Growing up in the '70s and '80s in northwestern Pennsylvania, "salad" at a church potluck was a beautiful lie. You'd walk down that folding table lined with casserole dishes and Tupperware, and nestled right between the deviled eggs and somebody's green bean casserole would be a bowl of something sweet, pink-ish, and fluffy - and somebody would call it "salad" with a completely straight face. Not one leaf of lettuce in sight. Just mandarin oranges, marshmallows, and whipped topping doing their thing, and nobody questioning it because that's just how it was!

This Old Fashioned Millionaire Cranberry Salad is that same shameless energy, cranberry edition. It's tart, it's sweet, it's creamy, and it has absolutely no business being called a salad - but here we are, decades later, still making it, still loving it, and still not mad about it one bit.

Why You'll Love This Recipe

• It's ridiculously easy. Six ingredients, no oven, no fuss.
• Make-ahead friendly. The overnight chill does the heavy lifting for you.
• It feeds a crowd. Perfect for holiday tables, potlucks, or anywhere you need to show up with something and not stress about it.
• That nostalgic flavor. Sweet-tart cranberries, juicy pineapple and mandarin, and a cloud of whipped topping - it tastes like every good holiday you can remember.

Ingredients

• 12 ounces fresh cranberries
• ¾ cup sugar
• 10 ounces pineapple tidbits, drained
• 11 ounces mandarin oranges, drained
• 2 cups mini marshmallows
• 8 ounces whipped topping, thawed

Servings: 6-10
Prep time: 10 minutes
Down time: 8-24 hours
Storage: Refrigerate

Tools You'll Need

• Measuring cups
• Food processor
• Large bowl
• Silicone spoon

Directions

Chop the cranberries in the bowl of a food processor until finely chopped.

Dump them into a large bowl and stir in the sugar.

Cover and refrigerate for 8-24 hours, letting the sugar work its magic and mellow out that cranberry tartness.

Stir in the pineapple, mandarin oranges, and marshmallows. Then fold in the whipped topping gently, until everything is coated and fluffy.

Cover and chill for at least 1 hour, or until you're ready to serve.

Tara's Tips

• Don't skip the overnight sugar-and-cranberry step - it takes the sharp edge off the tartness and turns this from "pucker up" into "pass the bowl again."
• Use a food processor to chop the cranberries fast and evenly - no one wants to be mincing cranberries by hand for a potluck dish.
• If you're making this ahead for a big holiday, fold in the whipped topping the day of serving for the fluffiest texture.
• A silicone spatula makes folding in that whipped topping so much easier without deflating it.

Serving Suggestions

This is the perfect companion to your holiday spread - serve it alongside my Apple Cranberry Coleslaw or bring both to your next potluck for a one-two cranberry punch. It also pairs beautifully with other fluff salads on the table, like my Pineapple Fluff or Banana Split Fluff, if you want to build out a full retro dessert-salad spread (no judgment here, we're all in this together!)

Yield: 8

Old Fashioned Millionaire Cranberry Salad

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This sweet-tart cranberry fluff is a church potluck classic that's easy to make ahead and always disappears first at the holidays. 

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 8 hours

Additional Time 8 hours

Total Time 16 hours 10 minutes

Ingredients

• 12 ounces of fresh cranberries
• ¾ cup sugar
• 10 ounces of pineapple tidbits, drained
• 11 oz can mandarin oranges, drained
• 2 cups mini marshmallows
• 8 oz whipped topping, thawed

Instructions

1. Chop the cranberries in the bowl of a food processor. Dump them into a large bowl and stir in the sugar. Cover and refrigerate for 8-24 hours.
2. Stir in the pineapple, mandarin oranges and marshmallows. Then fold in the whipped topping.
3. Cover and chill for 1 hour, or until ready to serve.

Notes

Storage: refrigerate

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

8

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 434Total Fat: 7gSaturated Fat: 6gUnsaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 60mgCarbohydrates: 93gFiber: 3gSugar: 75gProtein: 2g

Storage Notes

Store covered in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. This one doesn't freeze well due to the whipped topping and marshmallows, so plan to make it within a few days of serving.

Sparkle Without the Splurge, friends - some of the best holiday dishes are the ones that cost next to nothing and disappear first!