The best Banana Split Fluff Salad is an easy dessert salad that is loaded with all your favorite banana split toppings. Stir everything into one bowl, and it is ready to go.
Bring a bowl of this easy fruit salad and a Banana Split Cake to your next picnic and watch everyone devour the sweet goodness.
Dessert Salad
Now this is how I like to eat my salad. Anything loaded with fruit, nuts, marshmallows, and chocolate has to be a good thing. Yes, you read that right. This ambrosia salad recipe has chocolate in it. You can totally leave them out if you can’t do a “salad” with chocolate in it.
Now I know what you are thinking. There is no way this creamy fluff salad recipe should be called a salad because it does not contain green leafy vegetables.
Well, technically this is more like a dessert because it has pudding and marshmallows in it. But hey, I like to call it fruit salad dessert because then I can eat a second helping without feeling too much guilt.
My mother-in-law makes a pistachio fluff salad that I absolutely love. You probably have had this same watergate salad at church potlucks or barbecues because a Jello salad and ambrosia salad have been staples at church functions for years.
Any time anyone shows up with a Cool Whip fruit salad of any kind, it is always one of the first things to disappear.
The other day I was totally craving an easy fluff salad! Ever since I made this Banana Split Brownie Pie, I am always looking for ways to turn things into banana split desserts because that’s a flavor I will never tire of!
What You’ll Need
This fluff salad has all the classic banana split flavors in one bowl. Mix it all in one bowl and serve.
- Crushed Pineapple – do not drain the liquid
- Banana Pudding – very important that you get the instant pudding mix
- Cool Whip – gives it the fluffy texture. You can also use 3 cups of this Homemade Whipped Cream recipe.
- Toppings – walnuts, mini chocolate chips, cherries, marshmallows, sliced bananas
How to make Banana Split Fluff
- Stir the pudding into the pineapple in a large mixing bowl. Do not drain the can of pineapple because the juice will help the pudding thicken up.
- Fold in an entire container of thawed Cool Whip into the pudding with a spatula.
- Gently stir in marshmallows, chopped walnuts, banana slices, mini chocolate chips, and maraschino cherries. Feel free to change up the banana split toppings to include the ones you like or don’t like.
- Refrigerate the dessert salad for at least an hour because the flavors need time to thicken and meld together. This also gives the marshmallows time to soften and become soft fluffy bites.
BruCrew Tip: If you are serving this banana split fluff later in the day or even the next day, I recommend stirring the bananas into it right before serving. This just keeps the bananas from getting brown and mushy.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you use a different flavor of pudding?
Yes, you sure can. Vanilla or french vanilla pudding would taste great.
Can you make this dessert salad ahead of time?
This fluff salad dessert is best served the day you make it. It can be made up to 24 hours ahead of time, but do not stir the banana slices into it until right before you serve it.
Other Fluff Salads
- Strawberry Fluff Salad
- Cookies and Cream Fluff
- Rocky Road Chocolate Fluff
- S’mores Cheesecake Fluff
- Pumpkin Fluff
More Easy No Bake Desserts
- White Chocolate Parfait
- S’mores Eclair Cake
- Easy Tiramisu recipe
- Swiss Rolls Cake
- No Bake Strawberry Pie
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Banana Split Fluff Salad Recipe
This Banana Split Fluff Salad is an easy fruit salad loaded with all your favorite banana split toppings. Stir everything into one bowl, and it's ready to go.
Ingredients
- 1 - 3.4 ounce box instant banana pudding
- 1 - 20 ounce can crushed pineapple (do not drain)
- 1 - 8 ounce container Cool Whip, thawed
- 1 cup mini marshmallows
- 1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts + 2 Tablespoons for garnish
- 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips + 1 Tablespoon for garnish
- 2 ripe bananas, sliced
- 2 - 10 ounce each jars maraschino cherries, halved and patted dry
Instructions
- Stir together the dry pudding mix and pineapple until dissolved and thickened.
- Fold in the Cool Whip with a spatula.
- Gently stir in the marshmallows, 1/2 cup nuts, 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips, bananas, and cherries.
- Refrigerate 1 hour to chill. Top with reserved nuts and chips and serve immediately.
Notes
- If you are making this fluff salad to serve later, stir the bananas in right before serving to keep them from getting brown and mushy.
- You can also dip the banana slices in lemon juice to keep them from browning too quickly, but it may add a slight lemon flavor to the dessert.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 16 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 137Total Fat: 7gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 21mgCarbohydrates: 19gFiber: 1gSugar: 15gProtein: 1g
Nutrition facts are an estimate and are not guaranteed to be accurate. If you need special diet advice, please see a registered dietician.
