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    Home ยป Recipes ยป Salad Recipes

    Cranberry Fluff Salad Recipe (Quick and Easy)

    Published: Dec 2, 2021 ยท Updated: Nov 4, 2023 by Tammilee ยท This post may contain affiliate links

    This easy Cranberry Fluff Salad is the perfect holiday side dish! Everyone loves this Cool Whip Salad thatโ€™s part dessert and part salad!

    Cranberry Fluff text over a large white bowl with cranberry fluff salad garnished with fresh cranberries and marshmallows

    Cranberry Fluff Salad

    Contents show
    Cranberry Fluff Salad
    Equipment Needed
    How to make Cranberry Fluff Salad
    Preparation and Storage
    Recipe Variations
    Tips for the Best Cranberry Fluff
    What to Serve with Cranberry Fluff
    When to Serve
    Great Salad Recipes
    Cranberry Fluff Recipe
    Ingredients
    Instructions
    Kitchen Tools
    Nutrition

    Remember a few days ago when I mentioned sharing all the cranberry recipes possible over the next few weeks? So here is another one. LOL!

    I love a good dessert salad. Dessert salads are the perfect mix of fruit, Cool Whip, and the holidays. I know I will get a lot of eyerolls for calling this a salad, but it has fruit, and it is the holidays, so letโ€™s all go with it in the spirit of the season.

    This Cranberry Fluff with Cool Whip can be kept simple or jazzed up with additional mix-ins. It is one of those salads you can customize to your preferences.

    If you can plan to refrigerate it overnight, the salad will be even pinker, and the flavors will have time to meld together in this fruit salad. Whether you call this a side dish or dessert, I hope you call it delicious!We serve this for Christmas and Thanksgiving dinner along with Green Bean Casserole, Creamed Corn Casserole, Cranberry Sauce, and Funeral Potatoes.

    .Cranberry Fluff Salad ingredients, sugar, fresh cranberries, cool whip, pineapple chunks, and mini marshmallows on a white counter

    Ingredients

    Here is a quick overview of the simple ingredients for making an epic Cranberry Fluff! The printable recipe card at the bottom of the post includes specific measurements and step-by-step instructions.

    • Cranberries
    • Sugar
    • Mini Marshmallows
    • Crushed Pineapple
    • Cool Whip Frozen Whipped Topping

    Optional Add-Ins: Pineapple Chunks, Shredded Coconut, Chopped Pecans, Chopped Apple Pieces, Chopped Walnuts, Sour Cream, or Mandarin Oranges

    Cranberries - I made this recipe with fresh cranberries that I chopped in the food processor. This recipe can easily be made with frozen cranberries that have thawed.

    Pineapple - I like the texture of crushed pineapple in this cranberry fluff. If you want bigger pieces of pineapple you can toss in pineapple chunks.

    Cool Whip - We make this with Cool Whip instead of whipped cream. Cool Whip does a great job of maintaining the fluffiness even when it is served the next day. Heavy whipping cream can deflate and not give the same texture. Check out all of our cool whip recipes.

    Equipment Needed

    • Food Processor: if you are using fresh cranberries and need to cut them down. You can cut them in a blender if you don't have a food processor.
    • Large Bowl with a Cover: Let the finished dish rest in the refrigerator for a few hours at a minimum.
    • Spatula

    How to make Cranberry Fluff Salad

    I've included complete instructions in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post, but here's a quick version.

    Fresh cranberries in a colander for cranberry salad

    Step 1 - Clean fresh cranberries, remove any stems or random mushy bits you find.

    Add cranberries in a food processor and pulse or chop in a blender until in pieces but not mushy.

    shredded cranberries in a glass bowl for cranberry fluff salad

    Step 2ย  - Add chopped cranberries and sugar in a bowl and let sit for 30-60 minutes to give the cranberries time to release their juices.

    crushed pineapple mixing into shredded cranberries for cranberry dessert salad

    Step 3 - Add crushed pineapple to the bowl and mix together.

    Cool whip in a glass bowl on pineapple pieces and shredded cranberries for cranberry salad

    Step 4 - Add Cool Whip to the bowl and gently fold everything together.

    mini marshmallows on cool whip cranberry salad for cranberry fluff salad

    Step 5 - Add in marshmallows and gently mix then into the cool whip mixture

    Cranberry Fluff Salad in a glass bowl

    Step 6 - Cover and chill in the refrigerator for a minimum of 2 hours but can sit overnight.

    cranberry fluff salad in a white bowl next to a bowl of cranberries and mini marshmallows

    Preparation and Storage

    Make-Ahead: This Cranberry Fluff Salad is make-ahead-friendly! While itโ€™s ready to serve after two hours in the fridge, we like refrigerating it overnight for a pink color that pops.

    Storage: Refrigerate any leftovers in an airtight container and enjoy them within three days.

    Freezing/How to Freeze: We donโ€™t recommend freezing this holiday dessert salad. Pineapple naturally contains a lot of water, which may cause the Cool Whip to separate and change the dishโ€™s texture when you thaw it.

    Recipe Variations

    Substitutions:

    I made this recipe with fresh cranberries chopped in the food processor. You can easily make it with frozen, thawed cranberries.

    I like the texture of crushed pineapple in this Cranberry Fluff. You can toss in pineapple chunks if you want larger pineapple pieces.

    Some recipes call for cream cheese to make the fluff salad even creamier. You can also add in red grapes for more fruit.

