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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This was such a hit for a staff party. I quadrupled the recipe (probably not totally necessary). It made SO much. But not against the leftovers.
Wonderful recipe. Subbed sugar for monk by adding to the cream cheese/cream mixture. And only mixing pineapple with berries and draining. I was wondering if I could freeze this?
Absolutely delicious!! I usually make a cranberry salad recipe that’s been passed down for years. It has walnuts and everything is pulsed in the food processor. Then whipping cream folded in the next day. I really enjoyed this one especially with the addition of cream cheese. I did put the marshmallows in the processor to chop them up some. 10 star rating 🤤🤤😁
Love this cranberry fluff! I will definitely make again… and again…
OMG! This was so easy and soooo good. I will be making this any opportunity I get. Wow! This is a 10 out of 10! This will forever be a thanksgiving staple.
Made this today for our Thanksgiving meal, and it was a hit! Will be adding to the regular holiday rotation going forward.
Can you put this salad into a mold to make it more attractive?
This was easy to follow and turned out delicious. Thank you!
Fantastic recipe easy to make I’m the man of the house and I do most of the cooking the dish turned out great and was a big hit much much better than buying it from your local Deli, very yummy
The first year I made this for Thanksgiving my granddaughters called it “ice cream.” Cranberry Fluff has now become a tradition at our house.