Marshmallow Salad
intro
Creamy, fluffy, fruit-studded marshmallow salad is a nostalgic no-cook classic, balancing sweet marshmallows, tart fruit, and tangy cream for a crowd-pleasing bite.
Ingredients
Steps
Toast the pecan pieces
Heat a small dry skillet over medium-low heat (300°F / 150°C). Add 1/4 cup (30g) chopped pecans, and toast for 3-4 minutes, stirring constantly, until fragrant and lightly golden. Immediately transfer pecans to a small plate to cool completely for 10 minutes to prevent burning from residual pan heat.
Drain and prep fruit
Set a fine-mesh sieve over a mixing bowl. Add canned mandarin orange segments and crushed pineapple to the sieve, and let drain for 10 minutes to remove excess syrup. Gently pat maraschino cherries dry with paper towels, then cut each cherry in half; reserve drained syrup for another use or discard.
Mix the creamy dressing
Add 1 cup (227g) full-fat sour cream to a large clean mixing bowl. Stir gently with a rubber spatula for 30 seconds until completely smooth and free of lumps; do not overwhip, as this can thin the sour cream and lead to a watery salad.
Fold in core ingredients
Add 2 cups (100g) mini marshmallows, drained mandarin oranges, drained crushed pineapple, 1/2 cup (40g) sweetened shredded coconut, and fully cooled toasted pecans to the bowl with sour cream. Fold slowly and gently with the spatula for 1 minute until all ingredients are evenly coated, taking care not to break the soft mandarin segments.
Add cherry pieces
Set aside 8 cherry halves to use as a garnish. Add the remaining halved maraschino cherries to the salad, and fold very gently only 2-3 times to distribute the cherries, so their red syrup does not discolor the entire salad pale pink.
Chill the salad
Cover the mixing bowl tightly with plastic wrap, pressing the wrap directly onto the surface of the salad to prevent a thick skin from forming as it chills. Refrigerate at 40°F (4°C) for a full 2 hours to allow flavors to meld and marshmallows to soften slightly.
Garnish and serve
Remove the salad from the refrigerator and peel off the plastic wrap. Arrange the reserved maraschino cherry halves evenly across the top of the salad for garnish. Serve cold in 1/2 cup portions.
Tips
2.Use full-fat sour cream for the richest, most stable texture; low-fat or non-fat sour cream tends to separate and turn watery during extended chilling.
3.Avoid overmixing after adding cherries, as their bright red syrup will discolor the entire salad a uniform pale pink if stirred too vigorously.
OMG I brought this to our neighborhood potluck last weekend and people were begging for the recipe before we even finished the main course! So fluffy, not too sweet, the perfect balance of marshmallow and fruit. 10/10 will make again for every summer cookout from now on.
This is exactly the marshmallow salad my grandma used to make for Thanksgiving! I was so worried I’d never get the texture right but it came out perfectly fluffy, no weird soggy marshmallows at all. Total nostalgia trip.
Game changer! I swapped the regular marshmallows for the mini pastel ones for my daughter’s birthday party and it looked so cute on the dessert table. Everyone thought I bought it from the fancy grocery store deli, lol.
Made this for our post-hike potluck in the mountains last weekend and it held up way better than I thought it would! Didn’t get runny even after being out in the cooler for a few hours. Only change I made was adding a little extra sour cream to cut the sweetness, worked like a charm.
I was skeptical about a marshmallow salad since I’m not usually into super sweet retro sides but wow, this converted me. Light, fluffy, not heavy at all. Perfect for a quick summer side when you don’t want to turn the oven on.
SO good! I prepped this on Sunday for our weekday lunches and it stayed fresh in the fridge for 3 whole days, no sogginess. Total meal prep win for when you want a little sweet treat with your lunch.
Made this for our Fourth of July cookout and it was the perfect cool side to beat the 110 degree heat here! I added fresh strawberries and blueberries to make it red, white, and blue, it was such a hit with the whole crew.
As someone who burns toast 50% of the time, I was shocked how easy this was! Only 20 minutes of actual prep, then just stick it in the fridge to chill for a couple hours. Even I couldn’t mess this up, and my roommate said it was amazing. Win!
I’ve been making my mama’s marshmallow salad for 20 years and decided to try this recipe on a whim for our Sunday family dinner. Y’all, even my mama said it was better than hers! The secret is the right ratio of whipped topping to sour cream, no question.
I used vegan marshmallows and coconut whipped cream to make this for my vegan cousin at our family reunion, and no one could tell the difference! It was just as fluffy and delicious as the regular version. So inclusive for folks with dietary restrictions, love that.
Took this to my office potluck and it was a total conversation starter! So many people told me they hadn’t had marshmallow salad since they were kids, it brought back so many fun memories. The retro vibe is unmatched.
My kids are so picky about textures and they both devoured this! I was worried the marshmallows would be too chewy or the fruit would be mushy but it was all perfectly balanced. Even my husband who hates ‘sweet sides’ went back for seconds.
Perfect rainy day recipe when you don’t want to run to the store! I had all the ingredients in my pantry and fridge already—marshmallows leftover from s’mores, canned mandarin oranges, whipped topping, sour cream. Threw it together in 15 minutes flat, the chill time was perfect to let the flavors meld.
Made this for our college football tailgate last weekend and it was gone by the end of the first quarter. Way easier to transport than a bunch of individual desserts, no mess, no fuss. Will be a staple on our tailgate menu from now on.
So happy this recipe is naturally gluten free! I’m always hunting for easy potluck dishes I can eat without having to ask a million questions about ingredients. This one is safe for my celiac and tastes amazing, total win.
I swear people don’t make classic marshmallow salad enough these days! Everyone is so into fancy charcuterie boards and complicated desserts, but nothing hits like this fluffy, fruity, simple salad at a cookout. This recipe nails the classic texture exactly.
Help! I’m making this for my first ever Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow—this looks so good but I have a quick question: can I make it the night before, or will it get too soggy? I don’t want to mess up the first dish I’m serving to my in-laws, lol.