Cherry Fluff
Updated
Updated
In this Cherry Fluff recipe, I’ve combined maraschino cherries, crushed pineapple, and mini marshmallows, all folded together in a sweet, cream cheese mixture. It’s an easy and irresistible side or light dessert and perfect for Easter brunch, springtime, and summer potlucks. I can barely stop myself from sneaking a few spoonfuls before serving it!
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Easy Cherry Fluff Salad
This cherry fluff (aka cherry fluff salad or cherry cheesecake fluff) is a fun spin-off of my popular cranberry fluff recipe and is very similar to Watergate salad as well.
There are many variations on this dessert salad, but I love mine best! The base is made up of a sweetened cream cheese mixture with maraschino cherries, crushed pineapple, marshmallows, and pecans all folded in, adding flavor and texture to each and every bite.
Cherry fluff can be served as a quick and easy cherry dessert recipe or as a side dish. It’s a lovely treat at any Sunday brunch, holiday get together, and summer potluck.
For more ways to enjoy cherries, don’t miss our popular Cherry Dump Cake and Cherry Limeade.
Cherry Fluff
Ingredients
- 8 oz. brick cream cheese, (room temperature)
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream*
- ¾ cup powdered sugar
- 16 oz. jar maraschino cherries, (drained with 1 tbsp juice reserved, stems removed, roughly chopped)
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 20 oz. can crushed pineapple, (completely pressed and drained)
- 2 cups mini marshmallows
- ½ cup chopped pecans
Instructions
- In a large bowl with a handheld electric mixer, beat the cream cheese until smooth and creamy. Add in the heavy cream, powdered sugar, maraschino cherry juice, and vanilla; whip until stiff peaks form.
- With a spatula or wooden spoon, fold in the chopped maraschino cherries, crushed pineapple, marshmallows, and pecans; mix well until combined.
- Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours (or overnight).
- Give it a gentle stir, then transfer to a serving bowl and top with some whole Maraschino cherries (or serve portions in dessert cups and top with piped whipped cream, chopped pecans, and a couple of Maraschino cherries.)
- Serve and enjoy!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information given is an automatic calculation and can vary based on the exact products you use and any changes you make to the recipe. If these numbers are very important to you, I would recommend calculating them yourself.
Did you make this? Leave a rating below!How to Make Cherry Fluff Step by Step
Gather your ingredients.
Make the whipped cream mixture: Beat 8 oz. cream cheese until smooth and creamy, then add 2 cups heavy cream, ¾ cup powdered sugar, 1 tbsp cherry juice, and 1 tsp vanilla. Beat until stiff peaks form.
Fold in the remaining ingredients: Fold in a 16 oz. jar maraschino cherries, 20 oz. can crushed pineapple, 2 cups mini marshmallows, and ½ cup pecans until combined.
Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. As tempting as it may be to dive right in, you’ll get the best flavor and texture from your cherry fluff if you allow it to chill first, which also allows time for the marshmallows to soften—2 hours is the minimum, but 6 hours (or overnight) is ideal.
Serve: Gently stir the cherry fluff, then transfer to a serving bowl and top with maraschino cherries.
How to Store
You can make this up to 2 days ahead of time. Store in an airtight container in the fridge. Make sure to stir it again before serving.
This particular recipe does not freeze well due to the real whipped cream. Once thawed, it deflates and becomes watery.
Serving Suggestions
There are two ways I like to serve this cherry fluff salad—the first is just to transfer all of it to a serving bowl and top it with whole maraschino cherries.
The second is to make little cherry cheesecake fluff parfaits by spooning individual portions into dessert cups and then topping them with piped whipped cream, chopped pecans, and maraschino cherries. Both are lovely! It’s also nice to have a batch of butter cookies close by for dipping and scooping.
Your cherry fluff recipe looks fantastic! BUT, I am allergic to pineapple! What else do you suggest using, or, can I just leave it out?
Just leave it out. Note that the overall mixture might have a thinner consistency.
Could I use cool whip instead of heavy cream?
Yes, as mentioned under Tips & Variations in the article.
This seem to be the easiest and very tasty recipe