You’ve no doubt tried macaroni salad, and I’m sure you’ve had fruit salad, but have you tried macaroni fruit salad yet? This unusual combination of salads makes for one delicious side dish that you’ll enjoy in the summer and probably the rest of the year, too! As a matter of fact, this Filipino dessert is very popular at Christmas time!
I actually first saw this recipe in a magazine at my doctor’s office. I love macaroni and I love fruit, so I knew that I would love this salad if I tried it. The original recipe called for grapes, mandarin oranges, and apples, but I thought it would be great (and cheaper) with any seasonal fruits. Because I live in New York, fruits aren’t really seasonal in the winter. For that, I’ll sometimes buy a bag of frozen fruit salad and thaw it out before making macaroni fruit salad.
Ingredients:
1 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup elbow macaroni, cooked
8 oz cheddar, cubed
1 cup fresh prepared seasonal fruit salad (whatever is in season and prepackaged where you are – if you can’t find that, a bag of frozen (thawed) fruit salad can be substituted.
How to make Macaroni Fruit Salad:
Start by making the dressing. You simply whisk together mayo, cider vinegar, sugar, and salt until it is smooth and looks like dressing.
Next, add the elbow macaroni and cubed cheddar.
Here’s where it gets fun – add the fruit salad. Because it is made with seasonal fruits, this salad is especially delicious in the middle of summer. You can have grapes, strawberries, blueberries, pineapple…the sky is the limit. If you have bigger fruits, it helps to cut them into smaller, bite-sized pieces.
Mix well. Refrigerate for at least one hour. Serve cold.
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Tools Needed for Macaroni Fruit Salad:
whisk
knife
serving spoon
serving bowl
Questions People Ask:
Yes! It’s actually better to make it in advance because then the flavors have time to meld together. The longer you refrigerate, the better it is!
You can store macaroni fruit salad in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Sure! You can add a little pinch of cayenne pepper to make this salad spicy.
You can serve this salad in a few different ways. As a dessert, it would go great with Instant Pot Crack Chicken Soup or Instant Pot Baby Back Ribs. As a side salad, try it with Bacon, Bleu, and Mushroom Sliders or Easy Instant Pot Shredded Beef.
I mentioned before that you can vary the fruit, but there are so many ways you can vary this salad that I can’t even come up with them all in one blog post. You can start by changing the cheese out. Cheddar is my personal favorite, but you may like the salad with some mozzarella or pepper jack for a more spicy cheese.
Also, there is no rule that says you must use elbow macaroni. Sure, it looks great in pictures, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t substitute tiny shells, rotini, or bowtie pasta if that’s what you have in your pantry.
Well, that all depends on what kind of a diet you’re on. Generally, I’d say no, unless you are on intermittent fasting or something and can eat whatever you want for a certain period of time in a day. There are a lot of carbs and calories in this salad. It’s definitely more of a dessert thing than an every day type side dish.
Looking for more delicious summer salad recipes? Look no further!
- Panera Tomato Basil Cucumber Salad Copycat
- Copycat Zaxby’s Cobb Salad
- Easy Corn Salad with Roasted Red Peppers
- Incredible Loaded Iceberg Wedge Salad
- Dairy-Free Caesar Salad Dressing (No Egg)
Easy Macaroni Fruit Salad
This delicious macaroni fruit salad is kind of a dessert and kind of a side dish. Give it a try and decide!
Ingredients
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup elbow macaroni, cooked
- 8 oz cheddar, cubed
- 1 cup fresh prepared seasonal fruit salad
Instructions
Start by making the dressing. You simply whisk together mayo, cider vinegar, sugar, and salt until it is smooth and looks like dressing.
Next, add the elbow macaroni and cubed cheddar.
Here's where it gets fun - add the fruit salad. Because it is made with seasonal fruits, this salad is especially delicious in the middle of summer. You can have grapes, strawberries, blueberries, pineapple...the sky is the limit. If you have bigger fruits, it helps to cut them into smaller, bite-sized pieces.
Mix well. Refrigerate for at least one hour. Serve cold.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 696Total Fat: 61gSaturated Fat: 17gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 40gCholesterol: 79mgSodium: 1020mgCarbohydrates: 22gFiber: 2gSugar: 9gProtein: 16g
Nutrition Information may not be accurate.
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