Orange Creamsicle Salad
This Orange Creamsicle Salad satisfies my dessert cravings AND is light enough to serve as a barbecue side dish! No matter the time, it’s a great fluffy, sweet compliment to any meal!
Is it a salad or is it a dessert? You decide. This Orange Creamsicle Salad is an old-fashioned favorite that pleases even the youngest crowds. It’s perfect for a light, summery dessert, and it goes great alongside a heavy holiday meal. There’s no time you can’t serve this salad!
The tang of the juicy mandarin oranges surrounded by sweet cream makes this dessert salad feel decadent and rich without heavy and too much after a meal! I like to make this for a quick weekend dinner because it’s half fruit salad, half healthier dessert option!
Looking to use more mandarin oranges but less dairy? Try my Sunshine Salad, a deliciously fresh and acidic tropical fruit salad with bananas and pineapple!
Did I mention this Orange Creamsicle Salad is only FOUR ingredients? You can throw this recipe together quickly if you need an extra side for dinner or want to add a bit of sweetness to the meal.
Ingredients
- Cool Whip — you can also use whipped cream here, but I find the Cool Whip is lighter in flavor and calories. Make your own homemade Cool Whip if you like.
- Cottage cheese
- Orange Jello
- Can of Mandarin Oranges
My favorite part is when I bite into the juicy mandarin oranges that are mixed throughout! The mix of the acidic oranges and the sweet cream reminds me of the quintessential orange creamsicles of childhood.
What I used for my Orange Creamsicle Salad
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- Colander: This colander is great for straining and washing! The handles make it easy to use and the holes are big enough to drain your liquids off while keeping the food in the colander!
- Measuring spoons and cups: Everyone needs a good set of measuring cups and spoons, and these are excellent! The handles make the measuring tools easy to attach and stay together, so no more losing that tiny teaspoon in your drawer!
- Mixing bowls: These glass mixing bowls are beautiful and practical. I love being able to see all my ingredients through the bowl and they nest inside each other for space saving!
This recipe barely needs a recipe, it’s so easy. Combine, stir, and you’re done!
How to Make Orange Creamsicle Salad
- Mix cottage cheese and orange Jello together in a large bowl.
- Add Cool Whip and stir.
- Set five mandarin oranges aside for garnish. Add in remaining mandarin oranges and stir. Refrigerate for 2 hours.
- Garnish with mandarin oranges before serving.
Versions of this recipe have been made for generations! In my family, it’s typically served at special occasions like Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner. It’s sweet, creamy, fluffy and delicious without being too rich or heavy.
What to serve with Orange Creamsicle Salad
Anywhere you would serve a fruit salad, you could definitely have this! My kids like to have this plain, nothing but a bowl and a spoon, and eat it like ice cream. Nothing wrong with that! It’s delicious on its own and goes great with other dishes, both sweet and savory!
My family loves this as a weeknight dinner treat alongside a quick dinner like my Salsa Chicken or these Savory Pork Chops with tomatoes, garlic, olives, and green peppers.
This dessert, much like an Ambrosia Salad, is great served alongside an unfrosted cake, like a buttery Lemon Bread or as a complement to this delicious Blueberry Tea Cake.
How to serve Orange Creamsicle Salad
I like to serve this simply, in a large serving bowl with a decoration of a handful of mandarin oranges fanned across the top for decoration as well as a sprinkling of toasted coconut.
Looking for a little more presentation? Serve Orange Creamsicle Salad over a slice of angel food cake with an extra dollop of Cool Whip and toasted coconut on top for the ultimate fluffy, flavorful summer dessert!
How long does Orange Creamsicle Salad last?
This dessert salad, as with many creamy fruit salads, will last about five days in the refrigerator, so this is a perfect make ahead dish! The longer the flavors sit together, the more they meld together, so feel free to make this the day before your next pool party or barbecue for an even fresher flavor the next day!
I prefer to decorate my Orange Creamsicle Salad within about half an hour of serving to keep the mandarin oranges from drying out in the air or to keep from losing the coconut topping to the mixture.
Other delicious dessert recipes to try…
- Cherry Salad
- Homemade Orange Extract
- Pineapple Pretzel Fluff
- Orange Julius Copycat
- Creamy Fruit Salad
- Snickers Salad
- Grape Salad
- Strawberry Fluff Salad
- Rocky Road Fluff
- Orange Creamsicle Pie
- Tropical Fluff Salad
- Berry Cheesecake Fluff
- Strawberry Cheesecake Fluff
- Mango Banana Marshmallow Salad
- Lemon Blueberry Fluff
- Banana Pudding Fluff
Try my Rainbow Fruit Salad and Orange Creamsicle Cookies.
Do you have any recipes for dessert-like salads? I’m always looking for more recipes to try! Follow me on Instagram @simplystacieblog, on Facebook at Simply Stacie, and on Pinterest @SimplyStacie and let me know how you liked this and my other recipes!
Orange Creamsicle Salad
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Video
Ingredients
- 2 cups cottage cheese
- 2 cups Cool Whip thawed
- 1 orange Jello 4 serving size
- 1 ¼ cup canned mandarin oranges drained
Instructions
- Mix cottage cheese and orange Jello together in a large bowl.
- Add Cool Whip and stir.
- Set five mandarin oranges aside for garnish. Add in remaining mandarin oranges and stir. Refrigerate for 2 hours.
- Garnish with mandarin oranges before serving.
Notes
Equipment
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Clarification on measuring Cool Whip…is the 2 cups measured out, or is it a 16 oz container? Thank you
Great question! The 2 cups of Cool Whip in the recipe is a measured amount, not the full 16 oz container. You’ll want to scoop out and measure 2 cups from the tub.
Great summer salad. Very light, fluffy, and refreshing!
I absolutely love this fruity salad ! Growing up we had this same dish plus we added mini marshmallows. Good times.
Can the cottage cheese be blended first to make it more creamy
Yes, you can do that if you like!
It’s awesome!!!
what cou;ld i used in place of cottage cheese
You could use ricotta cheese or Greek yogurt.
This is a great recipe base! It can be switched up in so many ways. I just made it and used a 16oz. bag of frozen strawberries (thawed), instead of the oranges and switched the jello to strawberry. I also added some mini marshmallows and chopped walnuts. It was fantastic. Next I’m going to try peaches. Thanks 🙂
I make it a little different. I make the jello up and when it sets a little while mix in cottage cheese, cool whip and can of drained oranges and drained crushed pineapple. So good and fluffy.
Can you use sugar free jello powder?
Yes, you can.
am I suppose to add jello power to cottage cheese or make the jello then add it ??????
Add the jello powder to the cottage cheese.
to much scrolling and never did get how to make it !!!!!
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What would be a good substitute for cottage cheese?
You could try Greek yogurt either plain or vanilla flavored. Sour cream might also work.
I have made this for years and have loved it. But the last time I made it, preparing it overnight, the cottage cheese became hard. I used Daisy cottage cheese, and I do not know why it reacted by getting like little pellets. Has anybody else had a similar situation? It used to be my go to salad win, needing one to take to a potluck but now I am a little cautious.
We always use Daisy Cottage Cheese and would love to hear response to this question as I planned to make this for Easter.
How would you increase it if you wanted to use a whole container of cottage cheese
If you are using a 16oz container of cottage cheese, you don’t need to increase it. 2 cups is about 16oz.
I have made this for years but also add a can of drained pineapple tidbits.
WOW AND WOW, this simple recipe is a
MUST to try. I did it last nite, but I used whipping cream instead. No other words to describe this recipe, but DELICIOUS
Thank you Stacie for all your kindness and the beautiful recipes ☀️