Pink Lady Salad Recipe with Pineapple - These Old Cookbooks (2024)

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Pink Lady Salad is 5 ingredient vintage Jello salad that includes cottage cheese, canned pineapple and Cool Whip. Also known as Pink Stuff, this recipe creates one of those classic dishes that graced holiday dinner tables, family gatherings, baby showers, and Easter brunches across the Midwest.

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Pink Lady Salad Recipe

There’s nothing more vintage than a gelatin salad. Preparing and serving a pink fluff salad (also called sweetheart salad) sends me through a time warp. I’m in a time when my Grandma is getting ready for a lady’s luncheon wearing a patterned apron.

I found this 5 Minute Pink Salad recipe in Grandma’s wooden recipe box. Grandma’s recipe is on an index card, and she had two versions of Pink Lady Salad on the same stained card. Both recipes were similar but unique. There are numerous versions of gelatin salads out there, and I imagine that each home cook had her own beloved version that she used based on what ingredients were accessible and affordable. I also love how the same salads have various names.

If your heart desires, try mixing up this recipe by adding miniature marshmallows, cream cheese, drained mandarin oranges, or a different flavor of jello mix. Or, if you are wanting a more decadent Cherry Pie Version using cherry pie filling, try Grandma’s Cherry Fluff. This is another recipe straight out of Grandma’s wooden recipe box.

Southern Pink Salad Ingredient List

  • Strawberry Jello (preferably sugar free), 0.3 oz packet
  • Crushed Pineapple, drained well
  • Cottage Cheese
  • Cool Whip
  • Pecans, chopped

How to MakeOld Fashioned Jello Salad Recipe

Step By Step Instructions

  1. In a large mixing bowl, mix cool whip, drained crushed pineapple, cottage cheese, chopped nuts and dry packet of Jello.
  2. Let salad set up in refrigerator before serving, approximately 1 hour.

For the full instructions and ingredient amounts for 5 Minute Pink Salad, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Recipe FAQs

  • This easy pink stuff salad has only 5 ingredients – strawberry jello mix, cool whip, cottage cheese, chopped nuts and crushed pineapple.
  • Use raspberry jello, if desired.
  • Be sure to drain the pineapple thoroughly before adding to the pink stuff salad. Discard the juice or use it for something delicious like Amaretto Pina Coladas.
  • A sieve works best for draining crushed pineapple. Check out the “Kitchen Stuff You Need” list in our Amazon shop for our sieve of choice and other items that we can’t live without.
  • To make this 5 minute pink salad diet friendly, use fat free cool whip, non fat cottage cheese, and sugar free strawberry jello.
  • We prefer to use sugar free strawberry jello in this recipe, but regular strawberry jello mix would work too.
  • The strawberry jello mix gets added to the salad dry without water being added.
  • Love family favorite fluff salads? Try Cranberry Fluff Salad by clicking here.

Can I swap canned pineapple chunks for crushed pineapple?

Yes, canned pineapple chunks, tidbits or pineapple rings are a suitable substitute for crushed pineapple. First off, you need to determine whether or not the recipe calls to drain off the juices from the crushed pineapple. If so, then go ahead and drain first, and then pour the chunks into a food processor.

If the recipe says to keep the pineapple undrained, then pour in the entire can, juices and all.

Next, use the food processor to make crushed pineapple. The Pulse button works great for this. Pulse until the pineapple chunks are broken down into crushed pineapple. Or, turn on low for a few seconds at a time until you get to the desired texture.

This can also be done with fresh pineapple as well.

Our Favorite Vintage Dessert Salads

Our grandma loved her dessert salads and luckily she wrote some of her favorite recipes down and we’ve found other keepers in our old church cookbook collection. Here are some that we’ve shared already on the blog – Ambrosia,Cherry Fluff, Vintage Pineapple Pretzel Salad, Watergate Salad, and Lazy Daisy (Ambrosia) Salad.

Our Favorite Vintage Recipes

Vintage recipes are our cup of tea.Here’s some of our favorites:

Classic Vanilla Pudding

Grandma’s Sour Cream Coffee Cake

Swiss Steak and Vegetables

Creamed Peas and New Potatoes

Creamed Chipped Beef Gravy

Mom’s Tuna Casserole with Potato Chips

Classic Salmon Patties

Linking up to Weekend Potluck.

Pink Lady Salad Recipe with Pineapple - These Old Cookbooks (15)

Print Recipe

4.67 from 3 votes

Pink Lady Salad – An Old Fashioned Jello Salad Recipe

Pink Lady Salad is 5 ingredient vintage Jello salad that include cottage cheese, canned pineapple and Cool Whip. Also known as Pink Stuff, this recipe creates one of those classic dishes that graced holiday dinner tables across the Midwest.

Prep Time5 minutes mins

Cook Time0 minutes mins

Refrigerate1 hour hr

Total Time1 hour hr 5 minutes mins

Course: Dessert, Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Keyword: 5 Minute Pink Salad, Pink Lady Salad, pink salad, pink stuff salad, sweetheart salad

Servings: 8

Calories: 214kcal

Author: Barbara

Ingredients

  • 9 ounces Cool Whip
  • 0.3 ounces strawberry Jello mix, dry (sugar free, preferably)
  • 1 cup cottage cheese
  • 20 ounces crushed pineapple, drained
  • 1 cup chopped pecans

Instructions

  • In a large bowl, mix all ingredients until strawberry jello mix is completely incorporated and salad is perfectly pink.

