Apple cranberry fruit salad with fresh fruit, fresh cranberries, mini marshmallows and whipped cream!  This recipe is a must-make during the holidays!A clear bowl with a fresh fruit salad with bananas, cranberries, mandarin oranges, apples, and mini marshmallows.

What item do you dig into first on your Thanksgiving plate? I always start with the fruit salads. It’s like eating dessert first 🙂

A clear bowl with fresh fruit salad topped with whipped cream and walnuts.

There is no side dish that’s easier to make than a fruit salad. Some of my favorite fruit salads (besides this amazing Apple Cranberry Salad) include:

Creamy Fruit Salad

Acini de Pepe Fruit Salad

Fresh Fruit Salad

An overhead shot of fresh fruits salad with mini marshmallows, apples, bananas, mandarin oranges, and cranberries.

My mom has made this Apple Cranberry Fruit Salad for our Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners for as long as I can remember. The sweet cooked cranberries are the real stars of the dish, and make it uniquely special to this time of year.

It’s simple, but festive and delicious! You can serve it plain, or top it with a dollop of whipped cream and sprinkle with nuts.

 

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Recipe

Apple Cranberry Fruit Salad | Tastes Better From Scratch
Prep 8 hours
Cook 3 minutes
Total 8 hours 3 minutes
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Ingredients
  

  • 12 ounce package fresh cranberries
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 red apples chopped
  • 1 apple (I like yellow or green), chopped
  • 11 ounce can mandarin oranges , drained
  • 2 bananas ,sliced
  • 2 teaspoons lemon juice
  • 1 - 2 cups mini marshmallows (optional)
  • walnuts or pecans (optional)
  • Whipped Cream , for topping (optional)

Instructions
 

  • In a medium saucepan combine the water and sugar. Add cranberries and cook on medium high, until you start to hear the cranberries pop. Cook for 1 more minute. Remove from heat. Refrigerate for several hours or overnight.
  • In a large bowl toss apples, mandarin oranges, and banana together. Add a little bit of lemon juice to keep the fruit from browning. Drain most of the juice from the cranberries. Add them to mixture along with marshmallows and nuts. Toss to combine. Dollop with fresh whipped cream, if desired.

Make Ahead Tip:

  • Cook cranberries as directed and refrigerate overnight. Combine the other fruits (not marshmallows) and refrigerate overnight, separately. Stir the two together before serving, adding marshmallows and topping with whipped cream if desired.

Nutrition

Calories: 388kcalCarbohydrates: 100gProtein: 2gSodium: 21mgPotassium: 472mgFiber: 8gSugar: 78gVitamin A: 560IUVitamin C: 36.2mgCalcium: 38mgIron: 0.6mg

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Nutrition Facts
Apple Cranberry Fruit Salad
Amount per Serving
Calories
388
% Daily Value*
Sodium
 
21
mg
1
%
Potassium
 
472
mg
13
%
Carbohydrates
 
100
g
33
%
Fiber
 
8
g
32
%
Sugar
 
78
g
87
%
Protein
 
2
g
4
%
Vitamin A
 
560
IU
11
%
Vitamin C
 
36.2
mg
44
%
Calcium
 
38
mg
4
%
Iron
 
0.6
mg
3
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Have you tried this recipe?! 

RATE and COMMENT below! I would love to hear your experience.

Apple Cranberry Salad is perfect for an easy Thanksgiving side dish everyone will love! | Tastes Better From Scratch

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About The Author

Lauren Allen

Welcome! I’m Lauren, a mom of four and lover of good food. Here you’ll find easy recipes and weeknight meal ideas made with real ingredients, with step-by-step photos and videos.

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  1. 5 stars
    We made this thanksgiving morning! We used pomegranate seeds instead of cranberries, it was extra delicious with Trader Joe’s marshmallows. Both were a perfect day to mix up the flavor of a normal fruit salad ??

    1. Hi Loretta, you could use frozen cranberries, they would probably just be more liquidy- after cooking so I would strain most of the juice. Hope you love it!