*The post for Banana Split Fluff Salad was first published April 2015. The post was updated and republished April 2019.
Cat says
Hello.
I have been craving banana splits for over a year now. It comes and goes. While on Pinterest I somehow came across fluff salad recipes.
Well to my great surprise a Banana Split fluff salad.
Least to say I made it and it was GOOD!!!
Thank you so much for sharing. This is a keeper. Next going to try your Rocky Road Fluff salad.
Thanka Thanka!!!!
Jocelyn says
Yay! I am so glad you stumbled across my salad on Pinterest and tried it. It’s one of my favorite summer “salads”. Thank you so much for stopping back in and letting me know you loved it!
Helen britto says
I am not able to find cool whip in my country, can i substitute anything else
Jocelyn says
You could make a stabilized whipped cream by beating 1 1/2 cups of heavy cream and 6 Tablespoons powdered sugar together until it doubles and has almost stiff peaks. Use that in place of the Cool Whip. I hope that helps.
SANDRA HAGLER says
I’m planning to make this, but realized I only have one jar of the cherries. I think I’ll add some chopped, white grapes to replace the extra cherries. this looks wonderful. I’ll make two small bowls to share with my daughter and her family.
Karen says
I cant believe how easy this was to make. It didn’t last long in my house. Simply delicious.
This ones a keeper.
Steph says
This looks incredible! Can’t wait to make it for a BBQ we’re going to next week!
Julie says
How fun! My girls are going to love this!
Sommer says
I love to serve this as dessert during family barbecues!
Toni says
This salad was really amazing! My kids loved it!
Judy Smith says
If I cut this recipe in half (there is only me to eat it) would I only use half the pudding mix?
Jocelyn says
Yes, I would measure the pudding mix and only use half of it. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did.
Heather says
So lovely. So nice. Very informative. God bless you.
Emily says
All I could find was semi sweet mini chips! Hope that format make a difference
Darla Thompson Ortiz says
Do you use the juice from the cherries in the salad?
Jocelyn says
No, you want to drain the cherries. I like to pat them dry with paper towels before cutting them up. I hope you enjoy the “salad”!
Cheryl says
How far in advance can you make this yummy looking fluff?
Jocelyn says
You can make it a day or two ahead of time, but I would stir the bananas in right before serving so they don’t turn brown. I hope you enjoy the “salad”.
Cheryl Jones says
Just made it and it is a hit with my teenager. Way to go!
Lisa Nagle says
My mom made a fruit salad similar to this every holiday, and we have continued this tradition! Instead of chocolate chips, we use chopped dates, and diced apples. We don’t use pudding and in place of cool whip we use whipped heavy cream with a little sugar to sweeten it, YUMMY!
Jocelyn says
Your mom’s fruit salad sounds delicious too!! I love the date and apple combo!!!
Lisa Gavazzoni says
Please don’t crucify me , I was wondering if there was something I could substitute for the banana I would like to make these to put in shooter glasses for a wedding however I don’t want Brown bananas Is there something else that could be used I know it wouldn’t be called the banana split…lol… it just looks so good!!
Jocelyn says
You could just leave the banana chunks out. How early are you going to fill the glasses? If you are doing it the same day as the wedding, the bananas shouldn’t start turning brown. Mine was fine for the first day or two, then they started to brown a little. Or you could make this pretty pink version. https://insidebrucrewlife.com/2015/07/strawberry-shortcake-fluff-salad/
Linda Hancock says
I hate pages like this wanted the recipe,not scroll past everything else,then never find the recipe.
Jocelyn says
I am so sorry you feel that way. You must not have scrolled far enough. The recipe card is below the last picture. It even has a printable link, so you can print it!
TRISTAN says
As much as i love your food ideas, your website is a nightmare to use. I get so effing many pop up ads i cant even navigate. It has taken me 20 minutes to get to find your actual RECIPE instead of the verbal talk about the recipe. I am beginning to understand that the longer i stay on your website and see the pop up ads the more cash you get. Your site is truly a nightmare to try to read and scroll with the continual pop ups. Please stop this nightmare ughhhhhh.
Jocelyn says
I am so sorry you are having so much trouble. I did email my ad provider to see if they could look into the issue. Each ad does have an “x” to close them out. Yes, I do make money from people being on my site, but I’m not trying to keep you there to make all the money on you. I support my family by creating free recipes for people to make. Ads and sponsored work are one way I help pay our family bills. It should not take you 20 minutes to scroll past the story and pictures that I share though.
