Apple cranberry fruit salad with fresh fruit, fresh cranberries, mini marshmallows and whipped cream! This recipe is a must-make during the holidays!
What item do you dig into first on your Thanksgiving plate? I always start with the fruit salads. It's like eating dessert first 🙂
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:
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
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
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Have you tried this recipe?!
RATE and COMMENT below! I would love to hear your experience.
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I made this but I think I may have cooked my cranberries too long, they stained my entire fruit salad pink 🙁
It tasted good though! Just didn’t look as pretty as the picture 🙂
I love every fruit that’s in there, especially cranberries. Will make it this Christmas. (2021)
Hello,
Would a Granny Smith apple taste good in this or would it be too tart? Thanks.
Happy Holidays
Looks good I will make for sure
Easy, tasty, and colorful!
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 ??
This is my favorite holiday salad! I love the fresh cranberries! Thanks for sharing this recipe.
This is simply amazing recipe of fruit salad Will keep it in mind for next family gat together
Can you use frozen cranberries
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!