parts that I didn’t like, and the rest was delicious to me! Everyone else at the table devoured the whole thing – apparently it doesn’t taste like feet! 😉 I did have to add about an extra tablespoon of Nutella to my coconut in order to coat all of it – the un-sweetened stuff was so dry that it was difficult to work with, but the end result was great! Thank you for a wonderful recipe and a Thanksgiving memory for my family!
Bren
Thanks for commenting, Kristen! I loved imagining your MIL’s reaction! -Bren
res
Hilarious and great idea.
Sylvia
I appreciate this recipe!! I was trying to think of a way to make the trifle a full-on yummy dessert with the look of Rachel’s “tastes like feet” mistake. This could really fool people in the beginning. Thank you!
Bren
Thanks Sylvia!
Wendy k
This looks fun. I’m going to try it but instead of coconut (🤮) I’m going to try it with oatmeal. Like those otmeal peanut butter no bake cookies.
Bren
Hope it turns out well!
Angela
My friend graduated from college yesterday and her open house theme was FRIENDS. They decorated like Central Perk, had coffee mugs with stickers of “FRIENDS-isms” and character faces, etc. I just KNEW I had to make a trifle for her table, and my niece — the chef — was sooo jealous that she didn’t think of this! Anyway, I followed your recipe to the letter and it turned out perfect! I’m not very crafty nor am I much of a cook so I was pleased that it was so easy. Thanks for putting this out for those of us who would never of figured this out on our own!
Bren
What a fun party!
Ashleigh Modglin
My best friend Ayla is having a graduation party this weekend and it is television show themed. You have to dress up as a character from a TV series and I’m dressing up as Phoebe Buffay. Her favorite TV show is Friends so I made her a framed quote piece of art and a handmade friends themed card. I can’t wait to surprise her with this though. This will the key point of my gift, hopefully. I’m going to make this dessert and bring it to the party and surprise her. Ill have to make gluten free pound cake though. But it should still taste great and still be funny. Thanks for the awesome article and recipe. Shes gonna love it!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Bren
Hope it was a big hit!
Tracey
Question…. I have some in my family that are not huge fans of raspberries. What are your thoughts on making it with strawberries? (Yes yes I know that it would be exactly like Rachel’s, but I want to make this and not be the only one eating it)
Bren
It would be delicious with strawberries! I would cut the strawberries into quarters and switch out the raspberry jam for strawberries too! Let me know how you like it!
Dayna
I made this as a surprise today for our Thanksgiving dinner. As a die hard fan who speaks fluently in Friends quotes I have always wanted to do this but never got around to it. Also I am a vegetarian so I would have needed to make the eggplant version lol.
Anyways…..
A. I had so much fun making it. As it started to look more and more like the one Rachel made, I couldn’t control my evil laughter. lol
B. It was so delicious and an absolute hit!
We will now continue it on as a tradition every year as that is what my family asked for. 🙂
Great recipe!!!
★★★★★
Bren
Thanks, Dayna! I am so glad the dessert was a hit… it is so fun to make and scare everyone!
Kristie
Wow. Good job on that faux beef! I thought it was legit until I read the article.
Looks good!
★★★★★
Bren
Thanks, Kristie. It is scarily realistic!
Kate
This amazing!!! This is the perfeCT thing for next year’s friendsgiving. 🙂 I haven’t tried the recipe yet, but honestly, I love all the ingredients, so I know it will be fabulous!!
★★★★★
Bren
Thanks, Kate!
L
What a smart, hilarious take on Rachel’s famous dessert! Your “beef” looks amazingly authentic.
Bren
Thank you! I’m thrilled you like it!
Stephanie
Any suggestions instead of coconut?
Bren
I also made a batch using walnut chopped in the food processor with Nutella. It also looked a lot like ground beef. I preferred the flavor of the coconut/Nutella.
Amy
I was thinking I’d use some kind of chocolate & oat replacement since we have nut allergies in the family.
Bren
That’s a great idea! Kind of like a no-bake cookie. Maybe you could use a recipe like this then crumble it up.
Caitlin
I just tried mixing Nutella and rice crispies and it looked great! The trick is to use your hands and really crumble them together.
★★★★★
Bren
Great idea, Caitlin! I hope you enjoyed the recipe.
Stephanie
I am a HUGE Friends fan. I will be adding this to my Thanksgiving menu this year. I CANNOT wait to try it!
★★★★★