Six Cup Salad | Can't Stay Out of the Kitchen

Six Cup Salad

Teresa Ambra

2013 – Gluten Free Living

Six Cup Salad is a simple, quick, easy, yet lovely fruit salad that you can throw together in about 5 minutes time. The base is a cup of cottage cheese and a cup of sour cream (although I used Greek yogurt this time). Then you add a cup each of marshmallows, coconut, drained mandarin orange segments, and pineapple chunks.

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I like to add a little bit of powdered sugar to it as well to make it a little sweeter. As in this batch, I usually add grapes and sometimes other fruit like sliced strawberries. I’ve tried it with other berries but the salad ends up purple so I stick with strawberries.

Pomegranate arils, fruit cocktail, or canned peaches, apricots, or pears are other additions I’ve made with great success.  I don’t recommend using cut up melons. If you decide to make additions that may increase your preparation time to all of 10 minutes!

The original recipe with only 6 ingredients is quite economical. Even with adding additional fruit it’s usually not too expensive to make. Our family has always loved fluffy salads. My oldest son loves cottage cheese so this was always one of his favorites. There are so many contrasts in texture and taste that it’s really a pleasurable experience eating this salad. While I add a tiny bit of powdered sugar to sweeten the salad, if you want a healthier option you can leave out the sugar.

Back in 1980 a friend brought this creamy Six Cup Salad to a potluck for our Sunday school class. From that first taste I decided this recipe was a keeper. I love having easy recipes on hand. That way if I’m making a large dinner  and some of the side dishes are quick and easy I can concentrate and spend more time on main dishes and desserts! I’ve made a few changes to the original recipe and my title probably shouldn’t be called Six Cup Salad any more since it’s usually 8-or 9-cups but it is what it is!

If you’re looking for a really quick and easy side salad for company or anytime you’re hustling up a meal, Six Cup Salad is fantastic. It’s also gluten free, healthy, and low calorie. Our family loves this salad and we think you’ll like it too.

When I first published this recipe in April 2013, I had just purchased my Canon camera but I wasn’t competent in its use, so I was still using an inferior iPhone. My pictures were a little on the blurry side, plus the lighting was poor. I am trying to upgrade all those old posts with poor quality pictures.

So I recently remade this recipe (April 2015). I was making a meal for a young family at the birth of their first born child, and decided to include this quick and easy salad. While my pictures show peaches included (which I usually like to add), I didn’t actually use them because they were well past the date for freshness. Even still the salad turned out wonderfully without them.

Six Cup Salad | Can't Stay Out of the Kitchen | quick and easy #fruitsalad that tastes as good as it looks! #glutenfree #pineapple #mandarinoranges

Six Cup Salad is so quick and easy to make.

Six Cup Salad | Can't Stay Out of the Kitchen | quick and easy #fruitsalad that tastes as good as it looks! #glutenfree #pineapple #mandarinoranges

This close up shows the detail of the ingredients a little better.

Six Cup Salad | Can't Stay Out of the Kitchen | quick and easy #fruitsalad that tastes as good as it looks! #glutenfree #pineapple #mandarinoranges

Six Cup Salad is also elegant enough to serve company. It’s not only easy to make, it’s very economical, too.

Here’s what I did.

Six Cup Salad | Can't Stay Out of the Kitchen | quick and easy #fruitsalad that tastes as good as it looks! #glutenfree #pineapple #mandarinoranges

I used these ingredients.

Six Cup Salad | Can't Stay Out of the Kitchen | quick and easy #fruitsalad that tastes as good as it looks! #glutenfree #pineapple #mandarinoranges

Start with measuring out your cottage cheese. Add sour cream or Greek yogurtPowdered sugar isn’t in the original recipe but I like a little powdered sugar to sweeten up the sour cream/yogurt and cottage cheese. Add the powdered sugar to the Greek yogurt and cottage cheese in a bowl. Add coconut and marshmallows.

Six Cup Salad | Can't Stay Out of the Kitchen | quick and easy #fruitsalad that tastes as good as it looks! #glutenfree #pineapple #mandarinoranges

Add drained mandarin orange segments and drained chunk pineapple. I usually just use the whole can even if it is a little more than one measured cup. Add grape halves and any other fruit you desire like peaches or pears. 

