Pasta Fruit Salad is sweet, creamy, and perfect for holidays and special occasions. It's loaded with fruit cocktail, macaroni, and tropical palm nuts for a festive treat!
Pasta Fruit Salad is the follow-up recipe to chicken sisig in our 24 Days to Christmas recipe series. Since it's an old recipe from 2013 that gets a lot of love during the holiday season, I thought I'd update it with new photos and push it back into the spotlight in time for Noche Buena.
If you're looking for more holiday desserts, my buko pandan also got a bit of TLC and was revamped with new photos and a video to guide you through the simple process. I also have a couple of brand-new sweet treats coming your way soon, so yay!
Christmas is just around the corner, and one dish that is almost always present in every Filipino's holiday festivities is fruit salad. Traditionally, this Filipino-style dessert is made with fruit cocktail, sweet palm nuts, and sweetened cream, but a few years ago, a friend introduced me to adding macaroni to the mix.
When she offered me a serving, my first thought was, "what a way to ruin a good recipe," but I took one spoonful and quickly swallowed my words.
The pasta cooked al dente does add a nice, chewy texture and marries well with the rest of the concoction. It's also an inexpensive way to extend servings, mainly when serving a large party.
This macaroni fruit salad recipe is creamy, tasty, and easily customizable. I like to use fruit cocktail, nata de coco, kaong, and cheese cubes to pull it together but feel free to add other canned fruits such as peaches and mandarin oranges or fresh fruits such as halved seedless grapes, diced apples, and sliced strawberries.
Helpful tips
- For best texture, cook the macaroni about a minute shy of package's directions. You will need about 2 cups cooked.
- The kaong and nata de coco are usually packed in heavy syrup so make sure to drain well.
- The salad will taste a little too sweet when just combined but the sweetness will mellow out once the mixture is chilled or frozen.
If you'd like to trim the calories, swap the all-purpose cream and condensed milk with this yogurt dressing for a healthier option.
Yogurt Dressing
- Combine 1 cup plain yogurt, ½ cup sour cream, ¼ cup honey, and 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar or pineapple juice in a bowl.
- Whisk together until smooth and well-blended.
- Drizzle the dressing on pasta salad and gently toss to distribute.
How to serve and store
- Enjoy this pasta fruit salad recipe for your holiday gatherings and special occasions. It's delicious for everyday sweet cravings, too!
- Refrigerate the salad for a few hours or overnight to chill completely. Serve cold. You can also freeze it if you prefer an icy consistency.
More party salad recipes
Ingredients
- 4 ounces uncooked macaroni pasta
- 1 can (30 ounces) fruit cocktail, drained
- 1 can (20 ounces) pineapple tidbits, drained
- 1 bottle (12 ounces) nata de coco, drained
- 1 bottle (12 ounces) kaong, drained
- 1 cup cheese, cubed
- 1 can (14 ounces) table cream
- 1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
Instructions
- In a large pot over medium heat, bring 2 quarts of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook about 1 minute shy of package's directions.
- Remove from heat, rinse, and drain well. Let cool completely.
- In a bowl, combine cooked macaroni, fruit cocktail, pineapple, nata de coco, kaong, cheese, table cream, and condensed milk and cream. Stir gently to distribute.
- Chill for 1 to 2 hours or freeze until firm.
Notes
- For best texture, cook the macaroni about a minute shy of package’s directions. You will need about 2 cups cooked.
- The kaong and nata de coco are usually packed in heavy syrup so make sure to drain well.
- The salad will taste a little too sweet when just combined but the sweetness will mellow out once the mixture is chilled or frozen.
Video
Nutrition Information
“This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.”
Rosalie says
Thank you for sharing on FB. I never tried this before. I can’t wait! What type of cheese did you use?
Bella says
Oh wow Same as my recipe but I add mayonnaise with mine so it’s more creamy. I learned it since I was 12 years old back in the Philippines.
Mel Dizon says
I'm 55 years old & just learning how to cook since I moved to Canada. Your website is so helpful because it's easy to follow the directions. Easy & simple recipes! I want to make macaroni salad Fil style. Thank you!
Jean Paulin says
I made this last night and it's so yummy!!! 😋😋😋 It's one of my many favorite pinoy dessert. Thank you for sharing your great recipes! 😊
Lalaine says
Thanks for the feedback, Jean. This is my favorite dessert, too, and I am glad you liked it 🙂