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This Cookie Salad is one of those recipes that sounds a little unusual until you take the first bite. Then it all makes sense! Creamy vanilla pudding, fluffy whipped topping, juicy mandarin oranges and pineapple, and chunks of chocolate Fudge Stripe cookies come together in an easy no-bake dessert salad that is always a hit at potlucks, barbecues, picnics, and family gatherings. Best of all, it takes just 10 minutes to make.
5 Star Reviews ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“I knew I had to make this, I LOVE mandarin oranges! This was a huge hit, thank you!” – Audrey
“I served it for dessert using fresh whipped cream instead of Cool Whip. It is so good, everyone scraped their bowls clean!” – Kara
“I had never heard of this, but after one bite it’s all I can think about making again and again.” – Aimee
Why I Love This Cookie Salad
I have always loved this Cookie Salad because it is the kind of recipe that gets people talking. Is it really a salad? Probably not in the way most of us think of salad, but I am not going to argue with any recipe that lets me put cookies on my plate next to dinner!
The combination of mandarin oranges and pineapple with the creamy vanilla pudding mixture is so good, and the Fudge Stripe cookies add just the right amount of chocolate and crunch. I also like that this recipe is so easy to adjust.
There seems to be a big Cookie Salad debate over regular milk versus buttermilk. I actually prefer regular milk because I think buttermilk makes it a little too rich. Whole milk gives the salad a creamier texture, but 2% or skim milk works too. If you grew up eating the traditional Midwestern-style version made with buttermilk, you can absolutely use that instead.
Cookie Salad is especially popular in the Midwest, where sweet fruit salads and pudding salads often show up at potlucks and family gatherings. Whatever you want to call it, dessert or salad, it is an easy recipe that people come back for again and again.
🩷 Erica
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Instant vanilla pudding mix: Be sure to use instant pudding, not cook-and-serve pudding, so the mixture thickens without cooking.
- Milk: I like regular milk in this recipe, and whole milk will give you the creamiest consistency, although 2% or skim works too.
- Frozen whipped topping: Thaw the whipped topping completely in the refrigerator before folding it into the pudding mixture.
- Mandarin oranges: Drain these really well so the extra juice doesn’t thin out the salad.
- Crushed pineapple: Drain the pineapple thoroughly before adding it. Pineapple tidbits also work well.
- Fudge Stripe cookies: These chocolate-striped shortbread cookies add the crunch that makes Cookie Salad so much fun.
Ingredient Additions and Substitutions
The mandarin orange and pineapple combination is my favorite, but Cookie Salad is easy to change depending on what you have in the pantry.
- Buttermilk: Substitute buttermilk for the regular milk if you prefer the tangier flavor found in many traditional Cookie Salad recipes.
- Bananas: Add sliced bananas just before serving so they don’t turn brown.
- Mini marshmallows: Fold in a handful for an even fluffier dessert salad.
- Fresh whipped cream: You can use sweetened homemade whipped cream instead of frozen whipped topping. Just keep in mind that it may not hold its texture quite as long.
- Different pudding flavors: Vanilla is classic, but cheesecake, lemon, chocolate, or pistachio pudding can be fun variations.
- Different cookies: Try shortbread cookies, Vienna Fingers, Oreos, chocolate chip cookies, or another crunchy cookie.
- Nuts: Chopped pecans, almonds, or walnuts add a little crunch.
- Coconut: Shredded coconut works well with the pineapple and mandarin oranges.
- Chocolate chips: Mini chocolate chips are an easy addition if you want a little more chocolate.
- Lemon juice: A small splash can balance some of the sweetness.
One thing I would not change is draining the fruit. Extra pineapple or mandarin juice can quickly turn a thick, fluffy Cookie Salad into a runny one.
How to Make Cookie Salad
- Prepare pudding mix. Add the instant vanilla pudding mix and milk to a large mixing bowl. Beat until smooth and slightly thickened.
- Stir in the whipped topping. Gently fold the thawed whipped topping into the pudding mixture until evenly combined.