Six Cup Salad | Can't Stay Out of the Kitchen | quick and easy #fruitsalad that tastes as good as it looks! #glutenfree #pineapple #mandarinoranges

Stir to combine. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Six Cup Salad | Can't Stay Out of the Kitchen | quick and easy #fruitsalad that tastes as good as it looks! #glutenfree #pineapple #mandarinoranges

Six Cup Salad is a wonderful quick and easy fruit salad recipe to have in your repertoire for those days you’re having company, or the other items on your menu require a lot of steps, time, or difficulty.

Six Cup Salad | Can't Stay Out of the Kitchen | quick and easy #fruitsalad that tastes as good as it looks! #glutenfree #pineapple #mandarinoranges

Six Cup Salad is a great salad for company dinners but our kids liked it when I made it for them and not just company!

Here’s the recipe.

SIX CUP SALAD

(Recipe adapted from Brenda Carter, when we attended First Baptist Church Indian Rocks, Largo, FL)

Six Cup Salad | Can't Stay Out of the Kitchen

Six Cup Salad

Teresa Ambra
Six Cup Salad is one of the easiest Fruit Salad recipes ever! This wonderful recipe includes marshmallows, coconut, oranges, pineapple, and grapes. It's a terrific salad for potlucks, backyard barbecues or holidays like Easter, Mother's Day or Father's Day. Gluten free.
No ratings yet
Prep Time 10 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Course Salads and Salad Dressings, Side Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 8
Calories 199 kcal

Equipment

  • 1 salad bowl
  • 1 wooden spoon
  • measuring cups
  • measuring spoons
  • 1 sharp knife to cut fruit

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup sour cream or Icelandic skyr yogurt
  • 1 cup cottage cheese
  • 1 cup miniature marshmallows
  • 1 cup coconut
  • 1 cup mandarin orange segments drained
  • 1 cup pineapple chunks drained
  • 3 tbsp. powdered sugar
  • 1 cup grapes halved
  • 1 cup diced peaches if desired (or use canned peaches)
  • 1 cup diced pears if desired (or use canned pears
  • 1 cup diced apple (dipped in lemon juice) if desired

Instructions
 

  • Mix sour cream, cottage cheese and powdered sugar in a mixing bowl.
  • Add marshmallows, coconut, well-drained pineapple and orange segments.
  • Add grapes and, if desired, a cup of peaches, pears or apples (dipped in lemon juice).
  • Stir to combine.
  • Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Notes

NOTE: This is also good with canned peaches or pears, diced, or apples and bananas dipped in lemon juice. (If you have to dip any of the fruit in lemon juice, you may have to add a little more sugar).
 
NOTE: This recipe does not work well with many berries because they turn the salad purple or are too fragile to be stirred into the salad.
 
© Can’t Stay Out of the Kitchen

Nutrition

Calories: 199kcalCarbohydrates: 25gProtein: 5gFat: 10gSaturated Fat: 6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.3gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 21mgSodium: 101mgPotassium: 204mgFiber: 2gSugar: 20gVitamin A: 553IUVitamin C: 12mgCalcium: 62mgIron: 1mg
Keyword fruit salad, holiday side dish, salad
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

 

[b]Six Cup Salad[/b]
Recipe Type: Salads and Salad Dressings
Cuisine: American
Author: Teresa Ambra adapted from Brenda Carter, when we attended First Baptist Church of Indian Rocks, Largo, FL
Prep time:
Total time:
Serves: 8
Wonderful fruit salad recipe with marshmallows, coconut, oranges, pineapple, and grapes. This recipe is gluten free.
Ingredients
  • 1 cup sour cream or Chobani Greek yogurt
  • 1 cup cottage cheese
  • 1 cup miniature marshmallows
  • 1 cup coconut
  • 1 cup mandarin orange segments, drained
  • 1 cup pineapple chunks, drained
  • 2-3 tbsp. powdered sugar
  • 1 cup grapes, halved
Instructions
  1. Mix sour cream cottage cheese and powdered sugar.
  2. Add marshmallows, coconut, well-drained pineapple and orange segments.
  3. Add grapes and, if desired, a cup of peaches, pears or apples (dipped in lemon juice).
  4. Stir to combine.
  5. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Notes
This is also good with canned peaches or pears, diced, or apples and bananas dipped in lemon juice. (If you have to dip any of the fruit in lemon juice, you may have to add a little more sugar).[br][br]This recipe does not work well with many berries because they turn the salad purple or are too fragile to be stirred into the salad.
Six Cup Salad | Can't Stay Out of the Kitchen | quick and easy #fruitsalad that tastes as good as it looks! #glutenfree #pineapple #mandarinoranges

