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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!
GREAT!
Hi! I just wanted to say this is my go-to recipe around the holidays…I looooove anything cranberry! And ever since I started making it a few years ago, my family always requests that I bring it to our get-togethers. There’s hardly ever any left, so I’m going to make extra so that I actually get to take some home lol. Thinking of adding some chopped pecans, but otherwise, this recipe is amazing!
i love your recipes
My step-sister made this for Thanksgiving last year and it was delicious. She was trying to recreate a recipe her grandma made growing up. This was my sister’s last Thanksgiving, she passed away this past spring from Melanoma. I will make this a tradition and continue to make this delicious recipe every Thanksgiving and Christmas from here on out. EVERYONE loved it, even the children and people who didn’t think they liked cranberries.
Ashley I’m so very sorry for your loss. It’s never easy to loose a sibling. God bless you. Hugs to you.
Great way to keep your sister’s memory alive. Hugs to you! Even if this was almost 3 years ago.
I found this recipe a few years ago and I absolutely love it every time. My kids are also big fans.
I make this every year for Thanksgiving. All my family loves it and so easy.
I just made it for the first time. Delicious! I can see why it will be better tomorrow’
Would you be able to substitute and fold in cool whip, instead of whipping cream?
Yes, that will work.
Can I use less sugar and like Watergate salad, can I use a pudding mix?
Sounds like you’re creating your own recipe 🙂 I’m sure it will be great.
❤ Delicious 😋
This sounds incredible. Have you tried making it with thawed out cranberries? I already have a large bag of frozen cranberries so I’d love to use those instead of buying fresh if possible. Thanks 🙂
I haven’t but that should be fine as long as you drain them really well :-).
Great! Thank you for your reply 🙂