Grandma’s 5 Cup Creamy Fruit Salad Recipe

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Published: April 8, 2022Updated: June 29, 2022Author: Camille Beckstrand
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Only 5 ingredients are needed to make our Grandma's 5 cup creamy fruit salad: pineapple, mandarin oranges, coconut, marshmallows and . . . SOUR CREAM. While not a typical creamy salad, it's a timeless classic that we grew up with and all love. And it comes together in a matter of minutes! It's a perfect side dessert salad to serve, especially in the summer months.
Grandma’s 5 Cup Creamy Fruit Salad Recipe

This Grandma’s 5 Cup Creamy Fruit Salad recipe comes straight from our Grandma!

Our sweet grandma is an amazing cook. Every holiday, we would head over to her house for a delicious dinner and this salad made an appearance all the time.

It’s so simple to make – you just dump it all in a bowl, stir it together, and you’re done! It’s a great recipe to have on hand for your summer picnics, serving big crowds, or bringing to family gatherings.

This dish can also be doubled or tripled if you need to feed a crowd. It’s similar to our 5 Minute Ambrosia Salad here!

I never thought to ask what the ingredients were in this recipe – 2 cups of fruit, 1 cup of coconut, 1 cup of marshmallows, and 1 CUP OF SOUR CREAM.

I couldn’t believe it – SOUR CREAM?!

Well, you better believe it!

I don’t typically care for the taste of sour cream, but you would NEVER know that is what holds this salad together! I think that the sweetness of all the sweet fruit, coconut, and marshmallows offsets the sour of the cream. It’s the perfect combination!

I would highly recommend making this the day you plan on eating it (it won’t hold up as well the next day), but make it at least 2-3 hours before serving. Let it chill in the fridge, and the sour cream will soak up all the sweetness of the fruit.  That’s what makes it taste delicious and so sweet and creamy. It’s such a simple fruit salad but makes for the perfect sweet treat!

What if I don’t like sour cream in my 5 cup fruit salad?

I get it – it really is a strange ingredient in a fruit salad.

But – don’t knock it until you try it. Seriously. Just try it and see how it goes.

However, if you really don’t want to use sour cream, you could swap it out for whipped cream, Cool Whip, vanilla yogurt, or Greek yogurt. You could even try and do a 1/2 cup of sour cream and a 1/2 cup of one of the mentioned substitutes. No matter what you choose to do, it’s a great dish that the entire family will love.

Grandma's 5 Cup Creamy Fruit Salad Recipe in glass dishes

Other variations of this 5 Cup Creamy Fruit Salad

If there is an ingredient that you don’t like (such as coconut flakes), feel free to leave it out and substitute it for something else.

There are lots of ways that our readers have shared about how they make this salad. Here are some of their ideas below:

  • add in chopped walnuts or pecans for added crunch
  • to make it sweeter, stir in a little bit of powdered sugar – it will also offset the tartness from the sour cream
  • add in a small jar of diced maraschino cherries
  • add in a can of drained fruit cocktail (drained)
  • add in dried cranberries and a dash of cinnamon
  • stir in 2 Tablespoons of instant lemon pudding mix for a lemon-taste
  • use Pina Colada flavored yogurt in place of the sour cream
  • top with corn flakes for an added crunch
  • add diced apples (if you don’t like coconut, apples are a great alternative because of the crunch)
  • add halved grapes (red or green)
  • add sliced bananas
  • add some marshmallow creme in with the sour cream to sweeten it up

To make our Grandma’s 5 cup creamy fruit salad you will need:

  1. Canned Mandarin Oranges
  2. Crushed Pineapple
  3. Mini Marshmallows
  4. Coconut
  5. Sour Cream

Be sure to have these items on hand for this creamy fruit salad:

  • Mixing Bowl (You will love THIS  4 piece set)
  • Large mixing spoon (THIS one is a favorite)
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It’s time to make Grandma’s 5 cup creamy fruit salad, and here’s how:

In a large mixing bowl combine the drained oranges, pineapple, marshmallows, coconut, and sour cream.

Stir until completely mixed together.

You could serve it immediately after mixing together, but we recommend that you refrigerate for at least 2-3 hours so that the sour cream can be sweetened by the fruit.

Here are some fun variations that are delicious in this fruit salad: chopped nuts for some added crunch, add in a little powdered sugar for sweetness, add in some diced maraschino cherries, add in various fruits – both canned or fresh. The options are endless with this salad.

