Christmas Cherry Pineapple Salad (Pink Holiday Fluff)

This cherry pineapple salad is the regular holiday fluff, full sugar and all. It’s built on cherry pie filling, sweetened condensed milk and mini marshmallows, and it belongs on the Christmas table next to the ham. It takes about 10 minutes to stir together, then the fridge does the rest.

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A fluff salad lives or dies by how much liquid gets in. Drain the pineapple hard and give the bowl a real chill, and it scoops like a soft mousse. Skip either step and you get runny pink soup sliding across the plate.

You need one big mixing bowl, a spatula and a serving bowl. Nothing gets cooked, so the oven stays free for everything else on the holiday menu.

What goes into cherry pineapple salad

• 1 can (21 oz) cherry pie filling
• 1 can (20 oz) crushed pineapple, well drained
• 1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
• 1 tub (8 oz) whipped topping, thawed
• 2 cups mini marshmallows
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• 8 green maraschino cherries, for topping

The cherry pie filling gives the pink color and the cherry pieces. Condensed milk sweetens and binds, and the marshmallows soak up a little moisture as the salad chills, which helps it firm up. The pecans are the only crunch in the bowl.

Keeping it thick and scoopable

Drain the crushed pineapple until it stops dripping. Pressing it in a fine sieve with the back of a spoon gets out more juice than tipping the can. Crushed pineapple holds a surprising amount (the same reason our pineapple cheesecake fluff salad starts with a good drain), and every bit of it thins the condensed milk.

Once the whipped topping goes in, fold. Stirring hard knocks the air out and the salad turns dense and wet. Use a wide spatula, make a few slow turns from the bottom up, and stop as soon as the color is an even pink.

How to make it

• Mix the base. Stir the cherry pie filling, well-drained crushed pineapple and sweetened condensed milk together in a large bowl.
• Fold in the topping. Add the thawed whipped topping and fold it in gently until the whole bowl is evenly pink.
• Add the mix-ins. Fold in the mini marshmallows and chopped pecans with the same light hand.
• Dress it up. Spoon the salad into your serving bowl and top with the 8 green maraschino cherries. Space them evenly so each serving gets one.
• Chill. Refrigerate at least 2 hours so it firms up. A longer chill makes it thicker and easier to scoop, so making it earlier in the day works in your favor.

The red from the pie filling and the green cherries on top are what make it read as Christmas on a buffet.

If you want a chocolate bowl to set next to this one, our Black Forest cherry fluff salad swirls cherry pie filling through chocolate pudding and brownie cubes.

For something savory to set beside this pink salad, our holiday cranberry cream cheese dip comes together in 10 minutes and chills while you finish the rest of the table.

If you want a crisp green side next to this sweet fluff, our Christmas salad with clementines, pomegranate and blue cheese comes together in ten minutes.

For another fluffy holiday treat, try this Christmas tree cake dip loaded with mini chocolate chips and red and green sprinkles.

Small changes that still work

For a nut-free table, leave the pecans out. The salad sets the same way; you only lose the crunch. The green cherries are there for the holiday colors, so if you can’t find them, skip them and you still have a pink salad that tastes the same.

In the South this kind of fluff often goes on the table with the sides, next to sliced baked ham or roast turkey, green beans with butter and toasted almonds, or roasted Brussels sprouts. Plenty of families serve it as dessert instead. Put it wherever yours expects it. A crisp green salad with a vinegar dressing on the same plate cuts the sweetness nicely.

Making it ahead and keeping leftovers

This is a good make-ahead dish because it needs the fridge time anyway. Stir it together in the morning and it will be at its thickest by dinner.

Keep leftovers covered in the fridge. The salad holds for a day or two, though the marshmallows soften and the pineapple slowly gives up a little more juice the longer it sits. Serve it cold, straight from the fridge, and give it a gentle fold if some liquid has settled at the bottom. There is nothing to reheat here.

We don’t freeze it. Whipped topping salads with fruit tend to weep as they thaw, and the texture comes back grainy and wet.

If your family likes a few bowls of fluff on the holiday buffet, the cranberry orange gelatin salad is another pink one, the orange creamsicle salad uses the same whipped-topping base, and the banana split fluff brings the ice cream parlor flavors.

Cherry pineapple salad questions

Why is my cherry pineapple salad runny?

Almost always the pineapple. If it wasn’t drained well, the juice thins the condensed milk and the whole bowl loosens. The other cause is serving it before the full 2-hour chill.

When should the green cherries go on?

You can add them right away, but if the salad will sit overnight, adding them just before serving keeps them looking bright and stops any green color from bleeding into the pink.

Can I use pineapple chunks instead of crushed?

The recipe is written for a 20 oz can of crushed pineapple. Crushed spreads evenly through the fluff so every spoonful gets some, which is why we stick with it.

Is this a low-carb dessert?

No. Pie filling, sweetened condensed milk and marshmallows are all high in sugar. It’s the classic version many people grew up with at Christmas.

Another make-ahead fluff for the dessert table: the lemon blueberry fluff salad .

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Written and edited by The Foodie Yummy Kitchen Team

The Foodie Yummy Kitchen Team writes and edits the recipes on Foodie Yummy: classic American potluck salads, holiday sides and easy comfort food, with a few low-carb options. Every recipe lists exact quantities, numbered steps and a printable recipe card, plus notes on swaps, storage and make-ahead timing. Spot a problem with a recipe? Tell us through the contact page and we will correct it. About us