Fruit Salad Fluff with Cool Whip
Fruit salad fluff with cool whip, a delicious dessert side dish that you can make ahead this holiday season. Full flavors with chunks of banana, mandarin oranges and pineapples, the fun mini marshmallows brings it all together for a perfect kid friendly and family favorite side dish.
Fruit salad fluff with Cool Whip is a delicious dessert side dish you can make ahead for the holiday season. Packed with chunks of banana, mandarin oranges, and pineapple, plus fun mini marshmallows to tie it all together, this kid-friendly, family-favorite fruit salad is always a hit.
Fruit Salad Fluff with Cool Whip
Ready for another amazing fluff salad recipe? Light and airy, fluff salads make a wonderful sweet side dish for holidays, but they’re just as good for picnics or anytime you need to feed a crowd. Made in minutes, you can mix almost any fruit with Cool Whip for a fun, sweet treat everyone will love.
This version is one we put together over the weekend and absolutely loved. It’s full of fruit, folded with colorful marshmallows, and uses banana pudding instead of the more traditional vanilla for a little surprise twist.
Fluff Salad Video Recipe
Ingredients
(Full measurements are in the printable recipe card at the bottom.)
- Very well drained mandarin oranges
- Chilled Cool Whip (not frozen)
- Banana heat-and-serve pudding, prepared and cooled
- Pineapple tidbits, very well drained
- Mini fruit-flavored marshmallows or white mini marshmallows
- Walnuts or pecan pieces (optional)
- One fresh banana, cut into chunks
- Note: This salad needs time to “fluff up.” The pudding will thicken as it chills, and the marshmallows will soften for the perfect texture.
Prepping the Pudding
Before making most fluff salads, you’ll want to prepare the pudding base.
For this recipe, buy a heat-and-serve pudding mix. It cooks quickly and is ready in minutes. Even though it’s technically ready to serve, let it cool at least 20 minutes before using. Warm pudding can melt the Cool Whip and make the salad runny.
If I’m making the pudding the same day, I often pop it in the freezer for a few minutes to speed up the cooling.
Banana pudding is my personal favorite, but vanilla, cheesecake, or even lemon pudding can be used for a different flavor.
How to Make Fruit Salad Fluff
Combine 1 cup (or 1 box) of cooled banana pudding with 8 ounces of chilled Cool Whip. Gently fold together until fully mixed.
Add drained mandarin oranges, pineapple tidbits, fresh banana chunks, and half a bag of mini marshmallows.
Fold gently until everything is coated.
Optional: Top with chopped walnuts or pecans for crunch.
Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight so the pudding sets and the marshmallows soften.
Serving Ideas
Fruit salad fluff gets fluffier as it chills, making it a great overnight, make-ahead side dish for Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, or any gathering.
Serve it in a large bowl or portion into individual cups for easy serving.
Fluff Salad Recipes
Make a fluff salad fruit tray! These dessert salads are inexpensive to make, full of flavor, and make a fun spread if you do more than one.
Ingredients
Steps
Prepare the Pudding First
- 1
Before making most fluff salads you need to prepare the pudding base. Prepare based on the box.
- 2
You can buy a "heat and serve" pudding, which is simply your heated up milk and pudding and is ready in minutes. It can be made on the stove or the microwave. Even though the pudding is ready to heat and serve, its always best to let your pudding cool atleast 20 minutes before making your fruit fluff salad. Popping it in the freezer can help cool it faster. An overheated pudding can melt down your cool whip, requiring a longer set time in the fridge.
Combine Prepped Pudding and Fluff Ingredients
- 3
Combine 1 cup of banana pudding and 8 oz of chilled cool whip and fold together with a spatula.
- 4
Add drained fruit (half can up to the full can, depends on how much fruit you want), one cut up fresh banana, and half a bag of mini marshmallows to the bowl and gently fold until all combined. Make sure your fruit is drained well and not watery.
- 5
Can eat immediately OR place in fridge for 4 hours or overnight for a fluffier salad.
- 6
Optional: Top with nuts like Pecan pieces or walnuts prior to serving.
Nutrition
- Calories
- 170
- Carbs
- 25 g
- Protein
- 1 g
- Fat
- 8 g
- Fiber
- 2 g
- Sodium
- 29 mg
- Sugar
- 19 g
Estimates for one serving.
Filed under Dessert Recipes
