Name: Creamy Christmas Fruit Salad with Marshmallows
Prep time: 20 min
Total time: 50 min
Ingredients: 2 cups quartered fresh strawberries; 1½ cups halved seedless green grapes; 1½ cups canned pineapple chunks in juice (well drained); 1 cup canned mandarin orange segments in juice (well drained); 1½ cups mini marshmallows; 1 3.4-ounce box instant vanilla pudding mix; 1¼ cups cold whole milk; 1½ cups thawed whipped topping

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

Scoop down to the bottom of the bowl and you’ll bring up a little of everything. Cold green grapes that still have some snap, a wedge of strawberry, and a few mandarin segments tucked into the vanilla dressing. Then there are the mini marshmallows. Give them half an hour in the fridge and their edges soften just enough to catch a thick coat of cream.

This Christmas fruit salad makes 12 side servings and takes about 20 minutes to put together. While the canned fruit drains, slice the strawberries and grapes and whisk the pudding. Everything can go into the fridge before you set the table. If you’ve got a ham in the oven or guests waiting on breakfast, that’s one dish ready whenever you are.

What You’ll Need

2 cups quartered fresh strawberries. Look for firm berries that smell like strawberries when you open the carton. Rinse them before trimming off the tops, then blot them dry. Small berries can be halved. If you get a handful of especially large ones, cut each quarter across the middle so it fits comfortably on a spoon.

1½ cups halved seedless green grapes. Choose grapes with taut skins that hold firm when you press them. Cut them lengthwise, then measure. Pale green grapes keep the bowl looking bright, and their mild tartness works well with the sweet pudding.
1½ cups canned pineapple chunks in juice, well drained. Measure the pineapple once it’s drained. Some chunks are nearly twice the size of others, so cut the larger ones in half. Pineapple packed in juice has enough tang to come through the dressing.

1 cup canned mandarin orange segments in juice, well drained. These break apart much more easily than pineapple. Let them drain on their own side of the colander so you can lift them out without digging. If the can is heavy on broken pieces, save the most intact segments to add last.
1½ cups mini marshmallows. Plain white minis give you little pockets of softness throughout the bowl. Measure loosely. If they’ve stuck together in the bag, separate them with your fingers so you get one or two in a spoonful and can still taste the fruit.

1 (3.4-ounce) box instant vanilla pudding mix. Check the front of the box for the word instant. It thickens in cold milk, which lets you make the dressing while the fruit is still draining. Regular vanilla gives the mixture the pale yellow color you’ll see between the fruit.
1¼ cups cold whole milk. Measure the milk straight from the fridge. This amount makes the base thicker than a bowl of pudding you’d eat with a spoon, so it can take the whipped topping and still cling to cut fruit.
1½ cups thawed whipped topping. Thaw the tub in the refrigerator according to the package directions, then scoop and measure the topping. It should give easily under the spatula.

How to Make Christmas Fruit Salad

1. Drain the pineapple and mandarins

Empty the cans into a colander over the sink and let the fruit sit for about 10 minutes while you get on with the rest. Spread the pieces out if they’re piled high. Pineapple chunks can trap juice between them, so give them a small shake in the colander. Leave the mandarins alone. If they’re still shiny with juice when you lift them out, set them on a clean paper towel for a minute.

2. Cut the strawberries and grapes

Rinse the fresh fruit under cool running water, drain it, and pat it dry. Pull the grapes from their stems and halve them lengthwise. Hull and quarter the strawberries. Roll a grape half and a strawberry piece next to a pineapple chunk on the cutting board. If one piece would take up the whole spoon, cut it smaller. There should be room for a marshmallow alongside it.

3. Whisk the vanilla pudding with cold milk

Pour the cold milk into a medium bowl. Add the pudding mix and whisk for about 2 minutes, reaching around the bottom edge of the bowl where powder tends to collect. Let it stand for 5 minutes. Draw the whisk through the center. You should see the track for a moment before the surface smooths over. While it stands, measure the drained fruit and get a large mixing bowl ready.

4. Fold in the whipped topping

Fold about a third of the topping into the pudding first to loosen it. Add the rest and use a flexible spatula to lift the pudding up and over the topping until the color is even. Work around the bowl and scrape the bottom once. The dressing should fall from the spatula in a soft mound. If you spot a thick streak of pudding, give that area another fold.

5. Coat the fruit in two additions

Put the strawberries, grapes, pineapple, and marshmallows in the large bowl. Scrape the dressing over them and fold until the cut sides of the fruit look coated. Slide the mandarins in toward the end. Bring the mixture from the bottom up over the oranges a few times. If a segment splits, leave it in the bowl. The ones you handle less will keep their shape.

6. Chill for 30 minutes

Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving. The dressing will firm up a little, and the outside of the marshmallows will soften while the centers stay springy. Give the salad one slow turn with a spoon if any dressing has settled. For a glass serving bowl, lower each scoop into the bowl so the cut fruit shows through the sides.

How to Keep the Dressing Thick

Check the fruit before it goes in. Tip the bowl of cut strawberries and grapes. If a little clear liquid runs to the edge, pour it off. Fruit can look dry on top and still leave water underneath, especially if you rinsed it in a deep bowl. Do the same check with the pineapple after measuring. A droplet or two is fine. A puddle makes it harder for the pudding to hang on.

Use a bowl wide enough to fold in. A 4-quart bowl gives the spatula room to slide underneath the fruit. Pull from the side toward the middle and turn the bowl as you go. In a narrow bowl it takes extra passes to get dressing to the bottom, and the marshmallows tend to collect at the top. Stop when the larger pieces have a thin, even coat and the spatula comes up with a mixture of fruit and marshmallows.

