This Old-Fashioned Fruit Salad is a fruit salad recipe with pudding. It 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!
Vanilla Pudding Marshmallow Fruit Salad
This Old-Fashioned Fruit Salad with pudding mix 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!
Old-Fashioned Fruit Salad with Marshmallows
Doesn’t everyone remember a fruit salad with marshmallows that always showed up at family gatherings or cookouts? This is definitely one of those classic recipes that everyone’s grandma had on hand.
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.
Ingredient List for Vanilla Pudding Fruit Salad
Canned Mandarin Oranges, do not drain
Canned Mixed Fruit, do not drain
Mini Marshmallows
Instant Pudding Mix (vanilla, lemon, etc.)
How to Make Fruit Salad with Marshmallows
Instructions:
- Combine undrained mandarin oranges and mixed fruit with the marshmallows.
- Sprinkle pudding mix over fruit, and gently stir.
- Refrigerate for a minimum of 6 hours before serving.
For the full instructions steps and recipe amounts for fruit salad with pudding mix, scroll to the bottom of this post.
What is an easy fruit salad?
Here’s the simplest way to make a tasty fruit salad for your next holiday or party.
Pick out two cans of fruit from the pantry (mixed fruit, mandarin oranges, diced pears, diced peaches, pineapple tidbits or chunks, tropical mixed fruit).
Without draining, pour into a large bowl. Add a couple cups of mini marshmallows, and stir together.
Take your favorite instant pudding flavor (vanilla, French vanilla, banana cream, lemon, coconut cream), and pour over the fruit mixture. Stir together well.
Cover, and refrigerate for several hours before serving.
Kids and adults absolutely love this easy fruit salad recipe.
Notes About Fruit Salad with Pudding Mix:
- Do not drain the mixed fruit or mandarin oranges.
- Feel free to change it up with different cans of fruit, whatever your family prefers. Canned pineapple, peaches, pears, or even tropical mixed fruit would be fun.
- Try swapping in different flavors of instant pudding including lemon or banana cream.
- 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 mini 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.
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?
Old-Fashioned Salads
Old-Fashioned Lemon Jello Shrimp Salad
Old-Fashioned Fruit Salad - A Fruit Salad Recipe with Pudding
Ingredients
- 15 oz. can undrained fruit cocktail
- 15 oz. can undrained mandarin oranges
- 10 oz. bag miniature marshmallows
- 3.4 oz. pkg instant vanilla pudding
Instructions
- Combine both cans fruit and marshmallows.
- Sprinkle dry pudding mix over fruit; mix well.
- Refrigerate overnight or for 6-8 hours.
Notes
- Do not drain the mixed fruit or mandarin oranges.
- Feel free to change it up with different cans of fruit, whatever your family prefers. Canned pineapple, peaches, pears, or even tropical mixed fruit would be fun.
- Try swapping in different flavors of instant pudding including lemon or banana cream.
- 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 mini 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.
- Love these old recipes? Try Classic Ambrosia or Grandma's Cherry Fluff.
Linking up to Weekend Potluck.
Hi, 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.
We’ve never tried Paw Paws! Thanks for sharing.
My great grandmother used to make this at Christmas for our family get togethers. She would also add flake or shredded coconut and finely chopped pecans for a little bit of texture!