Orange Fluff Salad

Sweet, creamy, citrusy, and fluffy as can be! This classic Orange Fluff Salad is cool, dreamy, and always a hit at the potluck table.

Course Dessert, Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine American, Southern

Keyword orange-fluff-recipe, orange-fluff-salad

Prep Time 10

Chill Time 2

Total Time 2 10

Servings servings

Calories 234kcal

Ingredients

2 14 oz cans mandarin oranges drained well, reserve 1/2 cup juice
1 3.0 oz box instant orange jello powder mix
1 cup boiling water
1/2 cup reserved mandarin orange juice
1 3.4 oz instant vanilla pudding mix
1 8 oz container whipped topping i.e. Cool Whip
1 20 oz crushed pineapple drained well
2 cups mini marshmallows

Instructions

Drain mandarin oranges and reserve 1/2 cup of the juice. Set aside.
Whisk together boiling water and orange-flavored gelatin in a heatproof large mixing bowl until fully dissolved. Once dissolved, whisk in reserved mandarin orange juice. Let cool in the fridge for 5 minutes.
Next, whisk instant pudding into the cooled gelatin mixture until fully combined. Return the bowl to refrigerator and chill, until slightly thickened, about 5-10 minutes.
Next, remove the bowl from the fridge and stir the gelatin mixture. Gently fold in the whipped topping until just combined. (Pro Tip: Avoid stirring too vigorously or the whipped topping will deflate.)
Add reserved mandarin oranges, crushed pineapple and miniature marshmallows, and fold until evenly distributed.
Cover with plastic wrap or transfer to an airtight container and chill the orange fluff mixture for 4 hours until serving.

Notes

Nuts - You can add 1/2 cup of pecans, walnuts or pistachios for a bit of crunch.
Coconut - You could add shredded flaked coconut for a tropical twist.
Whipped Cream - You can use fresh whipped cream in place of cool whip. You'll need around 2 cups, a little more than 2 cups will work in this instance, as it may deflate more than cool whip.
Juice - If you forget to reserve the juice from the mandarin oranges, don't sweat it. You can use 1/2 cup cold water instead.
Drain the Fruit Well - It's important to drain the mandarin oranges and crushed pineapple very well so the fluff doesn't break down in the fridge. If it separates at all, just give it a gentle stir prior to serving to incorporate any little extra moisture released while chilling.
Cottage Cheese - Even though this salad is super simple, there are several variations. For example, some recipes call for cottage cheese as a surprise ingredient. You can add one 8 ounce container of small curd cottage cheese for extra texture. (I don't recommend using large curd.)
Pineapple - You can omit the pineapple for an even stronger citrus flavor, similar to an orange creamsicle fluff.
Peaches - You could use peaches in place of mandarin orange segments.
Lower Sugar - You can adapt this recipe using sugar free jello, sugar free pudding mix and zero sugar whipped topping. You will want to omit the marshmallows and choose fruit packed in juice instead of syrup. It won't be completely sugar free, but it's still a nice treat for someone watching their sugar intake.
Optional Garnishes - You might like to garnish the top with maraschino cherries, whipped cream, additional miniature marshmallows or a sprinkle of nuts.

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