Grandma's Cup Creamy Fruit Salad in glass dish

Other tips on making our 5 Cup Creamy Fruit Salad:

  • If you are using canned fruit, but sure to drain it VERY well! If you don’t you will have a soggy salad by the time you are ready to eat it. Some people even blot the canned fruit with a paper towel to get off the excess liquid (I have never needed to do this – just make sure that it’s very thoroughly drained).
  • I do not recommend making this salad more than a few hours before serving, otherwise the marshmallows tend to get soggy and it’s not quite as good.
  • However, if you do have leftovers, you can keep them in the fridge for 2-3 days in an airtight container. Excess liquid will gather at the bottom of the dish, so you can either drain that before eating OR add in some extra marshmallows to absorb it and add some life back into the salad!)
Serves: 6

Grandma’s 5 Cup Creamy Fruit Salad Recipe

Only 5 ingredients are needed to make our Grandma's 5 cup creamy fruit salad: pineapple, mandarin oranges, coconut, marshmallows and . . . SOUR CREAM. While not a typical fruit salad, it's a timeless classic that we grew up with and all love. And it comes together in a matter of minutes!
Prep Time 10 mins
Total Time 10 mins
Print Pin

Ingredients

  • 11 ounces mandarin oranges 1 can, drain well
  • 8 ounces crushed pineapple 1 can, drain well
  • 2 cups miniature marshmallows
  • 1 cup sweetened flaked coconut
  • 1 cup sour cream

Instructions

  • In a large bowl, combine the oranges, pineapple, marshmallows, coconut, and sour cream.
  • Stir until completely mixed together.
  • You can eat it immediately after mixing, but we recommend that you refrigerate for at least 2-3 hours before serving so that the sour cream can be sweetened by the fruit.

Video

Notes

Try these other variations: 
  • add in chopped walnuts or pecans for an added crunch
  • to make it sweeter, stir in a little powdered sugar – it will also offset the tartness from the sour cream
  • add in a small jar of maraschino cherries
  • add in a can of drained fruit cocktail
  • add in dried cranberries and a dash of cinnamon
  • stir in 2 Tablespoons of instant lemon pudding powder for a lemon-taste
  • use pina colada flavored yogurt in place of the sour cream
  • top with corn flakes for an added crunch
  • add diced apples (if you don’t like coconut, apples are a great alternative because of the crunch)
  • add grapes (red or green) that have been halved
  • add diced bananas
  • add some marshmallow creme in with the sour cream to sweeten it up

Equipment

  • Mixing Bowl
  • Large Mixing Spoon

Recipe Details

Course: Salad, Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Grandma's 5 Cup Creamy Fruit Salad in glass dish

