Easy Old-Fashioned Fruit Salad is bursting with flavor and chock full of pineapple, cherries, and pecans that are enveloped in a creamy, dreamy mixture of lemon yogurt, frozen whipped topping, and lemon zest. It's perfect for serving at showers, ladies luncheons, holiday brunches and would be excellent to serve at a Mother's Day or Easter brunch or luncheon.
2½cupsdark sweet cherriespitted, if canned, drained
2½cupspineapple chunksdrained, if canned, drained
½cuppecanstoasted and chopped*
8ouncesfrozen whipped toppingthawed, I used Cool Whip
½cuplemon yogurtregular or Greek
1teaspoonlemon juice
1tablespoonlemon zest
⅓cupmayonnaise
Instructions
Gather the ingredients, add the drained cherries and pineapple, and toasted pecans in a large bowl.
Combine the thawed whipped topping, lemon yogurt, mayonnaise, lemon juice, and lemon zest in another bowl and stir until well combined.
Add the whipped topping mixture to the fruit mixture and gently fold everything together.
Spoon the mixture into an 8x8 dish; cover and freeze at least four hours, or until firm.
Take the dish out of the freezer for 15-30 minutes to let it thaw just a little before you are ready to serve it. Cut into squares and serve on lettuce leaves if desired.
Notes
*To toast the pecans, place them in a single layer on a baking sheet and roast for 8-10 minutes in a 350-degree oven. Watch them carefully; they can go from perfect to burned in a matter of seconds.Because this is a frozen dish, leftovers should be stored tightly covered in the freezer. You can store it for up to three months.Be sure to take the frozen fruit salad out of the freezer 15 to 30 minutes before serving to allow it to defrost slightly.It is easier to cut if you use a sharp knife and dip it in hot water or under hot running water before slicing it. To make it easier to remove from the frozen dish, either put a dish towel in the microwave and microwave it for a minute on high or put it under hot water and wring it out. Place the dish towel under your dish, and the slices will release from the dish much easier. I like to serve it on salad plates on top of fancy lettuce leaves and garnish it with leftover cherries and pecans. Feel free to add a dollop or so of whipped cream to each serving if you like.Make sure your cherries are pitted. If you can't find the canned dark sweet cherries in the canned fruit section of your grocery store, try looking where the pie fillings are kept. But don't use cherry pie filling.You can substitute homemade whipped cream for the frozen whipped topping.To make individual servings of this dish, add paper liners to a regular-sized muffin pan and then add the mixture—cover and freeze as directed.You can use fresh, frozen, or canned fruit in this recipe. If you use canned, be sure to allow the fruit to drain completely. Excess moisture will make it icy when frozen.You can use crushed pineapple, tidbits, or chunks.