How To Make Fruit Salad

Vanilla Pudding: Start by making the pudding (so it has time to chill). This super easy homemade vanilla pudding cooks on the stovetop for a few minutes and then goes in the fridge to chill completely. I used my popular vanilla pudding recipe with a few small tweaks to make the pudding less thick, so it’s a pourable consistency for topping the fruit.

Whipped Cream: Cream, vanilla and powdered sugar combine to make this fluffy, sweet and flavorful whipped cream topping. Adding whipped cream to the fruit makes it extra decadent – and it makes it similar in taste to an ambrosia salad.

Fruit: Choose your favorite combination of fruits for this salad. You can use a wide variety or as little as two or three different fruits. Make sure that all the fruit is cut into bite-sized pieces before layering it.

Assembling Fruit Salad: I like to assemble this salad in a glass trifle dish so you can see the layers of fruit, pudding and whipped cream. If you don’t have a trifle dish, you can assemble it in a deep bowl. Start by layering the fruit, alternating colors if possible. After all the fruit is layered add the pudding, then the whipped cream. You can finish by garnishing with additional fruit, if desired.

Fruit salad with pudding and white cream on a white plate with a gold fork.

What Fruit Goes Together?

This salad can be made with any combination of fruit that you enjoy. Here are some suggestions, but feel free to play around with it. Note: If you’re displaying your fruit salad in a trifle dish, try to pick fruit in a variety of colors.

Berries: Strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries. This is my favorite combo.

Mixed fruit: Grapes (green and red), pineapple, strawberries, blackberries, raspberries.

Tropical: Mango, pineapple, mandarin oranges, banana, shredded coconut.

Layered fruit trifle topped with whipped cream and berries.

How Long is Fruit Salad Good?

Once fully assembled, this salad is best within 1-2 hours. If you’re using fruit that can turn brown (apples, pears, bananas, peaches, etc.), I highly recommend waiting to add them until right before serving. I don’t suggest treating them with lemon juice, as that might interfere with the flavors in the pudding and whipped cream.

Make ahead tips:

The pudding and whipped cream can be made up to 1 day in advance and stored in the fridge. If the whipped cream thins out, whip it with a whisk or mixer right before assembling.

The fruit can be layered in the dish up to 1 day in advance (without the toppings). Keep it tightly covered and refrigerated, and do not include any fruits that turn brown.

Right before serving, add the pudding and whipped cream.

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