    Pink Lady Salad Recipe with Pineapple - These Old Cookbooks (16)

  • Let set up in the fridge for approximately 1 hour.

    Pink Lady Salad Recipe with Pineapple - These Old Cookbooks (17)

Notes

  • This easy pink stuff salad has only 5 ingredients—strawberry jello mix, cool whip, cottage cheese, chopped nuts and crushed pineapple.
  • Be sure to drain the pineapple thoroughly before adding to the pink stuff salad. Discard the juice or use it for something delicious like Amaretto Pina Coladas.
  • A sieve works best for draining crushed pineapple.
  • To make this 5 minute pink salad diet friendly, use fat free cool whip, non fat cottage cheese, and sugar free strawberry jello.
  • We prefer to use sugar free strawberry jello in this recipe, but regular strawberry jello mix would work too.
  • The strawberry jello mix gets added to the salad dry without water being added.
  • Please note carb counts, calorie counts and nutritional information can vary greatly depending on the products you use. The nutritional information below is auto-calculated and should NOT be used for specific dietary needs.

Nutrition

Calories: 214kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 10mg | Sodium: 124mg | Potassium: 205mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 17g | Vitamin A: 136IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 77mg | Iron: 1mg

Pink Lady Salad Recipe with Pineapple - These Old Cookbooks (18)
Pink Lady Salad Recipe with Pineapple - These Old Cookbooks (2024)

FAQs

What is pink fluff made of? ›

Pink Fluff. It's not complicated. Just combine cottage cheese, jello mix, fruit, and cool whip. The resulting concoction will leave you breathless, and full.

What is cranberry salad made of? ›

Fresh produce: From the produce section, you'll need fresh cranberries, an orange, and fresh celery. Sugar: A cup of white sugar sweetens this cranberry Jell-O salad. Walnuts: Walnuts lend nutty flavor and welcome crunch. Canned pineapple: A drained can of crushed pineapple adds sweet, fruity flavor.

What is the Jennifer Aniston salad? ›

She spent the day sharing pieces of her life, including a few of her favorite meals. For lunch, she had what is now known as the Jennifer Aniston salad: bulgur wheat, cucumber, herbs, chickpeas, feta, red onion, and pistachios.

What salad did Jennifer Aniston eat? ›

The salad Jen ate on the set of Friends was a Cobb Salad, while this salad is a riff on a tabbouleh.

What is marshmallow fluff made of? ›

Fluff's ingredients include corn syrup, sugar syrup, vanilla flavor, and egg whites. Fluff continues to be a regional tradition in the Northeastern United States.

Does marshmallow fluff have raw eggs? ›

Marshmallow Fluff contains Corn Syrup, Sugar Syrup, Dried Egg Whites and Artificial Flavor. Strawberry Fluff contains Corn Syrup, Sugar Syrup, Dried Egg Whites, Artificial Flavor, Vegetable Juice Color. There are no artificial preservatives, stabilizers or emulsifiers in any of our products.

Can you eat raw cranberries in a salad? ›

You can add them to smoothies or salads, or eat them whole. Eating raw cranberries is safe and easy, though their sharp, bitter flavor isn't for everyone. Be sure to clean and sort them thoroughly.

Why should cranberries not be eaten raw? ›

Yes, raw cranberries are safe to consume raw, but you probably don't want to eat them that way. "Cranberries are safe to eat raw. However, usually they are cooked and have sugar added because of the bitter and sharp taste they have when raw," says Kelly West Keyser, a registered dietitian in Alabama.

Why is cranberry sauce like jelly? ›

Pectin helps "glue" the plant cells together, keeping their tissues firm. And in cooked cranberries as well as in other fruit jams and jellies this pectin can help stick the cooked fruit together to form a solid jelly.

What is the pink on salad? ›

Sometimes called “rusting,” this happens when the lettuce oxidizes polyphenols (a category of health-beneficial plant compounds) as a protective measure against spoilage. In other words, the lettuce is protecting itself from rapid deterioration.

What is the pink stuff in my salad? ›

The reddish-pink discoloration that can show up on romaine and iceberg lettuce is known as “rusting,” and it's a natural post-harvest characteristic, Katie Sabatini, a registered dietitian and food safety and quality assurance manager at Little Leaf Farms, told HuffPost.

What causes salad to turn pink? ›

The pink to reddish-brown pigments that develop on pieces of lettuce or the tips of lettuce occur when the plant is stressed, but the pigments, known as anthocyanins, don't pose a health risk. “Other than being unsightly, they are edible,” says the professor.

What is the pink in lettuce? ›

THE SCIENCE EXPLAINED

Catherine Belisle, a University of Florida PhD candidate studying pink rib, explains that the lettuce's stress-fighting compounds are deployed in response to the stress. This starts a reaction that involves oxygen and causes portions of the lettuce to turn pink or brown.

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