Hawaiian Cheesecake Salad with Graham Crumble

Hawaiian cheesecake salad brings pineapple, mandarin oranges and maraschino cherries into a creamy cheesecake mixture, with a buttery graham crumble scattered over the top. It suits a potluck dessert table when you want something you can spoon straight from a glass dish. The recipe makes 10 servings and takes 15 minutes to prepare, followed by 2 hours of chilling.

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Ingredients for Hawaiian cheesecake salad

• 8 oz cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 can (20 oz) pineapple tidbits, drained well
• 2 cans (11 oz each) mandarin oranges, drained
• 1 jar (10 oz) maraschino cherries, drained and patted dry
• 1 cup mini marshmallows
• 1/2 cup sweetened shredded coconut
• 6 graham crackers, crushed
• 2 tbsp butter, melted

Drain the fruit before folding

The fruit needs attention before it meets the cream. Drain the pineapple well and drain the mandarin oranges, so their liquid does not loosen the cheesecake mixture. Keep the drained fruit separate while you prepare the base; that also makes it easier to reserve some mandarins and cherries for the top.

Pat the cherries dry after draining them. Their syrup can streak the cream pink, and the recipe specifically calls for removing that surface moisture. Handle the mandarins gently as you set them aside. Their segments are delicate, so keeping them intact gives you distinct pieces of orange throughout the salad and on its surface.

Build a smooth base before adding fruit

Start with softened cream cheese, then beat it with the powdered sugar and vanilla until smooth. Check the mixture before moving on: visible lumps at this stage will be harder to address once the whipped cream and fruit are folded in. The base should look even, with the sugar and vanilla fully incorporated.

Whip the heavy cream separately to stiff peaks. When you lift the whisk, the cream should hold a standing peak. Fold it into the cream cheese mixture with gentle movements, bringing the mixture up from underneath. This keeps the whipped cream’s air in the base while bringing the thicker cream cheese mixture and lighter cream together.

You can also serve strawberry pineapple fluff salad , a pink fruit dessert with cream cheese and mini marshmallows.

Assemble the fruit and graham layers

• Beat the softened cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla extract until smooth. Finish this mixing before adding the whipped cream.
• Whip the heavy cream to stiff peaks, then fold it into the cream cheese mixture until evenly combined.
• Fold in the drained pineapple, most of the drained mandarins and dried cherries, the mini marshmallows and sweetened shredded coconut. Reserve the remaining mandarins and cherries for the top.
• Spread the mixture in a glass dish. Distribute it evenly so the topping has a broad surface to cover.
• Mix the crushed graham crackers with the melted butter. Scatter the buttery crumbs over the salad along with the reserved fruit.
• Chill for 2 hours before serving.

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Keep the crumble scattered

Mix the graham crumbs with the melted butter before adding them to the dish. Stir until the crumbs are moistened throughout, rather than leaving dry crumbs beside pockets of butter. The recipe uses crushed crackers as a loose topping, so scatter the mixture across the surface without pressing it into a crust.

The reserved mandarins and cherries belong on top with the crumble. Saving them before you fold the fruit into the cream lets their colors show clearly against the crumbs. There is no separate garnish to prepare: the topping uses the same fruit already measured for the salad.

Chill the dish before bringing out the spoons

Allow the assembled salad its full 2 hours of chilling before serving. Although the mixing is finished quickly, the chilling period is part of the recipe’s total time. Leave room for the glass dish in the refrigerator before assembling it, so it can go in once the crumble and fruit are in place.

Serve by spooning through the topping into the creamy fruit mixture beneath it. Each serving can include graham crumbs as well as pineapple, orange and cherry pieces. The recipe provides a chilling time but no longer storage or freezing instructions, so plan around that stated preparation schedule.

For more spoonable fruit desserts, try our Hawaiian cheesecake salad , pineapple cheesecake fluff salad , or strawberry banana cheesecake salad .

Questions about the fruit and crumble

Does the graham topping need baking?

No. Mix the crushed graham crackers with melted butter and scatter them directly over the salad. The assembled dish goes into the refrigerator.

How much fruit should go on top?

The recipe leaves that division flexible. Fold most of the mandarins and cherries into the filling, then use the rest on top. All the pineapple goes into the filling.

Is the coconut part of the topping?

The sweetened shredded coconut is folded into the cheesecake mixture with the fruit and marshmallows. The topping consists of the buttery graham crumbs and reserved fruit.

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Written and edited by The Foodie Yummy Kitchen Team

The Foodie Yummy Kitchen Team writes and edits the recipes on Foodie Yummy: classic American potluck salads, holiday sides and easy comfort food, with a few low-carb options. Every recipe lists exact quantities, numbered steps and a printable recipe card, plus notes on swaps, storage and make-ahead timing. Spot a problem with a recipe? Tell us through the contact page and we will correct it. About us