Cranberry Fluff with Marshmallows Recipe

This fluff salad recipe with cranberries is the best Christmas fruit salad or Thanksgiving recipe for a side dish. Everyone will love this cranberry pineapple jello salad with marshmallows!

Many years ago, when my husband and I first started hosting the holidays at our home, I scanned all of my cookbooks to put together an amazing meal plan of holiday dishes that I hadn’t had my entire life growing up. (My mom is an amazing cook, but she makes the same dishes each year).

The very first year we hosted Thanksgiving at our home in South Carolina, I made a cranberry salad with marshmallows that totally rocked the boat! {p.s. check out my Thanksgiving Meal Planning Made Easy!}

While there are a ton of varieties out there in the recipe world for fruit salads (like my mother-in-laws Cranberry Jello with Mandarin Oranges and Pecans or Walnuts), myself, nor any members of our families had ever had one that tasted like this – it was amazing! My brother-in-law totally loved it!

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The recipe itself is so easy to make – and can be made ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator! That right there makes this a winning Thanksgiving side dish because if you’re ever hosted a large meal before, it takes a lot of time to prepare all of the dishes!

Aside from this cranberry fluff salad being super easy to make, it was relatively inexpensive to make. Which as a 26 year old hosting a large holiday meal for 8+ people, I really appreciated that!

Ingredients:

• sweetened condensed milk – provides sweetness without adding granulated sugar, along with a creating a creamy and thicker texture
• frozen whipped topping – aka Cool Whip found near the ice cream at any grocery store
• cherry pie filling – this can be found in the baking isle of any grocery store. Be sure to buy a can that is actually pie filling
• mandarin oranges – use canned mandarin oranges and drain off the juices
• crushed pineapple – use canned crushed pineapple and do not drain them. It’s important to use crushed because the cubes of pineapple would be too big and add too much flavor per bite
• mini marshmallows – any brand will do
• chopped nuts – walnuts work fantastic in this recipe because they are not overpowering in their taste nor are they very hard. However, if you prefer, you can use pecans instead

Step-By-Step Process:

1. In a large bowl, whisk milk and whipped topping together
2. Add cherry pie filling using a spatula
3. Fold in remaining ingredients
4. Spread into a serving bowl, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as my family and I do! It has definitely become a staple holiday side dish at our dinner table. My kids look forward to it each year!

More Thanksgiving Recipes

• Crock-Pot Holiday Ham

• Cranberry Jello with Mandarin Oranges and Pecans or Walnuts

• German Fruit Cake

• Crock Pot Sweet Potato Soufflé