Get a head start on your holiday cooking with this Frozen Cranberry Orange Salad! This recipe can be made days in advance for a cold, sweet side dish full of festive flavor.
We love sweet salad recipes and so do our readers! This Cherry Dump Salad is another must-have for my family’s holiday table. Or mix it up with Pistachio Fluff Salad!
Table of Contents
Why this Recipe Works
Today’s frozen salad is like the Frozen Cranberry Salad we’ve been making for years–with a citrus twist!
Christmas dinner isn’t complete in our house without a cold sweet salad on the side. This variation with cranberry AND orange turned out even better than I could have hoped.
- Zesty orange and tart cranberry is a classic winter pairing.
- Make it in advance to save time and energy on the big holiday!
- Stored in the freezer, this salad won’t take up fridge space.
Frozen salads are the perfect make ahead side dish for any event. You can toss it together days ahead of time, then stick it in the freezer.
That’s especially convenient when the refrigerator shelves are in high demand leading up to a big holiday meal. You’ve got your leftover turkey and mashed potatoes.
Plus, any leftovers can just go right back into the freezer. Convenient and delicious!
Ingredient Notes
- Crushed pineapple – These provide sweetness that balances the tartness of the cranberries.
- Mandarin oranges – Canned oranges bring the zip of citrus to this frozen salad.
- Cranberry sauce – We use the canned kind with whole berries. Any brand your family likes is perfect. Or use our homemade cranberry sauce for today’s recipe.
- Cool whip – Thawed whipped topping wraps the fruit in a layer of creamy fluffy goodness. Try our homemade cool whip instead of the store bought version.
- Mini marshmallows – No sweet frozen salad is complete without them!
Tips and Tricks
- Drain the canned fruit first. If you forget to remove the extra liquid, your frozen salad is likely to come out runny.
- Freezing options: Freeze in a 13 x 9 inch baking dish for family style serving. For individual servings, freeze portions of salad in ramekins.
- Plan ahead: Allow at least 6 to 8 hours for your salad to set and freeze. You can make this as far as several weeks in advance and keep it frozen until ready to serve.
- Cover: Make sure to cover the salad with plastic wrap or foil before freezing to preserve freshness.
Recipe FAQs
I haven’t tested this recipe with jellied cranberry sauce. The whole berry sauce is perfect because it gives the salad some texture!
No need to let this thaw before serving. If it’s too difficult to cut right away, just let it soften for a couple of minutes on the countertop.
Regular size marshmallows can be used. You’ll need to cut them up in to quarters before adding them to the salad.
Frozen Cranberry Orange Salad can be stored in the freezer for 3 – 4 weeks!
More Holiday Side Dishes
- Sweet Potato Casserole
- Hashbrown Casserole
- Sweet Potato Casserole with Marshmallows
- Green Bean Casserole
- Lemon Jello Salad
- Dinner Rolls
Frozen Cranberry Orange Salad
Ingredients
- 1 can crushed pineapple, drained 20 ounce
- 1 can mandarin oranges, drained 14 ounce
- 1 can whole-berry cranberry sauce 16 ounce
- 2 cups mini marshmallows
- 12 ounce Cool Whip thawed
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine crushed pineapple with cranberry sauce and oranges. Fold in marshmallows and Cool Whip.
- Spread in freezer safe 13×9 baking dish. Cover and freeze for 6 hours, or overnight. Store in freezer until ready to serve. Slice and enjoy. Return leftovers to freezer. Can be made in advance.
Notes
- Drain the canned fruit first. If you forget to remove the extra liquid, your frozen salad is likely to come out runny.
- Freezing options: Freeze in a 13 x 9 inch baking dish for family style serving. For individual servings, freeze portions of salad in ramekins.
- Plan ahead: Allow at least 6 to 8 hours for your salad to set and freeze. You can make this as far as several weeks in advance and keep it frozen until ready to serve.
- Cover: Make sure to cover the salad with plastic wrap or foil before freezing to preserve freshness.
Nutrition
Frozen Cranberry Orange Salad is so easy to make and bursting with zesty flavor. Complete your Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner with this deliciously sweet side dish.
My family has always used sour cream instead of whipped cream so it’s a bit more tart and what we love! The marshmallows and fruit make it lovely and sweet!
My family has always used sour cream instead of whipped cream so it’s a bit more tart and what we love! The marshmallows and fruit make it lovely and sweet!
Thank you so much for sharing this amazing recipe! Will surely have this again! It’s really easy to make and it tasted so delicious! Highly recommended!
Such an amazing salad! The combination of flavors is superb!
Such an amazing salad! The combination of flavors is superb!
Sooo delicious & absolutely addicting!
I could eat this whole dish! 😋
Can nuts be added and how much
Love Jell-O recipes thanks
This can also be made in silpat muffin cups. Stores compactly in the freezer until needed. Looks nice when served.
What a fun idea!
Made this for Thanksgiving. Everyone thought it was amazing! Thank you!
Please can I get the Frozen cranberry orange Salad.
Looks delicious! I love frozen desserts. I think this would be my favourite summer recipe!
Hello, 1950! My grandmother made desserts like this and they are DELICIOUS. So I’m pretty excited about this. And it’s frozen, which makes me love it even more!
This dessert looks wonderful! I am going to try it with vegan cool whip. It will make a great addition to our Christmas dinner. Thank you for the recipe : )