What’s inside: A fun pick’n’mix Summer Candy Salad bursting with sweet and sour fruit-flavored candies, perfect for goody bags, a family movie night or a candy bowl treat.

Fruity Candy Salad Recipe

Have you heard of candy salad?

I only heard about it for the first time a couple years ago and it’s now one of my daughter’s favorite things to make and bring along to special occasions or serve when hosting friends for a sleepover or movie. Sometimes she makes it in advance and sometimes the girls all contribute their own favorite candies and they whip it up together.

This specific combination of fruity-flavored candies is our go-to “recipe” and is a great way to try out the concept for yourself, but feel free to swap out any of the candies listed below for your own personal favorites.

I hope your kids love getting to make their own fruity summer candy salad – we’ll share our Christmas Candy Salad and our Easter Candy Salads soon, but I’d love to hear your own favorite blends!

— Jennifer

Candy Salad Ingredients

For your convenience, I’ve provided ad links to supplies used to make this recipe; see our disclosure policy here.

• Sour Straws (aka, Sour Punch Straws or Sour Power Straws)
• Big Chewy Nerds (Nerds Clusters are also a great option)
• Sour Rainbow Strips
• Sour Watermelon Candy Slices
• Sour Mango Candies
• Swedish Berries
• Sour Peach Rings

Scroll down to the printable recipe card for full measurements.

Tip: swap out any of the candies mentioned above for your own personal favorites, using our tips below to guide you.

Kitchen Tools You May Find Helpful

• Kitchen Scissors
• Mixing Bowl
• Spatula or Spoon
• Small Cellophane Bags, for gifting or storing

Instructions

1. For longer candies, like the sour straws or rainbow strips, use kitchen scissors to cut into 1″ pieces (to match the size of the other candies).
2. Place all candies in a large mixing bowl.
3. Stir candies together until well mixed.
4. Portion the candies into individual serving bags or set in a candy bowl.

Prep Tips

• We like to stick to a basic consistency when preparing our candy salads – for example, this candy salad is all gummy-type candies. We find that more enjoyable, but if you want you can add hard candies or dehydrated candies for a textural contrast.
• Stick to candy flavors that work well together – the easiest way to do this is to pick a flavor profile like “tropical flavors” or “summer fruit flavors” like we did here.
• This candy salad mixes best if all candies are about the same size, so use clean kitchen scissors to cut any large candies down to match the average candy size. Very small candies, like pop rocks, will get lost at the bottom of the bowl so I don’t recommend them.
• Candy salad is best enjoyed within a couple weeks of making it, as long as it’s stored in an airtight container. It can last for up to a couple months before some of the candies will start to harden and be less enjoyable.

More Fun Summer Recipes for Kids

• Summer Grill Cupcakes
• Shirley Temple Dirty Soda
• Easy Berry Fruit Salad
• Easy Watermelon Pudding Cups
• Moana-Inspired Hawaiian Punch
• Homemade Ice Cream in a Bag
• Healthy Homemade Fudgsicles

Candy Salad Recipe (Printable Recipe Card)

If you tried this recipe and loved it too, please rate it! We’d also love to hear your thoughts in the comments.

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Summer Grill Cupcakes

Easy Watermelon Pudding Cups