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Cranberry Cheesecake Fluff is a creamy and delicious fluff salad made with cranberries and walnuts. It is so easy to make and a MUST for the holidays!
This is always a favorite side dish during the holidays! If you love fruit salads as much as I do try this Christmas Fruit Salad, The Best Winter Fruit Salad, Very Berry Cheesecake Salad or Creamy Poppyseed Fruit Salad.
Cranberry Cheesecake Fluff
Thanksgiving is just around the corner. Do you have your menu planned out yet? Put this Cranberry Cheesecake Fluff on the menu. It is a MUST! So easy and delicious. It has a creamy, tangy flavor that’s a perfect contrast to all of your savory Thanksgiving dishes.
I decided to add a little twist to normal fluff. Adding some cream cheese to help thicken it up and give it the cheesecake flavor took this fluff to a whole different level. It seriously blew my mind! You will LOVE the flavors blended together to make one irresistible cranberry cheesecake fluff recipe!
Ingredients for Cranberry Cheesecake Fluff
The best part about this dessert salad is that it is so easy to make. You pulse some fresh cranberries, walnuts, and crushed pineapple together in a food processor. Then you blend cream cheese and heavy whipping cream together, fold in the pulsed cranberry, and voila! A delicious fruity side that everyone will love. Note: measurements are in the recipe card below.
- Fresh Cranberries: Flavorful, tart and sweet. If you can’t find fresh cranberries, frozen will also work. Just make sure they’re thawed before you use them.
- Sugar: Just regular white sugar so your fluff has a little extra sweetness.
- Pineapple: Crushed and canned.
- Walnuts: Chopped up for some delicious texture in each bite.
- Marshmallows: Mini marshmallows are a must add to any dessert salad!
- Cream Cheese: So the texture of the fluff turns out smooth and creamy.
- Heavy Whipping Cream: The base of the fluff. I recommend chilling your cream beforehand, this will help it whip up more easily.
Let’s Make Cranberry Fluff Salad!
I fell in love with this fluff with the first bite. Creamy, cool and absolutely delicious. The flavors together blend so well! Easy to make and always a hit for the holidays.
- Blend Ingredients Together: In a food processor or blender, combine cranberries, 1 cup sugar, crushed pineapple, and walnuts. Pulse until coarsely chopped without becoming mushy.
- Let Chill: Cover and refrigerate for an hour to let the flavors blend.
- Beat the Creams Together: In a medium bowl add the cream cheese 1/2 cup sugar and beat until smooth. Add the heavy whipping cream and continue to beat with the cream cheese until stiff peaks form.
- Gently Add in Cranberries and Marshmallows:Â Fold the cranberries and marshmallows into the salad mixture.
- Refrigerate: Cover and refrigerate for at least 3-4 hours or overnight. Then serve and enjoy!
Customize Your Fluff
It’s easy to add a little more or a little less to this cranberry cheesecake fluff recipe. Tweak it so it’s just the way you like it!
- Fruit: Substitute or add in canned mandarin oranges, frozen cranberries, cherries, blackberries, strawberries, grapes or diced apples.
- Nuts: Pecans, cashews, or almond slices are great mixed in for some crunch.
- Cranberry: Craisins, canned cranberries, frozen cranberries or cranberry sauce work as a substitute for the fresh cranberries.
- Creamy Mix-ins: Try cool whip, sour cream or Greek yogurt for a different texture each time you make it.
Tips and Tricks
My family always devours this cranberry cheesecake fluff before anything else is touched. The perfect dessert before dessert! Here are a few ways to make sure it turns out perfectly. (Not that it’s hard to mess up. This recipe is foolproof!)
- To Blend: A food processor works best to mix and chop all the ingredients. A blender will do the same.
- Make it Lighter: Looking for a lighter version? Skip the heavy cream and try Greek yogurt or vanilla yogurt instead.
- Pineapple: Fresh or canned pineapple both work great.
- Add a Topping: Before serving, add cranberries and pecans over top of the cranberry cheesecake fluff.
- Personal Servings: It’s fun for the holidays to serve these in mini trifle jars or small bowls to make it extra special.
Storing Leftovers
Cranberry cheesecake fluff is best served chilled and right away. Once you blend and combine all the ingredients together, let it rest in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve. If you have any leftovers, it’s best to put them back in the fridge as soon as possible so your salad retains its delicious texture.
