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A dessert bowl of frog eye salad
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Frog Eye Salad

This Frog Eye Salad recipe is a unique sweet and creamy fruit salad made with tiny pasta, mixed fruit, vanilla pudding, coconut, and whipped cream. It's a classic beloved side dish or dessert that's perfect for a group!
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time8 minutes
Chill Time8 hours
Total Time8 hours 23 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: frog eye salad
Servings: 12 cups

Ingredients

  • 1 cup dry Acini di pepe pasta
  • 1 3.5-ounce box instant vanilla pudding mix
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 & 1/4 cups whole milk
  • 1 8-ounce can crushed pineapple , drained with juice reserved
  • 1 20-ounce can pineapple tidbits , drained with juice reserved
  • 1 11-ounce can mandarin oranges , drained with juice discarded
  • 2 15-ounce cans fruit cocktail , drained with juice discarded
  • 1 cup mini marshmallows
  • 1 cup shredded coconut flakes (sweetened or unsweetened)
  • 1 & 1/2 cups cold heavy whipping cream
  • 1/4 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • piped whipped cream , for serving, optional
  • maraschino cherries , for garnish, optional

Instructions

  • Bring a pot of lightly salted water to boil. Add in 1 cup dry Acini di pepe pasta and cook for 10 minutes, then immediately drain and rinse under cold water. Shake gently to get any excess water out.
    Acini di pepe pasta in a pot
  • In a large mixing bowl, combine a 3.5-ounce box instant vanilla pudding mix powder, 1/2 cup sugar, 1 & 1/2 cups milk, and 1/4 cup reserved pineapple juice. Beat with an electric mixer for 2 minutes.
    Vanilla pudding mixed with pineapple
  • Add drained pasta to the mixture and gently fold together until incorporated. Cover tightly and chill in the fridge for at least a few hours (or overnight.)
    Acini di pepe folded into vanilla pudding
  • Place fully drained 8 ounces crushed pineapple, 20 ounces pineapple tidbits, 11 ounces mandarin oranges, and 15 ounces fruit cocktail in an airtight container and chill for a few hours (or overnight), as well.
    Canned fruit in a bowl
  • Once everything is chilled, add all the cold fruit, 1 cup mini marshmallows, and 1 cup coconut flakes to the pasta mixture.
    Stirring marshmallows and coconut into frog eye salad
  • In a separate bowl beat together 1 & 1/2 cups cold heavy whipping cream, 1/4 cup powdered sugar, and 1 teaspoon vanilla until it reaches stiff peaks (you should have about 3 cups.)
    A bowl of homemade whipped cream ingredients and a bowl of whipped cream
  • Fold the fresh whipped cream into the fruit/pasta mixture and gently fold to combine.
    Stirring whipped cream into frog eye salad
  • Serve in a trifle dish, large bowl, or individual dessert cups. (If serving in dessert cups, consider topping with a bit of piped whipped cream and a maraschino cherry, if desired.)
    A big bowl of frog eye salad and dessert cups of frog eye salad

Video

Notes

Acini di pepe. This is a tiny pasta similar to couscous and often used in soups and salads. It's pretty common at most grocery stores, but if you can’t find it, substitute with Israeli-style large pearl couscous or large tapioca pearls, keeping in mind that cooking times can vary.
Swap the fruit cocktail. Feel free to replace the fruit cocktail with more pineapple tidbits and mandarin oranges, if preferred.
Use Cool Whip instead. The whipped cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla can be replaced with an 8 ounce tub of (thawed) Cool Whip, if preferred.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cup | Calories: 270kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 37mg | Sodium: 24mg | Potassium: 106mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 16g | Vitamin A: 480IU | Vitamin C: 0.3mg | Calcium: 53mg | Iron: 1mg