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  1. Courtney @ Brilliant Like Fireflies says:
    May 3, 2012
    We have a similar recipe in our family, we call it Sunshine Salad, and we use cool whip, orange and pineapple jello as well as cottage cheese. Yours sounds delicious too!
  2. Patricia Purcell says:
    May 3, 2012
    Thanks! I'm sitting here trying to finalize the menu for a family party this weekend. This sounds perfect!
  3. Grace S. says:
    May 3, 2012
    A friend of mine brought five cups salad to a pot luck once - it was delicious! She also said the recipe was a family classic. I may just have to try making this. I wonder if plain greek yogurt would work in place of sour cream? I think probably!
  4. Nancy says:
    May 3, 2012
    That looks so good!
  5. Emma says:
    May 3, 2012
    Yum! This it was one of my favourite foods as a kid, though our family recipe adds in green grapes :)
  6. paula says:
    May 3, 2012
    Mom used to make this. I MUST make it and see what the husband thinks.
  7. Cristy @ menemini says:
    May 3, 2012
    My mom used to make it the exact same way and I now make it for our BBQ's. It spells Summer for me(:
  8. Yours Truly says:
    May 3, 2012
    This was a family favorite growing up! We added chopped green apples and chopped Snickers bars to our's.
  9. David Franklin says:
    May 3, 2012
    Woww :) This fruit salad looks so refreshing :) Thanks for sharing the Healthy Recipes
  10. Debra Kapellakis says:
    May 5, 2012
    Looks yummy. I remember something similar at every family re-union.
  11. hpru says:
    May 6, 2012
    My mom always made this but without the coconut. The sour cream shouldn't worry anyone. If you let this refrigerate (even over night!) it picks up the sugars from the fruits and the marshmallows! It's delicious!
  12. PixieStick says:
    May 14, 2012
    My grandmother always made this for us grandkids. She would add Acini de Pepe Pasta and called it Frog Eye Salad. It's still my favorite comfort food to this day.
  13. Krista says:
    May 20, 2012
    I use Cool Whip instead of sour cream and we call it Ambrosia. One of our favorites! Thanks for sharing at Church Supper! Have a blessed week & come back soon ~EMM
  14. Carolina HeartStrings says:
    May 20, 2012
    That looks terrific. I cannot wait to try this out. Come and visit us. We have some terrific recipes to share this week.
  15. Jae says:
    June 19, 2012
    I have made this salad for about 20 years! I cannot eat any kind of fruit salad made with cool whip anymore. Sour cream makes it so much creamier. My husband (boyfriend at the time) didn't like coconut, so I substituted the coconut for apples. It's yummy and adds a great crunch. =)
  16. Jae says:
    June 19, 2012
    I have made this salad for about 20 years! I cannot eat any kind of fruit salad made with cool whip anymore. Sour cream makes it so much creamier. My husband (boyfriend at the time) didn't like coconut, so I substituted the coconut for apples. It's yummy and adds a great crunch. =)
  17. Megan says:
    June 20, 2012
    We have a variation in our family, too! We use mandarins, pineapple chunks, marshmallows, and marischino cherries with sour cream.
  18. Cynthia Isom says:
    June 21, 2012
    We use cool whip AND sour cream. Oh, and marischino cherries are a must. Sometimes my mom would add bananas, but I think they get too mushy.
  19. Amanda Mertz says:
    October 8, 2012
    Just saw this on Pinterest and had to check it out...it's the exact same recipe that my family calls "Aunt Frieda's Marshmallow Salad"! Aunt Frieda was my great aunt and my dad says she was old when he was a kid! She could down a beer like no one's business and you'd better keep your hands away from the car door when she was slamming it closed! Aunt Frieda would make it every Sunday to bring to the family lake house and it was the best thing ever. People hear the ingredients and think yuck but it is really good. Thanks for sharing it!
  20. Sandy says:
    December 20, 2012
    That is how we do it too, and we call it "happy salad"! :)
  21. manish gupta says:
    March 7, 2013
    Thanks! I'm sitting here trying to finalize the menu for a family party this weekend. This sounds perfect!
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  22. Tenderly says:
    March 29, 2013
    I love it when people make this but I can never have it. I'm allergic to coconut. Consider making it without coconut if you are going to a party. You'd be surprised how many people are actually allergic. I like to volunteer to make it and I bring a little container of coconut because someone will usually say, "Oh, I love this. Wait! Who forgot to put in the coconut?" This way they can add their own.
  23. McGraw says:
    March 31, 2013
    Sour Cream?! I'm gonna have to try this! My mom made a similar one that I loooove. Mandarin oranges, mini mallows, cool whip, and a packet of orange Jello (still in powdered form!). We never have leftovers when she made it. :)
  24. bonnie hayes says:
    April 27, 2013
    I make this with mandarin oranges, peach chunks, mini marshmallows, pecans, cool whip & cottage cheese. It's my Hubby's all time favorite.
  25. bonnie hayes says:
    April 27, 2013
    I make this with mandarin oranges, peach chunks, mini marshmallows, pecans, cool whip & cottage cheese. It's my Hubby's all time favorite.
  26. Melody says:
    June 18, 2013