Doesn’t this salad look gorgeous?

Six Cup Salad | Can't Stay Out of the Kitchen | quick and easy #fruitsalad that tastes as good as it looks! #glutenfree #pineapple #mandarinoranges

Six Cup Salad is so tasty, but it is also very simple with hardly any food preparation time required.

Six Cup Salad | Can't Stay Out of the Kitchen | quick and easy #fruitsalad that tastes as good as it looks! #glutenfree #pineapple #mandarinoranges

If you use apples, bananas, or a fruit that will brown easily this salad won’t keep more than a day or two, otherwise it will keep in the refrigerator for several days.

You may also enjoy these delicious recipes!

Pistachio Fruit Fluff Salad

Pistachio Fruit Fluff Salad | Can't Stay Out of the Kitchen | Such a quick, easy and refreshing #fruitsalad for summer barbecues and #holidays. #fruit #salad

Cherry Fruit Salad

Cherry Fruit Salad | Can't Stay Out of the Kitchen | my husband's favorite #salad recipe. Sweet enough to serve as a #dessert! #fruitsalad #cherries

Ambrosia Salad

Ambrosia Salad | Can't Stay Out of the Kitchen | this heavenly #fruit #salad is perfect for summer #holidays like the #FourthofJuly or #LaborDay. The flavors are divine and it's quick & easy. #cherries #pineapple #glutenfree #ambrosia
Six Cup Salad | Can't Stay Out of the Kitchen

Six Cup Salad

Teresa Ambra
Six Cup Salad is one of the easiest Fruit Salad recipes ever! This wonderful recipe includes marshmallows, coconut, oranges, pineapple, and grapes. It's a terrific salad for potlucks, backyard barbecues or holidays like Easter, Mother's Day or Father's Day. Gluten free.
No ratings yet
Prep Time 10 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Course Salads and Salad Dressings, Side Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 8
Calories 199 kcal

Equipment

  • 1 salad bowl
  • 1 wooden spoon
  • measuring cups
  • measuring spoons
  • 1 sharp knife to cut fruit

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup sour cream or Icelandic skyr yogurt
  • 1 cup cottage cheese
  • 1 cup miniature marshmallows
  • 1 cup coconut
  • 1 cup mandarin orange segments drained
  • 1 cup pineapple chunks drained
  • 3 tbsp. powdered sugar
  • 1 cup grapes halved
  • 1 cup diced peaches if desired (or use canned peaches)
  • 1 cup diced pears if desired (or use canned pears
  • 1 cup diced apple (dipped in lemon juice) if desired

Instructions
 

  • Mix sour cream, cottage cheese and powdered sugar in a mixing bowl.
  • Add marshmallows, coconut, well-drained pineapple and orange segments.
  • Add grapes and, if desired, a cup of peaches, pears or apples (dipped in lemon juice).
  • Stir to combine.
  • Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Notes

NOTE: This is also good with canned peaches or pears, diced, or apples and bananas dipped in lemon juice. (If you have to dip any of the fruit in lemon juice, you may have to add a little more sugar).
 
NOTE: This recipe does not work well with many berries because they turn the salad purple or are too fragile to be stirred into the salad.
 
© Can’t Stay Out of the Kitchen

Nutrition

Calories: 199kcalCarbohydrates: 25gProtein: 5gFat: 10gSaturated Fat: 6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.3gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 21mgSodium: 101mgPotassium: 204mgFiber: 2gSugar: 20gVitamin A: 553IUVitamin C: 12mgCalcium: 62mgIron: 1mg
Keyword fruit salad, holiday side dish, salad
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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