Caitlan says
I am planning on making this for my upcoming baby shower for a different spin on the traditional pistachio fruit salad. I have a question tho, when looking at the recipe it says 1- 20 oz can of pinapple. I bought a huge 6 lb can at costco but it is only 10 oz surprisingly so I’m curious if I will need two of those cans or if it was a miss type or what lol please help me, thank you!!
Jocelyn says
I would be surprised if the can from Costco that is 6 lbs. is only 10 oz…maybe it is a typo and it is really 100 oz.? You do need a 20 oz. can of crushed pineapple, but that can size is the same size as a can of pie filling from the store. I hope that helps and that everyone likes the salad at the shower.
Stacey says
This stuff is ah-mazing!! My husband took a big bite and mid mouthful goes, “oh my god that’s good!” I don’t like the texture of bananas but like the flavor..so I didn’t add the slices but the pudding was banana-ey enough for me. Can’t wait to make more of your recipes.
Jocelyn says
Yay! I am so glad you let me know how much your family enjoyed it! I hope you find more recipes to try!
JosieS says
thank you for answering my question Jocelyn! we sure will!
JosieS says
Hello, I will make this for my friend daughter birthday party, but my question is; I do not prepare the pudding as it says in the box, but the pudding powder will thicken up with the pineapple juice? So as soon as the pudding is thicken, I could go ahead and fold the cool whip? right?
Jocelyn says
Yes, that is exactly right. Dump the pineapple and juice into a bowl with the dry pudding mix. Stir it until it thickens and then fold the Cool Whip in. I hope you enjoy it!
Julie says
I made this for Thanksgiving, and followed directions. The salad was runny and never really fluffy, soggy and flat. I don’t know what I did wrong.
Jocelyn says
How much milk did you use? You cannot use the box directions or it will not turn out. The pudding and milk mixture should be extremely thick before you fold in the Cool Whip.
Julie says
I did not use any milk at all. I just mixed the pineapple and pudding mix together. I do think however, I did not wait for that mixture to thicken. How long should you wait before continuing with the rest of the recipe? Also found the mixture of items to be very sweet. Any suggestions if I try this again. Thank you.
Jocelyn says
Oh, I’m sorry about that. I was thinking of my other fluff salad recipe. The pudding and pineapple should have been thick before folding in the Cool Whip. It is a very sweet mixture based on everything in it.
Martha says
Can you use sugar free pudding or should it be regular pudding?
Jocelyn says
I have never tried it with the sugar-free pudding. Everything else that you add to this fluff has plenty of sugar in it, so I would just use the regular.
Martha says
Thanks, if I decide to try the sugar free, (which I already bought) I’ll let you know if it works.
Jujube28 says
You can also use sugar free cool whip with the sugar free pudding.
Kathy says
Can this be made the day before (minus the bananas) and kept refrigerated overnight?
Jocelyn says
Yes, you can definitely make it the day before and add the bananas right before serving. I hope you enjoy the “salad”! 🙂
Kathy says
Thank you!!!
steph says
I just made this for the first time and for some reason it is very runny and not setting up. I followed the recipe to a T. Do you have any suggestions on what to do next time?
Jocelyn says
You didn’t make the pudding before stirring it into the pineapple, did you? You want to stir the dry pudding mix into the pineapple. The juice from the crushed pineapple make the pudding. I have made this countless times and it has never been runny.
Laura says
I am making this tomorrow. To keep the bananas from turning brown, I’m going to mix them in the pineapple juice, then remove the fruit and add the pudding mix then follow the rest of the steps.
tammy says
This dessert is yummy. I an just wondering if there is any way to keep the bananas from turning brown?
Jocelyn says
You could dip the bananas in lemon juice before stirring them in. Our fluff salad was eaten so quickly that the bananas didn’t have time to turn brown 😉
Michelle says
Will have to try this … love anything with bananas. Do you serve this as a dessert, or with dinner?? Seeing the chocolate chips, I’m guessing it’s more of a dessert. Do the bananas not get brown?
Jocelyn says
We ate it as a dessert. The bananas will start to get brown after a day or two…if you have any left. You can dip them in lemon juice before stirring them in if you like.
Kelsey says
I just made the Banana Split Fluff Salad for a salad luncheon today. The bowl was wiped clean! Had several people ask for the recipe. My family was disappointed I didn’t bring home any leftovers for them.
jessica knott (Swanky Recipes) says
This looks insanely delicious! I love fluff salad as it is and happen to be making a fruit one but man, I wish I was making this! Next time this is a must!
