Piña Colada Fluff is a delicious fluff dessert salad made with whipped topping plus instant pudding and loaded with pineapple and coconut.
This easy six-ingredient dish will likely become your favorite goto recipe for potlucks, holiday celebrations, and casual get-togethers.
If you love Watergate Salad you are bound to love this fruity fluff that is made similarly and comes together quickly. If you are looking for a little something sweet for the table, Piña Colada Fluff ticks all the boxes.
It's also a great alternative to an ambrosia fruit salad when you also want a creamier dish.
Made with creamy whipped topping, coconut cream pudding mix, sweet pineapple, sweetened shredded coconut, and mini marshmallows, this great recipe goes great with salty dishes like brown sugar and bourbon glazed ham and spicy dishes like ground beef enchiladas.
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About This Recipe
All fluff recipes are sweet and fluffy and primarily contain whipped topping or whipped cream. They are sweet enough to be a dessert but also are a great side dish for buffets and the holidays.
All fluff recipes have 2 ingredients in common: whipped topping plus a pudding or gelatin mix, which creates the basic flavor of the fluff.
Then additional ingredients are stirred in to build and enhance the main flavor of the fluff. These can be creamy like cottage cheese, cream cheese, or yogurt. Or they can be sweet and refreshing like fresh or canned fruit.
Additional flavor enhancements can be mini marshmallows, chopped nuts, shredded coconut, crushed or broken cookies, bits of candies or chocolate, and even pieces of broken pretzels. There are many combinations and choices.
For this Piña Colada Fluff, the main players are coconut and pineapple, just like the famous cocktail. I don't include nuts in this fluff, but I do add just a little extra sweetness with mini marshmallows.
With just a handful of simple ingredients, this super easy-to-make and delicious dessert salad is a real winner.
So... let's make some!
Ingredient Notes
To make this Piña Colada Fluff you will need these simple ingredients:
- Whipped Topping - Thawed frozen whipped topping (Cool Whip) is the traditional ingredient for this fluff dessert salad.
- Crushed Pineapple - Any brand of crushed pineapple is delicious. I prefer pineapple canned "in its own juice" but you can use "light syrup" too.
- Coconut Cream Pudding Mix - This is the 3.4-ounce package of "instant pudding" mix from Jell-O. Although store-branded pudding mixes are available I have not tried any other brand.
- Mini Marshmallows - Just plain vanilla mini marshmallows. No need to cut them. Just measure and add.
- Pineapple Tidbits - Any canned pineapple tidbits that are drained well will work. An 8-ounce can is close to 1 cup. I like to reserve a few tidbits to use as a garnish.
- Shredded Coconut - I prefer to buy whole pecans and cut them myself for a fresher taste and to get the perfect size of the pieces of pecans.
Please see the recipe card for quantities.
How to Make Piña Colada Fluff
Stir Together. Stir together the crushed pineapple and the instant coconut cream pudding in a large bowl until they are well combined.
Add and Mix. Add the whipped topping and mix well.
Fold In. Fold in the mini marshmallows, pineapple tidbits, and shredded coconut.
Chill and Serve. Cover and refrigerate until well chilled. Serve and Enjoy!
My Top Tip
♡ Do not drain the crushed pineapple! This recipe needs both the juice and the fruit.
Substitutions & Variations
- Substitute Other Instant Pudding Flavors. You can substitute cheesecake or vanilla instant pudding for the coconut cream. Plus add ¼ cup of coconut cream to bring in the coconut flavor.
- Substitute stabilized whipped cream. Instead of frozen whipped topping, you can use stabilized whipped cream.
- Add Rum Extract. If you want this fluff to taste even more like the cocktail add a small amount of rum extract.
- Add Nuts. Nuts are delicious and add great texture. Consider adding ½ cup of chopped pecans, hazelnuts, or macadamia nuts.
- Add Additional Pineapple Tidbits. Add a large (20-ounce ) can of pineapple tidbits for a chunkier fluff with a bigger punch of pineapple flavor.
Make-Ahead & Storage
Piña Colada Fluff can be made a day ahead or made just 1 hour before serving. It stores well in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the refrigerator.
More Great Fruit and Fluff Desserts
♡ Did you love this Piña Colada Fluff? Please leave a star rating and a comment below!
📖 Recipe
Piña Colada Fluff
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Ingredients
- 20 Ounces Crushed Pineapple with Juice
- 1 Package Coconut Cream Instant Pudding Mix, 3.4 Ounce
- 8 Ounces Frozen Whipped Topping, Thawed
- 1 Cup Mini Marshmallows
- 1 Cup Pineapple Tidbits, 8 Ounce Can, Drained
- ½ Cup Shredded Coconut
Instructions
- Stir Together. Stir together the crushed pineapple and the coconut cream instant pudding in a large bowl until they are well combined.20 Ounces Crushed Pineapple with Juice, 1 Package Coconut Cream Instant Pudding Mix
- Add and Mix. Add the whipped topping and mix well.8 Ounces Frozen Whipped Topping
- Fold In. Fold in the mini marshmallows, pineapple tidbits, and shredded coconut.1 Cup Mini Marshmallows, ½ Cup Shredded Coconut, 1 Cup Pineapple Tidbits
- Chill and Serve. Cover and refrigerate until well chilled. Serve and Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Per 1 serving. All nutritional information on this site is an estimate. Your results may vary.
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© 2018-2025 Encharted Cook, Jan Nunes. All rights reserved.
A. Sim says
I would replace whipped topping (ick) with whipped cream.
Jan Nunes says
Hi A. Sim,
Thank you for your comment! I understand that not everyone likes whipped topping for various reasons. This is why I list whipped cream as a substitution, however it must be stabilized whipped cream to keep the mixture from weeping and separating. I have a post on how to make whipped cream that is stabilized and that link is included in the substitution list for this recipe.
Have a wonderful day! ~Jan 😊