Orange Dreamsicle Salad

This cool and creamy treat tastes JUST like a dreamsicle! Orange Dreamsicle Salad is an easy salad you can stir together in minutes, and everyone will be raving about it.

Since this is a vintage recipe blog, there is no shortage of sweet salads, such as Cherry Salad, Snickers Salad, Pistachio Salad, and Taffy Apple Salad.

Now this Orange Dreamsicle Salad joins their ranks as truly delicious salads that can be served as a side dish OR dessert.

It’s known by a variety of names, such as Orange Fluff Salad, Dreamsicle Salad with Jell-O, Orange Creamsicle Salad, and Orange Jell-O Salad to name a few.

You just need 5 ingredients to make it, and it really does taste like a dreamsicle (or creamsicle)!

Also, if you love creamy orange treats, don’t miss my Homemade Orange Julius!

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What is a dreamsicle, and why does this salad taste like it?

A dreamsicle is an orange flavored popsicle with a vanilla ice cream center. The tanginess from the orange combined with the creamy center is irresistible!

Similarly, this salad features vanilla and orange flavors, courtesy of vanilla pudding mix, orange gelatin, and mandarin oranges. Whipped topping makes it extra creamy.

Top tips

• Despite the recipe having very little hands-on time, leave about 30 minutes to make this dish, since it’ll need to chill for two 15-minute increments. You’ll also need 2 hours for the orange dreamsicle salad to chill after stirring it together.
• Reserve a few of the mandarin oranges for garnishing the salad.
• Don’t have mini marshmallows? You can snip large marshmallows into quarters using kitchen shears.

Ingredients

• The orange flavor comes from both the orange gelatin (such as orange Jell-O) and canned mandarin oranges.
• The creaminess comes from vanilla pudding mix (such as Jell-O brand) and whipped topping (such as Cool Whip)
• We’ll also stir in some mini marshmallows for some extra gooeyness!

How to make orange dreamsicle salad

Start by bringing one cup of water to a boil. Whisk in the orange gelatin, then stir in ½ cup cold water.

Refrigerate for 15 minutes.

Next, whisk in the vanilla pudding mix, and refrigerate for 15 minutes more.

Finally, fold in the whipped topping, mandarin oranges, and mini marshmallows.

Tip: reserve a few mandarin oranges for garnishing the top of the salad.

Transfer the mixture to a serving bowl (I love it in a fancy glass serving dish), then refrigerate the salad for at least two hours.

After that, garnish with a few reserved mandarin oranges, and the Orange Dreamsicle Salad is ready to serve!

You can either serve it straight from the bowl that you refrigerated it in, or scoop it into individual dishes.

Make it ahead

Orange Dreamsicle Salad is a great make-ahead dish. You can make it up to two days in advance—just keep it covered and in the refrigerator until you’re ready to serve it.

Variations

• Add ½ cup of chopped nuts (such as walnuts or pecans)
• Fold in 1–2 sliced bananas
• Stir in a can of pineapple tidbits (drained well)
• Substitute large marshmallows for the mini marshmallows (snip them into quarters with kitchen shears)
• Switch up the gelatin/fruit combo: how about strawberry gelatin with sliced strawberries, or cherry gelatin with fresh blueberries? The possibilities here are endless with different gelatin and fruit combinations!

Can I freeze orange dreamsicle salad?

For best results, I don’t recommend freezing this salad. After defrosting, the texture will change and it may become runny.

Store any leftovers in the refrigerator for 3–4 days.

More sweet salads

Have you tried this recipe? Please leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating and/or comment below!

📖 Recipe

Orange Dreamsicle Salad

Published by Kate

This cool and creamy salad really does taste like a dreamsicle!

5 from 3 votes

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Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 0 minutes mins

Refrigeration time 2 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

Total Time 2 hours hrs 35 minutes mins

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Servings 8 servings

Calories 175 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1 (3 oz) box orange Jell-O
• 1 cup boiling water
• ½ cup cold water
• 1 (3.4 oz) box instant vanilla pudding
• 1 (8 oz) container whipped topping (such as Cool Whip)
• 1 (14 oz) can mandarin oranges, drained
• 1 cup mini marshmallows

Instructions

 

• Whisk the orange jello and boiling water together in a large bowl. Stir in the cold water, and refrigerate for 15 minutes.
• Whisk in the instant vanilla pudding, and let rest for 15 minutes to firm up slightly.
• Fold in the whipped topping, drained mandarin oranges, and mini marshmallows. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.

Notes

Before you refrigerate the finished salad, transfer it to a serving bowl. That way it’s ready to serve! You can also transfer it to individual serving dishes (such as parfait cups) once it is fully chilled. 

Want to add nuts? Stir in ½ cup chopped walnuts or chopped pecans along with the marshmallows. 

Store any leftover salad in the refrigerator. It will last for 3–4 days. I don’t recommend freezing the salad, as the texture will change once defrosted.

Nutrition

Calories: 175kcalCarbohydrates: 34gProtein: 2gFat: 4gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.1gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.3gCholesterol: 1mgSodium: 152mgPotassium: 50mgFiber: 0.3gSugar: 30gVitamin A: 96IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 25mgIron: 0.1mg

Keyword orange dreamsicle salad

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