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This delicious frog eye salad is creamy, fluffy, and filled with pineapple, mandarin oranges, and marshmallows. It is perfect for bringing to any gathering or potluck. Trust me when I say this will fly off the table!
I love a salad that is sweet and filled with fruit. You MUST TRY my Strawberry Cheesecake Salad, this delicious Snickers Caramel Apple Salad and this extra yummy Pistachio Salad! Everyone I know loves these ones!
What is Frog Eye Salad?
This delightful salad comes from the western states of Utah and Idaho. It’s often seen at potlucks or family gatherings and once you try it, you will see why! This serves a large crowd, it’s easy to make and it has marshmallows! And yes, it’s still called a salad! Sometimes these cool whip salads just hit the spot!
In this salad, I typically use mandarin oranges and pineapple. They just complement each other so well and I love the texture that they add to this side dish! But, you could easily swap either of those out for any other fruit and it will turn out just as delicious! I like to let this sit in the fridge at set up for a while after I make it so it’s a great salad to make ahead of time!
Ingredients in Frog Eye Salad
The acini de pepe is my favorite part about this salad! I absolutely love the texture that it brings and it just sets this salad apart from other fruit salads. Check out the recipe card at the bottom of the post for exact measurements.
- Acini de Pepe: This is a pasta and the name of it is Italian and it means “seeds of pepper”.
- Egg Yolks: I always like to use large eggs in all of my recipes.
- Sugar: This will sweeten everything up making this frog eye salad taste extra delicious!
- Pineapple Tidbits: You will draing your pineapple but make sure to save the juice! You will use it at another place in this recipe!
- Flour: I used all-purpose flour in this recipe.
- Cornstarch: The cornstarch helps to thicken the sauce.
- Cool Whip: This is what brings in that delightfully fluffy texture!
- Mandarin Oranges: Drain your mandarin oranges before you put them in the salad so that you aren’t adding to much extra liquid to the salad.
- Shredded Coconut: This flavor and texture go so well in this salad.
- Mini Marshmallows: The mini marshmallows are my kids favorite part!
How to Make Frog Eye Salad
Once you make this salad, you just need to remember that it needs to time chill to set up! So it’s best to make this the morning of. Then, it can sit in the fridge all day and will be ready to go by the time dinner rolls around!
- Cook Pasta: Cook the pasta according to package directions, then drain and set aside.
- Combine: In a medium saucepan, add the egg yolks, sugar, juice from your pineapple cans (set aside pineapple), flour, and cornstarch.
- Boil: Bring to a low boil and whisk for 4-6 minutes.
- Simmer: Reduce to a simmer until it starts to thicken.
- Chill: Add it to a bowl and put it in the fridge for an hour.
- Combine: In a large bowl, add the pasta, pineapple, custard mixture, cool whip, mandarin oranges, shredded coconut, and mini marshmallows.
- Stir: Stir everything together until combined.
- Chill Again:Refrigerate for at least an hour, then serve.
Substitutions for Acini de Pepe
If you can’t find this pasta at the store, don’t worry! You can still make this salad. A great substitute would be some pastina. This is very similar and just as small, so it will give this frog eye salad the same texture.
How to Store Leftovers
Luckily, since this salad is better chilled, leftovers of this frog eye salad are just as delicious, if not better! You can store your leftovers in an airtight container in your fridge. They will last about 3-4 days!
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Cook the pasta according to package directions, then drain and set aside.
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In a medium saucepan, add the egg yolks, sugar, juice from your pineapple cans (set aside pineapple), flour, and cornstarch.
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Bring to a low boil and whisk for 4-6 minutes.
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Reduce to a simmer until it starts to thicken.
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Add it to a bowl and put it in the fridge for an hour.
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In a large bowl, add the pasta, pineapple, custard mixture, cool whip, mandarin oranges, shredded coconut, and mini marshmallows.
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Stir everything together until combined.
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Refrigerate for at least an hour, then serve.
Serves: 12
Calories294kcal (15%)Carbohydrates57g (19%)Protein7g (14%)Fat6g (9%)Saturated Fat3g (15%)Polyunsaturated Fat0.3gMonounsaturated Fat1gCholesterol52mg (17%)Sodium39mg (2%)Potassium116mg (3%)Fiber2g (8%)Sugar26g (29%)Vitamin A125IU (3%)Vitamin C5mg (6%)Calcium36mg (4%)Iron2mg (11%)
All nutritional information is based on third party calculations and is only an estimate. Each recipe and nutritional value will vary depending on the brands you use, measuring methods and portion sizes per household.
