Creamy tropical fruit salad with pineapple, mandarin oranges, bananas, and coconut in a cut-glass serving bowl.

Creamy Tropical Fruit Salad

A chilled, lemon-kissed cream wraps the fruit in a light, fluffy cloud. Juicy pineapple and soft banana make each spoonful feel like an old-fashioned dessert salad made for sharing.

This Creamy Tropical Fruit Salad is light, fluffy, and filled with colorful fruit in a sweet lemon-kissed cream! Pineapple, mandarin oranges, fruit cocktail, coconut, and bananas come together in a chilled dessert salad that feels refreshing without being overly rich. It’s an easy make-ahead favorite for holidays, potlucks, family gatherings, and warm-weather celebrations.

Betty Lou Gardner in a family archival photograph

Granny’s Kitchen Notes

From Betty Lou Gardner

I usually make the fruit base the night before because it always seems better after it has had plenty of time in the refrigerator. The fruit softens just enough, and everything comes together into one big bowl of goodness. I wait until the last minute to add the bananas because I’ve learned they never behave quite as well if they’re mixed in too early.

How to Make Creamy Tropical Fruit Salad

◆
Pineapple, mandarin oranges, fruit cocktail, coconut, and lemon juice being gently mixed in a glass bowl.
01

Mix the Fruit Base

Combine pineapple with its juice, well-drained mandarin oranges, well-drained fruit cocktail, coconut, and lemon juice in a large bowl.

Dry instant lemon pudding mix being sprinkled over a bowl of mixed tropical fruit.
02

Add the Pudding Mix

Sprinkle the lemon pudding mix over the fruit in two additions and fold gently until no dry pockets remain.

Covered glass bowl of tropical fruit salad base chilling on a refrigerator shelf.
03

Chill Until Thickened

Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight, until the creamy coating clings to the fruit.

Sliced bananas and whipped cream being folded into chilled tropical fruit salad.
04

Fold in Bananas and Whipped Cream

Add the bananas and cold whipped cream just before serving to keep the salad light and fluffy.

05

Serve Cold

Transfer to a serving bowl or individual dessert bowls and serve thoroughly chilled.

Creamy tropical fruit salad with pineapple, mandarin oranges, bananas, and coconut in a cut-glass serving bowl.

Creamy Tropical Fruit Salad

A chilled, lemon-kissed cream wraps the fruit in a light, fluffy cloud. Juicy pineapple and soft banana make each spoonful feel like an old-fashioned dessert salad made for sharing.

By Betty Lou Gardner

Prep15 minCook0 minTotal4 hr 15 minDifficultyEasy
PrintReview

Ingredients

Scale

Scaling note: Ingredient quantities scale in this recipe. Review equipment capacity, batch arrangement, and cooking time when changing the yield.

Fruit Salad Base

Final Additions

Optional Additions

Instructions

  1. 8 oz pineapple tidbits, 11 oz mandarin oranges, 15–15.25 oz fruit cocktail, ½ cup coconut flakes, 2 tbsp lemon juice
  2. 1 package instant lemon pudding mix
  3. 2 firm-ripe bananas, 1½ cups whipped cream

Nutrition (Approximate Per Serving)

Yield

About 10 servings — Serving size: About ¾ cup

Some ingredients could not be modeled and may meaningfully change the totals. Treat these values as a rough estimate.

Calories
140
Carbohydrates
20.5 g
Protein
0.9 g
Fat
6.5 g
Saturated Fat
4 g
Cholesterol
20 mg
Sodium
150 mg
Fiber
0.9 g
Total Sugars
17.5 g

You May Also Like

Betty Lou Gardner

Betty Lou Gardner

Betty Lou Gardner’s family recipes are preserved in Granny’s Recipe Box.

Learn More →

What Cooks Are Saying

◆
—

No reviews yet

00
00
00
00
00

Review Creamy Tropical Fruit Salad

Your review will be held for moderation. Approved reviews display the name you enter below; your email is never published.

Rating
Choose 1 to 5 stars

Loading approved reviews…

A question about this recipe?

Send ingredient, instruction, or correction questions to the recipe inbox.

Email Recipesrecipes@gbbutterclub.com