Orange Fluff Salad
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Orange fluff is a classic midwestern cool whip salad made with mandarin oranges and jello, that goes great at any barbecue or potluck!
This orange fluff salad recipe comes together in just 5 minutes and will be the hit of your next party. Serve it alongside other favorites like strawberry pretzel salad and Amish macaroni salad!
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Orange Fluff
Orange Fluff Salad
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Why you’ll love this recipe
📌 Super quick to make – comes together in just 5 minutes.
📌 Delicious orange flavor, makes a great side dish or dessert.
📌 Classic dish reminiscent of childhood, parties, and potlucks!
Ingredients
- Whipped topping – Like cool whip. You can use homemade whipped cream if you like, but make sure it’s stabilized whipped cream.
- Jello – Orange jello (or whatever brand you prefer).
- Oranges – Canned mandarin oranges.
- Marshmallows – Mini marshmallows. I prefer regular flavor marshmallows, but tropical multicolored marshmallows are yummy too.
- Cottage cheese – You can substitute sour cream if you’re not a fan of the cottage cheese texture.
- Shredded coconut – Sweetened or unsweetened.
Step-by-step directions
⭐ First, in a large bowl whisk together the whipped topping and jello powder.
⭐ Next, stir in the cottage cheese and shredded coconut.
⭐ Then, fold in the marshmallows and mandarin oranges until just combined.
⭐ Finally, chill until ready to serve, then garnish with additional mandarin oranges and coconut flakes.
Scroll down to the printable recipe card toward the bottom of this article for ingredient measurements and detailed cooking instructions.
Preparation
Can you make orange fluff salad ahead of time?
This recipe is best when made at least a few hours ahead of time, and can be made as long as a full day in advance.
Any longer than that and you run the risk of it getting watery.
Do you have to use cool whip?
Homemade whipped cream can be used, but it works best with stabilized whipped cream/whipped topping.
If you use homemade whipped cream make sure it’s whipped to stiff peaks before stirring in and then serve immediately after preparing.
Can you use fresh fruit?
Yes, but if you do you’ll want to cut the orange bits very small and make sure to remove all seeds. I’m partial to using canned or jarred mandarin oranges as the texture and flavor is great and it’s just so easy.
Storage and leftovers
How long will orange fluff keep in the fridge?
Leftovers will last 3 – 4 days. After that you can still eat them (for up to a week) but they may become runny. Make sure to store covered in an air tight container.
Stir leftovers before serving, to reincorporate any separation.
Can you freeze the leftovers?
We do not recommend freezing fluff salad.
Tips, tricks, and frequently asked questions
Is it a side dish or a dessert?
In the south and midwest, this is typically served as a side dish (I guess that’s why it’s called a salad!), but I’ve found in the northeast and on the west coast it’s often served as a dessert.
Can I use sour cream instead of cottage cheese?
Yes, cottage cheese is delicious in this but it can be swapped for sour cream if you prefer. You can also substitute for plain or vanilla Greek yogurt.
Nuts or no nuts?
Chopped nuts are a great addition to fluff salads. They add a great variety of texture. Make sure to sprinkle some on top as garnish so folks know there’s nuts in it!
Serving suggestions
Put this out at your next party or potluck alongside other favorites like grape salad, cowboy caviar, and 7 layer salad.
If you’re serving it as a dinner side, try it after a yummy meal of smoked pork tenderloin and air fryer potatoes.
More delicious fluff recipes
- Pineapple fluff
- Strawberry fluff
- Oreo fluff
- Cookie salad
- Fruit salad with cool whip
- Snickers salad with apples and caramel
- Ambrosia salad
Other awesome recipes with orange
Other yummy recipes with cool whip
Tools we love
- Party bowl – This bowl is pretty, and doesn’t way a billion pounds and won’t shatter if dropped.
- Stainless and copper serving spoons – These are gorgeous!
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How to Make Orange Fluff
Orange Fluff Salad
Ingredients
- 8 ounces whipped topping thawed
- 1 box orange jello 3 ounce package
- 1 can mandarin oranges drained (14 ounces)
- 1 ½ cups mini marshmallows regular or fruit flavored
- 1 cup cottage cheese or sour cream, vanilla or plain Greek yogurt
- 1 cup shredded coconut sweetened or unsweetened
- optional ¼ cup chopped pecans or almonds
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together jello powder and whipped topping.
- Mix in cottage cheese and shredded coconut.
- Fold in marshmallows, mandarin oranges, and choped nuts (if using).
- Chill until ready to serve, then garnish with any leftover oranges, coconut, and nuts.
Notes
Nutrition
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Orange Fluff Salad
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This orange fluff salad was so good!! Easy to make and really flavorful. We all loved it so much and can’t wait to make it again!
One of my favorite dessert salads! The flavor is so good. It’s surprising how good cottage cheese tastes in this, but the salty sweet combination is so incredible! Perfect side dish for feast days! YUM!!
Wow! I made this for our girls’ night and it was the first one gone! Everyone loved it, thanks!
We love this! We prefer it with sour cream in place of cottage cheese. Also love your compound butter. I can buy french bread and slice it and spread with the butter, wrap it and place in the freezer for handy garlic bread. Thanks for all your recipes and great instructions.
I have always loved this salad! For a different twist on it, use pineapple Jello instead of orange. Sooo yummy!! 😋