Did you grow up eating your grandmother’s Watergate Salad? Try out these new dessert salads for Thanksgiving.
Move over Ambrosia and Watergate – there’s a new set of dessert salads for Thanksgiving family and friend gatherings.
Show up to Thanksgiving and delight guests with these yummy, easy-to-make dessert salads (they’ll ask you for the recipe!).
Best Dessert Salads for Thanksgiving
Imagine gobbling down a full feast…and then wanting just a little something sweet and fruity.
Not a whole piece of pumpkin pie cheesecake, or chocolate lasagna. Just a little something.
That’s where these lovely, dessert salads come in!
Hint: you can make these salads a day or so ahead of time, but I would wait to fold in the fruit until before you serve it.
1. Cannoli Raspberry Dessert Salad
Am I allowed to have a favorite? I think this one is it (hint: I made half the recipe in the photo – I couldn't risk having this in my fridge for a whole week because I would end up eating it every night…and I made the recipe before Thanksgiving).
The raspberries along with the cannoli cream make this just delightful.
And it feels light – which is perfect for after a big Thanksgiving feast.
Serves: 8
Ingredients:
- 2 cups whipped topping (I used Cool Whip)
- 2 cups ricotta cheese
- 2 tsps. cinnamon
- 1/2 cup cheesecake instant pudding
- 1.5 cups mini chocolate chips
- 1 cup raspberries
Instructions:
Mix the whipped topping, ricotta cheese, cinnamon, and cheesecake instant pudding together.
Stir in the mini chocolate chips.
Fold in the raspberries right before you’re ready to eat it. Enjoy!
2. Peanut Butter Monster Dessert Salad
Here’s one for the kids!
I created this dessert salad based on the popular Peanut Butter Monster cookie – a recipe where you stuff in lots of fun ingredients like chocolate chips, M&Ms, butterscotch chips, and more.
Serves: 6
Ingredients:
- 4 cups whipped topping (I used Cool Whip)
- 1 cup peanut butter
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup M&Ms
- 2 bananas
Instructions:
Mix the whipped topping and peanut butter until creamy. Mix in the chocolate chips and M&Ms.
Chop up the bananas. Fold them into the mixture.
Hint: check out these 5 simple, no-bake Thanksgiving desserts here.
3. Easy Fruit Salad (with Cottage Cheese)
I’m not a cottage cheese person…so I hesitated to try this recipe for a while.
But you know what? It’s soooo good. It’s the first dessert fruit salad I tried, and I couldn’t turn back.
Plus, I just blend the cottage cheese until it’s nice and smooth – delicious!
Hint: I used one can of mandarin oranges, and I think I could’ve definitely used two cans instead.
4. Apple Snickers Salad
When I heard that someone had put apples and Snickers together in a dessert salad? I knew we had to try it.
My husband and I both enjoyed it – the only change I would make is we didn’t use granny smith apples like the recipe calls for (and I think it could’ve really used that extra tartness).
5. Cranberry Fluff Salad
Cranberries and Thanksgiving go together like turkey and gravy…amiright?
I love that this dish makes cranberries the heart of another dish other than just jellied cranberry sauce (that’s what was always on our Thanksgiving table growing up).
What do you think – are you ready to try a new dessert salad tradition for this Thanksgiving?
Amanda L Grossman
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