Quick and Easy Cranberry Fluff Salad
This Easy Cranberry Fluff Salad is made with cranberries, pineapple, marshmallows, whipped topping, and sugar. This fluffy salad can be a side dish or dessert for Thanksgiving and Christmas.
This recipe is everyones favorite cranberry salad. It’s gobbled up much like stuffing and turkey is! So, if you’re looking for easy cranberry salad recipes for thanksgiving, this one is for you!
Why you will love this salad:
Best Thanksgiving Side Dishes
The holiday season is full of many traditions, and that extends right down to Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner.
The best Thanksgiving dinner includes a plate full of turkey or a glazed crockpot pineapple ham, creamy mashed potatoes, slow cooker stuffing, sweet potato casserole, green bean casserole, gravy, and easy baking powder biscuits.
While we love traditional holiday dinner staples, I like to make small swaps and additions where I can. Usually this means trying a new vegetable side dish, salad or dessert.
Our Broccoli Christmas Salad is a wonderful holiday side dish, pairing delicious autumnal ingredients with the sweetness of raisins and craisins.
This is the secret to planning a success holiday meal – pairing savory dishes with sweet ones as well. There’s nothing better than having a warm gravy covered bite, then following it with a sweet and cool contrast.
This Cranberry Pineapple Salad is another tangy and sweet combination for the holiday table much like our Pineapple Fluff Dessert.
This Cranberry Fluff Salad Recipe might just become a new holiday tradition for your Thanksgiving table. A festive delight for every occasion!
Ingredients Needed
As always, the full printable recipe is on the recipe card at the end of the post.
Variations and Substitutions
One of the most common variations when making a cranberry fluff recipe is to use heavy whipping cream instead of store bought cool whip.
To use, beat the heavy cream until stiff peaks form, and fold the whipped cream into the salad (as well, increase the granulated sugar amount to 2/3 cup).
You can add other fruits such as mandarin oranges or chopped grapes. For another fluff salad recipe, troy our Strawberry Fluff.
For another taste and texture addition, add chopped crunchy pecans to the top of the salad.
How to Make Cranberry Fluff Salad
- Chop – Add cranberries to a food processor, and pulse to chop. Once chopped, drain any excess liquid.
- Mix – Add chopped cranberries, crushed pineapple, sugar and miniature marshmallows into a large bowl. Stir to combine.
- Chill – Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 3 hours to overnight.
- Combine – Remove from fridge and add in the whipped topping. Fold to combine.
- Enjoy – Serve this cranberry marshmallow salad cold.
PRO TIP: For best results, give your salad some chilling time. It allows all of the yummy flavors to blend together.
Make ahead and Storage
To Make Ahead – Cranberry Fluff Salad needs to be made at least 3 hours ahead of time. For best results, make the day before. This is most welcome during the busy holiday season.
To Store: Store leftover cranberry salad in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. Place in an airtight container or cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate.
FAQ’s
You can use either fresh or frozen cranberries for this recipe. If using frozen, make sure to completely thaw before using. It’s also important to drain before chopping, and drain any excess liquid after chopping too. This will prevent watery salad.
Fluff salads do not freeze well because of the cream. During freezing, it would deflate and separate, and wouldn’t be fluffy again even with mixing. I suggest making this as needed.
This cranberry salad lasts about 4-5 days including the day it’s made. So if you make it a day in advance, you can refrigerate the leftovers for 2-3 days after.
More Cranberry Recipes
If you’ve tried this Cranberry Fluff Salad or any other recipe on my blog please let me know how it went in the comments below. I love hearing from you. Finally, consider leaving a 🌟 star rating while you’re here. Thanks!
Cranberry Fluff Salad
Ingredients
- 2 cups cranberries (fresh OR frozen, thawed and drained)
- 398 ml can crushed pineapple (drained)
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2.5 cups mini marshmallows
- 2 cups whipped topping
Instructions
- Chop cranberries using a food processor. Once chopped, drain any excess liquid.
- Add chopped cranberries, crushed pineapple, sugar and marshmallows into a large bowl. Stir to combine.
- Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 3 hours to overnight.
- Remove from fridge and add in whipped topping. Fold to combine.
- Serve cold.
Notes
- This salad needs to be chilled 3 hours to overnight before serving. Serve cold.
- Leftovers can be refrigerated for 2-3 days.
I’ve been making this for over fifty years, my families favorite for the holidays. I freeze the whole cranberries so I can chopped them in a prosser then add the sugar, I also add rum extract, and bananas to the salad.