Frog Eye Salad could potentially turn people away just by mentioning its name. However, it's not what you think! It's a perfect mixture of Pineapple, Oranges, and Coconut that get fluffy with Acini Di Pepe Pasta and Marshmallow. Frog Eye Salad is a delicious treat and super easy to prepare!
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
Frog Eye Salad is creamy, fluffy, sweet, and flavored with pineapple custard, mandarin oranges, and plenty of marshmallows! It works well as a side or dessert. Then, the leftovers can just be eaten whenever you feel like a bowl! Despite this dish being called Frog Eye Salad, I promise no frog eyes are included, which makes this a fun dish for kids and adults alike. The texture can take a minute to get used to if you're a texture person, but after the first couple of bites, you'll be sold on how fluffy and fresh this tastes.
Ingredients
- Acini Di Pepe Pasta - These are like little balls of noodles and look like larger couscous. They become the Frog Eye in the Salad!
- Pineapple Chunks - Be sure to get canned and not fresh.
- Crushed Pineapple - Same for the crushed Pineapple
- Juice from Pineapple cans - I poured the canned Pineapple through a fine mesh strainer over a bowl to reserve the pineapple juice.
- Sugar - This is just regular white cane sugar.
- Flour - All Purpose flour is all you need, nothing special.
- Eggs - I think this is pretty self-explanatory.
- Lemon Juice - I always use fresh lemon juice instead of bottled.
- Kosher Salt - Much like the eggs, I'm sure you get the idea.
- Cool Whip - Will be in the frozen food section with the desserts.
- Marshmallow Fluff - I love Marshmallow fluff. It's excellent in S'mores Milkshakes too!
- Mandarin Oranges - These are also the canned versions—no need for fresh.
- Fruit Flavored Marshmallows - You can certainly use regular, but the colors make Frog Eye Salad look even more fun!
- Maraschino Cherries - I use these specifically for topping the dish.
- Whipped Cream - If serving individual dishes, I like to top each dish with whipped cream and a cherry or two.
See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Begin by boiling the pasta for 10 minutes. Once the pasta has cooked, drain and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking and allow it to cool.
Next, it's time to make the custard. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, whisk together the pineapple juice, sugar, flour, eggs, and salt, bringing the mixture to a slow boil.
Continue whisking every minute or so for about 2 minutes, allowing the custard to thicken. Remove the pot from the heat, transfer the custard to a large mixing bowl, and stir in the lemon juice.
Allow the custard to fully cool, and then combine the custard and pasta by stirring them together.
Refrigerate the mixture overnight.
The next day, stir together the whipped topping and marshmallow fluff. Transfer the mixture to the bowl of custard and pasta, along with the fruit and marshmallows.
Lastly, Fold all the ingredients in and serve topped with Whipped Cream and Maraschino Cherries.
Expert Tips
- Be sure to thoroughly rinse the pasta under cold water after boiling to ensure it completely cools and has stopped cooking.
- Be sure to give yourself two days to make this dessert, and Do not skip the refrigerating overnight step. This is going to give the custard time to set and incorporate all of the flavors.
Recipe FAQs
Frog eye salad is made with Acini di Pepe Pasta and filled with a coconut custard mixed with pineapple, mandarin oranges, maraschino cherries, and whipped topping.
While just a theory, most believe frog eye salad got its name because the pasta used in the dish resembles a frog's eye.
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📖 Recipe
Frog Eye Salad
Ingredients
Frog Eyes
- 16 Oz Acini Di Pepe Pasta
Pineapple Custard
- 2 ½ Cups Pineapple Juice - drained from canned Pineapple.
- ⅔ Cup Sugar
- 2 Tbsp. All Purpose Flour
- 2 Eggs - beaten
- ¼ teaspoon Kosher Salt
- Juice of one lemon
Fluff and Fruit
- 1 Tub Cool Whip - thawed
- 1 Cup Marshmallow Fluff
- 20 Oz Pineapple Chunks - canned and drained for custard
- 20 Oz Crushed Pineapple - canned and drained for custard
- 15 Oz Mandarin Oranges - canned and drained
- 2 Cups Fruit Flavored Marshmallows
Garnishments
- Maraschino Cherries
- Whipped Cream
Instructions
- Begin by boiling the pasta for 10 minutes. Once the pasta has cooked, drain and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking and allow it to cool.
- Next, it's time to make the custard. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, whisk together the pineapple juice, sugar, flour, eggs, and salt, bringing the mixture to a slow boil.
- Continue whisking every minute or so for about 2 minutes, allowing the custard to thicken. Remove the pot from the heat, transfer the custard to a large mixing bowl, and stir in the lemon juice.
- Allow the custard to fully cool, and then combine the custard and pasta by stirring them together.
- The next day, stir together the whipped topping and marshmallow fluff. Transfer the mixture to the bowl of custard and pasta along with the fruit and marshmallows.
- Lastly, Fold all the ingredients in and serve topped with Whipped Cream and Maraschino Cherries.
Notes
- Be sure to thoroughly rinse the pasta under cold water after boiling to ensure it completely cools and has stopped cooking.
- Be sure to give yourself two days to make this dessert, and Do not skip the refrigerating overnight step. This is going to give the custard time to set and incorporate all of the flavors.
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