A dreamy, creamy cranberry salad recipe full of crunchy pecans, apples, sweet marshmallows and cranberries it's the perfect fluffy way to serve cranberries.

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What makes this recipe so yummy

• It's very easy cranberry salad, no fuss.
• Other than cooking the cranberries in sugar and water (10 minutes) there's no other cooking involved.
• You can have it ready in 15 minutes (not including the cooling time).
• Delicious combination of textures and flavors.
• This dish is perfect with your Thanksgiving dinner.

Groceries you'll need: Ingredients

• Cranberries
• Marshmallows
• Pecans
• Apple
• Water
• Salt
• Heavy Whipping Cream
• Sugar
• Unsweetened Crushed Pineapple

See recipe card at the bottom of this post for quantities.

Recipe walkthrough: Instructions

This is an overview of the recipe steps. For more detailed instructions visit the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

• Step 1: Add the cranberries, water and sugar to a pot and bring to a boil. Turn down to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes.
• Step 2: Take off the heat and allow to cool and thicken.
• Step 3: Add the whipping cream to the bowl of a stand mixer and beat until stiff peaks form.
• Step 4: Add the marshmallows, pecans, apples, drained pineapple to the cooled cranberries, along with the pinch of salt.
• Step 5: Fold the cranberry mixture into the whipped heavy cream, carefully.
• Step 6: Serve in a bowl with a little sprinkle of pecans and marshmallows on top.

Hint: Making this cranberry salad a few hours ahead of time will give the flavors a good time to come together.

Recipe variations and substitute ideas

• Cool Whip - whipped topping instead of the heavy cream.
• Fresh Pineapple - chop up some fresh pineapple instead of the canned version.
• Mandarin Oranges - slivers of mandarin oranges work well.
• Sour Cream - some people use sour cream in this recipe.
• Green Apple - I used a red apple but a green apple is fine too.
• Orange Juice - A touch of orange juice for tartness.
• Feta Cheese - for a texture and flavor change up.
• Walnut Salad - walnuts work well in place of the pecans.

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Necessary gear: Equipment

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I like to use my stand mixer to beat the cream, although it's not totally necessary. I just like to be able to let it do it's thing while I do other things.

If you need to, you could use your food processor for chopping the pecans.

I have a few affiliate links in the recipe card below.

Similar recipes I think you'll love

• Cranberry Pecan Chicken Salad
• Dried Cranberry Sauce Recipe
• Apple Cranberry Salad
• Cranberry Vinaigrette
• Cracker Barrel Kale Salad
• Cranberry Pecan Cheese Ball Bites

How to store leftovers

If you have some left you should store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Mel's kitchen notes

Make sure the cranberries have completely cooled before adding the other ingredients or they will melt.

Frequently asked questions: FAQs

If you’ve tried this Cranberry Salad Recipe or any other great recipe on my site, let me know in the comment section below, how it turned out, we love hearing from our readers!

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