Classic Ambrosia Salad
Classic Ambrosia Salad combines canned fruit, toasted pecans, mini marshmallows, and shredded coconut in a sweet, fluffy whipped topping! This vintage side dish or dessert comes together in only 20 minutes!
A Classic Fruit-Filled Dish
This Classic Ambrosia Salad coats tropical fruit and toasted pecans in a sweet, creamy topping that’s made of cool whip and sour cream! The mandarin oranges, pineapple, cherries, and shredded coconut make for an irresistible flavor that everyone will love!
What Is Ambrosia Salad?
Ambrosia Salad is a chilled, creamy dish that began popping up in the Southern US in the late 1800s. By the 1920s it became a popular treat that was considered luxurious and served only at holidays or special celebrations.
Its sweet flavor can be enjoyed as a side dish to balance out a savory holiday meal such as Thanksgiving or Christmas Dinner! But is also good enough to be a wonderful dessert as well!
Rebecca’s Recipe Review
Taste: The fruit you choose to put into your salad will ultimately dictate its flavor. If you follow this recipe, you’re left with a fruity, tropical flavor in a sweet, slightly tangy creaminess.
Texture: Juicy fruit, chewy marshmallows, and crunchy walnuts smothered in a creamy dressing.
Ease: 2/10
Pros: This salad makes for an easy potluck contribution since it’s made in only 20 minutes using storebought ingredients!
Cons: None.
Would I Make This Again? Yes, we love this sweet, fruity recipe!
Classic Ambrosia Salad Ingredients
Whipping up this Classic Ambrosia Salad recipe is super easy to do! Simply toast the pecans in only 10 minutes and then combine all of the ingredients into the sweet, creamy mixture that holds this side dish together!
To make this Ambrosia Fruit Salad you’ll need the following ingredients:
- Chopped Pecans – These will get toasted in the oven before being added to the salad. The pecans lend a wonderful crunch and slight nutty flavor to the Ambrosia Salad.
- Fruit – Pineapple tidbits, mandarin oranges, and maraschino cherries.
- Shredded Coconut – This enhances the great tropical flavor this salad has!
- Vanilla Extract – Brings all the flavors of this entire recipe together and smooths them out for the best taste!
- Mini Marshmallows – Regular or fruit flavored, your choice!
- Cool Whip – You could also use Whipped Cream as long as you’ll be enjoying the salad within a few hours.
- Greek Yogurt – Can be replaced with sour cream or whipped cream cheese if you’d prefer.
Once you’ve finished making the Fruit Salad you can leave it as is or add some pink color to it! For color just add some pink or red food coloring or use the juice from the jar of cherries!
Why This Recipe Works!
- Make It Ahead! This recipe can easily be made the night before to help save on time!
- Variations! You can fill this treat with your favorite fruit! For other variations try adding strawberries, bananas, fresh orange slices, or even blueberries!
- Great For Holidays! Though it’s a vintage recipe, there’s a spot on every holiday dinner table for this Ambrosia Salad! For this year and many, many years to come!
- Cool Summertime Treat! Don’t just make this for the holidays! Bring it to those backyard cookouts as a sweet, chilled treat to cool down with!
How To Make Ambrosia Fruit Salad
- Toast the pecans by spreading them out on a baking sheet and placing them in the oven. Afterward, allow them to cool.
- Combine the pineapple, mandarin oranges, cherries, coconut, vanilla, and cooled pecans into a large bowl. Mix the ingredients together.
- Fold in the mini marshmallows, whipped topping, and yogurt.
- Chill the Fruit Salad in the refrigerator before serving and enjoying!
Rebecca’s Tips
- Toasting the pecans amplifies their flavor and add a lot to the dish, but this step can be skipped if desired.
- The yogurt flavor of this salad does not stand out. Instead, it cuts the sweetness of the overall recipe to balance out the flavor.
- Though coconut shreds are a traditional ingredient in the salad you can totally leave it out if you prefer.
- You can use fresh pineapple instead of canned crushed pineapple if you prefer. That fresh flavor would make a great addition to this recipe!
- If you’d like, you can swap the pecans out for walnuts!
How To Store Ambrosia Salad
Store Ambrosia salad in an airtight container in the fridge to enjoy for 3 to 5 days.
Can You Freeze Ambrosia Salad?
Unfortunately, Ambrosia Salad does not freeze well. The freezing and thawing take a toll on the overall salad and will result in a soupy, soggy salad.
If you have yet to try a vintage recipe, here are a few popular ones to try!
- Whipping Cream Cake – A lightly crisp and buttery, pound cake-like dessert!
- Broccoli Salad – A crunchy, slightly sweetened side salad that’s ready in only 20 minutes!
- Peanut Butter Buckeye Balls – This traditional no-bake treat is filled with creamy peanut butter!
- Beef Stroganoff – Tender ribeye steak sauteed in a buttery mushroom and sour cream sauce!
- Classic Maine Whoopie Pies – A tasty treat that originated around the 1920s!
Did You Make This Recipe?
If you’ve tried this recipe, please let leave a review in the comments below. I love hearing from you! Don’t forget to tag me – @sugarandsoulco – on Instagram and Pinterest with your photos, or join our Sugar & Soul Show-offs Community and share them there.
Ambrosia Fruit Salad
Ingredients
- 1 cup chopped pecans or pecan pieces
- 20 ounces crushed pineapple drained
- 15 ounces mandarin oranges drained
- 12 ounces maraschino cherries without stems drained
- 1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 cups mini marshmallows regular or fruit flavored
- 8 ounces cool whip thawed
- ½ cup Greek yogurt or sour cream or whipped cream cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and spread the pecans out on a baking sheet.
- Bake the pecans for 10 minutes to toast them. Allow them to cool before adding to the rest of the ingredients.
- In a large bowl, mix together the pineapple, mandarins, cherries, coconut, vanilla, and cooled pecans.
- Fold in the marshmallows, cool whip, and yogurt until fully combined.
- Refrigerate for 4 hours before serving for best results.
Notes
- Should stay good for 3 to 5 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
- Some prefer to make their ambrosia salads pink and you can do this by adding red or pink food coloring or reserving and stirring in some of the cherry juice.
Nutrition
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Can whipped cream be used instead of Cool Whip
Yes, it can.