Sweet strawberries paired with a creamy, vanilla flavored base. Strawberries & Cream Salad is an easy make ahead dish.
I’ve got a pretty little pink number to share with you today. Just in time for Valentine’s Day. And Easter. And Mother’s Day. Any time you need a tasty side dish.
I like to incorporate red, pink and heart-themed elements into special Valentine meals for The Teens. Heart-shaped pizzas have always been a hit in my house. And how about pink, heart-shaped pancakes for the win? If you need a little inspiration this year, my Valentine’s Day Pinterest board is filled with ideas.
Strawberries & Cream Salad is a cheerful addition to any holiday or summer meal. The vibrant pink color makes it an obvious choice for Valentine’s Day. But it also complements Easter & Mother’s Day tables. Or truly any meal. A side dish this yummy should be enjoyed any time you crave a burst of Spring or Summer.
And the taste? Divine! Reminds me of a big bowl of strawberries and cream. The strawberry flavor is bright and refreshing. Like a creamy, dreamy spoonful of sunshine in every bite. Adios Winter!
Sometimes I like to experiment with family favorite recipes. I’m not trying to improve upon the recipe. It’s more of an attempt to discover new flavor profiles in a dish my family enjoys. No need to reinvent the wheel every time. I also enjoy adapting recipes to utilize seasonal ingredients.
*** Pin the Strawberries & Cream Salad Recipe for Later ***
A few years ago I wanted to take advantage of the Spring berries hitting the grocery store shelves. And I needed a pretty dish for Easter dinner.
And so Strawberries & Cream Salad was created. The result of tinkering around with a long time family favorite, Orange Salad (it’s one of the first recipes I shared here). You must love Orange Salad as much as my family does because it’s one of the Top 5 recipes on the blog.
Need another reason to love Strawberries & Cream Salad? The base mixture can be prepared the evening before the big meal. All that’s left is to combine the base mixture with the Cool Whip the day of the big meal. Easy peasy!
The vanilla pudding and Cool Whip give the Strawberries & Cream Salad a velvety texture, similar to a mousse. So dreamy! While you could serve this as a dessert, I prefer to serve it as a side dish with the meal. It’s a Midwestern thing to serve a jell-o salad with the meal. And serving as a side dish allows you to have a proper piece of cake or pie for dessert.
You’ll want to keep a couple things in mind when making Strawberries & Cream Salad. First, you must use cook & serve pudding mix. Instant pudding mix does not work in this recipe. Second, I recommend adding the fresh strawberries shortly before serving.
Work Smarter: the right tools can make or break your cooking experience. These are the tools I used to make quick work of this recipe.
Mix it up – ideal size for sauces and dressings. Dishwasher safe with a sealed barrel.
Handheld masher – I use this to combine the cooled Jell-o mixture with the Cool Whip.
Pyrex dishes – I use the larger dish for cooling the cooked mixture in this recipe.
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I’ve linked this recipe at the following parties: Full Plate Thursday, Meal Plan Monday, Weekend Potluck.
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More ARM family favorites you may like:
- 1 large (6 oz.) package strawberry Jell-o
- 2 small (3 oz.) packages vanilla cook & serve pudding & pie filling
- 4 cups hot water
- 8 oz. Cool Whip, thawed
- 1½ cups fresh strawberries, diced
- Combine strawberry jell-o mix, vanilla pudding mixes and hot water in a large saucepan.
- Bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Continue boiling (and stirring) until mixture turns clear.
- Pour into dish or bowl and chill until set. I usually chill overnight.
- Combine Cool Whip with jell-o/pudding mixture (a potato masher works well for this step).
- Add diced strawberries immediately before serving. Stir gently to combine.
- Refrigerate leftovers.
STRAWBERRIES & CREAM SALAD
INGREDIENTS:
1 large (6 oz.) package strawberry Jell-o
2 small (3 oz.) packages vanilla cook & serve pudding & pie filling
4 cups hot water
8 oz. Cool Whip, thawed
1 1/2 cups fresh strawberries, diced
DIRECTIONS:
1. Combine strawberry jell-o mix, vanilla pudding mixes and hot water in a large saucepan.
2. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently.
3. Continue boiling (and stirring) until mixture turns clear.
4. Pour into dish or bowl and chill until set or overnight.
5. Combine Cool Whip with jell-o/pudding mixture (a potato masher works well for this step).
6. Add diced strawberries immediately before serving. Stir gently to combine.
7. Refrigerate leftovers.
NOTES:
- This recipe does NOT work with instant pudding mix.
Me again. I reread the recipe. do you put both 3 oz. pudding into the jello and let set and then add coolwhip before serving.
Hi Glenda! Yes, combine all the pudding & jell-o mixes with the water prior to cooking. After the pudding/jell-o mixture has cooled & set-up overnight, you can then add the Cool Whip. I hope this helps.
thank you, yes that explains it well.
I am a little confused with the cool whip and vanilla pudding. do I mix the box of pudding mixture into the cool whip or do I cook the pudding per instructions and then add it to the cool whip. to me that is a lot of pudding with the jello. You just state pudding mixture. so it could mean the box of pudding or mix the pudding per instruction. let me know. it doesn’t explain per step to well.
I love this salad and my family loves it, great recipe! Thanks so much for sharing with us at Full Plate Thursday for the party this week. Hope you have a great week and come back to see us real soon!
Miz Helen
What is a mix it up tool? I am not familiar with that name. Do yuo mean an immersion blender, an egg beater, whisk????
Hi Nana! I use a whisk when mixing the pudding, jello-o and water for this recipe. I linked to my favorite one in the post.
I can not figure out where I go to get the recipe. Is it a secret?
Hi Kelley. Scroll to the bottom of the post for the recipe card.
Thank you so much. I found it……..
This is a “comfort dessert” for sure! My ex-mother-in-law has been making this basic dessert for about 50 years or so except she has always added angel food or pound cake. Just proves that great minds ….. !
Oh my word, adding angel food cake sounds divine! Thanks for sharing Suzanne!
Can sugar-free jello n pudding be used?
I haven’t made it with sugar-free mixes but I think it would be fine. You may need to adjust the amount of water based on the package sizes. I’d love to hear your results if you give it a try, Linda.
Hi Arlie! Scroll to the bottom of the post for the recipe card.
Where is the recipe? I can’t find it.
Hi Geri! The recipe card is at the bottom of the post.
Great recipe
Thanks Liz!