This Creamy Fruit Salad is my perfect summer in a bowl! Juicy mandarin oranges covered in sweet cream and coconut combine for a great party side dish or family night dessert.

Creamy Fruit Salad

Grace your summer dinner tables with this delightful and sweet Creamy Fruit Salad. It’s called a salad, but, really, it tastes more like a dessert. It’s super rich, so luscious, and very easy to make!

This recipe barely needs a recipe: Dump all the ingredients into a bowl and stir. That’s it! It’s a great dish to bring with you to a BBQ or potluck. Warning: It’s not the healthiest salad, but it sure is yummy!

Looking for more fruit salads? You might also like this Cherry Salad, another creamy fruit salad packed with cherries and Cool Whip, or this delightfully green Fruit Cocktail Dessert with Pistachio pudding and pineapple bits.

Ingredients

• Cool Whip
• Sour cream
• Shredded coconut — I prefer sweetened
• A can of mandarin oranges
• Red grapes
• Mini marshmallows

What I used for my Creamy Fruit Salad

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1. 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!
2. 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!
3. 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! 

How to make Creamy Fruit Salad

This fruit salad recipe only has one ingredient — mix it together and you’re done!

1. Add all your ingredients in a large mixing bowl and stir to combine. I like to add everything but the marshmallows and mix that before gently folding the marshmallows in to keep them from deflating.
2. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

What to serve with Creamy Fruit Salad

This salad is perfect for parties and potlucks! The sweet, creamy, fruity dish is a great compliment for grilled dishes like this Maple Dijon Grilled Chicken or my Grilled Sesame Shrimp and Veggies foil packs for easy cleanup!

Need more party sides? This Italian Pasta Salad is flavorful and light — perfect for big crowds or little gatherings since it can be easily doubled or even tripled! 

Looking for a little more presentation? Serve your Creamy Fruit 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!

Creamy Fruit Salad Substitutions

If you aren’t a fan of grapes or oranges, substitute other fruit in their place, like a can of fruit cocktail. Don’t like coconut? Ditch it! Whatever you have on hand will work!

Want to make it a little healthier? Swap the sour cream for Greek yogurt for the same creamy texture with a little added acidity and less calories! While it varies by brand, 2 tablespoons of regular sour cream contain about 60 calories compared to the same amount of plain Greek yogurt for about 18 calories on average.

How long does Creamy Fruit Salad last?

This dessert salad, like most creamy salads, will last about five days in the refrigerator, making this 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 better flavor the next day!

While this looks beautiful in a glass bowl, I like to add a little extra decoration on top with a few fanned mandarin oranges, mini marshmallows, and a sprinkling of toasted coconut. I prefer to decorate my 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. 

More Amazing Summer Dessert Recipes

• Frozen Strawberry Fluff
• Blueberry Tea Cake
• Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
• Lemon Sauce
• Cherry Cake

You’ll also like this Snickers Salad.

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!

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Creamy Fruit Salad

Yield: 6

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 5 minutes

The most simple fruit salad recipe ever! Ambrosia salad is a family favorite, made with mandarin oranges, grapes, coconut, and mini marshmallows.

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Ingredients

• 2 cups Cool Whip, thawed
• 2 cups sour cream
• 1 cup shredded coconut
• 1 – 284ml can mandarin oranges, drained
• 1 cup red grapes
• 1 cup mini marshmallows

Instructions

1. Add all ingredients in a large bowl and stir to combine.
2. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

• 
  ExcelSteel 242 5-Quart Stainless Steel Colander
• 
  New Star Foodservice 42917 Stainless Steel Measuring Spoons and Cups Combo, Set of 8, Silver
• 
  Pyrex Glass Mixing Bowl Set (3-Piece)

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 354Total Fat: 25gSaturated Fat: 17gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 45mgSodium: 79mgCarbohydrates: 32gFiber: 2gSugar: 25gProtein: 3g

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