Cranberry fluff is a creamy, fluffy cranberry salad with just five ingredients. Unlike cranberry sauce which requires fresh cranberries to be cooked, cranberry fluff dessert is made with raw cranberries and the result is a perfectly delightful sweet-tart dessert salad for your holiday table.
5 Ingredient Cranberry Fluff Recipe
- fresh cranberries
- granulated sugar
- crushed pineapple
- mini marshmallows
- whipped topping (Cool Whip or make your own)
How to make Cranberry Fluff Salad
Use a food processor or blender to chop the cranberries. If you really want to chop them by hand, you could, but why? I like to leave mine a little chunky but chop yours to your desired consistency.
Put the cranberries in a bowl and stir in the sugar. Cover with plastic wrap and let the fruit macerate in the refrigerator overnight or for at least two hours.
Why should I macerate cranberries?
Adding sugar to cranberries and letting it “marinate” for hours allows the sugar a chance to really soak into the fruit and enhances the natural tartness and flavor of the berries.
You can see how much juicier the cranberries become after sitting with the sugar for hours.
Stir in the drained and crushed pineapple and fold in the whipped topping and marshmallows. That’s it! The cranberry fluff is ready to serve!
Cranberry fluff salad recipe variations
- Add chopped pecans or walnuts. (Try these Spiced Pecans!)
- Add halved red and green grapes
- Add cream cheese (about 4 ounces, softened)
Questions you may have about cranberry salad
How long does cranberry salad with Cool Whip last?
It’s best served immediately the same day it’s made but it can be stored, covered, in the refrigerator for a couple of days. It will begin to get juicy on the bottom over time so give it a good stir before serving.
Can you freeze cranberry fluff?
I personally don’t recommend freezing this dessert.
Can you use canned whole berry cranberry sauce instead of fresh cranberries?
Yes, but I would omit the sugar and maceration step.
Can I use leftover homemade cranberry sauce?
You bet! But don’t add sugar as homemade cranberry sauce already has sugar added to it.
Can I use frozen cranberries?
Absolutely. Thaw them and then proceed as if they were fresh.
What to serve with cranberry fluff
- Slow cooker turkey tenderloin
- Turkey pot pie with biscuits
- Leftover turkey and white cheddar broccoli
- Chicken with mashed potato dumplings
- Easy chicken and dumplings
Other cranberry recipes you’ll love
- Cranberry orange quick bread
- Cranberry chili meatballs
- Pork tenderloin with cranberry sauce
- Cranberry fire-roasted cornbread
- Cranberry cinnamon swirl cobbler bars
- Cranberry red wine sangria
- Cranberry vanilla chip cookies
Cranberry Fluff Salad
Ingredients
- 12 ounces cranberries rinsed and drained
- ¾ cup sugar
- 1 8 oz can crushed pineapple drained well
- 2 cups mini marshmallows
- 8 ounces whipped topping
Instructions
- In a food processor, chop the cranberries. Stir in sugar; cover with plastic wrap and let sit in refrigerate overnight or for at least 2 hours to macerate.
- Stir in crushed pineapples. Fold in whipped topping and marshmallows. Serve immediately and store in refrigerator.
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