Sweet and Fluffy Cranberry Salad Dessert or Side Dish

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If you’re looking for an easy cranberry salad recipe to get you through the holiday season, look no further. This cranberry fluff salad is a tasty option to serve as a side dish or a dessert.

From Thanksgiving to New Year’s Eve and all the holiday events in between, this cranberry fruit salad is great to serve to guests or to bring to parties you attend.

With only five ingredients, this fluffy salad is something to add to your fresh cranberry recipes collection. Fire up that food processor and get ready to enjoy a sweet and tangy treat!

A clear bowl filled with pink fluffy cranberry salad.

Cranberry Salad Recipe

My sister makes a traditional cranberry salad for Thanksgiving every year. Most of the family eats it along with the turkey. This version is a lot sweeter with the marshmallows and whipped topping, so it’s enjoyed either as a Thanksgiving side dish or as a dessert.

With the added sweetness and fluffy texture, I’m going to go ahead and declare this recipe more “picky eater friendly” than our usual cranberry relish. It’s also pink and pretty which makes it look festive on the table!

The pinkish-red color of this dish makes it excellent for the holiday season. Add a little green to the table by also making this pistachio fluff. Both of these recipes are a tangy and sweet treat that can be enjoyed all year!

Cranberries, marshmallows, and other ingredients to make a fluffy salad.

Cranberry Fluff Salad Ingredients

Here’s what you need to make this recipe. The exact amounts are listed in the printable recipe card below.

  • Fresh cranberries
  • Crushed pineapple
  • Sugar
  • Cool Whip
  • Mini marshmallows

Supplies Needed

  • Large mixing bowl
  • Food processor or blender

How to make Cranberry Marshmallow Salad

Chop the fresh cranberries in a food processor or a blender. A blender will typically make them more mushy, so keep this in mind as it will affect the texture.

Cranberries in a food processor.

Add the chopped cranberries, crushed pineapple, and sugar to a bowl.

Pineapple, chopped cranberries, and sugar in a bowl.

Mix together until combined and refrigerate overnight. Do not skip this part.

Cranberry mixture in a bowl.

The next day, add the whipped topping and the mini marshmallows to the chilled cranberry mixture.

Marshmallows, whipped cream, and cranberries in a bowl.

Combine it all together and place it back into the refrigerator.

Whipping a fluffy cranberry salad.

Refrigerate for a few more hours to allow the flavors to combine.

Spoon full of pink whipped cranberry salad.

Serve as a holiday side dish or a dessert.

Bowls of whipped salad topped with cranberries.

Cranberry Fruit Salad Recipe Notes and FAQ

How to make this a cranberry walnut salad.

Feel free to add 2 cups of chopped walnuts or pecans during the third step where you add the Cool Whip and the mini marshmallows.

Clear bowls filled with pink whipped cranberry salad.

How to store the leftovers.

Any cranberry pineapple salad leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days. If it looks a bit settled or has juice on the top, just stir the salad well to fluff it back up before serving.

How to make the salad fluffier.

If your cranberry salad with Cool Whip isn’t as fluffy as you’d like, you can add a little more whipped topping and a little more marshmallows until you get the desired consistency.

Dish with a fluffy pink salad topped with a cranberry.

Why you can’t skip the overnight chilling step.

If you’re tempted to skip the overnight refrigeration step, please do not. Refrigerating the cranberries, pineapples, and sugar overnight helps make the cranberries less tart and the salad taste sweeter, so don’t skip it.

Overhead shot of cranberry salad in a bowl with cranberries on the table.
A clear bowl filled with pink fluffy cranberry salad.

Cranberry Fluff Salad Recipe

Jennifer Soltys
A fluffy, sweet, and tangy cranberry salad to serve as a holiday side dish or dessert all season long.
5 from 1 vote
Prep Time 15 minutes
Additional Time 11 hours
Total Time 11 hours 15 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 10 servings
Calories 290 kcal

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.

Ingredients
  

  • 12 oz cranberries fresh, chopped
  • 8 oz crushed pineapple drained
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 24 oz whipped topping
  • 2 cup mini marshmallows

Instructions
 

  • Chop cranberries in food processor or blender.
    12 oz cranberries
  • Mix cranberries together with pineapple and sugar; refrigerate overnight.
    8 oz crushed pineapple, 1 cup sugar
  • The next day combine cranberry mixture, cool whip, and mini marshmallows.
    24 oz whipped topping, 2 cup mini marshmallows
  • Refrigerate for a couple of hours to allow flavors to blend.

Video

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 290kcalCarbohydrates: 52gProtein: 2gFat: 9gSaturated Fat: 8gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.2gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 1mgSodium: 58mgPotassium: 125mgFiber: 2gSugar: 46gVitamin A: 82IUVitamin C: 7mgCalcium: 55mgIron: 0.2mg
Keyword cranberry, holiday dessert, holiday side dish, salad
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Pink fluffy cranberry salad in a dish and in a bowl.

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