This Old-Fashioned Fruit Salad might be the ultimate kid-friendly side dish or dessert. With only four ingredients, this fruit salad is perfect for a cookout, pitch-in, barbecue or whatever you call a gathering with lots and lots of food!
This Old-Fashioned Fruit Salad recipe may be the easiest fruit salad recipe ever, and you might even have all of the ingredients already in your pantry! If not, you can keep all these pantry staples on-hand, and throw it together in a pinch.
We always have a few cans of fruit on hand for a quick snack or side to go with any meal. Barbara’s kids love mandarin oranges, and you cannot beat the prep time to get them on the plate. Just open the can and dump them into a bowl or on a plate!
Doesn’t everyone remember a fruit salad that always showed up at family gatherings or cookouts? This is definitely one of those classic recipes that everyone’s grandma had on hand.
Old-Fashioned Fruit Salad
The sweet flavor from the vanilla pudding makes this easy fruit salad a hit with kids and adults alike, and really, don’t marshmallows make any dish into a kid-friendly one?
Barbara found this recipe in her favorite Pot O’Gold Cookbook (surprise, surprise), and she made it for a Father’s Day cookout. The entire family – young and old – enjoyed it.
How to Make Fruit Salad with Marshmallows
Barbara’s oldest daughter put this fruit salad together for her, and she is only 7. It is that easy!
You basically open two cans of fruit and a bag of marshmallows and dump them into a bowl. Once they are mixed together, sprinkle a box of vanilla pudding over it and stir.
This Old-Fashioned Fruit Salad needs to be refrigerated for at least 6 hours before serving. You can make it the day before you want to serve it and refrigerate overnight.
Feel free to change it up with different cans of fruit, whatever your family prefers.
Need some more cookout recipes? How about our Vintage Barbecue Burgers, Sweet and Sour Coleslaw, Ranch Cauliflower Salad, and Glazed Oatmeal Cherry Bars for dessert?
Other Old-Fashioned Salads
- Old-Fashioned Pea Salad
- Cream Cheese Grape Salad
- Pistachio Salad
- Old-Fashioned Lemon Jello Shrimp Salad
This Old-Fashioned Fruit Salad might be the ultimate kid-friendly side dish or dessert. With only four ingredients, this fruit salad is perfect for a cookout, pitch-in, barbecue or whatever you call a gathering with lots and lots of food!
- 15 oz. can undrained fruit cocktail
- 15 oz. can undrained mandarin oranges
- 10 oz. bag miniature marshmallows
- 3.4 oz. pkg instant vanilla pudding
- Combine both cans fruit and marshmallows.
- Sprinkle dry pudding mix over fruit; mix well.
- Refrigerate overnight or for 6-8 hours.
Linking up to Weekend Potluck.
Phyllis Enstrom says
February 12, 2019 at 6:19 amHi, here is our Old-fashioned Fruit Salad as made by my grandmother and my mother: (and most South Africans) It is a lovely dessert for a hot day.
One Paw Paw with seeds taken out and flesh scooped out or skin cut off and fleshy part cut into small pieces
A few bananas – depending on size of paw paw used but at least 2 or 3 (ensure that they are firm and not over ripe)(If desired the bananas can be sprinkled with lemon juice to keep them from going brown)
One or two oranges pealed and flesh cut up into the combined paw paw and bananas – squeeze a bit of the juice over the fruit salad –
Mix ingredients lightly together
If the paw paw is not a sweet one – a dessert spoon of sugar can be sprinkled over the fruit salad –
Serve with custard or ice cream or both.
Phyllis Enstrom.
Megan says
February 12, 2019 at 2:57 pmWe’ve never tried Paw Paws! Thanks for sharing.