This gluten free frog eye salad is the creamy, fluffy, old fashioned dessert salad that shows up at every potluck and holiday table. It's loaded with pineapple and mandarin oranges, folded into a sweet homemade pineapple custard and whipped cream.
The classic version uses wheat pasta and flour, so I made mine with tiny gluten free star pasta and a cornstarch thickened custard. It tastes just like the one you remember, and nobody at the table will know the difference.
This is one of my favorite recipes to make the day before a holiday. It needs a good long chill in the fridge to set up, so I put it on my day before prep list and just stir in the marshmallows right before we eat.
I always leave out the coconut because I can't stand the texture, but you can add it back in if you love it. Serve it as a sweet side dish next to the ham or turkey, or set it out on the dessert table. Either way, the bowl always comes home empty.
If you are looking for more recipes like this one you might also like my Cranberry Fluff Salad, my Seven Layer Salad, my Easy Pea Salad or my Gluten Free Million Dollar Cake.
You can find all of my desserts here: Gluten Free Dessert Recipes
Why This Gluten Free Frog Eye Salad Works
Most frog eye salad recipes call for wheat acini di pepe pasta and thicken the custard with all purpose flour, which means two sources of gluten in one bowl. This version fixes both. I use gluten free stelline pasta, tiny little stars that cook up just like the classic pasta pearls, and I thicken the pineapple custard with cornstarch instead of flour.
The result tastes just like the old fashioned potluck salad you remember, creamy, sweet, and full of pineapple and mandarin oranges. Nobody at the table will guess it's gluten free, and the stars make it extra cute for holidays.
Choosing Gluten Free Pasta for Frog Eye Salad
Classic frog eye salad gets its name from acini di pepe, a tiny round wheat pasta that looks like little frog eyes. Gluten free acini di pepe is hard to find, so I use Jovial Gluten Free Stelline Pasta. It's a tiny star shaped pasta that holds up beautifully in the custard and doesn't turn mushy after a night in the fridge.
Boil it for about 8 minutes, stirring often so the tiny stars don't stick together, then rinse it well with cold water. Rinsing stops the cooking and washes off extra starch, which keeps the salad light and fluffy instead of gummy. If you can't find stelline, another tiny gluten free pasta shape will work.
How to Keep Frog Eye Salad from Getting Watery
The number one frog eye salad problem is a runny, watery bowl. Here's how to avoid it:
- Drain the fruit really well. Let the mandarin oranges and pineapple sit in a strainer for a few minutes, and save that pineapple juice for the custard.
- Cool the custard completely before folding it in. Warm custard melts the whipped cream.
- Rinse and drain the pasta until it's cool and no longer dripping.
- Add the marshmallows right before serving so they stay soft and fluffy instead of dissolving.
Make Ahead Tips for Holidays and Potlucks
This is one of my favorite recipes to put on my day before prep list. The salad needs at least 8 hours in the fridge to set up, so I make it the afternoon or evening before the holiday. The next day, all I do is stir in the marshmallows and set it out. That's one less thing to think about on a busy Thanksgiving, Christmas, or Easter morning.
Easy Variations and What to Serve With Them
- Classic with coconut: Fold in 1 cup sweetened shredded coconut with the custard, just like the original recipe.
- Cherry topped: Fold in ½ cup drained, halved maraschino cherries, or scatter them on top for a pretty pink and red holiday look.
- Rainbow marshmallows: Swap the white mini marshmallows for fruity or pastel mini marshmallows for Easter or a kids' party. Always check the label to make sure they are gluten free.
- Extra fruit: Fold in 1 sliced banana right before serving.
What to serve it with: Frog eye salad is a sweet side dish for holiday ham or turkey, and it's right at home on a potluck table next to my Seven Layer Salad and Easy Pea Salad. For a fruity spread, pair it with my Cranberry Fluff Salad and Gluten Free Pineapple Upside Down Cake. Find more ideas in my gluten free Thanksgiving side dishes and easy gluten free Christmas recipes.
Top Tip
This recipe is best made one day before you want to serve it. For the holidays I always put it on my day before prep list. This gives the salad time to set up and get really flavorful.
It also makes it simple the day of your gathering to get it out and just stir in marshmallows before serving it.
Supplies
More Recipes You Might Enjoy
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Gluten Free Frog Eye Salad
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 12 servings 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
This gluten free frog eye salad is the creamy, fluffy potluck classic you grew up with, made with tiny star pasta and a sweet homemade pineapple custard. It tastes just like the old fashioned version, so everyone at the table can enjoy it. Make it the day before so it has time to chill and set, then stir in the marshmallows right before serving.
