The perfect easy side dish, this Cranberry Fluff Salad combines seasonal fruits, Cool Whip, and festive marshmallows for an 5-minute recipe that your friends and family will love!
I've mentioned on here before that our family loves to enjoy ambrosia (or other sweet fruit salads) on special holidays -- and even with the occasional weeknight dinner. I love that they are easy to prepare in advance, they only require a few simple ingredients, and they taste delicious!
Since our Pink Ambrosia Salad was such a huge hit in the spring, I thought that now would be a good time to mix it up a little bit and create a similar combination for the Fall. The blend of cranberry, pineapple, and orange results in a fresh, seasonal, and attractive dish that will be the perfect addition to your holiday feast.
HOW TO MAKE A CRANBERRY FLUFF RECIPE WITH CANNED CRANBERRIES:
It can sometimes be hard to find fresh cranberries in my small, rural grocery store, so this cranberry fruit salad is particularly convenient because it takes advantage of canned whole berry cranberry sauce.
You need just 5 additional ingredients -- Cool Whip whipped topping, canned pineapple, mandarin oranges, pecans, and mini marshmallows.
I'm not exaggerating when I say that this easy cranberry salad takes 5 minutes to stir together!
First, drain the pineapple and oranges very well. Then combine the fruit, cranberry sauce, pecans, and marshmallows in a large bowl.
Gently fold in a tub of Cool Whip and you're done!
You can serve the Cranberry Cool Whip Salad immediately, or you can cover the bowl and keep it in the refrigerator until you're ready to enjoy it!
How long does Cranberry Fluff last?
I find that the salad is best when served within a few hours of preparation. If you want to prepare it a day in advance, just be sure to give everything a good stir right before serving.
The fruit releases some juices as it sits, so while the cranberry salad still tastes delicious on Day 3 or Day 4, it tends to get a bit watery and doesn't have as much "fluff" to it.
COOK'S TIPS:
- Make sure that the pineapple and the oranges are very well drained before adding them to the bowl. If you have excess fruit juice in your salad, it will be a bit watery and not as fluffy!
- Gently fold in the Cool Whip, being careful not to stir too hard. You want to keep as much of the air or "fluff" in the Cool Whip as possible, and you don't want to damage the structure of the fruit in the salad.
- If you want the pecans to stay crunchy, add them at the very end -- just before serving.
- The salad is best when served within 1-3 hours of preparation; however, it can be made up to 24 hours in advance.
- Garnish with extra marshmallows on top! Kids will go crazy for this side dish...
What to serve with Cranberry Fluff Salad:
This is a great holiday dish for Thanksgiving or Christmas, so it pairs nicely with:
- Garlic and Herb Roast Turkey Breast
- Maple-Glazed Roasted Turkey Breast
- Crispy Roast Chicken with Vegetables
- Southern Bourbon-Glazed Beef Tenderloin
Cranberry Fluff Salad is a sweet and festive side (kids of all ages love those marshmallows!) that complements the savory turkey and dressings that might also find their way onto your plates this season. Enjoy!
5-Minute Cranberry Fluff Salad
Ingredients
- 2 (20 ounce) cans pineapple tidbits, well drained
- 1 (14 ounce) can whole berry cranberry sauce
- 2 (11 ounce) cans mandarin oranges, well drained
- ½ cup chopped pecans
- 2 cups miniature marshmallows
- 1 (8 ounce) carton Cool Whip, thawed
Instructions
- In large bowl, combine pineapple, cranberry sauce, oranges, pecans, and marshmallows. Gently fold in Cool Whip
- Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Notes
- Make sure that the pineapple and the oranges are very well drained before adding them to the bowl. If you have excess fruit juice in your salad, it will be a bit watery and not as fluffy!
- Gently fold in the Cool Whip, being careful not to stir too hard. You want to keep as much of the air or "fluff" in the Cool Whip as possible, and you don't want to damage the structure of the fruit in the salad.
- If you want the pecans to stay crunchy, add them at the very end -- just before serving.
- The salad is best when served within 1-3 hours of preparation; however, it can be made up to 24 hours in advance.
- Garnish with extra marshmallows on top! Kids will go crazy for this side dish...
Nutrition
This post was originally published in November, 2014. It was updated in November, 2018.
This looks so delicious! I love the addition of the marshmallows. I can't wait to try it!
Thanks, Sarah! And thanks for visiting. 🙂
This recipe sounds really good. What a great combination of goodies I love. Can't wait to give this a try at Thanksgiving!
Thanks so much for stopping by, Christie! I hope that you love it!
I think my family would love the fluffy cranberry salad... and then I was happy to see all of the other recipes you included! Thanks for all of the inspiration. 🙂
Thanks for visiting, Julie! 🙂
I love cranberries! Can't wait to give this one a try for Thanksgiving!
Thanks for visiting, Valerie!
I doubt the marshmallows would last long enough in our house for me to make this! Every single time I bought them to make s'mores for a party this summer, my boys got into them and ate them before the party. Then of course I had to eat the chocolate. It was a bad cycle and a lot of left over graham crackers. LOL. Thanks for sharing this with us at Foodie Fridays!
Oh yes, the marshmallows are definitely a favorite with my boys too! 🙂
I usually don't like cranberry salad but this one looks so good I'll have to try it!! Thank you so much for linking up at Tasty Tuesday! Your recipe has been pinned to the Tasty Tuesday Pinterest board! Please join us again this week!
Hands down, one of my favorite Thanksgiving side dishes! My MIL was the "fluff" master. This one sounds really good too. Thanks for sharing at my Creative Ways Link Party! I hope you'll be back to party this week.
Blessings,
Nici
Thanks, Nici!!
Love ambrosia! This will be perfect for the Thanksgiving table. Thanks for linking up at Show Me Saturday. Hope to see you there again this week!
Thanks, Ginger! 🙂
That salad looks delicious Blair! I used to love "marshmallow" salad when I was growing up, lol 🙂 I guess I need to make it sometime!!
Yep...it's definitely a cross between "salad" and a dessert! That's why my kids love it! 🙂
I've never had a dish like this before, I love the combination of cranberry and orange, such great holiday flavours. Thanks for linking up to Sweet and Savoury Sunday, stop by and link up again. Have a great day!!
Would this hold up if made the night before? Or should I do this 5 minutes before we sit down?
Hi, Kat! It would be okay overnight, but I think it's far better if you do it about an hour or so in advance. It's nice to let it sit in the refrigerator and get cold for a little while, but if it goes too long it's less "fluffy" and more runny. 🙂 Either way, it tastes delicious! Enjoy.
Thanks for this delicious recipe! I made it for Thanksgiving because I thought my nephew would like it, and I was right. He looked at me and declared, "This is amazing!"
Wonderful! I'm so glad that he approved! 🙂
I love this salad, I was told to add cream cheese and mayo.
Thanks, Darrell! Yes, that would work, too! 🙂
You made my Thanksgiving! I didn't have the marshmallows so it was cool whip and we don't care for the oranges. But this was perfect for us! Thank you so much!
Yay! I'm so glad that you all enjoyed it, Misty! Thanks for taking the time to leave me a note. 🙂
You Ave reminded me of all the fun fluff salads my mom would make during the holidays. She passed last year of cancer Dec. 4th. I miss her dearly but we will love the memories when I make the cranberry fluff this thanksgivings. Thank you again
Tracy
Aw, thanks Tracy! My grandmother always made fluff salads like this, too. Recipes that bring back good memories are the best. Hope you enjoy and have a wonderful holiday!
looks perfect,just what i need,going to make it
Awesome! Enjoy, Rebecca!