- Add the fruit and chill until serving. Fold in the well-drained mandarin oranges and crushed pineapple. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Crush the cookies. Just before serving, roughly crush the Fudge Stripe cookies into bite-sized pieces.
- Stir in the cookies. Gently fold most of the crushed cookies into the chilled pudding mixture.
- Top with some cookies and orange slices. Sprinkle the remaining cookie pieces over the top and garnish with a few mandarin orange slices before serving.
Recipe Tips
- Drain the fruit really well. I like to put the mandarin oranges and pineapple in a fine mesh strainer while I prepare the pudding mixture. The less excess liquid that goes into the bowl, the fluffier the salad will be.
- Thaw the whipped topping first. Frozen or partially frozen whipped topping won’t fold smoothly into the pudding.
- Keep everything cold. Cookie Salad tastes best chilled, and the creamy base holds its texture better when it stays cold.
- Don’t pulverize the cookies. You want bite-sized pieces, not cookie crumbs. Larger pieces give the salad that crunchy cookie texture.
- Wait to add the cookies. This is probably my most important tip. Fudge Stripe cookies soften as they sit in the pudding mixture, so add them right before serving.
- Save some cookies for garnish. A few cookie pieces or even whole Fudge Stripe cookies on top make it obvious what is hiding inside the bowl.
- Serving it outdoors? Keep the serving bowl chilled or set it over a larger bowl of ice during a summer barbecue or picnic. Keeping it cold also helps preserve the texture.
- Only add cookies to what you’ll eat. If you know you will have leftovers, you can add cookies to individual servings instead of the entire bowl. That way tomorrow’s Cookie Salad can still have crunchy cookies.
Frequently Asked Questions
Cookie Salad is a creamy Midwestern-style dessert salad made with instant vanilla pudding, milk or buttermilk, whipped topping, fruit, and Fudge Stripe cookies. Despite the name, there are no greens involved. It is usually served as a dessert or sweet side dish at potlucks, picnics, holidays, and family gatherings.
It falls into the same general category as fruit salad, Jell-O salad, pudding salad, and other sweet dessert salads that are especially popular in the Midwest. Calling something made with pudding and cookies a “salad” might be a stretch, but I think that’s part of the fun!
Yes. Many traditional Cookie Salad recipes use buttermilk. It adds a tangy flavor that balances the sweetness and makes a thick pudding base. I prefer regular milk because I find the buttermilk version a little richer, but either works.
You can make the pudding and fruit mixture up to a day ahead and keep it covered in the refrigerator. Do not add the Fudge Stripe cookies until shortly before serving or they will become soft and soggy. This is also one of the most common questions readers have asked about this recipe.
The most common cause is fruit that wasn’t drained thoroughly. Mandarin oranges and crushed pineapple contain quite a bit of liquid, so give them plenty of time to drain before folding them into the pudding mixture. The fruit can also release more liquid as the salad sits, which is another reason Cookie Salad is best served fresh.
Yes! One of our readers made it with fresh whipped cream and said everyone scraped their bowls clean. Sweeten the cream before whipping it, then gently fold it into the pudding mixture. Homemade whipped cream isn’t quite as stable as frozen whipped topping, so I recommend serving the salad fairly soon after assembling it.
Yes. If you aren’t a fan of pineapple, leave it out and use the mandarin oranges on their own. You can also add another fruit, such as sliced bananas, but add softer fresh fruit shortly before serving.
Yes, with a few substitutions. Traditional Fudge Stripe cookies contain wheat, so replace them with a gluten-free chocolate shortbread or similar crunchy gluten-free cookie. Check the labels on the pudding mix and whipped topping as well to make sure the brands you use meet your needs.
I don’t recommend freezing it. The creamy pudding mixture can separate after thawing, the fruit can change texture, and the cookies will lose their crunch. This is definitely a recipe that is better made fresh.
Make Ahead and Storage
Cookie Salad is easy to prep ahead as long as you keep the cookies separate.
