Old-Fashioned Frozen Fruit Salad Recipe

Old fashioned frozen fruit salad

The Spruce Eats / Diana Chistruga

Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 0 mins
Total: 10 mins
Servings: 8 servings

This old-fashioned frozen fruit salad recipe is very easy to prepare and fit for just about any occasion. It is also a delicious side to pair with your favorite ham or turkey holiday dinners. 

Use canned fruit cocktail or use a combination of your favorite canned fruits. Dice a combination of pineapple chunks, peaches, maraschino cherries, pears, and apricots. See the variations below the recipe for an ambrosia-style fruit and nut combination and some substitution ideas.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup heavy cream, or whipping cream, chilled

  • 2 (3-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened

  • 1 cup mayonnaise

  • 1/2 cup red maraschino cherries, quartered

  • 1/2 cup green maraschino cherries, quartered

  • 1 (16- or 20-ounce) can fruit cocktail, drained

  • 2 1/2 cups marshmallows, diced (about 24 marshmallows)

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Ingredients for frozen fruit salad
    The Spruce Eats / Diana Chistruga
  2. In a small bowl with an electric mixer, beat the chilled heavy cream to stiff peaks.

    Whipped cream
    The Spruce Eats / Diana Chistruga
  3. In a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer, beat together the cream cheese and mayonnaise.

    Beat together cream cheese
    The Spruce Eats / Diana Chistruga
  4. Fold in the whipped cream, cherries, drained fruit cocktail, and marshmallows.

    Fold in whipped cream and cherries
    The Spruce Eats / Diana Chistruga
  5. Turn the mixture into a 1-quart freezer container or loaf pan.

    Put in pan
    The Spruce Eats / Diana Chistruga
  6. Garnish with additional maraschino cherries or pecan halves.

    Garnish
    The Spruce Eats / Diana Chistruga
  7. Freeze the salad until firm. Turn out of the container and slice to serve.

    Freeze the salad
    The Spruce Eats / Diana Chistruga
  8. Enjoy.

    Slice
    The Spruce Eats / Diana Chistruga

Recipe Variations

  • For some crunch, add about 1/2 cup of toasted pecan or walnut halves to the fruit mixture.
  • To make Ambrosia Frozen Fruit Salad: Use 1 cup of drained mandarin orange slices, 1/2 cup flaked coconut, 1/2 cup of chopped pecans, an 8-ounce can of pineapple chunks, 1/4 cup of maraschino cherries, and 1/4 cup of halved seedless grapes.
  • Freeze the salad in a large empty juice can. Run hot water over the sides of the can, remove one end with a can opener, and it will slide out easily. The can also leave some nice slicing marks on the salad.
  • Substitute Miracle Whip Salad Dressing for the mayonnaise.
  • For a sweeter salad mixture, add about 1/4 to 1/2 cup powdered sugar.
  • To save on time, use 2 cups of thawed whipped topping or prepared Dream Whip instead of freshly whipped cream.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
497 Calories
39g Fat
37g Carbs
3g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 8
Amount per serving
Calories 497
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 39g 50%
Saturated Fat 14g 72%
Cholesterol 67mg 22%
Sodium 267mg 12%
Total Carbohydrate 37g 13%
Dietary Fiber 1g 5%
Total Sugars 31g
Protein 3g
Vitamin C 2mg 8%
Calcium 58mg 4%
Iron 0mg 2%
Potassium 129mg 3%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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