My Grammy’s Easy Side Dish Is Retro Perfection

While I adore elaborate cakes and desserts of all kinds, there is nothing that will beat the nostalgia of orange creamsicle salad. (Yes, you heard that right!)

Growing up, my Grammy always kept boxes of Jell-O and Cool Whip on hand for mixing up this classic Midwestern salad that is somehow both a side dish and a dessert. We gobbled up a lime “fluff” with crushed graham crackers as well as a Watergate Salad full of bright maraschino cherries, but my all-time favorite was the creamsicle salad that tasted like an orange soda float—a little tangy, totally creamy, and full of bits of mandarin oranges and mini marshmallows.

I hadn’t thought of my Grammy’s salad until a recent visit from my mom. We went down memory lane trying to find a recipe that tasted just like her mom’s. With a little tinkering, I’ve created a version that tastes just like I remember. Here’s how to make another nostalgic dish that tastes like my childhood.

What Is Creamsicle Salad?

If you’ve never heard of creamsicle salad, let me introduce you to your new favorite potluck dish, BBQ side, or anytime dessert. It is especially perfect for summer when it’s both busy and hot: There is no cooking required, and it’s best served chilled.

Similar to Snickers Salad or Ambrosia Salad, this dish is more dessert than salad. It combines orange Jell-O, vanilla pudding, and mandarin oranges to taste just like the classic frozen novelty. Beyond its creamy, tangy taste, orange creamsicle salad is so simple to make.

The Ingredients

This dessert salad is about as easy as buying the right ingredients at the grocery store and adding water. For a party-sized serving, you’ll need:

• Orange Jell-O: This firms the salad and flavors its base. You can swap this out for different versions of this salad; try lime or strawberry Jell-O, or even pistachio pudding. You’ll combine the powdered mix with boiling water, then add a bit of cool water before chilling for just 20 minutes.
• Instant vanilla pudding: No need for warming this up in milk—you’ll add it right to the cooled Jell-O and chill for 10 minutes more. Again, you can easily swap this out for another flavor (banana pudding with strawberry jello sounds divine), but this is a primary component of a creamsicle-flavored dish.
• Cool Whip: Once the mixture is chilled, you’ll fold in a whole standard-size container of Cool Whip. (This is where a lot of “fluff” salads get their fluffy volume.)
• Canned mandarin oranges: Be sure to drain these before adding them to the salad. I like to halve them into bite-size pieces and reserve a few for garnishing the finished dish. Some folks like to add maraschino cherries, but I personally save those for ambrosia.
• Mini marshmallows: Sounds weird, but they are essential for the satisfying texture of creamsicle salad. Again, reserving a few of these for topping the salad is ideal but not required.

How to Make My Grammy’s Orange Creamsicle Salad 

For 10 to 12 servings, you’ll need:

• 1 (3-ounce) box orange Jell-O
• 1 cup boiling water
• 1/2 cup chilled water
• 1 (3.4-ounce) box instant vanilla pudding
• 1 (8-ounce) container Cool Whip, thawed
• 1 (15-ounce) can mandarin oranges, drained and cut into bite-size pieces
• 2 cups mini marshmallows 

Combine the Jell-O and boiling water in a large mixing bowl, whisking until the Jell-O is completely dissolved. Add the chilled water until combined. Chill for 20 minutes.

Add the Jell-O pudding mix and whisk until smooth. Chill the mixture again for 10 minutes.

Fold in the Cool Whip, mandarin oranges, and marshmallows. Cover and chill again for at least 1 hour, preferably overnight, before serving.

Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for about 3 days. Mix up the salad a bit just before serving.