Old-Fashioned Fruit Salad with Cool Whip

(Last Updated On: April 3, 2024)

Old-fashioned fruit salad with cool whip is served as a side dish at Thanksgiving dinner and Christmas for our family. However, you can make this quick and simple fruit salad recipe for any special occasion. It is the perfect side dish for big family gatherings alongside sweet potato casserole, Southern cornbread dressing, green bean casserole, and baked turkey breast. After all, it’s packed with fruit, which is good for you, right? It’s also a light dessert that is creamy, sweet, and fluffy that satisfies the sweet tooth craving deliciously. This fruit cocktail salad is such an easy recipe that takes only about 5 minutes to make.

🍌 Key Ingredients

• 3 cans of fruit cocktail (one 15 ounce can and two 30 ounce cans)
• 1 can pineapple tidbits (15 to 20 ounces)
• 1 can Mandarin oranges (15 ounces)
• 3 bananas
• 1 container Cool Whip or Whipped Topping (16 ounce)
• 1 cup mini marshmallows (optional)
• Your favorite additional add ins (optional)

🥣 How to Make Fruit Salad with Cool Whip

These step-by-step instructions are accompanied by detailed photos for enhanced clarity and guidance.

Step 1. Drain the Canned Fruit Cocktail

Drain one can of fruit cocktail in a colander. Leave it there until all the juice has drained from the fruit. Then, add the drained fruit to a large bowl.

After that, put another can of fruit cocktail in the colander. Do the same thing, let the liquid drain, then put it in the bowl with the other can of fruit cocktail. Draining one can of fruit cocktail at a time ensures that all the juices have drained from the fruit.

See the two cans of drained fruit cocktail pictured below in a large bowl.

Step. 2 Cut up and Add the Bananas

Next, slice one banana and add it together with the fruit cocktail. We are layering the ingredients.

Step 3. Add the Mandarin Oranges

Then, drain the liquid out of the can of Mandarin oranges and add them together with the fruit cocktail salad and bananas.

Step 4. Add the Pineapple Tidbits

Then, drain the liquid out of the can of pineapple tidbits and add them together with the fruit cocktail salad, Mandarin oranges, and bananas.

Step 5. Add More Bananas, Fruit Cocktail, and Any Extra Add Ins

Repeat the steps above, draining the liquid from the other cans of fruit cocktail and adding it to the bowl, then adding the other sliced bananas, layering as you go. However, we haven’t stirred it together yet because we don’t want to make it mushy.

Step 6. Add the Mini Marshmallows

If you prefer, add in about 1 cup of mini marshmallows together with the fruit cocktail salad and assorted fruit. The mini marshmallows taste fantastic in this fruit salad. Your kids are going to love it.

Step 7. Add the Cool Whip or Your Favorite Whipped Topping

Finally, add some cool whip or homemade whipped topping together with the fruit cocktail, whichever brand you like the best.

Step 8. Mix it Up

Then, continue to add more and more of the whipped topping to the fruit salad. Usually, one 16-ounce container of whipped topping is enough.

Mix the cool whip together with all the canned fruit and add ins until it looks like the photo below.

Step 9. Store the Delicious Fruit Salad with Cool Whip in the Freezer

Keep this old-fashioned fruit salad in the freezer until dinner is ready, so it doesn’t become semi-liquid in the refrigerator. We do not want the whipped topping to turn into liquid. So, ideally, it is best to keep it in the freezer until about 5 to 10 minutes before it is time to eat it.

🍍 Variations for this Easy Fruit Salad with Cool Whip Recipe

For this recipe, we used just the basic add-ins above. You can, however, add all different kinds of your favorite fruits or food to this fruit fluff salad recipe to make it your own. Lots of times we will add in the Mandarin oranges, marshmallows, and pineapple tidbits, but sometimes we won’t. This recipe is very customizable, and you can make it however you want! More ideas for add-ins include:

• Strawberries
• Grapes
• Coconut flakes
• Apples
• Greek yogurt
• Nuts
• Peaches
• Extra bananas
• Sour cream
• Cottage cheese
• Maraschino cherries

❓ FAQs About This Classic Fruit Salad

📋 Final Thoughts

This creamy fruit salad recipe is the perfect choice to take to church potlucks during the summer months. It is also so easy to put it in a big bowl and wrap it up with some plastic wrap and take it to your family gathering. The best part about this old-fashioned recipe that my mom and her mom and her mom made is that it is so customizable with the ability to use different fruit and add-ins to make it your own. The entire family is sure to love it!

By the way, if you want to turn this cool whip fruit cocktail salad into an ambrosia salad, all you have to do is add some sweetened shredded coconut!

📋 Recipe Card

💙 More Family Favorites You Will Love

This fruit salad recipe goes great with these other recipes:

• Mashed Potatoes – A simple recipe to make perfect mashed potatoes with milk, butter, salt, and pepper.
• Mac and Cheese – Creamy, crunchy, and made with 3 different kinds of cheeses make this mac and cheese side dish a delicious delight.
• Libby’s Pumpkin Pie – This is the best classic recipe for Libby’s® famous pumpkin pie! 
• Thanksgiving Dressing – Easy and delicious Thanksgiving dressing with chicken livers, chicken hearts, onions, celery, chicken broth, breadcrumbs stuffing mix, and baked in the oven.