When the weather warms up and you need a dish that is guaranteed to turn heads at your next potluck, barbecue, or family gathering, look no further than this Hawaiian Cheesecake Salad. This recipe brilliantly blurs the line between a refreshing fruit salad and an indulgent, creamy dessert.
If you have never experienced a “cheesecake salad” before, you are in for a serious treat. Instead of a watery dressing or a plain yogurt base, this tropical fruit salad is folded into a rich, velvety mixture made from whipped cream cheese and instant cheesecake pudding. It tastes exactly like a decadent slice of fruit topped cheesecake, but without any of the baking, cooling, or crust making required.
This dish is bright, vibrant, and bursting with the sweet, tangy flavors of strawberries, mango, kiwi, and pineapple. It serves beautifully as a sweet brunch side, a light summer dessert, or a fun addition to a holiday spread.
Why You Will Love This Recipe
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Completely No Bake: Keep your oven off! This recipe requires zero cooking, making it the absolute perfect dessert for hot summer days when you want to keep your kitchen cool.
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A Guaranteed Crowd Pleaser: It is nearly impossible to find someone who doesn’t love the combination of fresh fruit and cheesecake. Kids and adults alike will be scraping the bowl clean.
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Incredibly Fast to Prep: Aside from chopping the fresh fruit, the creamy cheesecake base comes together in just a few minutes using a hand mixer.
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Customizable: This recipe is a fantastic blank canvas. You can easily swap out fruits based on what is in season or what you already have sitting in your refrigerator.
The Essential Ingredients
To build this stunning, rainbow colored dessert, you need a mix of fresh produce, canned pantry staples, and a few rich dairy ingredients for the base.
For the Cheesecake Filling:
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Cream Cheese (8 oz): You must use full fat cream cheese, and it must be softened to room temperature! Cold cream cheese will result in a lumpy sauce.
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Instant Cheesecake Pudding Mix (3.4 oz): Make sure you are using the instant dry powder, not the cook and serve variety. If you cannot find cheesecake flavor, vanilla pudding mix works as a great substitute.
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Liquid Vanilla Coffee Creamer (1 cup): This is the secret ingredient! Vanilla coffee creamer adds sweetness, smooths out the cream cheese, and enhances the vanilla flavor profile.
For the Tropical Fruit Blend:
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Strawberries (1 lb): Washed, hulled, and sliced into bite sized pieces.
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Mangoes (2 large): Peeled and diced. Mangoes bring an incredible authentic tropical sweetness to the bowl.
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Kiwi (3 medium): Peeled and sliced into half moons. They add a gorgeous pop of bright green color!
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Mandarin Oranges (1 11-oz can): Drain these incredibly well so you do not water down the creamy dressing.
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Pineapple Tidbits (1 20-oz can): Just like the oranges, drain the pineapple chunks thoroughly.
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Banana (1 large): Sliced into coins.
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Lemon Juice (1 tbsp): Used strictly to toss the bananas so they do not turn brown in the salad!
Planning a brunch menu? Serve this sweet salad alongside hearty, savory morning dishes like this Tater Tot Breakfast Bowl with Sausage Gravy or a protein packed High Protein Frittata. For an easy grab and go option, set out a platter of Easy Hashbrown Sausage Bites.
Step-by-Step Instructions
While this recipe is incredibly easy, making the cheesecake base requires a little bit of patience to ensure it is perfectly smooth and silky.
1. Whip the Cream Cheese
Place your room temperature cream cheese into a large mixing bowl. Using an electric hand mixer, beat the cream cheese on medium speed for about 1 to 2 minutes until it is completely smooth and fluffy.
2. Add the Pudding Mix
Pour the dry instant cheesecake pudding powder directly over the whipped cream cheese. Beat the mixture again until the powder is fully incorporated. The mixture will become very thick and slightly clumpy at this stage that is totally normal!
3. Slowly Incorporate the Creamer
With your hand mixer running on the lowest speed, slowly drizzle in the vanilla coffee creamer. Do not pour it all in at once! Add about 2 tablespoons of the creamer at a time, mixing until smooth before adding more. If you add it all at once, your cream cheese will separate into tiny lumps that are impossible to beat out. Once all the creamer is added, whip the mixture on medium speed until it resembles a thick, smooth, velvety pudding.
4. Prep the Fruit
In a massive serving bowl, combine your sliced strawberries, cubed mangoes, sliced kiwi, drained mandarin oranges, and drained pineapple tidbits. In a separate small bowl, toss your banana slices gently with the lemon juice. Drain away any excess lemon juice, and add the bananas to the large fruit bowl.
5. Fold and Chill
Use a silicone spatula to scrape the creamy cheesecake filling into the bowl of tropical fruit. Gently fold the mixture together, turning the fruit over from the bottom of the bowl until every single piece is coated in the rich sauce. Serve immediately, or chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes before serving!
If you are looking to round out your dessert spread, pair this creamy fruit salad with some flaky, bakery style Easy Sweet Cinnamon Twists!
Hawaiian Cheesecake Salad
Ingredients
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 1 box (3.4 oz) instant cheesecake pudding mix dry powder
- 1 cup liquid vanilla coffee creamer
- 1 lb fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced
- 2 large mangoes, peeled and cubed
- 3 medium kiwis, peeled and sliced
- 1 can (11 oz) mandarin oranges, drained well
- 1 can (20 oz) pineapple tidbits, drained well
- 1 large banana, sliced
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened cream cheese with an electric mixer until completely smooth and fluffy.
- Add the dry cheesecake pudding mix and beat until combined. The mixture will be thick.
- Slowly add the vanilla coffee creamer a little at a time while mixing on low speed until the mixture becomes smooth and creamy.
- In a large bowl, combine the strawberries, mangoes, kiwis, mandarin oranges, and pineapple.
- Toss the sliced bananas with lemon juice, then add them to the fruit mixture.
- Add the cheesecake mixture to the fruit and gently fold until everything is evenly coated.
- Serve immediately or chill for 30 minutes before serving for best flavor.
Notes
Expert Tips for the Best Fruit Salad
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Drain Thoroughly: The biggest mistake you can make with this recipe is adding soggy fruit. Make sure you drain your canned mandarin oranges and pineapple in a colander for at least 5 minutes. You can even pat them dry with a paper towel to be safe. Excess juice will make your cheesecake filling watery and thin.
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The Creamer Substitute:
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If you do not want to use store bought coffee creamer, you can easily substitute it! Whisk together 1 cup of heavy whipping cream, ¼ cup of powdered sugar, and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, and use that in place of the creamer.
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Serve with Savory Mains:
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Because this salad is so sweet and rich, it serves brilliantly as a cooling side dish at a summer barbecue. Pair it with a hearty main course like this BBQ Ranch Chicken Casserole. If you need an additional, lighter side dish to balance the table, whip up a crisp, refreshing Cucumber Strawberry Salad.
Storage and Make Ahead Instructions
Fruit salads are notoriously difficult to store because fruit naturally releases water as it sits, especially when mixed with sugar.
To Make Ahead: If you want to prepare this for a party the next day, do not mix everything together! Prepare the creamy cheesecake filling, cover it tightly, and keep it in the fridge. Wash and chop all of your fruit (except the bananas) and store them in a separate airtight container. Right before your guests arrive, slice the bananas, toss them in lemon juice, and fold the fruit and the cheesecake filling together.
Storing Leftovers: Store any fully assembled leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. The cheesecake sauce will thin out and become juicier the longer it sits, but the flavors will still be absolutely delicious!