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–+ servings
Prepared fruit salad in bowl
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4.96 from 105 votes

Easy Fruit Salad

Quick and easy fruit salad recipe with strawberries, blueberries, pineapple and mandarin oranges. Covered in a dressing using vanilla pudding and extracts.
Prep Time25 minutes
Total Time25 minutes
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Servings: 16
Calories: 101kcal
Author: Julie Evink

Ingredients

  • 1 lb strawberries hulled and sliced
  • 11 oz blueberries
  • 3 c. red grapes
  • 1 whole pineapple sliced
  • 15 oz mandarin oranges
  • 2 Tbsp instant vanilla pudding powder not prepared
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tsp almond extract

Instructions

  • In a large bowl whisk pudding mix, vanilla and almond extract until smooth.
  • Add in fruit and gently stir to coat with glaze.
  • Refrigerate at least two hours or overnight. The juices from the fruit will combine with the pudding mix to create a glaze.

Video

Notes

  • You can skip the vanilla pudding mix and extracts if you prefer to have a simple fruit salad that's just tossed together. It will not have a glaze on it if you leave that off.
  • The almond extract can be skipped, just replace it with more vanilla extract if you don't like almond or someone has an allergy.
  • This is great served with yogurt. A fun option is to make breakfast parfaits with it.
  • If you use bananas or apples toss them with a splash of lemon juice before mixing them in the salad to prevent browning.
  • Use fruit with contrasting colors for the best presentation.
  • Chop fruit roughly the same size. It's easier to eat this way and prettier in the bowl.
  • Mix it up by adding fresh herbs. For example you could use basil, lemongrass, lavender or mint for a new twist.
  • The kids love it when you add a few mini marshmallows in this.
  • Make sure you make it at least a few hours ahead of time because the juices from the fruit mix with the vanilla pudding mix and create a delicious glaze on the fruit.
  • I would not recommend using frozen fruit in this recipe. Once the frozen fruit is thawed it is mushy and watery. 
  • Pop leftovers in in the refrigerator and enjoy it the next day or pile it on top of some vanilla yogurt and add a little granola to it for breakfast!
  • You'll want to store any leftovers in a air tight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days depending on how ripe your fruit was when you made it!

Nutrition

Calories: 101kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 14mg | Potassium: 249mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 20g | Vitamin A: 255IU | Vitamin C: 54.1mg | Calcium: 27mg | Iron: 0.5mg