- In the Refrigerator: Place in an airtight container or wrap with plastic wrap tightly. It will stay good in the fridge for 24 to 48 hours.
- Can You Make Cranberry Cheesecake Fluff Ahead of Time? Yes! Place in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 days before serving. When ready to serve, simply add it to your Thanksgiving table.
- Can I Freeze Cranberry Cheesecake Fluff? I wouldn’t recommend it. Unfortunately, this is not a great side dish to freeze. Ice crystals sometimes form in the whipped cream and tend to break it down.
More Great Holiday Side Dishes
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Cranberry Cheesecake Fluff
Ingredients
- 12 ounce package fresh cranberries
- 1 1/2 cup sugar, divided
- 8 ounce can crushed pineapple, undrained
- 1/2 cup walnuts
- 2 cups mini marshmallows
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
Instructions
- In a food processor or blender, combine cranberries, 1 cup sugar, crushed pineapple, and walnuts. Pulse until coarsely chopped without becoming mushy. Cover and refrigerate for an hour to let the flavors blend.
- In a medium bowl add the cream cheese 1/2 cup sugar and beat until smooth. Add the heavy whipping cream and continue to beat with the cream cheese until stiff peaks form. Fold the cranberries and marshmallows into the salad. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3-4 hours or overnight.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I’m 34 weeks pregnant and I’ve been craving this ever since you posted on Facebook! Just made it and it totally hits the spot! Since it’s a make ahead/chill dish, will it still be ok for our Thanksgiving tomorrow afternoon? Don’t want it to get too watery or something….
Since I don’t use a cool whip, it can tend to get a bit watery siting over night. I think it is best served the same day! I also crave this when I am pregnant! hehe
Not to be ignorant but is this a salad or a dip?
Wonder if could fold in Cool Whip in place of heavy cream?
Do you serve this on a bed of lettuce or do you put this in small bowls?
HELP! This sounds tasty….except… I am allergic to pineapple! Any recommendations for a substitute?
You can add mandarin oranges for sure. This is a great recipe!
Hi, I live in Australia and can’t get fresh cranberries. Can I use frozen?
do you think it would be possible to use dried cranberries?
The real cranberries are what gives this salad great flavor.
Can this be done with dried cranberries? We have a bunch, and raw cranberries aren’t the tastiest
Do not use dried cranberries. There is just a perfect amount of sugar in the recipe to sweeten fresh/frozen berries. Also…do NOT use whole berry canned sauce. It will curdle the cream. Trust me. Do not use Cool Whip … that ruins the texture.
Alyssa, I wonder, am I supposed to cook or blanch the fresh cranberries at all? Hanks so much for your time.
Nope. You don’t have to cook at all. This is so yummy!
Usually make some type of cranberry thing, couldn’t decide this year. This is It!!! YEA! My family is so lame trying new things, but I know they will try and love this one! The cream cheese makes it different. Will give it that tang and help it set. So easy also! Thanks so much. The hubby HATES mini marshmallows in fluff salads so I omit them anyway. ?.
This salad is AMAZING!! I promise you will love it. I am also not a marshmallow lover in salads like this BUT I made it the night before and the marshmallows were really soft the next day and I didnt mind them at all! Let me know how you like this!
Hi Alyssa, this does look good, want to try this for my brother for Thanksgiving, he loves cranberry. But do have a question, When do you add the marshmallows? Thanks so much. 🙂
You are going to love it! And thanks for catching that! You fold the marshmallows into the salad with the cranberry mixture.
Forgot to add into directions… 2 cups mini-marshmallows
Need to CORRECT recipe 🙂
When are they added?
This sounds good, but what do we do with the marshmallows?
I have updated that. You fold them in with the cranberries.
You could put them one by one deep in the hole where the sun doesn’t shine !!!
The ingredients list has 1 1/2 cups sugar. The instructions tell us when to use the 1 cup but no mention of when to add the 1/2 cup. Then the ingredient list has marshmallows but no mention of when to add them. Can you clarify it for us please?
You will add the 1/2 cup in with the cream cheese and beat until smooth.
Hi, this looks great. I don’t see the mini marshmallows anywhere in the directions, though, just on the ingredient list. Are they just folded in, or do they get beaten in with the cream cheese and cream?
Thanks!
Yes you fold them in with the cranberries at the end. Thanks for noticing that!
what about the marshmallows
You fold them in with the cranberries at the end. Thanks for catching that!