This Cherry Fruit Marshmallow Salad combines canned fruit with cream cheese, whipped topping and marshmallows for a sweet and delicious fluff salad the whole family loves.
I know a lot of people have a hard time calling something that is so sweet and delicious a “salad” but if you grew up with potluck dinners and meals at Grandma’s house like I did, then you probably call these delicious marshmallow and canned fruit creations a salad too!
This particular cherry salad recipe is a favorite because it adds cream cheese to the whipped cream to give it an extra rich and creamy texture.
Marshmallow fruit salads are great for summer BBQs, to bring to a potluck dinner, as part of a weekend brunch – pretty much any time. And even though it’s called a salad, I think they make a great dessert.
One of the key tips to making a fruity marshmallow salad is to make sure that you drain your fruit well before adding it to the mixture. Too much liquid can make the whole thing end up thin and even runny, rather than thick and fluffy.
The best way to drain is to dump the contents of your cans into a colander or sieve and let it sit for at least 10-20 minutes. It’s even better if you can stir it once or twice while it is draining.
The one exception to this is the cherries. You’ll need to drain those separately since you’ll be saving ¼ cup of the liquid to add to the salad.
Let’s get on to the recipe!
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🧾 Ingredients Needed
- cream cheese – softened at room temperature
- whipped topping – thaw before starting
- can of fruit cocktail – drained of liquid
- can of crushed pineapple – drained of liquid
- maraschino cherries – drained with ¼ cup juice saved and set aside
- mini marshmallows – the fresher the better
🔁 Variations
This recipe is also very open to swaps and variations. You can swap out other types of canned fruit in basically any combination. You can also opt for a flavored cream cheese like strawberry or honey. A similarly yummy recipe is a lime jello salad.
For the marshmallows, you can opt for fruit marshmallows in pastel colors that can add even more colorful shades to your salad.
Add if you want to add in more texture (I personally like it AS IS) you can add in ¾ cup chopped walnuts or pecans and/or ¾ cup shredded coconut.
📌 Be sure to see the recipe card below for the full ingredients list with quantities and step-by-step instructions!
🥣 How to Make
STEP 1: In a large bowl or stand mixer, beat cream cheese and whipped topping until well blended. Add cherry juice, mix well.
STEP 2: Add fruit cocktail, crushed pineapple, maraschino cherries, and mix with a spoon.
STEP 3: After also adding marshmallows, give it a good stir.
STEP 4: Refrigerate for at least an hour before serving. (2 hours is better!)
⭐ Pro Tips ⭐
- Drain your fruit well (15-20 minutes) before adding it to the mixture to avoid it being thin or runny.
- Refrigerate the salad for at least two hours before serving so it has time to chill and firm up.
- If you want to lighten up the salad a bit, you can use neufchâtel cheese (low fat cream cheese) instead.
More Marshmallow Recipes to Try
If you tried this Cherry Marshmallow Salad Recipe or any other recipe on my site, please please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it turned out in the 📝 comments below. I love hearing your about your results and thoughts!
📖 Recipe
Cherry Fruit Marshmallow Salad
Ingredients
- 8 oz package cream cheese softened
- 8 oz container whipped topping thawed
- 1 can fruit cocktail drained
- 1 can crushed pineapple drained
- 1 can maraschino cherries drained with ¼ cup juice saved and set aside
- 3 cups mini marshmallows
Instructions
- In a large bowl or stand mixer, beat cream cheese and whipped topping until well blended.
- Add cherry juice, mix well.
- Add fruit cocktail, crushed pineapple, maraschino cherries, and mix with a spoon.
- Add marshmallows, and give it a quick stir.
- Refrigerate for at least an hour before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
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