This cheesecake fruit salad is awesome for a side at a potluck or BBQ or even as a dessert! Plus it’s so easy it’s foolproof! The perfect summer salad!
Ummmmm I could eat this berry cheesecake salad recipe for the rest of my life and die happy. Seven years ago we posted this recipe and I’ve been waiting all winter for berry season to hit so we could bring this recipe back to the front for everyone to enjoy.
It’s sweet deliciousness. It seems a little wrong to take all of those healthy berries and turn them into a calorie fest with everything you put in this dish, but guess what, WORTH IT!!
Seriously, you should all make this on a perfect sunny day and eat outside with the family. Or maybe take it to a BBQ so everyone can ask you what the amazing recipe is.
Cheesecake Fruit Salad Ingredients
This fruit salad recipe is so versatile. I’m going to list out the ingredients that we love, but know from the start that you can totally swap out different fruits or flavors of yogurt. Here is what you will need:
- Instant Cheesecake Pudding: You want just the pudding powder to add that yummy cheesecake flavor.
- Cool Whip: adds sweetness and creaminess
- Strawberry Yogurt: adds more fruity flavor and creaminess to the salad
- Bananas: cut into 1/2 inch slices
- Strawberries: stem removed and sliced
- Raspberries: left whole but rinsed
- Optional: Blueberries, Blackberries, Peaches, Cherries or Grapes
- Graham Crackers: If you really want to make this salad taste like a true cheesecake, add crushed up graham cracker.
PRO TIP: After trying many different combinations of fruit in this recipe, I’ve decided my favorite concoction is fresh bananas, fresh strawberries, fresh blueberries, fresh raspberries and fresh blackberries. So fresh! Haha!
The measurements for each ingredient can be found in the recipe card at the end of this post.
How to Make Cheesecake Fruit Salad
One of my favorite things about this side dish is that it couldn’t be easier! Just two quick steps and you have a delicious fruit salad.
- In a large bowl, mix the pudding powder, whipped topping and yogurt together.
- Add the fruit and carefully fold it into the creamy cheesecake mixture. Then let it chill in fridge until it’s ready to serve (at least 30 minutes).
These instructions can also be found in the recipe card below where you can also print or save the recipe.
Watch How This Fruit Salad is Made…
This Southern English pea salad is a refreshing and delicious side dish, perfect for any gathering. Made with peas, bacon, herbs, and a creamy dressing, it’s sure to be a hit at your next potluck or holiday dinner.
It’s the perfect side dish for Easter, 4th of July, Thanksgiving, or Christmas. I don’t know where English pea salad originated from, or why it’s so dang good considering it’s the world’s shortest list of ingredients, but I do know that any time someone shares a photo of a Southern Potluck or church spread, there’s that pea salad!
Last Fourth of July, we had Cade’s mom, brother, and his family and a friend over for a fun day of swimming and eating. Yes, I did wear a red bathing suit. Yes, I did get mistaken for the lifeguard 100 times. I have had the worst time trying to find a bathing suit that wasn’t cut crazy high or crazy low all year and this one I love, though I will watch where I wear it now.
But back to the BBQ — we swam, the kids became exhausted, and we headed back to the house where we cooked up classic burgers thanks to our 2 hamburger secrets post, and a selection of our favorite summer salads including this green pea salad, our tomato mozzarella salad, and Nancy’s Southern Grape Salad. We finished the night off with our dreamiest Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting EVER.
Green pea salad is considered to be low-carb, gluten-free, and a slightly healthier option to pasta salad (though we have a pasta version of this recipe too if you prefer). But this doesn’t mean it’s straight up healthy — it contains bacon, cheese, and mayonnaise, after all.
What Ingredients Do I Need for This Salad Recipe?
Although English pea salad has a few different names, it’s all the exact same thing — cold pea salad. You may hear it called pea salad, English Pea Salad, Southern Pea Salad, Green Pea Salad, or, as we’ve called it, Southern English Pea Salad.
Here’s what goes into this easy potluck side dish recipe:
- Frozen Peas
- Mayonnaise
- Apple Cider Vinegar
- Salt and Pepper
- Red Onion
- Bacon
- Cheese (Colby Jack or Cheddar Cheese is our favorite)
Some recipes also call for hard-boiled eggs, which we left out this time as I’m really enjoying it as a straight up pea salad lately. I’ve added it into the recipe as optional in case
This is an easy spring salad full of seasonal ingredients like asparagus, radishes, peas, fresh herbs and enhanced with roasted chickpeas, feta cheese, toasted pine nuts, and hard boiled eggs all topped with a bright and tangy lemon salad dressing.
Well, we did it again! We survived winter! And boy was it a doozy here in Utah this year. I have never seen so much snow here and we have lived here a really long time. So the fact that a “spring” salad is even a possibility brings a smile to my face! It is time for bright refreshing flavors and warmer temperatures!
What Goes in a Spring Salad?
One of the beauties of a salad is that they are so versatile, so I’m going to share the ingredients for how we like to make this salad, but keep in mind that you can omit or add ingredients to your liking. Here is what we like…
Dressing
- Olive Oil: the base of the dressing
- Dijon Mustard: adds intense mustard flavor
- Lemon Juice and Zest: adds a bright pop of freshness and acidity
- Shallot: adds mild onion flavor
- Champagne Vinegar: if you can’t find champagne vinegar, you can use prosecco or white wine vinegar
- Salt and Pepper: adds flavor
Salad
- Pine Nuts: adds texture and we toast them for maximum flavor
- Asparagus: remove the tough stem end and then cut it into 1-2″ pieces
- Frozen Peas: let them defrost in a bowl of water
- Baby Salad Greens: this can be any mix of greens you enjoy…romaine, spinach, arugula, chard, etc.
