Easy Cranberry Fluff Marshmallow Salad
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Cranberry Fluff is a festive favorite that’s sweet, tangy, and irresistibly creamy! Fresh cranberries and oranges come together in a fluffy blend of marshmallows, cream cheese, and whipped cream to strike just the right balance—neither too tart nor too sweet. No Thanksgiving or Christmas table is complete without a bowl of this creamy dessert salad!
Why You’ll Love This Cranberry Fluff Recipe
Ingredient Notes
- Cranberries — Once harvested, tart cranberries typically appear in the grocery produce aisle October through December.
- Oranges — Navel oranges are seedless, so they work really well with this recipe. Zest the orange, then slice off the remaining pith before dicing.
- Sugar — You won’t need much, just enough to sweeten the cranberries a bit.
- Cream cheese — Cream cheese gives this fluff a wonderful taste and texture!
- Heavy whipping cream — If you prefer, you may use 8 ounces of Cool Whip.
- Mini marshmallows — Make sure your marshmallows are fresh!
How to make Cranberry Fluff Salad
STEP 1 | Chop the fruit
Rinse and drain the cranberries and discard any that are soft or have blemishes. Toss them into the bowl of your food processor and pulse until they are coarsely chopped.
Zest the oranges, then cut away the pith and dice into small pieces. Place the cranberries and oranges in a large bowl and sprinkle the sugar on top. Let this mixture rest on the counter while you prepare the filling.
STEP 2 | Make the filling
With an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese for 3 – 4 minutes, until it is smooth. Pour in the heavy cream and vanilla extract and beat on low until the cream is incorporated.
Increase the speed and continue beating until the filling is light and creamy and stiff peaks form.
STEP 3 | Fold it all together
Gently fold the cream cheese mixture into the cranberry mixture, then fold in the marshmallows. Cover and refrigerate until well chilled, several hours or overnight.
To serve, spoon the fluff into dessert bowls and sprinkle with toasted pecans, if desired.
Tips from the Chef’s Kitchen
Variations and Substitutions
- Crushed pineapple (well drained) or mandarin oranges are good substitutes for the oranges.
Storage Tips
Store Cranberry Fluff Salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. I do not recommend freezing this dish.
Frequently Asked Questions
Technically, yes, but the texture of the marshmallows may be a little strange once the salad is thawed.
Sure. Any kind of berries — strawberries, blueberries, or raspberries — would be delicious! Or, make pineapple fluff — the possibilities are endless!
Yes and yes! This dish is sweet enough to be served as dessert — and looks pretty in little dessert dishes — but it’s usually categorized as a fruit salad.
Looking for More Festive Cranberry Recipes?
You may enjoy my moist and delicious cranberry orange bread or these wholesome orange cranberry muffins — both are made with fresh cranberries! You may also enjoy this Watergate Salad or my homemade cranberry sauce — it’s the perfect side dish for your holiday ham or turkey!
Welcome to Cranberry Week!
This week we are celebrating all things cranberry! We have delicious recipes from across the country to celebrate all things cranberry!
#CranberryWeek is an annual blogging event that is hosted by Ashley from Cheese Curd In Paradise
- Cranberry Moscow Mule from Cheese Curd In Paradise
- Vegan Cranberry Biriyanifrom Magical Ingredients
- Cranberry Jalapeno Dip with Cream Cheese from Our Good Life
- Cranberry Christmas Cake from The Fresh Cooky
- Cranberry Sauce Recipe from Devour Dinner
- Christmas Morning Punch from Jen Around the World
- Cranberry Chutney from The Freshman Cook
- Chocolate Brownie Cranberry Muffins from Daily Dish Recipes
- Cranberry Fluff from Life Love and Good Food
- Slow Cooker Cranberry Pork Roast from Kate’s Recipe Box
Cranberry Fluff
Ingredients
- 1 cup fresh cranberries or frozen
- 2 medium oranges zested, peeled and finely diced
- ⅔ cup sugar
- 1 8-oz. pkg. cream cheese softened
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup miniature marshmallows
- ¼ cup toasted chopped pecans optional
Instructions
- Add the cranberries to the bowl of a food processor and pulse until they are coarsely chopped.
- Zest the oranges, then cut away the pith and dice into small pieces.
- Pour the cranberries and oranges with the zest into a large bowl and stir in the sugar. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes, then drain off all but ½ cup of the juice.
- With an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add the cream and vanilla extract. Continue beating until stiff peaks form.
- Gently stir the cream cheese mixture into the cranberry mixture. Fold in the marshmallows, then cover and refrigerate for several hours or overnight.
- To serve, spoon into dessert bowls and sprinkle with pecans, if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Life Love and Good Food does not claim to be a registered dietician or nutritionist. Nutritional information shared on this site is only an estimate. We recommend running the ingredients through an online nutritional calculator if you need to verify any information.
Do you think this would work to substitute mandarin oranges, or would they be too sweet?
Mary, it would probably work just fine, but I don’t have experience with using mandarins in this recipe. Let me know how it turns out for you!
This is YUM! We would love this always!
I used to eat tons of this stuff growing up! This recipe brought back so many memories
My grandmother used to make this and I never knew what it was until now! When I saw the ingredients I was like, “Grammy’s Fluff!”
There are so many times when I find myself in search of something delicious and quick to make. What a perfect recipe to solve my problem! Perfect, fun, and tasty! Definitely serving this during the holidays!
This reminds me of growing up, we didn’t call it fluff in the west, I think we just called it a salad (ha!). You sold me, I’m going to surprise our family and bring this for a salad on Thanksgiving!