This old-fashioned frozen fruit salad made with cool whip, walnuts, and fresh strawberries will bring you back to your childhood! This dessert treat comes from my grandma’s recipe box and is a great make-ahead dessert in the summer.
If you like this recipe you’ll also other vintage recipes like this old-fashioned carrot cake and mandarin orange salad.
This recipe is incredibly easy to make. And because it’s frozen, you can make it days ahead. It hits the mark on all my favorites. Made with strawberries, pineapple, and bananas it can be made year-round.
Key Ingredients
- Cool Whip – Yes you can make your own whipped cream. However, if you want that true vintage taste, use cool whip.
- Cream Cheese – Makes sure it’s softened. Place it on the kitchen counter at room temperature for about 20 minutes and you’re ready to whip it into the recipe!
- Fruit – My favorites to use in this recipe are bananas, pineapple tidbits and frozen strawberries.
How to Make Frozen Fruit Salad with Cool Whip
- Whip together the softened cream cheese, cool whip, and sugar until smooth.
- Mix together the nuts, bananas, frozen strawberries, and pineapple in a separate bowl.
- Fold in the cool whip mixture into the mixed fruit until well incorporated.
- Freeze in a serving dish overnight.
When you’re ready to enjoy, just set out for at least 30 minutes to thaw a bit. Slice and enjoy!
There are few recipes that take me back to my childhood, but when I do stumble onto one I want to make it over and over again. This frozen fruit salad is absolutely a treat to be had. I’ve never been one to shy away from old fashioned recipes, so why not fruit salad – frozen. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!
Watch How to Make
Recipe Tips
How to Thaw: This fruit salad will be frozen SOLID when you take it out the freezer. That makes it difficult to cut into. Set out this dessert 30 minutes before you want to slice it.
Strawberries: I prefer using fresh strawberries, cutting them into bit size pieces and then freezing them. It make it much easier to consume this dessert. If you’re in a crunch, you can use frozen berries, they’ll just make bigger bites in the final product.
Nuts: If you don’t like them leave them out! I prefer using walnuts in this recipe but any favorite nut will work. (Except peanuts, I don’t recommend using those.)
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Frozen Fruit Salad
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 0 min
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 12 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Frozen
- Cuisine: American
Description
This old-fashioned frozen fruit salad made with cool whip, walnuts, and fresh strawberries will bring you back to your childhood! This dessert treat comes from my grandma’s recipe box and is a great make-ahead dessert in the summer.
Ingredients
- 9 oz of Cool Whip
- 8 oz of cream cheese, softened
- ¾ cup sugar
- 2 bananas, sliced
- large can of pineapple tidbits, drained
- 10 oz frozen strawberries (I freeze fresh strawberries ahead of time.)
- ½ cup nuts, chopped
Instructions
- Using a hand mixer, whip together cool whip, softened cream cheese, and sugar until smooth.
- In a separate bowl, combine nuts, pineapple, strawberries, and nuts.
- Fold in the cool whip mixture into the fruit and nut mixture. Mix well.
- Add to the pan of your choice. Freeze overnight.
Notes
How to Thaw: This fruit salad will be frozen SOLID when you take it out the freezer. That makes it difficult to cut into. Set out this dessert 30 minutes before you want to slice it.
Strawberries: I prefer using fresh strawberries, cutting them into bit size pieces and then freezing them. It make it much easier to consume this dessert. If you’re in a crunch, you can use frozen berries, they’ll just make bigger bites in the final product.
Nuts: If you don’t like them leave them out! I prefer using walnuts in this recipe but any favorite nut will work. (Except peanuts, I don’t recommend using those.)
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Cup
- Calories: 187
- Sugar: 20.7
- Sodium: 60.4
- Fat: 10.1
- Carbohydrates: 24.1
- Protein: 2
- Cholesterol: 19.1
Keywords: frozen fruit salad, Frozen fruit salad with cool whip
More Dessert Recipes
This frozen fruit salad recipe was originally published back in 2017.
The very top of your description it says, Made with walnuts and fresh strawberries, this make ahead dessert is the perfect cool treat. However the recipe says frozen strawberries. Can you use fresh strawberries?
Yes! I use fresh strawberries that I freeze ahead of time. It’s described in the recipe post but I’ll update the recipe card to avoid confusion in the future. Thanks!
In the recipe you mention frozen bananas but there is no mention of freezing in the steps. Could you clear this up.
In the post it should have said frozen strawberries. I mentioned adding bananas and frozen bananas. 🤦♀️ I am sorry for the confusion and I’ve updated the post. The recipe card has been correct in that you need frozen strawberries but the bananas can just be sliced at room temperature. Thank you so much for letting me know so I can update the post!
looking forward to it!
This recipe is fantastic. I served this and it was a big hit. Will make it over again.
★★★★★