    Vegetarian Option: Replace the mini marshmallows with a vegetarian alternative to make this recipe vegetarian. Many grocery store brands contain gelatin, an animal-derived ingredient.

    Vegan Option: In addition to the guidance for vegetarians, vegans should use a dairy-free alternative to Cool Whip to make this dish vegan.

    Gluten-Free: This sweet side dish is gluten-free if you use gluten-free marshmallows. Cool Whip is gluten-free.

    Smaller Serving Size + Larger Group/More Servings: The written recipe makes eight servings. Scale it up or down to your desired yield.

    Sugar-Free: The written recipe contains 46 grams of sugar per serving, with some naturally occurring in the fruit. Replace the white sugar and mini marshmallows with sugar-free alternatives, check that your canned pineapple has no sugar added, and use Cool Whip Zero Sugar to make it sugar-free.

    cranberry fluff salad in a white bowl

    Tips for the Best Cranberry Fluff

    • We make this with Cool Whip instead of whipped cream. Cool Whip does a great job maintaining the fluffiness even when serving this sweet holiday salad the next day. Heavy whipping cream can deflate and not give the same texture. Check out all of our Cool Whip recipes!
    • You can prepare this Cranberry Salad to your favorite flavors and textures. Add chopped pecans or walnuts for more crunch and extra pineapple or apple chunks for more fruit.
    • The longer this fluff salad sits in the fridge, the pinker it will become, which shows off the cranberry color.

    What to Serve with Cranberry Fluff

    This pretty-in-pink Cranberry Fluff Salad would be a fantastic part of any holiday dessert platter! Here are some menu pairing suggestions to make it part of a festive feast for sharing with friends and family.

    Sides: Brown Sugar Bacon Wrapped Smokies, Cheddar Bay Sausage Balls, Cheesy Green Beans, Cranberry Sauce, Sweet Potato Casserole with Canned Yams, Creamed Corn Casserole, Campbell's Green Bean Casserole, CrockPot Scalloped Potatoes & Ham, Homemade Cranberry Sauce

    Main Dishes: Eggnog French Toast, Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole, Ham & Cheese Crescent Roll, CrockPot Turkey, CrockPot Ham, CrockPot Cranberry Barbecue Meatballs, Bourbon Baked Ham, CrockPot Orange Glazed Ham, CrockPot Coke Glazed Ham

    Desserts: Eggnog Cookies, Sugared Cranberries, 4 Ingredient Christmas Crack, Reindeer Chow, Grinch Bark, No Bake Church Window Cookies, Eggnog Cake with Eggnog Glaze, No Bake Eggnog Pie, Snowball Cookies, Snow Ice Cream, Black Forest Cupcakes

    Drinks: Broken Down Golf Cart Shot, Baileys Hot Chocolate, Grinch Jello Shots, Fireball Jello Shots, Cherry Bomb Shot, Cranberry Mimosa, Eggnog Coffee, Peppermint Patty Shot, Polar Bear Shot, Boozy Grinch Drink, Three Wise Men Shot, Maple Old Fashioned Cocktail

    cranberry fluff salad in a white bowl with wooden spoons

    When to Serve

    • Thanksgiving
    • Holiday Party
    • Christmas Dinner

    Great Salad Recipes

    Ambrosia Salad

    Cranberry Orange Relish

    Hawaiian Mac Salad

    Broccoli Bacon Salad

    Kidney Bean Salad

    Traditional 7-Layer Salad

    Kale and Apple Potato Saladย 

    Do you love recipes? Check out our copycat recipes, dessert recipes, and our CrockPot Recipes.

    Follow Tammilee Tips on MSN, Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest, for all of our recipe posts.

    Cranberry Fluff Salad in a white bowl next to cranberries

    Cranberry Fluff Recipe

    Easy Cranberry Fluff Salad is the perfect holiday side dish! Part dessert and part salad everyone loves this Cool Whip Salad!
    No ratings yet
    Print Rate
    Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
    Refrigeration: 6 hours hours
    Total Time: 6 hours hours 15 minutes minutes
    Servings: 8
    Calories: 233kcal
    Author: Tammilee Tips

    Ingredients

    • 3 cups Cranberries finely shredded
    • 1 cup White Sugar
    • 3 cups Mini Marshmallows
    • 8 Ounce Crushed Pineapple
    • 8 Ounce Cool Whip

    Instructions

    • Wash cranberries and remove any stems or mushy pieces.
    • Shred cranberries in a food processor until finely shredded
    • Add cranberries to large mixing bowl and add in sugar. Stir together. Let the cranberries sit for 30-60 minutes unit the cranberries have released juices.
    • Add in crushed pineapple and stir. Gently add in Cool Whip and stir together.
    • Add in Mini Marshmallows and gently stir together until everything is well distributed.
    • Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.

    Kitchen Tools

    • Large Mixing Bowl

    Nutrition

    Nutrition Facts
    Cranberry Fluff Recipe
    Amount Per Serving
    Calories 233 Calories from Fat 18
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 2g3%
    Saturated Fat 1g6%
    Cholesterol 5mg2%
    Sodium 37mg2%
    Potassium 99mg3%
    Carbohydrates 56g19%
    Fiber 2g8%
    Sugar 46g51%
    Protein 1g2%
    Vitamin A 86IU2%
    Vitamin C 8mg10%
    Calcium 39mg4%
    Iron 1mg6%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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    About Tammilee

    Lifestyle blogger who travels the world and drinks too much Chai tea. Travel blogger, award winning photographer, sunset hunter, Birkenstock girl, bird nerd
    You can find Tammilee on Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram

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