The Retro Dessert I’m Making All Summer Long—It’s So Delicious

There are cake people, and there are cookie people. I am a cold treat person. Shave ice, ice cream, paletas—these are the sweets I crave when dinner is done.

So, when I came across a recipe for frozen fruit salad in one of my beloved spiral-bound cookbooks from the 1970s, I was intrigued. It sounded like something I would probably love—minus some of the convenience ingredients like canned fruit cocktail and Cool Whip. With a little tinkering, I came up with a reimagined version that pays respectful homage to the original.

What Is Frozen Fruit Salad

The standard frozen fruit salad formula combines a creamy element, like cream cheese and whipped cream, with mini marshmallows, fruit, and sometimes nuts. Mix the ingredients and then freeze them, and several hours later, you’ve got a cool, refreshing, fruity dessert fit for ladies who lunch. 

You can freeze the fruit salad in individual molds and pop them out when frozen, or you can freeze the whole thing in a cake pan and serve it by the slice. It’ll look like a terrazzo tile studded with little bits of fruit and nuts—a beauty to behold.

Frozen fruit salad is as much a vibe as it is a recipe. What I love most is how adaptable it is. Use your favorite nuts and fruit. Just don’t skip the mini marshmallows—trust me, they add a nice buoyancy.

How To Make My Strawberry Pistachio Frozen Fruit Salad

Frozen fruit salad requires a little planning but is easy enough to enlist the help of a junior sous chef. My six-year-old loves to help me make this almost as much as she loves to help me eat it.

I’ve chosen to highlight strawberries in this version because they’re abundant right now, but you could use any berry you like, as well as bananas, stone fruit, pineapple, or any fruit that strikes your fancy. 

This recipe serves 18 to 24 people, depending on what vessel you use for freezing and how big the servings are. It’s a great choice for get-togethers at a backyard barbecue or keeping it in the freezer whenever the inevitable cold treat craving strikes.

For the strawberries:

• 12 ounces strawberries, hulled and quartered
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 ounces triple sec

For the fruit salad:

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2 teaspoons powdered sugar
• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1 1/2 cups mini marshmallows
• 1 cup roasted pistachios, chopped

Combine the strawberries, sugar, and triple sec in a medium bowl. Allow the strawberries to macerate for at least two hours or overnight in the fridge. This will soften the berries and amplify their flavor, making the texture and taste perfect when frozen.

When the strawberries are ready, you can start on the salad. In the bowl of a stand mixer, whip the heavy cream and powdered sugar at medium speed for one to two minutes until soft peaks form. Scrape the whipped cream into a separate bowl.

Whip the softened cream cheese in the bowl of the stand mixer until light and fluffy, about three minutes. Then add the whipped cream to it and mix until combined.

Drain the macerated strawberries, reserving the liquid for another use. Add the drained strawberries, mini marshmallows, and pistachios to the cream mixture, and fold gently with a rubber spatula to combine.

Pour the fruit salad into whatever mold you prefer—a cake pan, loaf pan, individual bowls, or silicone molds—and freeze for at least eight hours, or ideally overnight, before serving. 

If you freeze the fruit salad in a large format, like a cake pan, allow it to sit at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes before slicing. If using individual silicone molds, allow them to rest at room temperature for five minutes before serving. I like to top mine with chopped pistachios, more strawberries, and berry coulis (sauce).