Colorful Canned Fruit Salad

I grew up thinking fruit salad had to involve actual cutting and chopping of fresh fruit. My mom would spend what felt like forever peeling oranges and slicing strawberries while I waited impatiently to eat. It wasn’t until a potluck at church that I discovered canned fruit salad—the kind that comes together in about ten minutes flat.

This version uses mostly canned and prepared fruit, which means less prep work and more time doing literally anything else. You just open cans, drain them, and toss everything together in a bowl. The peach pie filling acts as a sweet glaze that holds everything together, so you don’t even need to make a separate dressing. It’s the kind of recipe that looks like you tried harder than you actually did.

What Kind of Canned Fruit Should I Use?

The great thing about canned fruit salad is that you can really mix and match based on what’s in your pantry or what’s on sale at the store. For the pineapple and mandarin oranges, you can use fruit packed in juice or light syrup – just make sure to drain them well so your salad doesn’t get watery. If you can’t find peach pie filling, you could substitute cherry or apple pie filling, or even use a can of peaches in syrup and thicken it up a bit with some cornstarch. Feel free to swap in other canned fruits like pears or fruit cocktail if that’s what you have on hand, since this recipe is pretty forgiving and works with whatever fruit combination you prefer.

Options for Substitutions

This fruit salad is pretty forgiving when it comes to swapping ingredients based on what you have:

• Peach pie filling: You can use cherry, apple, or strawberry pie filling instead. Each will give the salad a different flavor profile, but they all work well as the base.
• Pineapple chunks: Canned pineapple tidbits or crushed pineapple work just fine. You can also use fresh pineapple if you have it – just cut it into bite-sized pieces.
• Mandarin oranges: Fresh clementines or tangerines are a great substitute. Just peel and separate the segments, removing any seeds.
• Red grapes: Green grapes work equally well, or you can skip them altogether and add more of another fruit like strawberries or blueberries.
• Maraschino cherries: If you’re not a fan of these, try using fresh cherries (pitted and halved) or just leave them out entirely.
• Bananas: Add these right before serving since they brown quickly. If you want to prep ahead, you can skip the bananas or substitute with apple slices tossed in a bit of lemon juice to prevent browning.

Watch Out for These Mistakes While Making

The biggest mistake people make with canned fruit salad is adding the bananas too early, which causes them to turn brown and mushy – wait until about 30 minutes before serving to slice and fold them in for the best color and texture.

Another common error is forgetting to drain the canned fruits thoroughly, which leaves you with a watery salad instead of a creamy one, so give those cans a good shake in the strainer and even pat them dry with paper towels if needed.

Don’t skip the refrigeration time either, as at least 2 hours allows the marshmallows to soften slightly and all the flavors to blend together, creating a much better overall taste.

Finally, use firm bananas rather than overripe ones since they’ll hold their shape better and won’t break down into mush when you mix everything together.

What to Serve With Canned Fruit Salad?

This fruit salad is perfect for potlucks, picnics, or as a sweet side dish at barbecues and family gatherings. It pairs really well with savory main dishes like grilled chicken, ham, or pulled pork since the sweetness balances out the smoky flavors. You can also serve it alongside other classic picnic sides like potato salad, coleslaw, or baked beans for a complete spread. If you’re serving it for brunch, it goes great with pancakes, waffles, or even as a topping for vanilla ice cream for dessert.

Storage Instructions

Store: Keep your fruit salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. The bananas might brown a bit after the first day, but it still tastes great. If you’re making this for a party, you can prep everything except the bananas ahead of time, then slice and add them right before serving.

Make Ahead: This is actually a perfect make-ahead dish! Mix all the ingredients except the bananas up to 24 hours in advance and keep it chilled. Add the sliced bananas just before you’re ready to serve so they stay nice and fresh looking.

Serve: This fruit salad is best served cold, straight from the fridge. Give it a gentle stir before serving since some of the juices might settle at the bottom. If it’s been sitting in the fridge for a day or two, you might want to drain off any excess liquid that’s collected.