Brenda says
Looks so good I decided to make the fluff salad. We haven’t ate it yet but I was wondering if you mix the pudding according to the box directions first or if you just add the dry pudding to the pineapple. I did the later… hope it was the right choice
Jocelyn says
Hi, Brenda. You did it right 🙂 The dry pudding mix gets added to the pineapple. The liquid from the can of fruit dissolves the pudding mix. I hope your family enjoys it!!!
Donna says
I want to try this for a summer family reunion but I think I will mix all then freeze in a 9×13 pan that way it stays cold what do you think?
Jocelyn says
I have never frozen this dessert. I’m not sure how the fruit would hold up in the freezer…I have a feeling the bananas would turn brown and gross.
Mel says
Do you have a different option for the pineapples? I love banana splits, but I usually substitute the pineapples, as I don’t like them.
Donna says
I would just leave out the pineapple and mix it with the cherries juice and all.
Jocelyn says
You can also mix the pudding mix with 1 cup of milk instead of the pineapple. Then mix in your favorite toppings 🙂
trish says
I use mandarin oranges in a dessert I make very good that way too
M. Larson says
Do you have a recipe for the pistachio fluff and/or the cherry fluff often found in grocery store deli’s and buffets?
Jocelyn says
I don’t have a recipe for either of those. I’m sorry!
Stephanie+@+Macaroni+and+Cheesecake says
What a fun twist on the traditional treat! I love this!!
Wendy says
Fruity, sweet, and light at the same time is the perfect combo for a spring-summer treat! What fun to take your favorite (of the moment) flavors and create a variety of desserts . 🙂
Jocelyn says
Yes, this is the perfect spring and summer “salad” for all dinners and picnics!!!
Cathy says
I’m with you! This is my kind of salad! Pinned! I would love for you to share at this weeks Happiness Is Homemade Link Party! Happy Easter!
Saypon says
Do you drain the pineapple? Or is the liquid needed to mix with the dry pudding powder?
Jocelyn says
No, you do not want to drain the pineapple. The liquid helps dissolve the pudding mix! I hope you enjoy it!
Amber @ The Bewitched Baker says
Yes! Thank you! This is the exact perfect way to make a salad. No rabbit food for me, thanks.
Of course, things like this are probably the reason my waistline is as it is but… oh well!
Thank you for sharing! I will definitely be saving this for later!
Jocelyn says
I hear ya on the waistline…mine is not the smallest! Give me the desserts…no bunny food here either 🙂
Ashley@blondegirlcravings says
Yep, my kinda salad! Pinning this, though I can’t decide what board to pin it to? Salad? Side dish? Dessert? Fitness? um….
Jocelyn says
Hahaha! Pin it to all the boards 😉 Thanks for sharing!!!
Barbara Cherwin says
Fitness….Imma fitness whole salad in my mouth, lol !
Erin @ Miss Scrambled Egg says
This is absolutely something that I need to try. I like fruit salads like ambrosia, so I’m sure I’ll love this! 😀
Hayley @ The Domestic Rebel says
I totally want to face plant this right now! Love the banana split twist – so fun!
Jocelyn says
Yes, face planting is allowed in this yummy salad!!!
Cyndi - My Kitchen Craze says
This looks so delicious! I am so making this for my hubby and kids. We love salads like these but I rarely make them. I don’t know why. Pinned! 😉
Jocelyn says
I hope your family enjoys this fun salad!
Julianne @ Beyond Frosting says
This is just so much fun!!
Alexandra says
YUM!! Pinning this one.
Jocelyn says
Thank you!!!
Medha @ Whisk & Shout says
My kind of salad! This looks super yummy 🙂
Lynn @ Order in the Kitchen says
I have never even heard of a fluff salad and now I’m craving one lol! Second helpings? Yes please! Also, I hear you on the cabinet space lol 🙂 Love this recipe girl!
Jocelyn says
Oh, girl! You need a fluff salad like now!!!
Stephanie @ Plain Chicken says
YUM! This is totally my kind of salad! 🙂
Jocelyn says
I know, right? 🙂
Aimee @ ShugarySweets says
Oh yum! This looks like a great “salad” to bring to a potluck! And it’s totally my kind of salad too 😉
Jocelyn says
It would be perfect for potlucks! I knew you would like this “salad”.
Katie | Healthy Seasonal Recipes says
Wow! I haven’t ever had something like this before. We go through a ton of bananas too. I buy them two bunches at a time these days!
Lori says
I plan to make your Banana Split Cheesecake for the Holiday.