Cranberry Fluff Salad

Name: Cranberry Fluff Salad
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 12 min
Total time: 142 min
Ingredients: 12 ounce package whole cranberries; 1 cup granulated sugar; 1/2 cup water; 10 ounce container non-dairy whipped topping (like Cool Whip); 8 ounce can mandarin oranges (drained well); 8 ounce can crushed pineapple (drained well); 1 cup Mini marshmallows; Sugared Cranberries (for garnish if desired)

This Cranberry Fluff Salad starts with cranberry sauce made from scratch, and has marshmallows, mandarin oranges, pineapple and creamy whipped topping. Cranberry Salad is the perfect combination of creamy, sweet and tart and it makes a great side dish or dessert for the holidays.

This Cranberry Fluff Salad is the perfect side dish or dessert for the holidays! @Anolon #ad

Our Thanksgiving meal usually includes a bunch of savory sides, like Homemade Stuffing, Skillet Rolls and Mashed Potatoes. But we always includes some kind of sweet side to offset all the savory, like this creamy, delicious Cranberry Fluff Salad.

Cranberry Salad is full of sweet and tart flavors, and is the perfect palette cleansing bite between the Cream Cheese Mashed Potatoes and the Green Bean Casserole.

There are variations of cranberry salad that include ground up whole cranberries, but I find that I just don’t like the texture, so I came up with a variation all my own.

Table of Contents

How to Make Cranberry Salad
FAQs
Storing Leftovers
Expert Tips
Chill for Best Results
More Cranberry Recipes You’ll Love
Cranberry Fluff Salad Recipe

Ingredients

Homemade cranberry sauce – Whole cranberries, sugar and water. I prefer to make my own cranberry sauce from scratch because it’s incredibly easy and I can control the sweetness. You could certainly use a can of whole cranberry sauce if you prefer.
Cool Whip – or another brand of non-dairy whipped topping. You could also go all out and make your own whipped cream.
Fruit – I used mandarin orange and crushed pineapple, because I was going for something similar to my grandma’s Sour Cream Salad.
Mini marshmallows – Because why not?
Garnish – Sugared cranberries.

How to Make Cranberry Salad

Make the cranberry sauce. Add cranberries, sugar and water to a pan and simmer for 10 minutes. The berries should begin to gently burst. Transfer to the fridge – the sauce must be chilled before adding it to the salad.

Assemble the salad. In a large bowl, gently fold the chilled cranberry sauce and Cool Whip together (the cranberry sauce will be fairly solid; gently press with your spatula to break up). Gently mix in the mandarin oranges, pineapple and mini marshmallows. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Garnish. Just before serve, roll some fresh cranberries in granulated sugar and carefully place on top of the cranberry fluff salad.

FAQs

Can you make cranberry salad ahead of time?

Yes, this salad can be prepared up to 24 hours in advance. Any more than that it may become watery. Be sure to give it a quick stir before serving.

How long is cranberry salad good for?

It will last 3-4 days in the fridge, properly stored in an airtight container.

Can I freeze cranberry fluff?

You can freeze it for up to 6 months, but keep in mind that the texture of the marshmallows will change when thawed.

Storing Leftovers

If you manage to have any leftovers, store them in an airtight container in the fridge. As long as you have drained the fruits really well, it should last at least 3-4 days.

Expert Tips

Chill for Best Results

This salad is best when it’s been hanging out in the fridge for at least a few hours, or even overnight. When it gets warm, the whipped cream begins to melt and it’s not a pretty picture.

More Cranberry Recipes You’ll Love

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