Easy Fruit Salad with Cool Whip Recipe

Need a quick sweet dish for dessert or entertaining? Try this easy fruit salad with Cool Whip recipe!

Whether it’s a special occasion or just dinner with the family, we have some recipes that are quick and easy but always get the stamp of approval from our entire family. This easy 5 cup salad recipe is one of them!

(Photo update: I’m updating the recipe photos as I’ve perfected making the recipe as I’ve made it again and again!)

Easy Fruit Salad with Cool Whip

Fruit fluff, ambrosia, marshmallow salad. Whatever you want to call this easy recipe, it’s been a staple at cookouts and Thanksgiving in my family for years. It’s perfect for holiday meals and for grilling out during the summer.

The great thing about this fruit salad with vanilla pudding and Cool Whip recipe is that you can make it in minutes so it’s perfect for busy weeknight dinners too!

If you’re trying to get your kids in the kitchen with you more, fruit cocktail salad is a great recipe for them to help with! There’s no heat involved so it’s safe for even the youngest chef!

Fruit salad with Marshmallows Ingredients

The basic recipe is simple and you can tweak it to turn it into your own recipe. Some people add things like extra maraschino cherries, nuts, or coconut.

But here are the basic ingredients you need to whip up a batch of this Cool Whip ambrosia salad!

• 1 can of fruit cocktail, drained
• 1 can of mandarin oranges, drained
• 1 can of pineapple chunks, drained
• 1 banana, sliced
• 1 8 oz. container Cool Whip
• 1 3 oz. package instant vanilla pudding mix (I usually use sugar-free.)
• 2 cups miniature marshmallows

How to Make Easy Fruit Salad with Cool Whip

1. Empty the entire container of Cool Whip into a large bowl. Mix in the vanilla pudding mix until smooth.
2. In a separate bowl, gently mix all of the fruit together.
3. Add the marshmallows in with the fruit and mix a bit.
4. Then fold the fruit into the Cool Whip and pudding mixture.
5. Chill and serve.

I recommend chilling the fruit salad for at least a few hours before serving although Weston is known for trying to sneak in a few bites before it goes into the refrigerator to chill.

Printable Fruit Fluff Recipe

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Easy Fruit Salad with Cool Whip

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time23 hours hrs 58 minutes mins

Total Time8 minutes mins

Servings: 16 half cups

Calories: 120

Ingredients

• 1 can fruit cocktail (drained)
• 1 can mandarin oranges (drained)
• 1 can pineapple chunks (drained)
• 1 banana (sliced)
• 8 oz Cool Whip
• 3 oz. vanilla pudding mix
• 2 cups miniature marshmallows

Instructions

• Empty the entire container of Cool Whip into a large bowl.
• Mix the vanilla pudding mix into the Cool Whip until smooth.
• Mix all of the drained fruit together in a separate bowl.
• Add the marshmallows to the fruit and mix.
• Fold the fruit into the Cool Whip and pudding mixture.
• Chill then serve.

Nutrition

Calories: 120 kcal

My favorite thing about making this ambrosia salad Cool Whip recipe (besides how easy it is), is that we can change up the flavors a bit.

This time I didn’t make it with cherries but that’s Grambo’s favorite part. So when she’s in charge of making the fruit fluff, she always buys a little jar of maraschino cherries to add in. She drains them and mixes them right in with the fruit.

She’s also been known to sneak some chopped walnuts into her version! The kids don’t love the nuts, but the great thing is that we can easily divide this into two bowls and add some nuts into one bowl without causing any extra work!

If you’re looking for another easy sweet treat you can make with your kids, try our chocolate cake mix cookie recipe or learn how to make football brownies!

Or you can try another easy fruit salad recipe! This Watergate Salad recipe is another tasty way to use whipped topping!

Photo credit: ezumeimages/depositphotos