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A spring celebration wouldn’t be complete without this “Spring Fling” Fluff Fruit Salad! Perfect for bridal showers, baby showers, birthdays, and Easter, it’s a bright, fresh, and fun fruit salad that showcases all of the season’s best produce!
When the weather warms up and fresh fruits abound, there’s nothing that I love more than tossing all of the sweet, juicy treats into a delicious and easy side dish that the whole family loves!
Even if it’s just February, and even if it’s still FREEZING outside, a girl can dream…right?! Plus, Easter comes early this year and I don’t want to miss an excuse to start celebrating the end of winter!
With a creamy lemon base that is studded with fresh strawberries, blueberries, kiwi, pineapple, and marshmallows, this particular dish is a perfect early-spring treat that pairs nicely with a holiday ham and looks beautiful on a party buffet.
Fluff Fruit Salad Vs Regular Fruit Salad
Let’s be completely clear here: I use the term “salad” VERY loosely! ?
In fact, I would really consider this dish a dessert or a sweet treat, but that’s why it’s so great for a holiday!
Regular fruit salads simply consist of mixed fruit sometimes with a little syrup or orange juice. Whereas this salad has been taken up a notch with whipped topping and marshmallows.
Anything goes when it’s time to celebrate, and nothing makes a child (or a kid-at-heart) more excited than seeing a salad on the table that’s chock-full-o marshmallows!
It’s fun, it’s absolutely delicious, and it couldn’t be easier to prepare!
Ingredients for Making Fluff Fruit Salad
Strawberries – sliced
Blueberries – fresh, juicy and delicious
Kiwi – peeled and sliced
Lemon juice – freshly squeezed, don’t sub for bottled juice
Pineapple – crushed in juice and drained
Vanilla instant pudding mix
Mini-marshmallows
Pecans – chopped
Whipped topping – I used Cool Whip Free
How to Make Fluff Fruit Salad
- Mix first 8 ingredients (strawberries through pecans) in large bowl until well blended.
- Gently fold in whipped topping. Refrigerate 1 hour.
Top Tips for Making This Recipe
- Make sure to thaw the cool whip in advance if using
- Let the fruit salad chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour before serving
- This salad can be made in advance and kept in the fridge for 1-2 days
- You can use any fruit for this recipe, raspberries, blueberries, and oranges would all work well, choose your favorites
- I don’t recommend freezing this recipe
More Easy Fruit Recipes You Might Like:
- Honey Lemon Fruit Salad
- A perfect Thanksgiving fruit salad recipe: 5-Minute Cranberry Fluff Salad
- Mint Julep Fruit Salad
- A fruit salad recipe with Cool Whip: Pink Ambrosia Salad
Fluff Fruit Salad
Ingredients
- ½ cup sliced strawberries
- ½ cup blueberries
- 2 kiwi, peeled and sliced
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 (8 oz) can crushed pineapple in juice, drained
- 1 pkg (3.4 oz) vanilla instant pudding mix
- 1 cup mini-marshmallows
- ½ cup (2.25 ounces) chopped pecans
- 1 ½ cups thawed whipped topping (I used Cool Whip Free)
Instructions
- Mix first 8 ingredients (strawberries through pecans) in large bowl until well blended.
- Gently fold in whipped topping. Refrigerate 1 hour.
Notes
- Make sure to thaw the cool whip in advance if using
- Let the fruit salad chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour before serving
- This salad can be made in advance and kept in the fridge for 1-2 days
- You can use any fruit for this recipe, raspberries, blueberries, and oranges would all work well, choose your favorites
- I don't recommend freezing this recipe
What a pretty fruit salad! This definitely reminds me of warmer days, which is perfect since it snowed yesterday and is freezing outside! Definitely perfect to feed a crowd with! 🙂
Thanks, Gayle! It’s definitely perfect for a crowd!
You have such creative fluff ideas! I love this spring inspired one. It is getting me in the mood for warmer weather and fresh spring fruits!
Hah! We LOVE fluff around here, Jen. It’s one of the kids’ favorite ways to eat their fruit (no surprise)! 🙂
Blair, you ALWAYS bring me back! This was a family staple for Easter feasts. It’s been YEARS but I think I must have it again. Fruit and fluff = a match made in heaven…
Oh, Chrissa — just wait until your son gets a taste of fruit served this way! He’ll DEFINITELY be in heaven! 🙂
I’m so ready for Spring, Blair! Even though our winter has been fairly mild, I’ve had enough, lol. You’ve opened up the doors and I’m going to start posting Spring dishes now too! This looks so delicious and I can see that it would be a favorite with both kids and adults. Perfect for Easter. Sharing 🙂
YES, let’s open the doors to SPRING, Robyn! It can’t come soon enough, in my opinion. 🙂
What a fun salad! I love all the good things you packed in this! I am SO ready for spring, it has been such a dreary winter this year!
Totally agree, Annie. I can’t take much more of the cool GRAY weather. 🙁
do you make the pudding mix with milk, as directed on pkge, or just use the powder in the spring fling fluff salad? thank you.
Hi, Ellen! You just use the powder! 🙂
thought so….just needed to be sure. couldn’t be any easier! can’t wait to try it. thanks very much.
You’re welcome!! Enjoy! 🙂
I think I remember a version of this from at least 30 years ago involving fruit cocktail, lime pudding mix, and marsmallows and cool whip. Here I am, 4:00 a.m., and I think I need to get right down to the kitchen! I can’t wait.
Hah! That’s funny, Marilyn! I think that there are a zillion different recipes like this floating around out there. They’re totally retro, but that’s part of what makes them so fun! 🙂 Thanks for stopping by, and I hope that you enjoy!
I have a question. When you make the spring fling-fluff-fruit- salad do you make the pudding as directed or do you use the dry pudding mix and with the whip?
Hey, Marcia! You just use the dry mix — do NOT prepare the pudding according to the package instructions. 🙂 Enjoy!
Me again. Can I skip the marshmallows, and maybe a second package of pudding mix and some extra cool whip? I really don’t like marshmallows (heresy, I know). I’ll keep everyone posted.
Hi, Marilyn! Sure — you can definitely skip the marshmallows. I would just substitute with an equal amount of additional fruit (whatever you like)!
Works for us! Can’t wait. What are you? The queen of fluff!!
Hah! That sounds about right, Marilyn!! 🙂