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Home » Recipes » Dessert Recipes » Old Fashioned Frozen Fruit Salad

Old Fashioned Frozen Fruit Salad

By Lynette on May 19, 2021 · 12 Comments

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frozen fruit salad recipe

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.

frozen fruit salad with bite taken out of it

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.
step by step photos on how to make frozen fruit salad

How to Make Frozen Fruit Salad with Cool Whip

  1. Whip together the softened cream cheese, cool whip, and sugar until smooth.
  2. Mix together the nuts, bananas, frozen strawberries, and pineapple in a separate bowl.
  3. Fold in the cool whip mixture into the mixed fruit until well incorporated.
  4. 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!

slice out of pan of frozen fruit salad

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.)

Print
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slice of frozen fruit salad on plate with fork

Frozen Fruit Salad

★★★★★ 5 from 1 reviews
  • Author: Lynette Rice
  • Prep Time: 10 mins
  • Cook Time: 0 min
  • Total Time: 10 minutes
  • Yield: 12 1x
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Frozen
  • Cuisine: American
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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

Scale
  • 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

  1. Using a hand mixer, whip together cool whip, softened cream cheese, and sugar until smooth.
    whipping together cream cheese, sugar and cool whip in bowl
  2. In a separate bowl, combine nuts, pineapple, strawberries, and nuts.
    bowl of frozen strawberries, bananas, walnuts and pineapple for frozen fruit salad
  3. Fold in the cool whip mixture into the fruit and nut mixture. Mix well.
    frozen fruit salad recipe mixture in bowl
  4. Add to the pan of your choice. Freeze overnight.
    frozen fruit salad in pan in freezer

Equipment

hand held mixer with beater

Hand Held Mixer

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11x7 ceramic baking pan

11×7 Baking Pan

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set of 3 glass mixing bowls

Mixing Bowls

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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

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @cleverlysimple on Instagram and hashtag it #cleverlysimple

More Dessert Recipes

  • Lemon Dessert (aka Lemon Lush)
  • Strawberry Rhubarb Pie
  • Strawberry Angel Food Cake

This frozen fruit salad recipe was originally published back in 2017.

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The Best Celery Seed Dressing Recipe »

About Lynette

Lynette is the home cook, recipe tester and photographer for Cleverly Simple which she created in 2010.  Most of her recipes come from the treasured recipe box passed down from her great-grandma, grandmother, and mother.

Lynette’s recipes and projects have been featured in Country Living, Good Housekeeping, House Beautiful and others.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Mary Bramberg

    July 12, 2021 at 2:52 am

    Can I reduce the amount of sugar in the froZen fruit salad?

    Reply
    • Lynette

      August 23, 2021 at 1:45 pm

      Of course! I haven’t tried the results, so let me know how it turns out.

      Reply
      • Sally

        December 09, 2021 at 4:22 pm

        How long can you keep this old fashioned fruit salad in the freezer?

        Reply
        • Lynette

          January 11, 2022 at 10:53 am

          Hi Sally, it will last for quite a while. The only concern is that the longer it’s in there the more likely it will get freezer burn.

          Reply
    • Linda

      February 15, 2022 at 4:18 pm

      Can you use blueberries and no nuts

      Reply
  2. Dalise Blanton

    November 17, 2019 at 10:17 pm

    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?

    Reply
    • Lynette

      November 21, 2019 at 10:41 am

      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!

      Reply
  3. Barbara Karr

    October 08, 2019 at 7:00 pm

    In the recipe you mention frozen bananas but there is no mention of freezing in the steps. Could you clear this up.

    Reply
    • Lynette

      October 09, 2019 at 9:35 am

      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!

      Reply
      • Linda

        October 29, 2021 at 4:37 pm

        What size pan

        Reply
  4. Candy Golay

    July 09, 2019 at 8:26 pm

    looking forward to it!

    Reply
  5. Jacquelyn Potter

    November 17, 2018 at 5:57 pm

    This recipe is fantastic. I served this and it was a big hit. Will make it over again.

    ★★★★★

    Reply

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Lynette Rice head shotHi, I’m Lynette. My desire is to help women who feel uninspired weave time honored recipes into their routines to create a sense of simplicity. Most of my recipes come from the treasured recipe box passed down from my great-grandma, grandmother and mother. And I want to share them with you.  Learn more.

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