Easiest Fruit Salad takes mere minutes to toss together. A classic Midwestern fruit salad recipe!
Ok, I know you are just completely bogged down with 4th of July recipes by now, but I have one final dish for you to consider – Easiest Fruit Salad. Named as such because it is quite possibly the easiest, yet tastiest, fruit salad known to man, and would be a hit at a 4th of July picnic (or anytime this summer, really!)
Easiest Fruit Salad also goes by another name – Recital Fruit. Not Recital Fruit Salad, mind you – just Recital Fruit. The recipe is from my friend’s Mom who used to make the magical, easily transportable concoction of fresh strawberries, bananas, mandarin oranges, and marshmallows for us every year growing up when our dance studio put on its annual spring recital at the Civic Center.
Needing sustenance into the wee hours of the morning, which practices usually went until, she’d send a big tub with her daughter, my friend Laura, along with a plethora of plastic spoons so everyone could scoop up their fair share of this sweet, super-Midwestern fruit salad. I mean, marshmallows in a fruit salad? Brilliant!
They get kind of soft and mousse-like after soaking up the juices of the fruit and melt into the strawberry-banana flavor spiked with mandarin. I adore this combo and have yet to meet someone who doesn’t!
Like I said, the recipe couldn’t be easier and comes together lickity-split. Start by slicing 1lb strawberries.
Add the strawberries to a large bowl then add 1 can drained mandarin oranges. Ultra juicy.
In goes 2 sliced large bananas, or 3 small sliced bananas (if making ahead of time, add these just before serving.)
Followed by 1 cup mini marshmallows. Like I said – pure Midwest, purely delish. Easiest Fruit Salad MUST have mini marshmallows!
Toss to combine then stash in the fridge for about 30 minutes to give the marshmallows time to soften and soak up some of the yummy juices from the strawberries and mandarin oranges, then enjoy!
Friday FavoritesEasiest Fruit Salad
Description
Easiest Fruit Salad takes mere minutes to toss together. A classic Midwestern fruit salad recipe!
Ingredients
- 1lb strawberries, sliced
- 15oz can mandarin oranges, drained
- 1 cup mini marshmallows
- 2 large bananas (or 3 small bananas,) sliced
Directions
- Combine strawberries, mandarin oranges, mini marshmallows, and bananas in a large bowl then chill and serve. Can make several hours ahead of time, but add sliced bananas just before serving.
This recipe is courtesy of Iowa Girl Eats, http://iowagirleats.com.
Isn’t she pretty? This was a fun recipe to phototgraph. :)
Like my friend Laura says, the best way to eat this salad is to make sure you get one of everything in each bite. You can’t beat the classic strawberry-banana combo, and the burst of juicy citrus is Heaven with the creamy marshmallow. Hope you enjoy, and HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!!
I’m going to have to make this today my daughters would LOVE it. I can’t help but notice that it’s impossibly early for a posting. Hope you’re not suffering from a case of pregnancy induced insomnia ;)
So simple! What a great side dish for summertime!
we have this at holidays all the time! and, yes, so easy!
Yum! This looks awesome!
Where did you get those bowls?! Super cute!
I think I would find it impossibly difficult to resist adding that deep color (purple grapes or blueberries) to this – already scrumptious – dish! I’ts definitely going down soon…
Haha I know, trust me I wanted to throw ALL THE THINGS into this salad, but I resisted. The simplicity is what makes it so good! :)
oh my gosh. what a blast from the past! this reminds me of dance recitals and girl scout camp. you were not lying when you said this recipe would taste like 1995!
Nothing like a pop of mini marshmellows! Love it!
Bahahahahahaha…it IS so totally midwestern to put marshmallows in salad!
My kids will love this…it just might show up for our 4th of July cook out!
Just think, in no time at all, Iowa Baby Eats will be gobbling this up!
Yep, that’s pretty dang easy! I love the fruits in this, actually, anything but cantaloupe and I’m good. Have a great 4th! :)
I’m usually not a marshmallow person but it sounds delish!! Esp the strawberry/banana combo. Happy 4th!
My grandma used to make this all the time for summer family gatherings! Love it!
This is the perfect light, sweet treat to cap off a BBQ!
I love easy recipes that allow me to use a lot of the produce I have on hand.
I LOVE fruit salad, but surprisingly, have never added marshmallows to mine. I will have to track done some vegan ones and add them to my next salad :).
The fruit salad looks delicious, and incredibly easy!
And I think I totally had the same dance costume you guys are wearing in that picture…the skirt was like a bunch of strips of toilet paper? And it had little pink underwear things? (I remember this specifically because one time at a competition my mom had the costume underwear in her purse for some reason, then she forgot her purse at Fazoli’s and I was thisclose to having to wear my actual pink underwear on stage.)
My midwestern grandma (Omaha) made a salad similar to this all the time when I was growing up! Yum! Hers also had fruit cocktail with cherries.
I love the dance picture!
Also, Happy Early Birthday! I love early July birthdays-mine is the 7th and my dad always saved a few fireworks to set off on my birthday :) Enjoy the holiday!
What a cute photo! And this salad – yes! Definitely loving the mini marshmallows!
So simple and I love the marshmallows! Brings out the inner child.
mmm i love fruit salad with marshmallows! your pictures are so pretty…
very nice, very easy! Love!
I love fruit salad but sometimes the chopping, etc gets so tedious! Love this idea!
Looks amazing!!!
It’s interesting that is this day and age of food network, food blogging, newfangled recipes, that some of our best dishes are recipes from the generation before us. You should considered a recipe book of favorites from your mom and her friends!
Yum! You can never have enough marshmallow ;)
[…] Easiest Fruit Salad: This is literally the easiest, but tastiest fruit salad known to man. Don’t forget the mini marshmallows – they’re sweet and so Midwestern! […]
[…] for froyo) and enjoying a cookout with some of our neighbors. I ended up making Kristin’s easiest fruit salad and Jessica’s funfetti cake dip which was a […]
Yay!! I used to dance too!! But I never had a yummy fruit salad like this to munch on!!
[…] The easiest fruit salad you'll ever make — Iowa Girl Eats […]
[…] Recipe […]
It’s even better if you add peach pie filling, frozen sweetened strawberries and pineapple tidbits.
[…] Recipe […]
I just finished making this super easy fruit salad to take to my church for a fundraiser. It is so pretty and looks delicious. Thanks for making my morning do easy!
[…] made this amazingly easy and delicious fruit salad from Iowa Girl Eats. Easiest Fruit Salad! ‘Nuff […]
Thank you for providing.
This looks delicious and is so easy to put together. It is definitely going to be
added to our fourth of july cookout.
[…] The Recipe can be found HERE […]
[…] Get the recipe from iowagirleats.com. […]
We made this weeekend for Easter Brunch and EVERYONE loved. Age 3-66! All were happy. Thanks for sharing.
Oh I’m SO glad to hear it, Kate! Thanks for the nice note to let me know! :)