Estimated Nutrition

Estimated nutrition for the whole recipe (without optional ingredients):

• Calories: 1400-1550
• Protein: 8-10 g
• Fat: 2-4 g
• Carbohydrates: 350-370 g

Ingredients

• 20 oz peach pie filling
• 22 oz pineapple chunks, well-drained
• 11 oz mandarin oranges
• 1 1/4 cups red grapes, sliced in half lengthwise
• 1 cup mini marshmallows
• 1/2 cup maraschino cherries, patted dry
• 2 bananas, sliced into 1/2-inch rounds
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt

Step 1: Prepare the Fruits and Delicate Ingredients

• 22 oz pineapple chunks
• 11 oz mandarin oranges
• 1/2 cup maraschino cherries
• 2 bananas, sliced into 1/2-inch rounds
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt

Drain the pineapple chunks thoroughly in a fine-mesh strainer, pressing gently to remove excess liquid—this prevents the salad from becoming watery.

Drain the mandarin oranges as well, reserving any liquid.

Pat the maraschino cherries dry with paper towels to remove excess syrup.

Slice the bananas into 1/2-inch rounds and immediately toss them with the fresh lemon juice and sea salt in a small bowl; this prevents browning and seasons them gently.

Step 2: Combine All Ingredients

• 20 oz peach pie filling
• prepared fruits and ingredients from Step 1
• 1 1/4 cups red grapes, sliced in half lengthwise
• 1 cup mini marshmallows

In a large mixing bowl, add the peach pie filling first, then gently fold in the drained pineapple chunks and mandarin oranges.

Add the halved red grapes, mini marshmallows, and patted-dry maraschino cherries.

Finally, fold in the lemon juice-dressed banana slices using a rubber spatula with gentle motions to avoid crushing the soft fruits and marshmallows.

I like to mix this just until everything is evenly distributed—overmixing can break down the delicate fruits.

Step 3: Chill and Serve

Transfer the fruit salad to a serving bowl or individual serving dishes.

Cover with plastic wrap or a lid and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.

The chilling time allows the flavors to meld and the marshmallows to soften slightly from the fruit juices.

Give it a gentle stir just before serving to redistribute any settled juices throughout the salad.

Colorful Canned Fruit Salad

Delicious Colorful Canned Fruit Salad recipe with step-by-step instructions.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 40 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr 25 minutes mins

Total Time 2 hours hrs 7 minutes mins

Servings: 8 servings

Calories: 1475

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

• 20 oz peach pie filling
• 22 oz pineapple chunks, well-drained
• 11 oz mandarin oranges
• 1 1/4 cups red grapes, sliced in half lengthwise
• 1 cup mini marshmallows
• 1/2 cup maraschino cherries, patted dry
• 2 bananas, sliced into 1/2-inch rounds
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt

Method

 

1. Drain the pineapple chunks thoroughly in a fine-mesh strainer, pressing gently to remove excess liquid—this prevents the salad from becoming watery. Drain the mandarin oranges as well, reserving any liquid. Pat the maraschino cherries dry with paper towels to remove excess syrup. Slice the bananas into 1/2-inch rounds and immediately toss them with the fresh lemon juice and sea salt in a small bowl; this prevents browning and seasons them gently.
2. In a large mixing bowl, add the peach pie filling first, then gently fold in the drained pineapple chunks and mandarin oranges. Add the halved red grapes, mini marshmallows, and patted-dry maraschino cherries. Finally, fold in the lemon juice-dressed banana slices using a rubber spatula with gentle motions to avoid crushing the soft fruits and marshmallows. I like to mix this just until everything is evenly distributed—overmixing can break down the delicate fruits.
3. Transfer the fruit salad to a serving bowl or individual serving dishes. Cover with plastic wrap or a lid and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving. The chilling time allows the flavors to meld and the marshmallows to soften slightly from the fruit juices. Give it a gentle stir just before serving to redistribute any settled juices throughout the salad.