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Christmas Cranberry Marshmallow Salad

I’ve made my fair share of cranberry salad recipes through out the years and this Christmas Cranberry Salad is my favorite so far. It is so creamy with a great balance of sweet and tart from the cranberries. I absolutely loved it, as did my family.

The pecans in this recipe are optional and I did end up skipping them. I think it is a mouthfeel preference but I wanted this salad to be primarily creamy and light without the crunch of nuts. I still think it would be delicious with them though. If you use the nuts please be sure to let me know what you thought!

Christmas Cranberry Marshmallow Salad

Perfectly sweet and light, a must have on any holiday plate, whether it be for Thanksgiving, Christmas or Easter. Really any holiday or special occasion. Can you tell I love this delicious salad? Enjoy!

Note: Step one of this recipe needs to be done the day/night before you continue with step number 2.

Christmas Cranberry Marshmallow Salad

Christmas Cranberry Marshmallow Salad

Freshly whipped cream is mixed with pineapple, cranberries and marshmallows to create a tart and sweet holiday side dish.
5 from 3 votes
Prep Time 8 hours
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 8 hours 10 minutes
Course Side Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 12
Calories 495 kcal

Equipment

  • 3 Quart Covered Dish

Ingredients
  

  • 1 pound fresh cranberries finely ground (frozen cranberries are fine too, just let them thaw first)
  • 2 cups white sugar
  • 20 oz can crushed pineapple, drained
  • 16 oz package miniature marshmallows you can use up to half this amount if you prefer less
  • 1 cup chopped pecans optional
  • 2 cups heavy whipping cream beaten stiff
  • alternatively, use a 12 oz. container Cool Whip in place of the heavy whipping cream. See notes.

Instructions
 

  • Mix together the cranberries and sugar; cover and refrigerate overnight.
  • The next day, combine the cranberry mixture with the pineapple, marshmallows, pecans and stiffly whipped cream (or cool whip if you are substituting). Mix well.
  • Pour into a 3 quart dish, cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Notes

Step one of this recipe needs to be done the day/night before you continue with step number 2.
This recipe is already on the sweet side, so if you substitute cool whip for the whipped cream, you may want to reduce the sugar in the recipe as much as by half, as cool whip will be adding sweetness. 
Recipe from Allrecipes.com

Nutrition

Calories: 495kcalCarbohydrates: 78gProtein: 3gFat: 21gSaturated Fat: 10gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 54mgSodium: 47mgPotassium: 160mgFiber: 3gSugar: 64gVitamin A: 634IUVitamin C: 10mgCalcium: 44mgIron: 1mg
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Enjoy these additional deliciously fluffy fruit salads!

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18 Comments

    1. Yes that is what you want to use for this recipe. Just set them in the fridge the night before so they are thawed out when you start the recipe. You *might* be able to chop/process frozen cranberries but I think it'd be much easier if you let them thaw.

    1. I could only find whole frozen cranberries. Can I mash them up are put them in a blender to crush them after I unthaw them
      for the salad ? thanks

    1. I think I might try it with nuts next time, but I agree I tend to like smooth textures in recipes like this too.

  1. Christmas is still up in the air for us, but if we are hosting, I am definitely making this. Most likely, I will divide it into two, so part can have nuts.

    1. Grocery stores can be hit or miss, but they typically carry fresh or frozen cranberries in November and December. I would try calling your local grocery stores if you want to save yourself a trip, otherwise you may have to shop around and see who is carrying them. If they don't have them frozen they might have them fresh (just refrigerated), so that is something to ask. Good luck!

  2. What do you think about using the OceanSpray canned cranberry sauce? Not the jellied one, but the one with crushed cranberries in it.

    1. I think that would still work. It would be a lot sweeter, as the cranberries are quite tart compared to canned cranberry sauce. So it would be a sweeter dish for sure, but I bet still really tasty. If you try it please let me know how it turns out. 🙂

  3. 5 stars
    My mother made “Cranberry Heaven”, I didn’t have the recipe and our family missed it so much. Thank you!!! This is just like it❤️ Now, we can have this and I can think of her🥰