Frog’s Eye Salad - House of Nash Eats (2024)

Frog Eye Salad is a potluck classic and a family favorite around here. This weird-sounding but delicious dessert salad is made with acini de pepe pasta, pineapple, mandarin oranges, coconut, and marshmallows!

Do you love fun, vintage dessert salads as much as we do? Be sure to check out ourCottage Cheese Jello Salad, Easy Cranberry Fluff Salad, and Creamy Grape Salad!

You will love this Frog's Eye Salad

If you're looking for a new side dish to bring to your next party and wanting something unique and tasty, check out this frog eye salad. It will turn heads, raise eyebrows and you're less likely to be bringing the same dish as someone else because it seems like not many people know about this delicious dish these days even though it's been around for decades!

This recipe is something we make year round. It's just as good for holiday dinners as it is for summer barbecues and potlucks.

What is frog eye salad?

Frog eye salad is a unique sweet pasta dish that combines whipped cream, fruits, marshmallows, and small pasta. It’s often served as a side dish for potlucks or barbecues and it may remind you of flavors similar to an ambrosia salad.

Frog eye salad is made using a small ball-shaped pasta called Acini De Pepe and if you’ve never had it, it looks a lot like couscous or tapioca. So don’t worry, no actual frogs were harmed in the making of this dish.

The small round shape and al dente texture of the acini de pepe pasta is where this dish gets its name because supposedly it makes people think of frog's eyes. Which possibly turns some people off, but I always thought it was hilarious as a kid and would have extra helpings just because I thought it was delicious, funny, and fun to eat!

Some recipes take a shortcut approach to frog eye salad and just mix vanilla pudding with Cool Whip to create the sauce. But I think the from-scratch version is so much better and hardly any extra work.

The sauce is made using pineapple juice and sugar that is cooked and thickened slightly with an egg yolk and cornstarch. Then the cooked pasta is soaked in the sauce for a few hours to absorb some of the wonderful pineapple flavor before the other ingredients and whipped cream are added.

The results is a wonderful sweet dessert salad with an interesting texture and tropical flavors.

It goes with almost anything, but I'm especially partial to having it at barbecues with grilled chicken or burgers.

What is in Frog Eye Salad?

• Acini de pepe pasta - There isn’t a really great substitute for this type of pasta, unfortunately. It’s what gives frog eye salad it’s signature look and texture for which it was named. You could get away with orzo pasta or toasted fregola if you need to though.
• Canned pineapple - You’ll want both crushed pineapple and pineapple tidbits or pineapple chunks for this frog eye salad recipe.
• Mandarin oranges - Canned mandarin oranges are perfect for this salad.
• Shredded sweetened coconut
• Marshmallows - Miniature marshmallows add a wonderful sweetness and soft texture to the salad.
• Heavy cream - Some recipes use a thawed container of Cool Whip but homemade whipped cream is so much better!
• Powdered sugar - To sweeten the cream.
• Pineapple juice - Reserve this from the cans of crushed pineapple and pineapple tidbits for the sauce.
• Egg - This helps thicken the sauce, adds richness, and gives it a silky texture.
• Cornstarch - For thickening the sauce. You can replace this with an equal amount of flour if you don’t have cornstarch on hand.
• Salt

How to make this Frog Eye Salad Recipe

1. Cook the acini de pepe pasta in a pot of boiling water with 1 teaspoon of salt according to package directions. Drain in a fine mesh strainer, then rinse the pasta with cold water to stop the cooking process.
2. Open, drain and reserve the pineapple juice from both cans of pineapple.
3. In a small saucepan, combine the reserved pineapple juice, sugar, egg, salt, and cornstarch over medium heat. Whisk well and cook, stirring constantly, over medium heat just until slightly thickened. Then remove the pot from the heat and let it cool completely.
4. Combine the cooled sauce and the pasta, stirring well. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight.
5. Add in the crushed pineapple, pineapple tidbits, mandarin oranges, coconut, and marshmallows to the sauce and stir to combine.
6. Whip the cream with the powdered sugar until soft peaks form, then add to the pasta and fruit, stirring to combine. Serve immediately, or refrigerate and serve chilled.

How to serve this Recipe for Frog Eye Salad

You will generally see frog eye salad served family style at picnics or potlucks in a large bowl, sometimes garnished with additional mandarin orange slices or maybe a pineapple wedge if you are being particularly fancy. You could also dish it up in individual dessert cups for a pretty presentation.

How to store Frogeye Salad

Can you freeze Frog Eyed Salad?

I don’t recommend freezing this dish. Everything kind of separates and it just isn't nearly as good as when it is made fresh. For best results store it in the fridge.

How long is frog eye salad good for?

Like many dessert fruit salads, frog eye salad should be eaten within 2 or 3 days. The ingredients tend to separate and pool some liquid into the bowl after a day or so, but if you stir before serving it should come back together.

Keep it stored in an airtight or covered container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Frog Eye Salad Recipe FAQs

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More Dessert Salad Recipes

• Creamy Grape Salad
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• Raspberry Pretzel Salad
• Coca Cola Jello Salad
• Cottage Cheese Jello Salad
• Fruit Salad with Marshmallows and Whipped Cream
• Orange Jello Salad