Frozen Tropical Cranberry Salad
Gluten Free Living – 2016
Frozen Tropical Cranberry Salad is one of those irresistible vintage salads so popular from the 1960s and 1970s. This one is a little different than most of those frozen salads since it has a tropical flair. I used pineapple, mangos and mandarin orange segments along with strawberries, whole cranberry sauce, rainbow color miniature marshmallows and pecans in a base of condensed milk and non-dairy whipped topping. The salad is then frozen for several hours or overnight. It’s rich enough to be used for dessert though it’s called a salad.
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Over 20 years ago we went to dinner at a friend’s house when she made one of these luscious salads. Her version used a chopped cran-orange relish that came in tubs, but was only available during the holidays.
But the first time I ever sampled one of these frozen salads was in the 1970s when someone brought her version to a potluck at our church. I had never grown up eating frozen salad, but I sure loved it after the first bite. While this recipe is gluten free, it can by no means be considered healthy or low calorie. It is sensational, however.
I wanted to make a frozen salad for a potluck we were throwing at our house a few weeks ago. It took less than 10 minutes to make, although you do have to set the salad out about 15-30 minutes before you can cut into it (especially if it’s been frozen overnight).
My husband has always liked fruity fluffy-type salads. I’ve made and posted several of our favorites such as Cherry Fruit Salad, Pistachio Fruit Fluff Salad, Ambrosia Salad, Taffy Apple Salad, Ambrosia Waldorf Salad, Creamy Ambrosia Salad and Creamy Grape Salad.
I encouraged one of the guys who doesn’t normally eat anything with cranberries to try it and he thought it was delicious. It really is a scrumptious salad and all the fruit it in adds a lovely festive color as well as texture. All the leftovers were carried off by our guests so we didn’t have any after the party. I’m glad I got a bite before then. 🙂
We love frozen salads and Frozen Tropical Cranberry Salad is one of the best!
This fluffy fruit salad is chocked full of fruit, pecans and marshmallows.
Frozen Tropical Cranberry Salad is a great salad for potlucks, backyard barbecues or any time you have friends over for a cook out. The coolness of this salad is great for hot, summer days.
Here’s what I did.
I used these ingredients.
Empty non-dairy whipped topping into a large bowl. Add sweetened condensed milk and stir well to combine.
Add drained pineapple, drained mangos, drained mandarin orange segments, fresh strawberries, rainbow color miniature marshmallows, pecans and a can of whole berry cranberry sauce.
Stir ingredients to combine.
Pour into a 9×13″ glass baking dish. Cover with foil. Refrigerate several hours or overnight.
Set out about 30 minutes before serving.
Serve Frozen Tropical Cranberry Salad for any kind of holiday meal – summer holidays or Thanksgiving. Everyone loves it.
If you enjoy frozen salads, you’ll love this one. But make no mistake, even though it’s gluten free there’s nothing low calorie about this salad. 🙂
Here’s the recipe.
FROZEN TROPICAL CRANBERRY SALAD
(My own concoction)
Frozen Tropical Cranberry Salad
Equipment
- 1 9x13" glass baking dish
- 1 large mixing bowl
- 1 whisk
- 1 wooden spoon
- measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- 1 sharp knife to dice strawberries
- 1 nut chopper if nuts are not previously chopped
Ingredients
- 16 oz. can whole berry cranberry sauce
- 29 oz. can crushed pineapple drained
- 14.5 oz. can mangos diced and drained
- 14 oz. can mandarin orange segments drained
- 1 cup pecans or walnuts, chopped (measure after chopping)
- 8 oz. fresh strawberries diced
- 2 cups jet-puffed rainbow-color miniature marshmallows
- 16 oz. container non dairy whipped topping
- 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
Instructions
- Combine whipped topping and sweetened condensed milk and whisk until well incorporated.
- Add fruits, nuts and marshmallows and stir well to combine.
- Pour mixture into a 9x13” glass baking dish.
- Cover with foil.
- Freeze until firm about 24 hours.
- Remove from freezer, cut into squares to serve.
Notes
© Can’t Stay Out of the Kitchen
Nutrition
- 16-oz. can whole berry cranberry sauce
- 29-oz. can crushed pineapple, drained
- 14.5-oz. can diced mangos, drained
- 14-oz. can mandarin orange segments, drained
- 1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
- 8-oz. fresh strawberries, diced
- 2 cups Kraft jet-puffed rainbow-color miniature marshmallows
- 16-oz. container non-dairy whipped topping
- 14-oz. can sweetened condensed milk
- Combine whipped topping and sweetened condensed milk and whisk until well incorporated.
- Add fruits, nuts and marshmallows and stir well to combine.
- Pour mixture into a 9×13” glass baking dish.
- Cover with foil.
- Freeze until firm about 24 hours.
- Remove from freezer, cut into squares to serve.
This frozen salad had a nice crunchy texture from the pecans and fruits. It was wonderful.
If you need a cool, refreshing salad for your next company dinner, I can’t recommend Frozen Tropical Cranberry Salad enough. It only takes ten minutes to throw together and you can stash it in the freezer the night before you need to serve it. It’s so quick and easy.
The addition of strawberries made this salad quite delectable. The colors are festive and the texture is superb. It makes an excellent choice for any kind of special occasion or holiday dinner.
You may also enjoy these delicious recipes!
Frozen Tropical Cranberry Salad
Equipment
- 1 9×13" glass baking dish
- 1 large mixing bowl
- 1 whisk
- 1 wooden spoon
- measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- 1 sharp knife to dice strawberries
- 1 nut chopper if nuts are not previously chopped
Ingredients
- 16 oz. can whole berry cranberry sauce
- 29 oz. can crushed pineapple drained
- 14.5 oz. can mangos diced and drained
- 14 oz. can mandarin orange segments drained
- 1 cup pecans or walnuts, chopped (measure after chopping)
- 8 oz. fresh strawberries diced
- 2 cups jet-puffed rainbow-color miniature marshmallows
- 16 oz. container non dairy whipped topping
- 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
Instructions
- Combine whipped topping and sweetened condensed milk and whisk until well incorporated.
- Add fruits, nuts and marshmallows and stir well to combine.
- Pour mixture into a 9×13” glass baking dish.
- Cover with foil.
- Freeze until firm about 24 hours.
- Remove from freezer, cut into squares to serve.
2 Comments
Shari Kelley
June 16, 2016 at 3:51 pm
This looks like a perfect dessert for Arizona in the summer! I love the fruit you chose. The slices look very pretty with all of the different colors of fruit. Thanks for sharing this, Teresa! I had never heard of these desserts before.
Teresa
June 16, 2016 at 5:05 pm
It’s really tasty, Shari. And you’re right. It’s a nice cool treat on those hot summer Arizona nights. 🙂