To make it ahead, prepare the pudding mixture, fold in the whipped topping and drained fruit, then cover the bowl and refrigerate. I recommend making it no more than one day ahead for the best texture.
Crush the Fudge Stripe cookies separately and store them in an airtight container at room temperature. Fold them into the salad right before serving.
Store leftover Cookie Salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 to 3 days. It is safe to enjoy leftovers, but keep in mind that the fruit will gradually release liquid and any cookies already mixed into the salad will soften. For the best leftovers, add cookies only to the portion you plan on eating.
Pairing Ideas
Cookie Salad is right at home at a summer barbecue, picnic, church potluck, or family reunion. I love serving it alongside Honey BBQ Chicken, our favorite Hamburgers, and a big bowl of Homestyle Potato Salad. It works especially well with savory grilled foods because the cool, creamy fruit salad adds something sweet to the plate.
More Sweet Salads
If you’ve never tried Cookie Salad before, I know the combination of pudding, fruit, and chocolate cookies might sound a little strange. Just go with it! It is creamy, fruity, crunchy, and so easy to make.
And if you grew up eating Cookie Salad, I would love to know how your family makes it. Do you use regular milk or buttermilk? Pineapple or no pineapple? Let me know in the comments below, and don’t forget to leave a rating if you make the recipe! 💛🍪
Cookie Salad Recipe
Video
Ingredients
- 6.8 oz instant vanilla pudding mix
- 2 c. milk
- 16 oz frozen whipped topping, thawed
- 22 oz mandarin oranges, drained
- 20 oz crushed pineapple, drained
- 25 fudge stripe cookies
Instructions
- Add the instant vanilla pudding mix and milk to a large mixing bowl. Beat until smooth and slightly thickened.
- Gently stir the thawed whipped topping into the pudding mixture until evenly combined.
- Fold in the well-drained mandarin oranges and crushed pineapple. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Just before serving, roughly crush the Fudge Stripe cookies into bite-sized pieces.
- Gently stir most of the crushed cookies into the chilled pudding mixture.
- Top with the remaining cookie pieces and a few mandarin orange slices before serving.
Notes
- Use instant vanilla pudding, not cook-and-serve pudding.
- Drain the mandarin oranges and pineapple very well to prevent watery Cookie Salad.
- Whole milk makes the salad creamier, but 2% or skim milk can also be used.
- Buttermilk can be substituted for milk if you prefer a tangier, more traditional flavor.
- Make sure the frozen whipped topping is completely thawed before folding it into the pudding.
- Don’t crush the cookies too finely. Bite-sized chunks give the salad the best texture.
- Add the Fudge Stripe cookies just before serving so they stay crunchy.
- The pudding and fruit mixture can be prepared up to one day ahead. Refrigerate it and keep the cookies separate.
- Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 2 to 3 days. The cookies will soften as they sit.
- If you expect leftovers, add cookies to individual portions instead of mixing them into the entire bowl.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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This has been my go to recipe for 15 yrs, I absolutely love it, but haven’t tried it with the pineapple yet! Making it now, I have more time now that I’m semi-retired.
I’m excited for you to try it! Let me know what you think!
Love it and it is good for potluck picnics. I take it to our church is memorial day picnic every year.
Can this be made a day ahead with the cookies added….I’m limited on refrigeration when cookies are added the next day? Thank you.
If you add the cookies the day before, they will get soggy.
Can you make this the day before? Can you use apples?
I haven’t tried it with apples but they should work great. You can make it the day before, just wait to add the cookies until right before serving.
I knew I had to make this, I LOVE mandarin oranges! This was a huge hit, thank you!
Thank you for sharing – and for being adventurous enough to try this recipe! We love it!
I served it for dessert using fresh whipped cream instead of Cool Whip. It is so good, everyone scraped their bowls clean!
I had never heard of this, but after one bite it’s all I can think about making again and again.
This cookie salad was the best dessert, we were licking the bowl clean! Thank you!
Greatest
Sounds crazy but it’s delicious