Save a few pretty pieces for the top. Set aside a few drained mandarin segments, two strawberry quarters, and a pinch of marshmallows from the measured amounts. Scatter them just before serving. The exposed orange and red will show clearly against the vanilla, and anyone dipping in for the first time can see what’s in the bowl. This is handy if you’re putting the salad out in an opaque dish.

Spoon around any juice that settles. A little fruit juice can collect at the bottom after the salad has sat for a while. If there’s a visible pool, tilt the bowl slightly and lift it out with a spoon before folding the salad once. Keep any extra stirring brief so the soft bits stay in one piece.

Substitutions and Additions

Fresh clementines. Peel and separate enough clementines to make 1 cup. Pick off any loose white strings and halve the thickest segments if they’re too big for a bite. Fresh clementines have a firmer membrane and a brighter citrus flavor than canned mandarins. If the segments split as you separate them, set them cut side down on a towel before folding them in.

Crisp apples. Replace up to 1 cup of the strawberries with finely diced Pink Lady or Honeycrisp apple. Leave the red peel on for color and aim for pieces about ½ inch across. Dice the apple just before mixing so the cut surfaces spend less time in the air. A tart green apple is a good choice if you want more bite with the vanilla.

Homemade whipped cream. Start with ¾ cup cold heavy cream and beat until the cream holds a peak with a tip that bends. Measure 1½ cups of whipped cream and fold it in where the recipe calls for whipped topping. The pudding supplies the sweetness. For the fluffiest texture with real whipped cream, make the salad on the day you plan to serve it and give it only a gentle turn after chilling.

Toasted pecans. Put ¼ cup finely chopped, cooled toasted pecans in a little dish next to the serving bowl. A spoonful is enough to add crunch to an individual serving. This works especially well if you’re serving the fruit as a dessert and some people want the soft marshmallow texture on its own.

Serving It for Christmas Brunch or Dinner

For Christmas morning, bring the salad to the table when the hot dishes come out. It’s nice with a savory egg casserole, crisp bacon, or warm biscuits, especially if there’s a little pepper or sharp cheddar in the eggs. Use small bowls beside the plates if you want to keep the vanilla dressing away from the savory food. One wide spoonful is plenty alongside a full breakfast.

At dinner, the cold fruit goes well with a glazed ham and buttery rolls. If you’re setting up a buffet, start with half the batch in a small bowl and keep the rest covered in the fridge. When the first bowl runs low, bring out a fresh chilled bowl. A wide, shallow dish is easy to scoop from and shows more of the berries and pineapple at the top.

It also makes a simple dessert when the table already has pie or cookies. Spoon it into small glasses right before dessert, or offer it straight from the bowl with a few butter cookies on the side. The cookies stay crisp there, and anyone who wants a little crumble on top can break one up with their fingers.

Make Ahead and Storage

The day before. Mix the pudding and fold in the whipped topping. Cover the dressing and refrigerate it. Drain the canned fruit and refrigerate it in separate covered containers so you can pour off any juice that collects overnight. You can also wash, dry, and halve the grapes ahead. Leave the strawberries whole until the day you’ll serve them, and keep the marshmallows in their bag.

About an hour before serving. Cut the strawberries and check the containers of fruit for excess juice. Give the chilled dressing a couple of folds with a spatula to loosen it. Assemble the salad, cover, and give it the full half hour in the fridge. If you’re taking it to someone’s house, use a covered container in a cooler with ice packs and refrigerate it when you arrive.

After the meal. Refrigerate the covered salad at 40°F or below within 2 hours of taking it out of the fridge, or within 1 hour if it’s above 90°F. For the best texture, finish what’s left within 24 hours. The berries will soften and tint the dressing a little. Freezing and thawing leaves the fruit soft and the dressing watery, so this is a side to enjoy while it’s chilled.

Frequently Asked Questions

What size cans should I buy?

A 20-ounce can of pineapple chunks and a 15-ounce can of mandarin oranges are good starting sizes. The weight on the label includes the juice. Drain both fruits first, then fill a dry measuring cup without pressing the pieces down. If you’re shopping from the pantry and have an 11-ounce can of mandarins, keep a second can handy in case the first comes up short. Any extra segments can go into yogurt or oatmeal the next morning.

How do I smooth out lumpy pudding?

While the pudding is still loose, press any little clumps against the side of the bowl with the whisk and sweep across the bottom to loosen pockets of dry mix. You can also pour it through a fine-mesh sieve while it’s still thin enough to flow. If it’s already set, whisk the pudding by itself to smooth it before adding the whipped topping. The topping keeps more of its air if it goes into a smooth base.

Can I use frozen strawberries?

Fresh berries hold their edges better. Frozen strawberries release quite a bit of juice as they thaw, even if you drain them, and the red juice quickly colors the vanilla dressing. If fresh strawberries are hard to find, use the same volume of diced red apple, or use 1 cup of diced apple and 1 extra cup of green grapes.

Can I use canned fruit cocktail?

Yes. For a pantry shortcut, replace the pineapple and mandarins with 2½ cups of well-drained fruit cocktail packed in juice. Let it sit in the colander a few minutes longer if the pieces are tiny. Add it near the end of mixing. You’ll get smaller pieces and a softer texture, with the fresh grapes still giving each bite some crunch.

Can I make half a batch?

Yes. Halve the fruit, marshmallows, and whipped topping, and whisk 1.7 ounces of instant pudding mix with ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons of cold milk. If you have a kitchen scale, use it to split the packet. A smaller bowl is fine for folding, and a half batch gives you about six side servings. Chill it for the same 30 minutes.

A spoonful of leftover salad is lovely on a toasted waffle the next morning. Put the fruit over the waffle after it comes out of the iron so the edges are still crisp when you get to the cold vanilla dressing.