    I actually made Watergate salad for the first time the other day (coconut flakes, cottage cheese, pistachio pudding packet, cool whip, crushed pineapple, walnuts, cherries, etc). It was AMAZING! This recipe reminds me of it. A slightly healthier version (wouldn't be as creamy as yours) is to just add tons of fruit and throw in 2 Tbsp of dry vanilla pudding mix. It makes a delicious glaze with the juices of the fruits, and it's not too sweet. Perfect for breakfast OR Dessert OR a side! Enjoy!
  27. Dorothy button says:
    July 21, 2013
    My mother also made this salad for family gatherings. We also have six sisters no brothers.i am seventy and the youngest is fifty five.love your grandmas food recipes. Need more.please.thanks.
  28. Robert says:
    November 14, 2013
    My grandmother and mom often made this at Christmas when growing up. It was a universal tradition. I believe I will prepare it for our Christmas celebration this year. Oh yeah, do not ruin the recipe with Cool Whip, which is anything but "cool"! That concoction is nothing but a lot of chemicals I can't even pronounce. Use the sour cream. The fruit is the sweetener. Happy Holidays!
  29. Michel says:
    July 20, 2014
    We had a similar recipe but it had a can of mixed fruit and a little powdered sugar to cut down the sour cream taste!! Out of this world yummy!!
  30. tk gray says:
    July 20, 2014
    great and sounds delish' i love easy and simple...thanks going to try at my next summer potluck
  31. vanita medford says:
    December 10, 2014
    my receipt calls for mandarin oranges, crushed pineapple, mar. cherries, , cut in half, well drained ( all fruit ) pecan pieces, green grapes, cut in half, cool whip and sour cream, can also add apples. let set over night.
  32. Cherry Davis says:
    March 1, 2016
    I was looking in my cabinet. Just standing there looking t what was there and saw a can of Mandarin Oranges and thought Oh I know what I'll do, make a 5 cup salad. It's been years since I made one, Had to look it up to see what I needed, Happily I have every thing . It will be a surprise for my daughter, It was her favorite when she was a child She will be happy if her taste has not changed.
  33. Cyd says:
    March 1, 2016
    Hi Cherry! Don't you just love when you look in the cabinet and you have all the ingredients for a recipe!! No running to the store for one or two items!! Have a great week and enjoy your 5 cup salad!!!
  34. Kathleen says:
    November 22, 2017
    I made this exactly as directed 2 days before Thanksgiving, I took it out of the fridge Thanksgiving day and the marshmallows didn't disolve and the salad was very bitter what did I do wrong ? I followed the directions exactly to the T what went wrong ? I drained all the fruit cans before adding to the bowl. I didn't serve the fruit salad it was too bitter to consume, maybe I could have added granulated sugar?
  35. Judy Walzer says:
    December 25, 2017
    I was looking up this recipe on line cause I couldn't find it in any of my cookbooks and I have quite a few. It just so happens that I found it here on sixsisters site, here on the internet, so I scrolled through the different comments and variations of this recipe, and I came across your comment that your grandmother and mom used to make what we called 5 cup salad for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Just so happens My Grandmother and Mom made the exact same 5 cup salad for Thanksgiving and Christmas, and I have a brother named Robert who lives in Michigan, and I live in the Seattle area, you wouldn't happen to have a sister named Judy? If so then this is probably my brother Robert across the miles. This was always a favorite of my family ,and I come from a very large family. My Grandmother probably made this x 5.
  36. Judy Walzer says:
    December 25, 2017
    The best old time recipe still sought after to this day. I will be making this for the first time for my man of 15 years and I know it will become one of his favorites too! I will be sticking to the traditional way using Mandarin oranges, pineapple chunks, marshmallows, coconut, and sour cream. That's the way I remember it, and I couldn't get enough. Love it!!! Judy
  37. Jody BEAVER says:
    March 20, 2018
    Husband doesn't like marshmallow or your cream. How can I make this for his likes
  38. Cyd says:
    March 20, 2018
    Sounds like you will be better off finding a new salad recipe. Here are a few ideas that are popular on our blog - https://www.sixsistersstuff.com/recipe/grape-salad-recipe/ https://www.sixsistersstuff.com/recipe/5-minute-jello-salad/ https://www.sixsistersstuff.com/recipe/easy-ambrosia-fruit-salad/ https://www.sixsistersstuff.com/recipe/progressive-dinner-project-mixed-berry/
  39. Stacy West says:
    November 27, 2019
    I use a 8 Oz container of cool whip and I don’t have my recipe but I use some sour cream too. Mine has cherries, mandarin oranges, pineapples, coconut, miniature marshmallows. You can add pecans if you want to.
  40. Lee ann says:
    December 17, 2020
    Aaahhhh. A video screen popped up while reading recipe and now I want THAT recipe!! But how do I find it!?!? It was avocado, cucumber tomato feta cheese salad and I think something else too. But I can’t figure out if your recipe or random since in pop up window!!’ Lol. My daughter would love that salad! Can you help me find it?
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