Cranberry Salad

An easy, sweet side dish that you can throw together in 5 minutes, this Cranberry Salad is perfect for the Thanksgiving table. It’s sweet and tart and tastes like the holidays!

Looking for more sweet salads? Try this Snickers Salad, this Apple Pomegranate Salad, this Ambrosia Salad, or this Strawberry Pretzel Salad.

Also known as Cranberry Fluff, this cranberry salad has graced our Thanksgiving table for as long as I can remember. It’s one of those salads – like the Snicker’s Salad – that tastes more like dessert than an actual side dish. But hey – any excuse to have dessert on our plate next to the turkey is a good excuse, right?

Thanksgiving just isn’t Thanksgiving without this salad. The great thing about this salad is that it literally takes 5 minutes to stir together, and you can stick it in the freezer ahead of time.

It’s the easiest addition to your holiday table, and if your family is like mine, there won’t be any left when the meal is over!

Ingredients

All you need are 6 simple ingredients for this Cranberry Salad:

• Sweetened Condensed Milk: Make sure you are not using evaporated milk.
• Lemon Juice: You want to use freshly squeezed lemon juice. The bottled juice will not taste the same here.
• Whole Berry Cranberry Sauce: I have only ever used canned cranberry sauce for this recipe. Make sure you are using whole berry sauce, not jellied cranberry sauce.
• Crushed Pineapple: Make sure to drain this before adding, otherwise it is too wet. You won’t need the juice for this recipe, so I usually save it to add to smoothies.
• Chopped Nuts: These are optional, but I like the extra texture. I prefer pecans, but walnuts would work, as well.
• Frozen Whipped Topping: AKA Cool whip. There are a few other brands out there, but I have only tried cool whip. You could also use freshly whipped cream with a little bit of powdered sugar added. You’ll need about 1 1/2 cups of cream if you go this route.

How to Make Cranberry Salad

STEP 1: Add the sweetened condensed milk to a large bowl. Stir in the lemon juice.

STEP 2: Add the cranberry sauce, drained pineapple, and nuts.

STEP 3: Stir this all well to combine.

STEP 4: Add the whipped topping. Fold the whipped topping in, only mixing until it is fully combined. Freeze for 20 minutes before serving.

Tips and Tricks

• If you aren’t eating this right away, store it in the freezer. If you are serving it the same day, bring it out of the freezer 30-45 minutes beforehand to soften slightly. If you are making it the day before, you may want to give it a little extra time to thaw so that it is scoop able.
• For more sweetness, feel free to add in mini marshmallows.
• You can also store this in the refrigerator, but I prefer it a little frozen.

More Favorite Thanksgiving Recipes

The BEST Sweet Potato Casserole
Lion House Rolls Dinner Rolls
Apple Cranberry and Sausage Dressing
Sour Cream Apple Pie
Sparkling Cranberry Punch

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