March 30, 2018

Glorified Rice Salad

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This Glorified Rice Salad recipe is a family favorite. Cooked rice with whipped cream, pineapple, maraschino cherries, and marshmallows. Kids love this salad.

(Post modified on 3/22/24.)

I’ve been making Glorified Rice for years and take it to family gatherings at Christmas and Easter. It works very well for church potlucks, too.

This salad goes great with ham or turkey and is a light and festive salad to put on the table. It will store in the refrigerator for 2-3 days, so it’s good for leftovers. I hope you will enjoy it as much as we do!

When making this salad, I always try to make the rice ahead of time so it has plenty of time to cool. You could even make it a day or two ahead, if you want. Oh, and I like to use jasmine rice if I have it in my pantry.

More Salad Recipes to Enjoy

Ingredients for Glorified Rice Salad

(See the full recipe at the bottom of this post.)

long grain Jasmine white rice
miniature marshmallows
crushed pineapple, undrained
maraschino cherries (quartered)
frozen whipped topping, thawed

Instructions for Making This Recipe

Gather your ingredients so that you have everything close at hand on the counter or table.

Prepare the Ingredients

I used to drain the crushed pineapple in this recipe, but then realized that there was no need to do so as the juice soaks into the rice, making it a fluffier salad in the end. Lesson learned!

Dice the maraschino cherries into quarters, and drain them on paper towels to reduce discoloration in the salad.

Be sure to thaw the frozen whipped topping by placing it in the refrigerator the night before.

Cook the Rice

Using a medium saucepan, cook rice according to directions. Usually rice to water is 1:2, so for this recipe you will need 1 1/2 cups rice and 3 cups of water. Bring water to boil along with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Add rice and reduce to a simmer. Cook according to directions, approximately 20-25 minutes. Allow to cool.

When making this recipe, if time allows, I like to prepare the rice a day in advance. Then when you’re ready to prepare the salad, you simply mix it up using the cold rice in a matter of minutes. It will still need to set for 4 hours or more for the juices to meld together.

Assemble the Salad

Place cooled rice in a large bowl, along the mini marshmallows and crushed pineapple. Mix together.

Using a rubber spatula, fold in whipped topping until everything is incorporated. Save mixing in the maraschino cherries for last, to help prevent the salad from turning too pink.

Spoon salad into a pretty serving dish. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 4 hours before serving.

If desired, garnish salad with miniature marshmallows and maraschino cherries. This recipe will serve 8-10 people.

Store leftovers in a tight-lidded container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

See more Salad Recipes Here. View Holiday Dinner Ideas Here. Browse more Rice Dishes Here.