Our Cranberry Fluff Salad recipe is made with fresh cranberries, sweetened with crushed pineapple and loaded with fluffy marshmallows. It's a holiday tradition everyone looks forward to.
This may be my favorite side for Thanksgiving, it's right up there with Thanksgiving Stuffing, Homemade Rolls, my favorite Turkey, and easy Lemon Cream Pie!
Cranberry Fluff is the unsophisticated salad adults love as much as kids.
Cranberry Fluff is the unsophisticated salad adults love as much as kids.It's such an old-fashioned mid-western tradition to serve fluffy dessert “salads” like this at parties, but it's a holiday tradition I secretly love (it wouldn't be Easter without our Ambrosia or Frog eye salad!). We've been making this one for decades, but after trying Mel's version a few years ago, with a little cream cheese added for stability, that's now our go-to method. It's a bright spot on the table with all of our other favorite side dishes.
Only 6 Ingredients Needed:
How to make Cranberry Fluff Salad:
Combine: Blend cranberries in a food processor until chopped, but not mushy. Pour into a large bowl, add sugar and pineapple and mix well. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour, then drain some (not all) of the juice.
Add Cream: Beat the cream cheese until smooth then pour in the heavy cream and whip until stiff peaks form. Fold into the cranberry salad. Stir in marshmallows. Cover cranberry fluff salad and refrigerate for several hours or overnight.
More Side Dishes to Try:
- Ambrosia Salad
- Chicken Pasta Salad
- Jello Fruit Salad
- Corn Casserole
- Poutine
- 7-Layer Dip
- Buttermilk Cornbread
- Baked Potato Salad
- Cheesy Breadsticks
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Recipe
Cranberry Fluff Salad
Ingredients
- 12 ounce package fresh cranberries
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 8 ounce can crushed pineapple , undrained
- 2 cups mini marshmallows
- 4 ounces cream cheese , softened
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
Instructions
- Chop Cranberries: Add the cranberries to a food processor and pulse until they are finely chopped, but not mushy.
- Marinate: Pour the cranberries into a large bowl. Stir in the sugar and pineapple and mix well. Cover and refrigerate for one hour or longer.
- Whip Cream: In a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Pour in the cream and whip until stiff peaks form
- Combine: Drain some of the juice from the cranberry mixture. Fold the whipped cream mixture into the salad. Fold in marshmallows.
- Chill in the refrigerate for 3-4 hours (or overnight), before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
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I originally shared this recipe November 2015. Updated November 2019 and November 2024.
Recipe from my Grandma, with cream cheese idea adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe.
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Looks amazing! There are so many cranberry fluff recipes. But this one just looked and sounds like the best.
I am making this salad for the first time ever. I have ALWAYS made the wonderful Watergate salad. But, after 30 years I wanted to try something new. I hope I do it right! Lol. Can’t WAIT to try it.
Thanks Julie! I hope you love it as much as we do!
Step 1 says to process until the cranberries are mushy? Really? Mushy??
Hi Jan, sorry for the typo–the cranberries should be well chopped, but “not” mushy!
I have made this recipe for probably 25 years and it is a family favorite! Interestingly my recipe does not have the word ‘fluff’ in the title! I use the old school hand crank grinder to grind the cranberries. We have issues in our family with lactose intolerance so I substitute the whipping cream with cool whip. Obviously adding cream cheese would also be a no no for us. I know these days people are moving to natural products but when there are issues with said products you have to improvise in order to keep making a favorite cranberry salad. A lot of people have varying degrees of lactose intolerance so cool whip provides an option that allows you to make this tasty salad. It works great and tastes just fine.
Hello Lauren,
Thank you for sharing this recipe! I need to serve 22 people a 4oz. sample size of this salad. Will one batch be enough?
Hi Colleen, If we were to say 4oz was about 1/2 cup, this recipe will make about 20 (1/2 cup) 4 oz servings. So it would be cutting it a little bit close…. You could always 1 and 1/2 the recipe. Good luck–I hope everyone loves it!
That is extremely helpful, Lauren. I greatly appreciate your response and recommendation.
My boyfriend accidentally bought dried cranberries. Should I go out and buy fresh cranberries or try the recipe using what I have?
Hi Holly, the recipe wont work very well with dried cranberries–the taste and texture would be off…
How long will this last in refrigerator ?
It should be great for 2-3 days in the fridge 🙂
You’re pouring the heavy cream over the beaten cream cheese and then whipping it into peaks? Not whipping it in a separate bowl? Thanks!
Hi Julie, That’s right! You could whip it separately if you want, but you’ll save doing dishes this way and it works the same 🙂
can you use cool whip instead of whipping cream?
Hi Pat, you could definitely use cool whip instead. (I just like the taste of fresh whipped cream better). Hope you enjoy it!
I did… it came out good
Pictures look delicious. Can’t wait to make the cranberry fluff and then eat it.