Frog Eye Salad is a retro fruit salad from the Nineteen Seventies! A refreshingly creamy, pineapple-flavored custard combines with tender acini de pepe to make a tapioca-like dessert, studded with flavorful mix-ins.
Why You’ll Love This Frog Eye Salad Recipe
- Refreshing and Candy: Served chilled, this refreshing and creamy Frog eye salad is a pleasant mixture of juicy fruit, candy whipped topping, tender pasta, and fluffy marshmallows.
- Straightforward: This fruity salad is extremely straightforward to organize, which is nice for busy days and hectic vacation meal prep.
- Make-Forward Possibility: Planning an occasion? Frog eye salad will be ready the evening earlier than and chilled within the fridge till the following day. Simply give it a great stir and it’s able to go!
- Child-Pleasant: Even the littlest cooks can assist with stirring, including components, and naturally, taste-testing! What child wouldn’t wish to attempt a enjoyable fruit crammed salad known as frog eye salad?
Love refreshing fruit crammed salads? Make certain to additionally try my favourite tropical fruit salad, creamy ambrosia salad, traditional Waldorf salad and this addictive creamy grape salad!
What Is Frog Eye Salad?
The precise origin of frog eye salad is unclear, nevertheless it has change into a long-standing favourite in elements of the U.S., particularly Colorado, Wyoming, and Utah. In these states, you will see frog eye salad on the desk for nearly each massive event! It would even rival pumpkin pie for a Thanksgiving Day feast, relying on the family.
Frog eye salad gained recognition within the Nineteen Seventies, and continues to be going robust, rising widespread everywhere in the U.S. Its distinctive, humorous identify comes from the tiny spherical pasta used within the recipe: acini de pepe, or pastina.
The Components You’ll Want
Whereas there are a variety of variations on the traditional (and we’ll get to these in a number of!), there are a number of primary components you’ll must make this satisfyingly creamy dish. For full ingredient quantities and instructions, scroll to the printable recipe card on the backside of this publish.
- Acini de Pepe: Tiny, spherical pasta, additionally utilized in Italian marriage ceremony soup, pastina, and so on.
- Egg Yolks: For added richness to the custard.
- Sugar: Granulated sugar works greatest on this recipe.
- Pineapple: Canned, crushed pineapple and pineapple tidbits. Save the juice from the pineapple as nicely.
- Mandarin Oranges: Canned mandarin oranges, drained.
- Cool Whip: You need to use an equal quantity of selfmade whipped cream as an alternative.
- Marshmallows: Mini marshmallows work greatest.
- Coconut: Shredded sweetened, or un-sweetened, coconut will each work nicely.
Is Acini de Pepe the Similar as Pastini?
Acini de pepe and pastini are comparable, however they don’t seem to be precisely the identical. Acini de pepe is a tiny pasta that resembles small beads or pearls (or frog eyes!). While you get pastini, they might be a wide range of totally different shapes – stars, squares, rice-shaped pasta, and tiny threads, to call a number of. You need to use pastini for those who can’t discover acini de pepe.
Methods to Make Frog Eye Salad
To make this dish, you’ll prepare dinner the custard gently on the range for a couple of minutes, and prepare dinner the pasta individually. The remainder of the method is simply chilling and stirring!
- Make the Pasta and Custard: Prepare dinner the acini de pepe in line with the package deal directions, after which drain it and rinse it in chilly water. In the meantime, whisk the egg yolks, sugar, pineapple juice, and flour in a saucepan. Stir and prepare dinner till thick and pudding-like.
- Mix the Pasta and Custard: As soon as the pineapple custard is thick, stir within the cooked pasta. Pour into a giant bowl, cool fully, and chill for one hour within the fridge.
- Add the Remaining Components: Stir the pineapple, mandarin oranges, Cool Whip, marshmallows, and coconut into the pasta combination.
- Get pleasure from: Serve instantly, or refrigerate till you’re able to serve.
