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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.
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
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
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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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.
This was SO GOOD and SO easy! Everyone LOVED it. Will be a new staple for sure!
Do you think I can use canned evaporated milk in place of the heavy whipping cream? I have some cans I need to use up before they expire?
Unfortunately, evaporated milk won’t work as a substitute here—it doesn’t have enough fat to whip into stiff peaks like heavy cream does. The recipe needs that whipped volume to make the salad fluffy.
Can I use monk fruit instead of sugar?
Yes, you can use monk fruit sweetener! If you’re using a 1:1 granulated monk fruit blend, use the same amount (1 cup). If it’s a concentrated version, follow the package conversion. Just keep in mind that monk fruit won’t dissolve quite the same way as sugar, and it may not help macerate the cranberries as well. But it should still taste great!
We had this twice during the Christmas season because everyone loved it so much and it was so easy to make.
Can i use frozen cranberries?
Yes, sure!
I buy the cranberries when they are in season, go ahead and chop them up before freezing, then we can have cranberry fluff all year round. Even my picky granddaughter likes it.
This was an amazingly delicious addition to our Thanksgiving feast. Everyone loved it! I added chopped walnuts and it added a bit more crunch.
I made this for Thanksgiving dinner last night. WOW! What a hit! I’ve never had cranberries that were not in a can; I didn’t know they tasted like apples. This has definitely changed my way of cranberry eating!
Well, I accidentally used a whole can of crushed pineapple 20oz. I guess I could just drain it a little more than it calls for?😪
Yes, give it a try to just drain it very well. Good luck
Do you think I can sub sweetened dried cranberries for the fresh cranberries? Then omit or lessen the sugar? Thanks for your help
No, dried cranberries wont work for this recipe, sorry!
I read where others asked if you could sub the heavy whipping cream for Cool Whip and answer was yes. If I do use Cool Whip, how much? 8 oz, 12 oz? Thanks in advance! Crystal
Use an equivalent to 2-3 cups.
This is a family recipe for years, except we used a meat grinder for the cranberries and marshmallows and no cream cheese .. excited to try this one but thinking of trying marshmallow cream with it instead of marshmallows