This Strawberry Fluff Salad is a sweet, creamy, and fruity crowd-pleaser made with juicy pineapple, fluffy marshmallows, and a jello-cream cheese base. Perfect for potlucks, holiday tables, or summer BBQs, it’s a nostalgic dessert salad that’s as easy to make as it is to love.
What is Strawberry Fluff Salad?
Strawberry Fluff Salad is a retro dessert salad that’s been a staple at family gatherings for decades. It’s made with a creamy jello-cream cheese base, juicy crushed pineapple, fluffy marshmallows, and whipped cream for the ultimate light and sweet treat.
Why you’ll love it
This no bake dessert recipe is quick and easy—just mix, chill, and enjoy. It’s perfect for holidays, potlucks, a baby shower or warm-weather get-togethers when you want something refreshing and fuss-free. It’s a nostalgic one, so fair warning, after you make it once, it may be in the family forever as a crowd favorite.
This strawberry jello fluff salad also a great make-ahead dessert since it needs time in the fridge to set. Plus, it’s endlessly adaptable—swap in different jello flavors, mix in berries, or add chopped pecans for extra crunch. And if you love fluff recipes, also try my Oreo Fluff for a more decadent take on fluff salad recipes.
Recipe Ingredients
Just six simple ingredients are needed for this easy dessert salad:
- Strawberry (or Raspberry) Jello – We need one 3oz packet. NOT instant JellO.
- Water – Or pineapple juice from the crushed pineapple can, to melt the jello into.
- Cream Cheese – Ensure it is softened.
- Heavy Whipping Cream – Brings a creamy, rich texture to our jello salad.
- Canned Pineapple – Crushed pineapple is called for in the OG recipe, but I like using pineapple chunks too, for some extra texture.
- Mini Marshmallows – These are mixed in, but float to the top as the jello sets and become the salad topping. Add extra if you love marshmallows!
See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Substitutions and Variations
- If you like extra texture, also add chopped pecans. Nuts are added to the original recipe, but I prefer the Strawberry fluff salad without them.
- Coconut flakes are also a fun addition to bring a more tropical flavor to this easy recipe.
- Experiment with different jello mixes: Strawberry or raspberry are classic for this salad, but I think black cherry, berry blue or island pineapple would all be tasty, too. Maybe even orange jello for an orange fluff salad with mandarin oranges instead of pineapple could be good!
- To speed up the process, substitute the heavy whipping cream with cool whip. This gives a lighter, fluffy texture and saves you time from having to whip the creamy dessert salad for too long.
How to Make This Recipe
1. Drain the pineapple over a strainer, saving the juice (optional).
2. To a sauce pan add 1 cup of pineapple juice (or water) and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and whisk in the strawberry jello mix.
3. Dice the cream cheese into cubes and add to the warm jello liquid. Use an electric hand mixer to beat in the cream cheese until smooth.
4. Once all the cream cheese is incorporated, add remaining ingredients (heavy whipping cream, pineapple, and marshmallows.
4. Give it a stir and move to the refrigerator to allow the mixture to set (~4 hour). Scoop into serving bowls and enjoy!
PRO TIPS
- Use the pineapple juice instead of water to dissolve the JellO in. This gives the salad much stronger and better flavor.
Fun Idea
After mixing all of the ingredients for your strawberry jello salad recipe in your large bowl, use a ladle to put some of the jello mixture into individual cups. Let it set and you’ve got individual servings of this delicious dessert.
Recipe FAQs
Store your leftover salad in the fridge for 2 days covered with plastic wrap. Note: The longer the strawberry salad sits the more gooey the marshmallows get. I recommend adding fresh marshmallows on top if enjoying leftovers.
The reason an electric hand mixer is ideal is because we don’t want any cream cheese chunks in the mixture. It should be a super smooth and creamy strawberry mixture. You don’t HAVE to use electric, but if you choose to use a regular whisk make sure the cream cheese is room temperature before attempting to mix it in.
Yes—use dairy-free cream cheese and whipped topping instead of traditional cream cheese and heavy cream.
Serving suggestions
Put whipped cream on top! Or serve with fresh fruit like peach slices, fresh raspberries, or fresh strawberries. It’s a nostalgic recipe that also goes down way too easy with an old fashioned cream soda.
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Strawberry Fluff Salad
Equipment
- sauce pan
- Mixing Bowl
- Whisk
- Measuring Cups
- electric hand mixer
- Rubber Spatula
- strainer
Ingredients
- 3 oz Strawberry Jello packet
- 1 cup hot water, or pineapple juice from the crushed pineapple can
- 1 package cream cheese, 8 oz, softened
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 can crushed pineapple, 20 oz, drained
- 1 cup mini marshmallows
Instructions
- Drain the pineapple over a strainer, saving the juice (optional).
- To a sauce pan add 1 cup of pineapple juice (or water) and bring to a boil.
- Remove from heat and whisk in the strawberry jello mix.
- Dice the cream cheese into cubes and add to the warm jello liquid. Use an electric hand mixer to beat in the cream cheese until smooth.
- Once all the cream cheese is incorporated, add remaining ingredients (heavy whipping cream, pineapple, and marshmallows.
- Give it a stir and move to the refrigerator to allow the mixture to set (~4 hour). Scoop into serving bowls and enjoy!
Nutrition
Notes
Looking for this in MyFitnessPal?
If you’re using MyFitnessPal, search ‘A Paige Of Positivity’ and find Strawberry Fluff Salad calories and nutrition facts. Disclaimer: for most accurate macronutrients and caloric breakdown, it is recommended that you input each ingredient into your MyFitnessPal food diary.
I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below. It’s my passion to create dishes that can be shared with others. Tell me something you loved or just say hi!
Made this with my bestie hailey SO MUCH growing up. this is such a special recipe <3
the kiddos will love this!! A keeper