This easy Cherry Salad with cherry pie filling and whipped topping is a sweet addition to your table. It has only six ingredients!
“This recipe is truly easy and delicious.” -Becky
I LOVE a sweet and creamy “salad”. And this classic Cherry Salad is one of the best! It has just six ingredients: cherry pie filling, crushed pineapple, whipped topping, and sweetened condensed milk, plus sour cream to balance the sweetness and pecans for crunch.
Similar to Old Fashioned Pistachio Salad and 5 Cup Salad, it’s fluffy and sweet, and all of the mix-ins keep it interesting.
I love serving it for a holiday dinner, whether it’s for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or Easter. It’s also a refreshing side dish for a cookout in the summer.
Here are a few of my top tips for making it:
- This is a great make-ahead recipe. Stir it together the night before, then let it sit in the refrigerator (covered) until you’re ready to serve it.
- Make sure to drain the pineapple well, otherwise you’ll have a watery salad.
- Reserve a few cherries from the pie filling, plus some chopped pecans for garnishing the top.
Jump to:
What You’ll Need
- You can use either full-fat or reduced fat (“lite”) versions of both the whipped topping and sour cream.
- Don’t like pecans? Swap in chopped walnuts or almonds. (Cherry and almond is a classic combo!)
How to Make Cherry Salad with Cherry Pie Filling
- Start by draining the crushed pineapple in a colander. Press on it with a spatula to get all of the juice out.
- Place the drained pineapple in a large bowl, and stir in the cherry pie filling.
- Add the sweetened condensed milk, pecans, sour cream, and Cool Whip. Stir everything until combined.
- You can serve the cherry salad right away, or refrigerate it until you’re ready to serve it (up to 24 hours). I think it tastes best after a little time in the fridge! You can serve it straight from the serving bowl, or spoon it into mini glass parfait dishes.
Variations
There are a number of recipes for cherry salad, cherry fluff salad, and cherry pie filling salad out there! Here are a few of the most common variations that I’ve seen in recipe books:
- Add 2 cups of mini marshmallows along with the whipped topping.
- Add 1 cup of fresh blueberries.
- Omit the nuts or add chopped walnuts instead.
- Use pineapple chunks instead of crushed pineapple.
- Leave out the sour cream entirely for an even sweeter salad.
- Substitute fresh whipped cream (from 2 cups of heavy cream) in place of the Cool Whip.
- Add a can of (drained) mandarin oranges.
- Add 1 cup of shredded coconut (either sweetened or unsweetened).
📖 Recipe
Easy Cherry Salad (With Cherry Pie Filling)
Ingredients
- 1 (20 oz) can crushed pineapple
- 1 (20 oz) can cherry pie filling
- 1 cup sweetened condensed milk
- 1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
- 16 oz sour cream
- 1 (12 oz) container Cool Whip, defrosted
Instructions
- Drain pineapple well. Mix pineapple with cherry pie filling and sweetened condensed milk. Fold in the nuts, sour cream, and Cool Whip.
- Transfer to a serving dish, cover, and refrigerate until ready to serve.
This recipe is truly easy and delicious. Making it for my Easter dinner this year. I know my family will love this!
Thanks, Becky! Happy Easter!
Delicious! I always make this without the sour cream, and I use chopped walnuts. I had this first as a frozen dessert at a baby shower. It was so good I have made this for all special occasions for years.
Love that. Thanks for sharing your take on the recipe!