I consider this creamy cool fruit salad to be a real treat. It’s actually more of a dessert than pre-dinner course or side dish. But it has fruit, so you can call it a salad if you want. It’s very similar to the ambrosia salad my grandmother and mother used to make. However, it doesn’t have coconut, which is one of the main ingredients in most of the ambrosia recipes.

This delicious treat has all of the other ingredients that ambrosia has, including pineapple chunks, mandarin oranges, and fruit cocktail. And it’s a huge hit at potluck dinners. In fact, a lot of people who don’t care for coconut are delighted to have this as an option.

Even though it’s very sweet, you still get the benefits of the fruit. According to the National Institutes of Health, fruit contains quite a bit of dietary fiber as well as many of the vitamins and other nutrients that you need in order to stay healthy.

Ingredients

Here are the ingredients that you need for this heavenly dessert salad:

• Canned fruit
• Vanilla pudding mix
• Marshmallows
• Whipped topping

Some people add mayonnaise or yogurt, but I prefer it the way I make it. However, you might want to scoop some out and try adding things to see if you like it. I also like to top it off with pecans and halved maraschino cherries to make it pretty. But you can leave it as-is or add whatever you like.

Sometimes I even add pecans. It’s your fruit salad, so make it your own with toppings you love. That’s what I do when I make any recipe.

For exact measurements of each ingredient and full directions, go to the recipe card at the bottom of the page. You can even print out the card by clicking on the “print” button.

Directions

First, drain the cans of pineapple chunks and mandarin oranges. But leave the liquid in the fruit cocktail because you’ll need something for the pudding mix to interact with. Next, pour all of the fruit into a mixing bowl. You’ll have the juice from the fruit cocktail.

Then, sprinkle the pudding mix over the fruit. Stir well. You’ll probably notice that the liquid thickens as soon as it’s mixed with the pudding.

Next, scoop the entire container of whipped topping into the mixture. Then pour the mini marshmallows into it.

Stir the ingredients until you have everything coated. Finally, pour the mixture into a serving bowl. Because this is such a pretty dessert-salad, I like to use a clear bowl so the contents are visible from the side.

If you want to garnish this delicious cloud-like mixture, sprinkle halved maraschino cherries and pecans over the top. Or add whatever works for you.

Other things you might want to consider using as garnish are colorful candies, almond slivers, colorful cereal, or whatever else you think is pretty.

More Easy Recipes for Potluck Dinners

Although this is called a fruit salad, as I mentioned above, it’s obviously more of a dessert. So if you want a real salad that you can eat before or with your meal, try this delicious chickpea salad or this delightful Greek olive and feta salad.

It’s also a great fruity dessert to have after this Instant Pot 15-bean soup or this other easy-to-make homemade bean soup.

We had the fruit salad after eating this ground beef stroganoff that has become one of our favorite go-to dinners. If you bring it to a potluck, you’ll probably want to double the recipe.

This hobo casserole is another successful dish at both family dinners and potlucks. People are always intrigued by the name. And then once they taste it, they want seconds. So make plenty!

Please feel free to share!