This Ambrosia Salad recipe is an old family favorite. Sweet and refreshing, this side dish (or dessert) needs just a handful of ingredients.
What is Ambrosia Salad?
Ambrosia means ‘food of the gods’. This version is our family favorite. While it’s called “salad,” ambrosia salad is more dessert-like and is often served as a side dish for Christmas, Easter dinner, or Thanksgiving. This version has pineapple, coconut, mandarin oranges, and mini marshmallows in a creamy base.
- Skill level: So easy, also called 5 cup salad, it needs just five ingredients and 5 minutes of prep.
- Swaps: Swap sour cream for Greek yogurt or change up the fruit to your liking.
- Serving suggestions: It’s potluck perfect since it’s best made ahead of time.
Ingredient Tips for Ambrosia Salad
- Yogurt/Sour Cream – Our family has always used sour cream which is sweetened by the marshmallows. You can replace it with plain or vanilla Greek yogurt or ½ with whipped topping (such as Cool Whip).
- Marshmallows – Use miniature marshmallows (fruit-flavored or plain). They add sweetness to the base, and the texture will soften as they sit.
- Fruit – I use coconut shreds, canned mandarin oranges, and pineapple chunks, as my grandma always made it.
Variations
While this recipe is delicious exactly as written, you can change it up to your liking.
- Chopped maraschino cherries
- Chopped nuts like walnuts or pecans for crunch
- Fresh bananas, grapes, kiwi, or strawberries.
- Swap pineapple for peaches
Tips for Ambrosia Salad
- Drain the canned fruit well so the dish isn’t watery.
- Gently fold in the mandarin oranges last, as they can be fragile and break apart.
- Be sure to make this salad ahead of time to blend the flavors and soften the marshmallows.
More Dessert Salads
Did your family love this Ambrosia Salad? Be sure to leave a rating and a comment below!
Easy Ambrosia Salad
This easy ambrosia salad recipe is creamy, fluffy, and a colorful holiday side dish!
Prevent your screen from going dark
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In a large bowl, add sour cream, marshmallows, coconut, and pineapple tidbits. Stir until combined.
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Gently fold in mandarin oranges.
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Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight. Serve chilled.
- Make ahead to allow the flavors to blend and to soften the marshmallows.
- Be sure to drain all fruit well to prevent the dish from being watery.
- Mandarin oranges are fragile and break easily, so gently fold them in last
- Greek, plain, or vanilla yogurt can serve as the base. I prefer sour cream which is sweetened by the coconut and marshmallows.
Calories: 156 | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 17mg | Sodium: 45mg | Potassium: 152mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 15g | Vitamin A: 360IU | Vitamin C: 10mg | Calcium: 44mg | Iron: 0.3mg
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Dessert, Salad, Side Dish
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