Who doesn’t love a great side dish? This Cranberry Fluff Salad is a wonderful side dish to serve at any holiday or even just Sunday dinner! It uses 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!
I love it when I look through old cookbooks and discover a hidden gem of a recipe. That’s how I feel about this cranberry salad. It’s a great salad to have in your recipe box when you want to serve something different and that everyone will love. Another fruit salad my family loves is this Creamy Key Lime Fruit Salad or this Spinach Apple and Pomegranate Salad if you are looking for something seasonal.
Reasons To Make This Yummy Cranberry Salad
- Make ahead friendly….in fact it tastes better if made in advance!
- Easy to make
- Different from the usually sweet desserts
- Sweet, creamy, and slightly tart
- Easy to change and adjust to your tastes!
- Great to serve at Thanksgiving or Christmas. But don’t let that stop you from serving it during the summer! The slight tartness in the salad is actually quite refreshing!
Simple Ingredient List
CRANBERRIES: You will need fresh cranberries for this recipe. I also have used frozen as well. So buy a few extra bags and stash them in your freezer to make this salad all year long!
PINEAPPLE: I prefer to use crushed pineapple in this salad but you could use tidbits. Just drain well.
MINI MARSHMALLOWS
APPLE: Use a green apple to make it even more festive!
CREAM CHEESE, WHIPPING CREAM, POWDERED SUGAR, and VANILLA: All make up the creamy cheesecake part, YUM!
How to Make Cranberry Fluff Salad:
FRUIT: Finely chop the cranberries. (I like to use a food processor). Combine with the pineapple and let sit for 2 hours to let the flavors combine.
CHEESECAKE MIXTURE: Beat the cream cheese until smooth. In a separate bowl combine the cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla. Beat until stiff peaks form. Add cream cheese and blend just until combined. Fold in the remaining ingredients just until combined. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Tips and Variations:
- 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 (the salad will be sweeter). Or use thawed frozen cranberries.
- 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.
More delicious salad recipes using fruit
- Creamy Fruit Salad
- Creamy Key Lime Fruit Salad
- Spinach Apple Pomegranate Salad
- Lime Cheesecake Fluff
- Strawberry Cheesecake Fluff
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Cranberry Fluff Salad
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.