Useful Ideas & Variations for Frogged Eyed Salad
In order that’s the way you make frog eye salad! However each recipe has its ideas and tips, so you should definitely learn via the ideas beneath for the most effective outcomes.
- Pasta: For those who can’t discover acini de pepe, be at liberty to make use of pastini as an alternative.
- Marshmallows: Each white and multi-colored marshmallows work nicely on this recipe, so select your desire or use a mixture of each.
- Add Lemon: Squirt a teaspoon or so of lemon juice into the salad for a sharper style.
- Cherries: Prime the salad with maraschino cherries for a stunning burst of shade and taste. For those who like, you might additionally chop some maraschino cherries, pat them dry with paper towels, and stir them into the salad as nicely.
- Nutty Crunch: Stir in your favourite finely chopped nuts, corresponding to pistachios or pecans, for an added crunchy texture and salty-sweetness.
- Berry Burst: Incorporate contemporary strawberries, blueberries, or raspberries into the salad for much more fruity goodness.
Methods to Retailer Frog Eye Salad
To retailer this frog eye salad, place it in an hermetic container and refrigerate. It should keep contemporary for as much as 5 days. Make certain to present it a delicate stir earlier than serving.
Can I Freeze This?
I’d not advocate freezing frog eye salad, as a result of the creamy custard can separate and switch watery when you freeze and thaw it. Not good! As a substitute, serve it contemporary. You may additionally halve the recipe to make a smaller batch, if wanted.
Extra Refreshing Salad Recipes
Yield: 8
Frog Eye Salad
Frog Eye Salad is a retro fruit salad from the Nineteen Seventies! A refreshingly creamy, pineapple-flavored custard combines with tender acini de pepe to make a tapioca-like dessert, studded with flavorful mix-ins.
Components
- 16 oz acini de pepe, or pastini
- 3 egg yolks
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 ½ cups pineapple juice, reserved from the canned pineapple beneath
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 (20 oz) can crushed pineapple, drain and reserve the juice
- 1 (20 oz) can pineapple tidbits, drain and reserve the juice
- 1 (15 oz) can mandarin oranges, drained
- 8 oz cool whip
- 2 cups mini marshmallows
- 1 cup shredded coconut
Directions
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Prepare dinner the acini de pepe in line with the package deal instructions. Drain and run beneath chilly water to chill faster.
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Whisk the egg yolks, sugar, pineapple juice and flour collectively in a sauce pan and prepare dinner over medium warmth, stirring repeatedly till the pudding begins to thicken.
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As soon as the pudding begins to thicken, take away from the warmth and stir within the acini de pepe.
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Pour the pudding into a big bowl and let the pudding cool fully, then refrigerate for 1 hour.
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Take away the pudding from the fridge, then stir within the pineapple, oranges, cool whip, marshmallows and coconut.
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Serve instantly or refrigerate till able to serve.
Notes
Make-Forward Possibility: Planning an occasion? Frog eye salad will be ready the evening earlier than and chilled within the fridge till the following day. Simply give it a great stir and it’s able to go!
Add Lemon: Squirt a teaspoon or so of lemon juice into the salad for a sharper style.
Cherries: Prime the salad with maraschino cherries for a stunning burst of shade and taste. For those who like, you might additionally chop some maraschino cherries, pat them dry with paper towels, and stir them into the salad as nicely.
Nutty Crunch: Stir in your favourite finely chopped nuts, corresponding to pistachios or pecans, for an added crunchy texture and salty-sweetness.
Berry Burst: Incorporate contemporary strawberries, blueberries, or raspberries into the salad for much more fruity goodness.
Vitamin
Energy: 454kcal, Carbohydrates: 88g, Protein: 10g, Fats: 8g, Saturated Fats: 5g, Polyunsaturated Fats: 0.5g, Monounsaturated Fats: 1g, Ldl cholesterol: 77mg, Sodium: 65mg, Potassium: 175mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 39g, Vitamin A: 152IU, Vitamin C: 8mg, Calcium: 51mg, Iron: 3mg
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