This easy Cherry Salad with cherry pie filling and Cool Whip 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, Cool Whip, and sweetened condensed milk, plus sour cream to balance the sweetness and pecans for crunch.
Similar to Pistachio Salad and Ambrosia 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!)
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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
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!