Creamy, dreamy cranberry fluff salad made vegan with coconut whipped cream and vegan-friendly mini marshmallows. Is it a salad? Is it a dessert? Does it matter? :)
Ingredients
1 1/2cupsfresh cranberries
1/2cupgranulated sugar*
120-ounce can crushed pineapple in juice, drained well
2 1/2cupscoconut whipped creamfrom about 3 cans full-fat coconut milk**
1/2cup+ 2 tablespoons raw or toasted unsalted pecanschopped
Instructions
Place the cranberries and the sugar into a high-powered blender or food processor. Pulse until finely chopped but not pureed. Transfer mixture to an airtight container and refrigerate overnight. Add your cans of coconut milk to the refrigerator at the same time. The coconut cream needs to be chilled in order to make the coconut whipped cream.
The next day, add cranberries to a large bowl. Drain the pineapple by pouring into a fine-mesh strainer and press gently on the pineapple with the back of a wooden spoon to extract as much liquid as possible. Pour drained pineapple into bowl with cranberries. Add 1/2 cup pecans. Stir until combined.
To make the coconut whipped cream, scoop the coconut cream off of the top of the cans of coconut milk. Save the liquid for smoothies or discard. Add the coconut cream to a medium bowl. Using a hand mixer, whip the coconut cream until smooth and fluffy. Add 2 1/2 cups of the coconut whipped cream to the salad along with the marshmallows. Use a spatula to fold the whipped cream into the salad.
Serve topped with remaining pecans. You can serve this immediately or refrigerate in an airtight container for 3-4 days (stir again before serving). Can also be frozen but I recommend thawing and stirring before serving (some cranberry fluff can be served frozen but we didn't think the vegan version was great frozen).
Notes
* A tip for making sure your sugar is vegan-friendly: Opt for certified USDA organic.** I've also used So Delicious's cocowhip coconut whipped topping, which is a bit lighter but also works well.