Pina Colada Fluff

Whether you need an easy side dish or a simple dessert, this pineapple and coconut-infused pina colada fluff is a great choice that only takes 5 minutes to whip up.

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About Pina Colada Fluff

I love it when classic flavors can transcend into other dishes, and pina colada is certainly one of them.

Whether you’re mixing a drink or whipping up a cake, the combination of pineapple, coconut, and rum are bound to make something delicious.

Which, of course, is exactly the case with this pina colada fluff.

And not only is this dessert salad delicious, but you’ve got options with it, too. It can be served as a side dish with dinner or a no-hassle dessert. You could even have a little bit of it for breakfast if you wanted to.

Can you make fluff salad in advance?

Yes, you totally can!

In fact, this recipe is designed to be chilled for at least one hour before serving (so the pudding mix can set), so if you need to make it in advance, just store it in the refrigerator until you’re ready. The extra chilling time will help make the salad all the more creamy and fluffy.

Can you freeze fluff salad?

I haven’t tried this myself, but given the ingredients, it “should” freeze well.

Cool whip is sold frozen, so returning it to a frozen state would be fine. Pudding, marshmallows, pineapple, and shredded coconut can all be frozen individually with little to no issues. The only thing I’m not sure about is how all of these ingredients work together once frozen. As I said, they “should” be okay, but I haven’t tried it myself to know for certain.

If you have experience freezing fluff salad, I’d love to hear about it in the comments!

How long can you leave out a fluff salad?

If you’re serving fluff salad at a potluck or buffet-style, you should keep track of how long it sits out at room temperature.

For most foods, the general rule of thumb is that a perishable item should not be in the “danger zone” for more than two hours. And by “danger zone”, this is usually at or just above room temperature. I recommend serving this salad chilled, so this should give you more time (about one hour) before it reaches room temperature.

As your event carries on, you can move the fluff salad back to the refrigerator once it gets past the two-hour mark. If your guests still want more salad, let it chill for at least 30 minutes before bringing it back out again.

Notes & tips for fluff salad

• Don’t have a rum extract? That’s okay! You can easily substitute it for vanilla extract. I know this means that the salad will no longer have a “true” pina colada flavor, but vanilla will round out the flavors in a pinch. You can also try adding a dah or two of actual rum, but be careful – the flavor might be a little sharp and you’ll need to add more of it in order to get the rum taste you’re looking for (because rum extract is concentrated and actual rum is, well, not). Adding too much liquid will change the consistency of your salad, so be careful!

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How to make pina colada fluff

This next part is only a photo tutorial of the recipe steps. If you’re looking for the full recipe measurements and instructions, scroll down to Recipe Details.

Step 1 – In a large bowl, add the can of pineapple (fruit and the juice) and the vanilla pudding mix. Use a spatula to mix them together until the pudding mix is dissolved.

Step 2 – Add the cool whip, marshmallows, shaved coconut, pecans, and rum extract to bowl, then gently fold all of the ingredients together.

Step 3 – Cover the bowl and chill for at least one hour (so that the pudding can get).

Step 4 – Serve and enjoy!