Creamy Strawberry and Banana Fruit Salad with Yogurt Dressing

Check out this Creamy Strawberry Banana Salad I’m sharing today. It’s easy to make and works beautifully as a summer side dish or a light dessert for potlucks.

Creamy Strawberry Banana Salad

Recently I found a great sale on strawberries and stocked up. With plenty of fresh berries on hand, I’ve been making simple summer recipes that the family enjoys. One of our favorites is a creamy strawberry and banana combination — it’s great in smoothies, ice cream, and especially in this easy fruit salad. Fruit salads are ideal in warm months when fruit is at its best and are always a hit at barbecues and potlucks.

For this version I used a mix of vanilla yogurt and instant banana cream pudding instead of cream cheese. The pudding boosts the banana flavor and blends nicely with the yogurt for a smooth, creamy dressing that coats the fruit without overpowering it.

This salad comes together in minutes with fresh strawberries and bananas, a small package of instant banana cream pudding, vanilla yogurt, a touch of vanilla extract, lemon juice to keep the bananas from browning, and a splash of milk to prepare the pudding. If you only have vanilla pudding on hand, that will work as well.

Ingredients

1 pkg instant banana cream pudding
1 cup milk
1 cup vanilla yogurt
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 lbs strawberries
4 bananas
2 tbsp lemon juice

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the pudding mix and milk until smooth.
2. Fold the vanilla yogurt and vanilla extract into the pudding until evenly blended.
3. Hull and halve the strawberries; place them in a separate bowl.
4. Peel and slice the bananas, then add them to the strawberries.
5. Drizzle the lemon juice over the fruit and toss gently to coat and prevent browning.
6. Combine the fruit with the yogurt-pudding mixture and toss until the fruit is evenly coated.
7. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

This salad serves about six and is perfect for making ahead — it keeps well chilled for a few hours. The lemon juice helps keep the bananas from discoloring, and the pudding adds a pleasant extra banana note without being overly sweet. Feel free to adjust the yogurt or pudding amounts to suit your preferred creaminess.

Do you have a favorite strawberry-and-banana dessert? I’d love to hear what you make with fresh summer fruit.