This recipe for frozen date and cream cheese salad gives vintage vibes in the best sort of way. Sweet fruit like dates, pineapple, and a banana are mixed with pecans and frozen in a cream cheese dressing with a bit of maple syrup. The results are wonderful.

Square piece of frozen fruit salad with dates, bananas, pineapple, and pecans in a creamy base.

I was paging through one of my great-grandma’s cookbooks recently, looking for hidden gems. It is always fun to look at old cookbooks to see what people were making.

The fruit salad section must have really caught my eye because I already shared the Tang fruit salad. The recipe for frozen date and cheese salad caught my eye as well.

Mostly because I was curious what kind of cheese they might be referring to. 🤣 Also because I have become a bit infatuated with dates and date recipes these last few years.

Plus, I have an ambrosia style frozen fruit salad from one of my paternal great-grandmas. So, I though it would be fun to share this gem from a maternal great-grandma.

The combination of fruit in this salad really is delicious. The nuts add a nice textural element and a tiny bit of savory goodness to the mix.

Ingredients including dates, pecans, a banana, crushed pineapple, cream cheese, maple syrup and heavy cream ready to be made into a frozen fruit salad.

Piece of great-grandma's frozen date and cream cheese salad showing bits of fruits and nuts suspended in creamy frozen base.

What really makes the salad is the dressing. The mixture of cream cheese, maple syrup, and cream is wonderful.

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It holds everything together nicely and gives it a wonderfully creamy texture. The hardest part remembering to get it out of the freezer soon enough. It needs some time on the counter to reach its optimal texture.

Carlee’s Tips and Tricks

I really like getting whole medjool dates and chopping them. They are softer than the already diced dates and will give you a better texture.

You can freeze the salad in a square baking dish like I did. Or freeze it in individual cups similar to how I served the frozen cranberry pineapple salad.

Spatula lifting a piece of frozen date and cheese salad out of the glass baking dish that it was frozen in.

Bite of frozen date and cream cheese salad on fork showing bits of fruits and nuts frozen in a creamy base.

Feel free to make the salad several days in advance of when you plan to serve it. Just make sure to cover it so it doesn’t take on any freezer smells.

For a fun vintage presentation, serve it on a leaf of lettuce.

That’s about it. Now, lets take a look at the recipe.

5 from 2 ratings

Great Grandma’s Frozen Date & Cream Cheese Salad

Author: Carlee

Servings: Servings

If you like old-fashioned recipes, you are going to love this frozen date and cream cheese salad. The sweet fruit is frozen in a creamy dressing with bits of pecans for crunch. It ends up sweet, creamy, and delicious.

Prep: 10

Cook: 0

Freezing Time 8

Total: 8 10

Ingredients

Makes: 8 x 8inch rectangle, 2inch height

Instructions

In a large mixing bowl, whip 6 ounces cream cheese until it is creamy and lump free.
Stir in the ¼ cup maple syrup until combined.
Add 1 cup heavy cream . Mix on low until incorporated. Then turn mixer to high and beat until the mixture is fluffy and holds medium peaks.
Add the 1 20 oz can crushed pineapple, 1 banana, ½ cup dates, and 1½ cups pecan pieces. Fold them into the cream cheese mixture.
Transfer to an 8-inch square dish or individual serving dishes. Freeze for at least 8 hours.
Allow to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes to 1 hour before cutting into squares and serving. The texture is creamier and it is easier to eat once it has sat out for a bit.