A simple, creamy fruit salad made with vanilla pudding cooked in the juice from canned pineapple and mandarin oranges, then folded together with the fruit, bananas, and maraschino cherries. Mary Ringlein’s version comes together quickly and is perfect for potlucks or holiday spreads.
Ingredients
1 pkg. vanilla pudding (cook & serve)
1 can pineapple chunks
1 can mandarin oranges
Bananas, sliced
Maraschino cherries
Instructions
Drain the pineapple and mandarin oranges, reserving 1 cup of the combined fruit juice.
In a microwave-safe bowl, mix the vanilla pudding with the 1 cup of reserved fruit juice.
Microwave for 3–4 minutes, stirring once or twice, until thickened.
Let cool completely.
Add the drained mandarin oranges and pineapple chunks. Stir to combine.
Refrigerate until fully cooled.
Just before serving, fold in the sliced bananas and maraschino cherries.
Serve cold.
Bananas and cherries go in last: Add them right before serving so the bananas don’t brown and the cherries don’t bleed color into the salad.
Pudding type: Use cook-and-serve vanilla pudding, not instant — the cooked version sets up properly with the fruit juice.
