This fruit cocktail salad is a dessert salad that takes less than 10 minutes to prepare and the pastel mini marshmallows make this the perfect salad for Easter. Only 3 Ingredients are required!
Do you like other salad dessert recipes like this? Check out my recipe for Oreo Fluff or Fudge Stiped Cookie Fruit Salad.
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Why You Will Love This Recipe
Midwesterners like to serve these types of dessert salads during Holiday gatherings and this type of salad is probably something you'd see at a church potluck.
It’s not your typical healthy salad with lettuce, cucumbers, and tomatoes that is for sure. 😉
It takes less than 10 minutes to prepare and you can make it the day ahead. Just keep it wrapped up tightly in a fridge with saran wrap.
Ingredients Needed
Fruit cocktail packed in water - A mixture of sweet and tart fruits like cherries, peaches, and pears. This comes in cans or small cups.
Cool Whip - I like to use this for a shortcut but you can always make your own whipped topping using heavy whipping cream
Pastel mini marshmallows or regular white colored marshmallows, I love the colors of these. You find these all year long in the grocery store.
See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
How to Make Fruit Cocktail Salad
Step 1: Drain the juice out of the canned fruit cocktail. Reserve ½ of the fruit cocktail for the top.
Step 2: Add fruit cocktail, mini marshmallows, and cool whip to a medium to large sized bowl.
Step 3: Stir or fold the cool whip together with the fruit and marshmallows until well combined.
Step 4: Serve the salad in a clear glass bowl and flatten the top out with a spatula. Add some extra marshmallows and the reserved fruit cocktail to the top of the salad. This lets people know what is in the salad.
Makes a total of 10 servings and I used a ½ cup for each serving.
Variations to Try
Usually, these type of dessert salads contain Cool Whip or Whipped Topping, canned fruit, and instant pudding mix. The ingredients are very interchangeable.
My favorite is Fudge Striped Cookie fruit salad because of the fudge striped cookies on top.
This cocktail salad is easy to make just like my Oreo Fluff recipe.
In the Fall you can make Pumpkin Fluff or Cranberry Fluff Salad.
Around Christmas time try Peppermint Oreo Fluff.
Recipe FAQs
You do not need to use a container of Cool Whip for this. When I worked at the hotel we would always make our own whipped cream for these dessert salads in a huge stand mixer.
Try adding some toasted coconut flakes, a can of pineapple, or mandarin oranges if you like.
Yes, just mix the salad a day ahead and store it in an airtight container or place saran wrap tightly over the bowl. It will last up to 3-5 days.
Sometimes there will be water on the bottom of the salad. This is from the juice from the fruit cocktail. Just stir it back up again with the other ingredients.
Other Dessert Salad Recipes
If you tried this Fruit Cocktail Salad Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how you go in the 📝 comments below. I love hearing from you! Follow along on Tiktok @jennarecipediaries
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Fruit Cocktail Salad
- Prep Time: 10 min
- Total Time: 10min
- Yield: 10 1x
Description
Fruit cocktail salad takes less than 5 minutes to prep and only has 3 ingredients!
Ingredients
- 2 15 oz cans of canned fruit cocktail packed in water
- 1 8 oz container of Cool Whip lite
- 1 cup of pastel mini marshmallows
Instructions
- Drain the juice out of the canned fruit cocktail. Reserve ¼ of the fruit cocktail for the top.
- Add fruit cocktail, mini marshmallows, and cool whip to a medium to large sized bowl.
- Stir or fold the cool whip together with the fruit and marshmallows until well combined.
- Serve the salad in a clear glass bowl and flatten the top out with a spatula. Add some extra marshmallows and the reserved fruit cocktail to the top of the salad. This lets people know what is in the salad.
- Makes a total of 10 servings and I used a ½ cup for each serving.
Notes
Instead of using Cool Whip make your own whipped topping with heavy whipping cream.Â
If there's any liquid at the bottom of the bowl just fold it in again with the other ingredients.Â
- Category: Salad
- Method: Stir
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
- Calories: 95
- Sugar: 10g
- Sodium: 7mg
- Fat: 3g
- Saturated Fat: 3g
- Carbohydrates: 18g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 0g
Keywords: fruit cocktail salad
Ilene says
You listed pudding, but not what kind.
Linda says
With sprinkle of coconut n chopped pecans....yum yum!
★★★★★
Jenna says
Yep they will start turning brown if you make it too early.
Linda says
why might you want to wait to add the bananas? will the bananas and apples turn brown if this is all made the day before?
Rosanna Goode says
how big of a bowl do I need for double recipe
Jenna says
Apples and bananas would be a great addition!
Lisa says
That was apples and bananas on my last post I didn't know emojis didn't stick whoops
Lisa says
My mom made this often, (for sure on thanksgiving) I as welll. Ours had just a bit different twist to it. Like we use reg fruit salad,drained well,and reg whip cream (not w/water and lite)and we add some finely diced,unpeeled, red and 2or3 sliced . Really very yummy.
★★★★★
Jenna says
No longer than a week.
Yaniz Ramos Da Silva says
How long will it hold well in the fridge? Or should I stick left overs in the freezer?