Who doesn’t love a unique side dish? This Cranberry Fluff Recipe is a wonderful side dish to serve on any holiday or even just Sunday dinner. Made with fresh (or frozen) whole cranberries, pineapple, cream cheese, apples, and whipped cream, this retro recipe is a fluffy, creamy side dish (or dessert) that everyone will love!
Cranberry Fluff Recipe
I love looking through old cookbooks and discovering a hidden gem of a recipe. And that’s how I feel about this cranberry fluff recipe! It’s such a great dish to have in your recipe box when you want to serve something different that everyone will love.
I usually whip this one out at Thanksgiving or Christmas — but don’t let that stop you from serving it in the summer! The slight tartness in the salad is actually quite refreshing and would taste great at a backyard barbecue too.
If you’ve never tried a fluff salad before, you’re in for a major treat. Made with fresh fruit, marshmallows, cream cheese, and whipped cream, they’re incredibly tasty… and not really like a salad at all!
Another fruit salad my family loves is this Creamy Key Lime Fruit Salad, or this Spinach Apple and Pomegranate Salad if you’re looking for something more seasonal.
Why You’ll Love Cranberry Fluff Salad
- Make ahead friendly… in fact, it tastes better if made in advance!
- Easy to make
- Different from usual, overly sugary desserts
- Sweet, creamy, and slightly tart
- Easy to change and adjust to your tastes!
Key Ingredients to Make My Recipe for Cranberry Fluff
- CRANBERRIES – You’ll need fresh cranberries for this recipe. I also have used frozen as well. Buy a few extra bags and stash them in your freezer so you can make this cranberry fluff recipe all year long!
- PINEAPPLE – I prefer crushed pineapple in this salad but you could use tidbits if you drain them well.
- CHEESECAKE MIXTURE – Comes together with cream cheese, whipping cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla!
- MINI MARSHMALLOWS – For more sweetness and texture… and also puts the “fluff” in cranberry fluff salad! I like mini marshmallows as they’re perfectly bite-sized, but you could get away with using larger ones if you cut them up.
- APPLE – Use what you usually buy — I like MacIntosh. You could alternatively use a green apple to make it even more festive!
Instructions to Make Cranberry Marshmallow Fluff Salad
PREP THE FRUIT: Finely chop the cranberries by hand or in a food processor. Combine with the pineapple and let sit for 2-4 hours in the fridge to let the flavors combine.
MAKE THE CHEESECAKE MIXTURE: With a hand mixer or stand mixer, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Combine the whipping cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla in a separate bowl and beat until stiff peaks form. Add the cream cheese and blend until just combined.
ASSEMBLE THE CRANBERRY FLUFF SALAD RECIPE: In a large bowl, add the cream cheese mixture to the cranberry mixture with the marshmallows and apple. Fold until just combined.
Serve immediately or cover and chill in the fridge until you’re ready. Enjoy!
FAQ
Yes, as mentioned I have made this with frozen cranberries before! My tip for working from frozen is to let the berries thaw overnight in the fridge first. You want any and all excess liquid to drain before you make your cranberry fluff recipe. Otherwise, it will turn into a soggy mess.
Refrigerating the blended cranberries and pineapple lets the flavors meld together and the cranberries soften. The whole thing will taste a lot better — don’t skip this step!
Absolutely! In fact, it will taste even better if you leave it in the fridge for a few hours before serving. That said, there’s a sweet spot here. If you leave your cranberry fluff recipe for more than 48 hours untouched, the marshmallows will become mushy.
If you find that my recipe for cranberry fluff is too sweet for your liking, add some more cranberries or a squeeze of lemon juice. The tartness should balance out the cream cheese mixture and marshmallows.
Cranberry Fluff Salad Recipe Pro Tips
- Switch up the fruit. Remember that you can always use a green apple instead of a red one. A few other fun fruit variations would be to use 1 cup of grapes or even 1 can of drained mandarin oranges instead of apples.
- Add some nuts. I love adding chopped nuts to my cranberry fluff salad before serving, as shown in the images! Pecans, walnuts, or almonds would all work.
- For a sweeter salad, replace the fresh cranberries with one 14-oz can of whole-berry cranberry sauce. Or, 1 1/3 cups of homemade cranberry sauce.
- I strongly recommend making this cranberry fluff salad well in advance to let the flavors combine. I truly think it tastes best when it’s had a few hours to chill in the refrigerator!
More Salad Recipes with Fruit To Try
- Creamy Fruit Salad
- Creamy Key Lime Fruit Salad
- Spinach Apple Pomegranate Salad
- Lime Cheesecake Fluff
- Strawberry Cheesecake Fluff
Thanks so much for reading! Let me know what you think about my recipe for cranberry fluff!
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Cranberry Fluff Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 (12oz) (340g) package fresh cranberries
- 1 (8oz) (225g) can crushed pineapple
- 8 ounces (226g) cream cheese, softened
- 2 cups (475ml) heavy whipping cream, cold
- 1 cup (105g) powdered sugar
- 1 teaspooon vanilla
- 2 cups (90g) mini marshmallows
- 1 large apple, diced
Instructions
- In a food processor coarsely grind the cranberries. Transfer to a large bowl along with the pineapple. Cover and refrigerate for 2-4 hours.
- Beat cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer until smooth. In a separate bowl combine the cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla. Beat on high until stiff peaks form. Add cream cheese and beat just until combined.
- Add cream cheese mixture to the cranberry mixture along with the marshmallows and diced apple. Fold just until combined. Serve immediately or cover and store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Notes
- STORING: Store covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- MAKE AHEAD: I strongly recommend making this salad well in advance to let the flavors combine. I truly think the salad tastes best being made in advance.
- FRUIT: Use a green apple instead of red. Use 1 cup of grapes or even 1 can of mandarin oranges (drained) instead of apples.
- NUTS: You can add 1 cup of chopped pecans, walnuts, or even almonds to the salad.
- You can replace the fresh cranberries for 1 (14 oz) can whole berry cranberry sauce or 1 1/3 cups of homemade cranberry sauce. You can also use thawed frozen cranberries.
