Fruit Salad with Instant Vanilla Pudding Dressing
Juicy strawberries, oranges, grapes, pineapple and bananas are folded into a glossy, lightly creamy dressing made by whisking instant vanilla pudding mix into pineapple and orange juice. No cooking, no milk, and the dressing keeps the fruit fresh-looking and coated.
- Prep
- 28 min
- Cook
- —
- Wait
- 1 hr 5 min
- Total
- 1 hr 33 min
- Makes
- About 9 cups (10 side-dish servings)
Steps
Before you start
- Buy pineapple chunks packed in 100% juice, not heavy syrup, since the juice becomes the base of the dressing.
- Use the small 3.4 oz (96 g) box of INSTANT pudding mix. Cook-and-serve pudding will not thicken without heat.
- Expect the can to drain to only about ½–¾ cup (120–180 ml) of juice. You will top it up to 1 cup (240 ml) with juice from the oranges BEFORE making the dressing.
- Choose bananas that are yellow and just ripe with no brown spots, so they hold their shape.
- Plan on about 90 minutes in total, most of it chilling. Bananas are added near the end so they stay pale and firm.
Drain the pineapple
- Set a colander over a 2-cup (500 ml) liquid measuring cup.
- Pour in the canned pineapple and let it drain for 2 minutes, shaking gently.
- The can will probably give only about ½–¾ cup (120–180 ml) of juice, which is expected; you will add orange juice in the next step.
- Tip the drained pineapple into the large bowl and refrigerate the juice in its measuring cup.
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Ready when: Pineapple stops dripping; the measuring cup holds roughly ½–¾ cup (120–180 ml) of juice.
Tip: Keep the juice cold. Warm juice makes a thinner dressing.
Cut oranges, top up juice
- Slice the top and bottom off each orange, then cut away the peel and white pith in strips, following the curve of the fruit.
- Working over a bowl to catch juice, cut the oranges into ½-inch (1.25 cm) pieces, discarding seeds and tough center membrane.
- Add the pieces to the large bowl.
- Squeeze the leftover membranes firmly over the bowl, then pour the collected juice through the colander into the measuring cup with the pineapple juice until it reaches exactly 1 cup (240 ml).
- Any extra orange juice can be drunk or saved.
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Ready when: No white pith remains on the pieces, and the combined juice measures 1 cup (240 ml) at the line.
Tip: Pith is bitter, so take off a little extra. Do this before the dressing, because pudding mix starts thickening within a minute.
Whisk the dressing
- Pour the 1 cup (240 ml) cold juice into the medium bowl.
- Sprinkle in the pudding mix and the vanilla, if using.
- Whisk steadily for 2 minutes, scraping the sides, until no dry lumps remain.
- Let it stand for 5 minutes.
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Ready when: Smooth, pale yellow, and thick enough to coat the back of a spoon; it will be a loose glaze, not a set pudding.
Tip: Add the mix to the juice, not the other way around, to avoid clumps.
Prep strawberries and grapes
- Rinse the strawberries and grapes, then pat them fully dry with a towel.
- Hull the strawberries and cut them into ½-inch (1.25 cm) pieces.
- Halve the grapes lengthwise.
- Add both to the large bowl with the pineapple and oranges.
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Ready when: Fruit is dry on the surface and cut into similar-size pieces.
Tip: Wet fruit waters down the dressing.
Dress the fruit
- Pour the dressing over the fruit in the large bowl.
- Fold gently with a rubber spatula for about 20 seconds, scraping the bottom, until every piece is coated.
- Cover with plastic wrap or a lid.
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Ready when: Fruit is evenly glossy with no pools of plain dressing.
Tip: Fold, don't stir, to keep the strawberries from bruising.
Chill the salad
- Refrigerate the covered bowl for 45 minutes so the flavors blend and the dressing thickens slightly and clings to the fruit.
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Ready when: Dressing is cold and clings to the fruit when you lift a spoonful.
Fold in the bananas
- Slice the bananas ¼ inch (6 mm) thick and add them to the chilled salad.
- Fold gently 5 or 6 times, just until the slices are coated in dressing.
- The acid in the juices slows browning.
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Ready when: Banana slices are completely coated and still intact.
Tip: Overmixing turns the bananas to mush.
Rest and serve
- Cover and chill for another 15 minutes.
- Give the salad one gentle fold, then spoon into a serving bowl or small cups and serve cold.
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Ready when: Salad is cold throughout and the dressing is thick and glossy.
Tip: Serve with a slotted spoon if the salad has released extra fruit juice.
Good to know
Tips
- Keep fruit pieces about the same size, ½ inch (1.25 cm), so each spoonful has a bit of everything.
- For a creamier dressing, whisk ½ cup (120 g) plain Greek yogurt into the finished dressing after it has stood in step 3.
- Never use fresh or frozen-then-thawed pineapple raw in the dressing for a make-ahead salad. Its enzymes can turn the dressing thin and bitter; canned pineapple is safe.
- Pat all washed fruit dry. Extra water is the main reason fruit salads turn runny.
Make ahead
Drain and cut the pineapple, oranges, strawberries and grapes up to 8 hours ahead and keep them covered in the refrigerator, with the juice measured to 1 cup (240 ml). Whisk the dressing no more than 30 minutes before using, then combine, chill, and add the bananas as in the recipe.
Storage & reheating
Room temperature: no more than 1 hour, or 30 minutes in hot weather. Refrigerator: airtight for up to 2 days; the bananas will soften and darken after day 1, and the strawberries will release juice. Freezer: not recommended, because the fruit turns mushy. Stir gently before serving; no reheating.
Substitutions
- reserved pineapple juice from the can, topped up with juice from the oranges → all orange juice. Gives a sweeter, more citrusy dressing. Use canned or bottled juice; fresh pineapple juice can thin the dressing because of its enzymes.
- instant vanilla pudding mix → instant French vanilla or cheesecake pudding mix. Same 3.4 oz (96 g) box size. Do not use cook-and-serve.
- seedless red or green grapes → blueberries or raspberries. Use 1½ cups (about 185 g) of blueberries, or raspberries added with the bananas so they don't break.
- pineapple chunks in 100% juice → canned mandarin oranges in juice. Drain and reserve the juice the same way. Fold in with the bananas to avoid breaking the segments.