Ingredients
- 1 - 12 ounce box Jovial Gluten Free Stelline Pasta, cooked
- 1 ¾ cup Pineapple Juice, reserved from cans
- 1 cup Granulated Sugar
- 2 large Eggs, beaten
- 2 Tbsp Cornstarch, mixed with 4 tablespoon pineapple juice
- ½ tsp Salt
- 1 Tbsp Lemon Juice
- 3 - 15 ounce cans Mandarin Oranges, drained
- 2 - 20 ounce cans Pineapple Tidbits, drained & save the juice
- 1 - 20 ounce can Crushed Pineapple, drained & save the juice
- 2 cups Whipped Cream (if you aren't making homemade)
- 2 cups Mini Marshmallows
Homemade Whipped Cream:
- 1 cup Heavy Whipping Cream
- 4 Tbsp Powdered Sugar, sifted
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
Instructions
In a large bowl add the drained mandarin oranges and drained pineapple. *Be sure to save the pineapple juice! You will need it for the custard.
If you are going to make your own whipped cream add 1 cup heavy whipping cream, 4 tablespoons of sifted powdered sugar and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract to the bowl of your stand mixer. Using the whisk attachment whisk the mixture until stiff peaks form. I do this step while I'm making the sauce.
In a 2-quart saucepan over medium heat combine the pineapple juice, sugar, salt and the cornstarch mixed with 4 tablespoons of pineapple juice. Adding the cornstarch dry may cause lumps in your custard. Let the mixture heat up and then before it simmers add the beaten eggs very slowly while whisking. Let the mixture simmer until it thickens. This usually takes 8-10 minutes. Remove from heat and add the lemon juice. The mixture will thicken more as it cools.
In a large pot bring 4 cups of water to a boil. Add the gluten free stelline pasta and boil while stirring often for 8 minutes. Drain the pasta and rinse it with cold water. Once the pasta is cooled add it to the pineapple and mandarin mixture and stir.
Add either the whipped cream you made or store bought whipped cream to the pineapple and mandarin mixture and fold in. This means using your spoon roll the mixture in from the sides over top of itself moving in circles as you turn the bowl.
Add the cooled custard mixture to the bowl and fold in.
If you want this to truly be the classic recipe you would add one cup of coconut flakes at this point, but I hate the texture and always omit them.
Refrigerate the dessert salad for at least 8 hours.
Before serving stir in the miniature marshmallows.
If you made this recipe please leave a star rating and comment below. It helps other readers find this recipe and means so much to me.
Notes
Chill time: Plan for at least 8 hours in the fridge before serving. The total time in the card doesn't include chilling, so make this the day before.
Pasta: Stir the stelline often while it boils so the tiny stars don't clump, then rinse with cold water until cool and drain well.
Fruit: Drain the fruit really well and save the pineapple juice for the custard. Extra liquid makes the salad watery.
Whipped cream: Use 2 cups store bought whipped cream, or make your own with the heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla while the custard cooks.
Marshmallows: Stir them in right before serving so they stay soft and fluffy. Check the label to be sure they're gluten free.
Storage: Keep leftovers covered in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. Do not freeze.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: American
Did You Make This Gluten Free Frog Eye Salad?
If you made this frog eye salad for a holiday or potluck, I'd love to hear how it went! Please leave a star rating and a comment at the bottom of this post. It helps other gluten free readers find the recipe, and I read every single one.
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Frequently Asked Questions
No. It's one of those old salads with a funny name. The name comes from acini di pepe, the tiny round pasta in the classic recipe, which looks like little frog eyes. Since I'm using gluten free stelline pasta (stelline means little stars in Italian), I wanted to change the name to Star Eyed Salad. It sounds so much more appealing, and this salad is delicious and deserves a better name.
It's both! Frog eye salad is often called a dessert salad, like ambrosia or fluff salads. It can be served as a sweet side dish next to the ham or turkey at holidays and gatherings, or you can set it out on the dessert table and serve it as a dessert.
Frog eye salad keeps in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. It's best in the first 2 days, before the marshmallows start to soften and the whipped cream begins to loosen. I don't recommend freezing it, since the custard and whipped cream turn watery when thawed.
No. The custard and whipped cream separate and turn watery when thawed, and the pasta gets mushy. This salad is best made a day ahead and kept in the fridge.
Yes. Use about 2 cups of thawed Cool Whip in place of the whipped cream. Check the label to be sure it's gluten free.
Most mini marshmallows are made without wheat, but always check the label for a gluten free claim, since some brands use wheat based ingredients or are made on shared lines.
Lumps happen when the eggs cook too fast. Whisk constantly and keep the heat at medium. If it's runny, simmer a few minutes longer. It thickens even more as it cools, so let it cool completely before folding it in.
Ambrosia is fruit, marshmallows, and coconut folded into whipped cream or sour cream. Frog eye salad adds tiny pasta and a cooked pineapple custard, which makes it richer and more filling.
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