Orange Fluff Salad

This cool and creamy orange fluff salad is full of bright, tangy flavor! It’s an easy dessert made from jello, vanilla pudding, and whipped topping tossed with juicy mandarin oranges, marshmallows, and pineapple.

 

This mandarin orange fluff salad is bright, tangy, sweet, cool, and creamy. The flavors always remind me a bit of a Creamsicle or an Orange Julius. It’s a delightfully retro dessert, too, since most of the ingredients, like orange Jello, come from a box mix for extra convenience. Old-fashioned orange Jello salad is perfect for any season, and just about any occasion, whether it’s the holidays or your next neighborhood potluck. 

Why You’ll Love This Orange Fluff Salad Recipe

• 5 ingredients. In need of a last-minute dessert? You’ve found it! This orange fluff salad requires a bit of chilling time, but it’s crazy simple to make with just 5 budget-friendly ingredients. 
• Cool and creamy. Orange fluff is a delicious combination of flavor and texture. The orange base is refreshing and creamy, bursting with sweet canned fruit and fluffy marshmallows.
• Made with vanilla pudding. Many orange Jello salad recipes call for cottage cheese, but I’ve swapped it out for instant vanilla pudding. It makes the texture of this salad all the more rich and creamy and the flavors are that much sweeter.

What is Jello Salad?

Orange Jello salad is a type of dessert salad, also called fruit fluff, made with mandarin oranges and crushed pineapple in a creamy base of Jello and Cool Whip. It’s a classic dessert or side dish served at BBQs, potlucks, and holidays. Like Snicker salad, Jello salad is one of those old-timey recipes that you just KNOW will be good. 

Recipe Ingredients

What is fruit fluff made of? So many delicious things, all in one recipe. Here are some quick notes on the ingredients. Scroll to the recipe card below the post for the full measurements and recipe directions.

• Orange Jello – Gives this salad its orange color and flavor. You won’t actually be making Jello, you just need the powder!
• Instant Pudding – Vanilla pudding mix makes this dessert ultra-creamy. You can also go the traditional route and use cottage cheese if you prefer.
• Cool Whip – Make sure to thaw it beforehand. You can also use homemade stabilized whipped cream.
• Canned Fruit – You’ll need mandarin oranges and crushed pineapple for this orange fluff salad. You can also skip the pineapple and double up on the canned mandarins if you’d like. Remember to drain the fruit first.
• Marshmallows – For extra texture. You’ll want to use mini marshmallows for this recipe.

How to Make Orange Fluff Salad

This 10-minute dessert salad is perfect if you’re a fan of easy no-bake desserts like cookie dough dip. All you need to do is stir the ingredients together!

• Mix the jello. Start by dissolving the Jello powder in boiling water, then stir in a half-cup of cold water and place the Jello mixture into the fridge.
• Add the vanilla pudding. After about 30 minutes, get out your Jello and whisk in the instant pudding mix. Return the bowl to the fridge for another 15 minutes.
• Combine. Finally, fold in the whipped topping, crushed pineapple, and mandarin oranges. Give your salad a good “toss” to combine.
• Refrigerate. Chill the orange fluff for at least 2 hours, then serve!

Recipe Tips and Variations

Orange fluff salad is easy to make and perfect for customizing. Here are some bonus tips and recipe variations to keep in mind:

• Drain the canned fruit. Don’t forget to fully drain the excess liquid from your canned pineapple and mandarin oranges. Otherwise, the salad may not set up.
• Use cottage cheese. As mentioned earlier, you can substitute cottage cheese in place of instant pudding mix. You can also use room-temperature cream cheese for a more tangy flavor.
• Try another Jello flavor. Instead of orange fluff, make raspberry fluff with raspberry Jello mix. Other flavor options are strawberry, cherry, watermelon, peach, lime, and pineapple. 
• Add garnishes. Maraschino cherries add a nice pop of color!

Ways to Serve Orange Jello Salad

This orange fluff salad is an easy dessert that you can serve for any occasion, any time of the year. It’s cool and refreshing in the summer as a sweet finish or easy side dish at a BBQ. Follow up a meal of grilled chicken and coleslaw with a big bowl of fluff, and watch it vanish from the dessert table! It’s just as fun to make as a holiday dessert, whether it’s Christmas or Easter. We also love serving this orange fluff as a dip with graham crackers, nilla wafers, or cookies.

Can I Make This Orange Fluff Salad Ahead of Time?

Absolutely. You can prepare your orange fluff salad a day in advance and keep it refrigerated. I recommend giving it a good stir again before serving. See the next section for more storage instructions.

How to Store

• Fridge. Keep this orange fluff stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. The canned fruit can leak moisture in the salad the longer it sits, so be sure to stir it before serving. 
• Freeze. You can freeze orange fluff salad, however, the texture can sometimes be a bit watery after it’s thawed. Store the prepared salad airtight and freeze it for up to 3 months. Defrost it in the fridge, stir, and serve.

More Tasty Dessert Recipes

• No Bake Strawberry Jello Pie 
• Berry Fruit Salad
• No Bake Kool-Aid Pie 
• Apple Bars
• Lemon Lasagna Dessert

Continue to Content

Yield: 8 servings

Orange Fluff Salad

Print

Cool and creamy orange fluff salad is an easy no-bake dessert that's ready for the fridge in minutes! Made with jello, vanilla pudding, marshmallows, and whipped topping tossed with mandarin oranges and pineapple.

Prep Time 10 minutes

Chilling Time 3 hours

Total Time 3 hours 10 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 (3 oz) package orange jello mix
• 1 cup boiling water
• ½ cup cold water
• 1 (3.4 oz) package vanilla instant pudding mix
• 8 oz container Cool Whip (see note)
• 20 oz crushed pineapple, drained
• 30 oz mandarin oranges, drained
• 2 cups mini marshmallows

Instructions

1. In a large bowl whisk together orange jello with boiling water for about 2 minutes until everything is completely dissolved. Add in the cold water and mix. Place in the fridge for 30 minutes.
2. After 30 minutes, remove from the fridge and whisk in the instant pudding mix until smooth and creamy. Place back in the fridge for 15 minutes.
3. After 15 minutes, add the Cool Whip, crushed pineapple, and mandarin oranges. Mix until everything is combined.
4. Add marshmallows and gently mix until evenly blended.
5. Store in the fridge for at least 2 hours before serving.

Notes

• In place of Cool Whip, use homemade stabilized whipped cream.

Nutrition Information

Yield

8

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 290Total Fat 8gSaturated Fat 6gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 1gCholesterol 1mgSodium 83mgCarbohydrates 49gFiber 3gSugar 38gProtein 2g

Nutrition Disclaimer: All information presented on this site is intended for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and any nutritional information shared on dinnersdishesanddesserts.com should only be used as a general guideline.

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Erin S

Welcome to Dinners, Dishes, & Desserts where my love of food meets my busy life. My name is Erin and I’m a casual home cook who loves to feed people. On this blog, you’ll find hundreds of quick and easy recipes made mostly from scratch. My days are spent in the kitchen, creating new recipes to share with family and friends.

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