Cranberry Fluff Salad
Cranberry Fluff Salad is practically a required side dish for Thanksgiving. Both my mom and mother-in-law occasionally served their delicious versions of Cranberry Fluff Salad for Thanksgiving.
Ground cranberries, crushed pineapple, mini marshmallows, and whipped cream are the basic ingredients in this Cranberry Salad. There are so many tasty variations. This is mine.
Why You Must Make
- My mom would add nuts to this mixture and so did my mother-in-law along with chopped apples and sliced grapes. The options are endless. My version is very basic. No nuts in case one of my children or hubby would dare to take a taste.
- It’s a winner whether it’s scaled-down or packed full of a variety of textures and flavors.
- It’s one of those “salads” that is more like a dessert.
- This is a blast from the past. I first had it back in the 1970s, when jello salads were de rigeur. That was my mom’s version. But then later in life, my MIL served it one holiday we were visiting them. It’s still a classic Thanksgiving recipe decades later!
Ingredient Notes:
- Pantry staples: Regular granulated sugar
- A bag of fresh cranberries – You can even use frozen cranberries
- Crushed pineapple – Drain well so your salad isn’t watery
- Mini marshmallows – Or cut regular marshmallows in half or in quarters
- Heavy cream – Should be 36% butterfat
How to Make
- Chop cranberries in a food processor.
- Combine with sugar and refrigerate overnight.
- Gather the ingredients, toss them together, and whip the cream.
- Fold the cream into the cranberry mixture. Chill until ready to serve.
Best Thanksgiving Side Dishes
You’d think a Thanksgiving salad would be full of classic autumnal ingredients like an Apple, Cherry, Walnut Salad. Plus I’d expect an actual salad with fresh greens and vegetables. But on holidays, the rules can be bent, and salads full of cream and marshmallows like this cranberry fluff salad fly under the radar!
When it comes to Thanksgiving, I’m really not allowed to shake up the menu. I can always add an extra dish, but there are some that are a tradition and must be included. My Spinach Souffle, Holiday Fruit Salad, Creamy Mashed Potatoes, Stuffing or Dressing, Turkey (of course!), and Gravy are a given. Classic Pumpkin Pie for dessert plus a second, usually chocolate, pie.
But sometimes I add a little something that only I will eat. In homage to both my moms, I recreated this fresh cranberry salad (more like a dessert, but heck, it’s Thanksgiving!) for our holiday table.
Frequently Asked Questions
It’s easy to grind cranberries in a food processor. Just pulse until the cranberries look finely chopped. This can be done with either fresh or frozen cranberries.
Yes! In fact, it must be started the day before, so the cranberries and sugar have a chance to meld. This salad will last for a few days in the refrigerator, just stir again before serving if needed.
The Cool Whip version might freeze well because of all the artificial ingredients and nature of that ingredient. I haven’t frozen this cranberry fluff made with real cream before, but I’d be concerned the whipped cream could deflate, separating into solids and water.
Instead, I’d prepare all the ingredients ahead of time. Grind the cranberries, drain the pineapple, measure out the marshmallows, and store them in an airtight container. This will definitely streamline the process.
You May Also Like:
- Thanksgiving Spinach Salad with Dried Cranberries, Almonds, and Goat Cheese from Kalyn’s Kitchen
- Spinach Salad with Pears, Cranberries and Candied Pecans
- Holiday Lettuce Salad
- Rainbow Jello
- Ambrosia Salad
- Easy Cherry Fluff Salad
- Plus, more of my Best Holiday Recipes
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Cranberry Fluff Salad Recipe
A dreamy cranberry salad perfect for Thanksgiving.
Ingredients
- 12 ounces fresh cranberries, frozen, then thawed cranberries (fresh or frozen also work)
- ½ cup sugar (may add another ½ cup if you find the mixture too tart after has time to meld.)
- 8 ounces crushed pineapple, drained
- 2 cups mini-marshmallows
- 1 cup heavy cream
Instructions
- Chop cranberries in a food processor. Remove to a bowl. Mix in sugar, cover, and refrigerate overnight.
- Add well-drained pineapple and marshmallows. Mix to combine.
- Whip heavy cream to stiff peaks. With a rubber spatula, gently fold the cream into the cranberry mixture.
- Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Notes
The mixture of sugar and ground cranberries needs to be refrigerated overnight. So start this salad the day before you plan to serve it.
Total time does not include chilling time.
Helpful Tools (As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases).
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 232Total Fat: 11gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 34mgSodium: 20mgCarbohydrates: 35gFiber: 2gSugar: 27gProtein: 1g
This recipe comes with sweet memories. We lost my MIL this year and my mom the year before. Both were terrific cooks, with my mom being more adventurous with her palate and recipes and my MIL the queen of good old-fashioned comfort food. Eating at either home was always a pleasure and I am blessed to have many of their handwritten recipes.
96 Comments on “Cranberry Fluff Salad”
Love it!
This is such a classic salad!
Simple and so delicious!
A perfect Thanksgiving side dish!
We LOVED this seasonal fluff recipe!!
A classic recipe for TG indeed. Thank you!
This is such a pretty stand-out on your holiday table!
Do you have to add the pineapple
Hi, Tammy,
I’ve never tried it without the pineapple, but I think it could work. I looked for some recipes without pineapple and I found one using diced apples and grapes instead if you want to try that or just omit them all together. If you try it, let me know how it goes!
This looks so fun and festive! It will be a perfect addition to the Thanksgiving menu!
This salad totally takes me back to sunday lunch growing up! So good!
I love a good fluff salad and this one sounds SO tasty!
Yum! Looks like dessert to me. I love a good fluff salad, especially one that includes cranberries!
If this tastes as good as it looks I sure will earn that crown of the best cook. Cant wait to surprise my family.
Can you just use Cool Whip in place of the heavy cream?
Yes, I think that should work! Hope you enjoy and let me know how it goes with the Cool Whip.
Classic salad! You have very good color on this one!
This looks delicious!
Cool Thanksgiving dessert!!!
This looks fantastic! I’ve had cranberry salad, but not the fluff! I’m trying it this year!
I’m craving a bowl of this! Gorgeous picture Liz!
Love the colors in this! So fun!!