- Radishes: adds a little heat and gorgeous color
- Cucumber: we prefer an English cucumber
- Fresh Herbs: mint, basil, parsley, chives – this blend is so bright and bold
- Feta: totally optional, but we love them saltiness flavor it adds
- Roasted Chickpeas: you can buy roasted chickpeas or roast your own and they add great texture
- Olive Oil: used to roast the chickpeas
- Salt and Pepper: adds flavor
- Hard Boiled Eggs: adds protein and heartiness to the salad
This is meant to just be an overview of the ingredients for this salad. For all the details and measurements, scroll down to the recipe card at the end of this post.
How to Make a Fresh Spring Salad
I like to start salad recipes by making the dressing. It can be made up to a day or two ahead of time, so it’s nice to get that made and out of the way. For this salad dressing, just whisk all the ingredients together and set it aside.
Other parts of this recipe can also be prepped ahead of time. You can hard boil the eggs, toast the pine nuts and roast the chickpeas up
We love to make this roasted pear and apple salad in the fall with all the freshly harvested apples and pears!
It is topped with prosciutto, cinnamon pecans, pepitas, gorgonzola and raisins then tossed with the most stunning caramelized shallot maple vinaigrette.
Ingredients for Roasted Apple Salad
Here is a list of the ingredients you will need for this salad recipe:
- Prosciutto – adds crunch and smoky delicious flavor
- Honeycrisp Apples (or Jonagold) – these apples hold up great to roasting and the flavor is the best
- Bartlett Pear (or Bosc) – become so flavorful and delicious when roasting
- Cinnamon Pecans (or Hazelnuts) – You can buy these at the store or make them on your own. See section below for how to make them at home.
- Olive Oil – helps keep the apples and pears from sticking to the pan
- Black Pepper – adds flavor
- Mixed Greens with Arugula – If your container of mixed greens doesn’t include arugula then buy some arugula and add it. Arugula just shines in this salad!!
- Gorgonzola – We love gorgonzola but it is easily substituted with any cheese you love. Try smoked cheddar, gouda, goat cheese, manchego, gruyere, etc.
- Pepitas – adds a yummy little crunch and nutty flavor
- Golden Raisins – can be replaced with regular raisins, craisins or pomegranate seeds
Vinaigrette
This recipe was inspired by a Taste of Home recipe I was reading. It just sounded so good and it was fabulous on this salad! Here is what you will need:
- Shallots – have a mild onion flavor and caramelize quickly
- Kosher Salt – adds a touch of flavor to the shallots as they caramelize
- Maple Syrup – use the real stuff!
- White Balsamic Vinegar (or Apple Cider Vinegar) – you gotta have vinegar for a vinaigrette, both these options are sweet and tangy
- Olive Oil – the base of the vinaigrette
The measurements for each ingredient in the salad and in the homemade dressing are listed in the recipe card at the end of this post.
What Apples are Best for Salads?
I am forever loyal to honeycrisp apples! Jonagold will also work great. If you can’t find those or if they are too expensive (they can get quite pricey), then go with gala, granny smith, or Braeburn.
How to Roast Apples and Pears
Roasting apples and pears is so easy! You will want to slice them pretty thin, cutting the pears a little thicker than the apples. Then lay them on a baking sheet that has been drizzled with a little olive oil to prevent sticking. Make sure all the slices are in a single layer. Place them in a preheated oven (425 degrees) and let them roast for 10 minutes. Then flip them all over and roast them for about 5 more minutes or until they are golden.
How to
Some things just belong together…like raspberries and summertime or raspberry pretzel jello salad and your next BBQ! Three layers of jello salad joy.
Now I don’t know if this is a salad or a dessert, but it is so delicious that it doesn’t matter! It has a sweet and salty pretzel crust layer, a sweet cream cheese filling layer and a fruity tart jello layer on top.
I’m realizing people have a bigger opinion on berries than I ever knew. Are you a lover of raspberries and hater of blueberries?
If you had to pick would you go strawberry or raspberry?
Our strawberry pretzel jello salad brought up so many requests for one vs the other and since I happen to love both, I tend to pull for team strawberry, but I really had no choice but to create a raspberry pretzel jello version. I mean, it’s all in the name of research, am I right? 😉
Plus it tastes like cheesecake but you serve it as a side dish. Who in the world is the genius that brought this first to Thanksgiving dinner?
Ingredients Needed for Raspberry Pretzel Salad
Here is your grocery list for each of the three layers of this salad:
Pretzel Layer
- Pretzels: any brand or shape of pretzel will work great since they crushed into small pieces
- Butter: helps bind the crust together and adds rich yummy flavor
- Brown Sugar: adds flavor and sweetness
- Sugar: adds more sweetness
Cream Layer
- Sugar: adds sweetness to the creamy layer
- Cream Cheese: make sure it is softened to room temperature so it doesn’t get lumpy
- Cool Whip: adds sweetness, structure and creaminess to the cream layer
Jello Layer
- Raspberry Jello: you will follow the instructions on the Jello box to make this layer
- Water: used to make the Jello
- Raspberries: fresh or frozen can be used and will work great
The measurements for each ingredient can be found in the recipe card below.
How to Make Raspberry Pretzel Salad
The steps for making this recipe are simple. Here they are broken down by layer:
Pretzel Layer
- Preheat oven.
- Combine all the ingredients well.
- Press into baking dish.
- Bake and let cool completely.
Cream Layer
- Beat the sugar and cream cheese together.
- Fold in Cool Whip.
- Spread over cooled pretzel layer.
Jello Layer
- Mix the jello powder and boiling water until the powder is dissolved.
- Stir in the rasp