Frozen Cranberry Banana Salads
Today I’m sharing a recipe that is the darling of Southern Tea Rooms… Frozen Cranberry Salad with Banana. It’s Creamy, fruity, light tasting and just the right size for serving.
In the south, our tea rooms have a relaxed and bright atmosphere. They are filled with smiling ladies gathered together for a special treat of girl time – away from kids, husbands and demands of home. Plates are filled with an assortment of salads: potato, vegetable, pea, macaroni, and chicken or ham usually served inside a fresh buttery croissant. Tea is still drank over ice, served in special stemmed “iced tea” glasses. *Note: We don’t say “drunk” but “drank”. Both are grammatically acceptable but where I’m from the latter denotes being a little loopy with liquor.
While the salads vary by tearoom, I have personally never been to one which did not serve a frozen cranberry salad such as this. Creamy, fruity, light tasting and just the right size when prepared in a little muffin paper, this is the quintessential tearoom must have and a very special treat to enjoy at home.
This recipe came from my husband’s grandmother, Granny Jordan. She was the embodiment of everything a southern lady should be. Anytime guests happened by, she was always prepared with a warm welcome and plenty of southern hospitality thanks to these little delights.
Once you make them, simply remove the muffin papers from your tins, pop them into Ziploc freezer bags and have an instant company worthy dessert or special treat for yourself anytime!
As always, the entire recipe is at the bottom of the page. You will need sour cream, sugar, whipped topping, crushed pineapple, two cans of whole berry cranberry sauce, and four bananas. *You can use light cool whip, light sour cream, and even a different sweetener if you prefer.
Drain pineapple and mash bananas with a fork. Place all ingredients in a large mixing bowl and stir until fully combined and incorporated. (Hint: I use my potato masher or a fork to help break up the cranberry sauce.)
Line a muffin tin with muffin papers.
Divide the mixture evenly among the muffin papers and freeze, uncovered, until fully frozen.
Remove frozen salads from muffin tin and place in zipper seal bag and return to the freezer. This recipe usually makes about two dozen but it depends on how much you put into each muffin paper.
Enjoy having this wonderful little treat on hand whenever the your taste buds want one!
Ingredients
- 1 lg can 20 oz well drained crushed pineapple
- 16 ounces sour cream
- 1- 9 ounce cool whip
- 4 mashed bananas
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 cup nuts optional, I don't use them
- 2 cans whole cranberry sauce make sure you get whole
Instructions
- Mix all ingredients well and spoon into cupcake papers placed in a muffin pan. Freeze. When frozen, remove from muffin pan and place in Ziploc bag.
Nutrition
Grandmothers always have time to talk and make you feel special.
~ Catherine Pulsifer
This was a big hit. We were fixing this for our dinner. The family loved it. The grandsons did, too. I have shared this recipe with my friends. Also gave them your url. Glad I found you on WAAYTV in Huntsville. I like the pictures you give with the recipe directions.
My Grandmother used to make this (sans-cranberries) for us all the time. I loved it, and I never knew where she got the recipe. My grandmother always served it with a slice of lettuce underneath!
Thanks for letting me re-live this favorite. I may try to make it myself!
Delicious! Perfect warm weather treat!
I subsituted fat free greek yogurt for the sour cream and everyone just LOVED them. Perfect for BBQ get togethers because it makes a lot!
My mom used to make these all the time, except she uses canned bing cherries instead of cranberry sauce! She also adds pecans and leaves the bananas sliced. I can’t wait to try this version! These were my favorite summer dessert as a kid, but I haven’t ever made them myself. I need to fix that!!
I can hardly wait to try these and have some of my girlfriends over for a gal fest out on the deck. Thank you so much for the recipes and the stories Christy! Hope you have a very happy Mother’s day and good luck with the move.
~Blessings, Pam
Christy,
I have just spent the most enjoyable rainy Saturday morning reading your blog and drooling over your recipes! I too am a dyed in the wool, mama trained Southern cook who likes nothing better than to have about 25 – 40 people over for potato salad, green beans (cooked all day),ham, chicken casserole, cakes and pies. In fact, my beautiful 23 year old daughter Martha is maybe going to be the best cook of the past 3 generations of women in my family. Southern cooking and fellowship is my passion – there is not better way to show people they are loved. Just wanted to say thank you!
Sherry Manley
Guntersville, AL
Looks yummy and so pretty on the Jadeite. You realize that you listed the optional nuts twice, don’t you? 🙂 I might try this as a semi-healthy treat for myself. Have you ever made them with Splenda?
Hey Sonya! I haven’t made them with splenda but it would work just fine in this! great idea!