Frog Eye Salad: a tasty, old-fashioned recipe from Utah

If you've never tried frog eye salad before, you've seriously been missing out. This wonderful, easy-to-make fluffy pasta salad from Utah has a deliciously sweet, fruity flavor. It's made of acini di pepe pasta, which gives the salad its name, plus sweet mandarin orange segments, pineapple, coconut, and marshmallows tossed in a decadent creamy pineapple and Cool Whip dressing.

It's a fantastic sweet pasta salad to serve at holiday parties, barbecues, potlucks, or any time you need to feed a big group of people. It's an easy salad to customize – add other fruits and sweet treats to make your own special version.

What is Frog Eye Salad?

Frog eye salad is a sweet pasta salad made from acini di pepe pasta. In Italian, acini di pepe means “seeds of pepper,” a reference to the pasta's small round shape. This pasta is also commonly used in Italian wedding soup.

Various canned fruits are added to the salad, like pineapple and mandarin oranges, which are then tossed in a rich pineapple dressing and mixed with Cool Whip. It's a classic American dish that's popular to serve at potlucks, barbecues, and other large gatherings such as Thanksgiving.

Frog Eye Salad Ingredients

To make this irresistible salad, you'll need acini di pepe pasta as a base.

Mandarin oranges, pineapple tidbits, crushed pineapple, shredded coconut, and marshmallows add texture and sweetness to the pasta salad.

For the dressing, keep the pineapple juice from the pineapple tidbits and cook it with sugar, plus some salt to balance it, flour to thicken it, and lemon juice to balance out all that sweetness.

Finally, add Cool Whip (or whipped cream) to give the salad its decadent creamy texture.

How to Make Frog Eye Salad

Making this delicious homemade frog eye salad from scratch is so easy to do, you're sure to come back to this recipe time and time again. Start by making the acini de pepe according to the instructions on the box. Drain the pasta, then run it under cold water to stop it from cooking further. Set it aside.

Pour the reserved pineapple juice, sugar, flour, salt, and egg into a medium pot. Cook the ingredients over medium-high, whisking constantly to thicken. Once the dressing becomes thick and smooth, take the saucepan off the heat and mix in the lemon juice. Leave the dressing to cool.

Put the pasta in a large bowl, then pour the sauce over it. Stir to combine. Fold in oranges, pineapple tidbits, crushed pineapple, coconut, and mini marshmallows. Stir in the Cool Whip, then cover the bowl and pop the salad in the fridge until it's time to eat.

Tips for the Best Frog Eye Salad

Feeding a large crowd? Simply double or even triple this recipe.

To make a healthier frog eye salad, use honey, agave nectar or stevia instead of sugar, and fresh fruit instead of canned fruit.

Can You Replace Acini di Pepe in Frog Eye Salad?

If you can't find acini di pepe, you can replace it with pastina, Israeli couscous, or tapioca. Any small pasta will work perfectly in this salad.

Frog Eye Salad Variations

You can add other fruits to your frog eye salad like grapes, berries, pears, and apples. Instead of Cool Whip, use whipped cream. Use tapioca or gluten-free pasta and gluten-free flour to make a gluten-free frog eye salad. Leave out the egg to make the salad vegetarian-friendly.

What to Serve with Frog Eye Salad

Frog eye salad goes with just about anything. It's a fabulous side dish to serve at barbecues and potlucks. It goes well with BBQ ribs, fried chicken, grilled sausages, hot dogs, burgers, sandwiches, casseroles, and sheet pan dinners.

How to Store Frog Eye Salad

Place your frog eye salad in an airtight container and refrigerate it. Enjoy it within 3 days.

Instructions

Prepare the pasta according to the instructions on the package.

Drain, then rinse under cold water and set aside.

Pour reserved pineapple juice, sugar, flour, salt, and egg into a pot.

Heat over medium-high, whisking constantly until the sauce becomes thick and lump-free. Take the pot off the heat, whisk in the lemon juice, then set aside to cool.

Place pasta in a large bowl. Pour the sauce over the pasta. Stir to combine.

Fold in pineapple tidbits, and crushed pineapple.

Add in coconut.

Stir in mini marshmallows.

Fold in oranges.

Stir in the Cool Whip. Place in the fridge until ready to serve. Enjoy!

Notes

Use freshly squeezed lemon juice.