This classic ambrosia salad is one of my favorite family holiday recipes because nobody can pass up its mixture of tropical fruit and marshmallows bathed in tangy whipped sour cream.
The Best Ambrosia Fruit Salad Recipe
“You’re REALLY going to put that on the blog?” my man questioned. “Really?”
Yes, REALLY.
We each have our holiday favorite dishes. He has his creamed corn. I have my ambrosia salad.
These are the recipes that if missed on the holiday table cause pain and agony. Even if just for ourselves, because it simply wouldn’t be the same without them.
My grandma made this marshmallow fruit salad recipe every Thanksgiving. I think my Aunt Jill and I—and maybe my little sister Holly because she’d eat pretty much anything that was sweet—were pretty much the only ones who actually ever ate it. Although I do distinctly remember my mom adding a dollop to her plate nestled next to the cranberry sauce, even though she may deny it now.
But as the years went on, and the realization that the ambrosia likers were in a deep decline, it disappeared from the serving table.
Well guess what peeps? It’s baaaaaaaaaack.
I’ve planned on adding this ambrosia salad recipe to the blog ever since I started the blog. But I’d always second guess myself.
It’s not healthy enough.
It’s not Pinterest-worthy enough.
Who’s gonna want to look at a salad with canned fruit and marshmallows bathed in a creamy slather of deliciousness?
Me. That’s who.
Ambrosia Salad Ingredients
If you’ve never had the pleasure of sampling a marshmallow fruit salad, you may be looking at the pictures in this post and thinking “what the heck did Heidi make?” I’ll admit, ambrosia salad isn’t the prettiest dish, but it’s darn tasty and that’s what matters.
Here’s what you’ll need to make this ambrosia salad recipe:
- Canned pineapple tidbits
- Canned mandarin oranges
- Maraschino cherries
- Heavy whipping cream
- Granulated sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Light sour cream
- Sweetened shredded coconut
- Chopped pecans
- Mini marshmallows
- Green grapes
How to Make Ambrosia Salad
Thoroughly drain the cherries, pineapple, and oranges. Whip the cream, sugar, and vanilla until fluffy and stiff peaks form.
Gently fold the sour cream into the whipped cream in batches. Then stir in the coconut, pecans, and marshmallows, followed by the fruit. Top with additional shredded coconut and pecans, then chill at least an hour before serving.
Can I Make Ambrosia Salad in Advance?
Yes, you can make this classic ambrosia salad recipe the night before and leave it in the fridge until you’re ready to serve. You won’t want to make this marshmallow salad more than a day in advance since the whipped cream tends to deflate over time.
Can I Add Other Fruits to the Salad?
You probably can, these are just the fruits I grew up eating in my ambrosia salad.
Tips for Making Ambrosia Salad
This ambrosia fruit salad recipe is partly based on my sweet salad memories, and the recipe my mom had written down on the recipe card I copied and have been hauling around for 20 years. For some reason my grandma’s called only for sour cream. But over the years, the salads I’ve sampled other than our holiday favorite seem to have a fluffier component. That’s why I folded in a sweetened whipped cream.
And that’s why there are only two other essential parts to this recipe.
One is to be sure to drain the canned fruit, really, really well so it doesn’t create a puddle of watery cream. You’ll also want to be sure to rinse your cherries well or you’ll have red streaks through your salad. Not that there’s anything wrong with that…
The second part is to fold your whip cream and sour cream together in stages so the heavier sour cream doesn’t flatten the fluffy whip of the cream. I usually do this step 1/3 at a time.
And just like all of the crock-pot recipes, and all of the casserole recipes, and all of the other recipes I’ve second guessed myself on whether to share from my handwritten, dog-eared recipe book full of old-school family classics, the return to this recipe and a whole lot more family favorites has begun.
And I welcome them all with open arms. And guess what? You’re about to, too.
More Classic Thanksgiving Sides to Make This Year
- Creamy Mashed Potatoes
- Cranberry and Walnut Stuffing
- Easy Green Beans with Brown Butter Almondine
- Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes
- Stovetop Creamed Spinach
If you try this recipe, please let me know! Leave a comment below, or take a photo and tag it on Instagram or Twitter with #foodiecrush!
My Favorite Ambrosia Salad Recipe
This classic ambrosia salad is one of my favorite holiday recipes because nobody can pass up its tropical fruit and marshmallows bathed in tangy cream.
Ingredients
- 1 20- ounce can pineapple tidbits
- 1 15- ounce can Mandarin oranges
- 1 cup maraschino cherries drained
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup light sour cream
- 1 cup shredded sweetened coconut
- 3/4 cup pecans chopped
- 3 cups mini marshmallows
- 1 cup green grapes halved
Instructions
- Place the pineapple and mandarin oranges in a strainer and set aside to drain for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Drain the cherries and rinse with cold water and set aside to drain.
Whip the cream with the sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy. Gently fold in 1/3 of the sour cream, then fold in the next 1/3 and then the final 1/3.
Gently stir in the coconut, pecans and marshmallows. Add the grapes, pineapple, Mandarin oranges and maraschino cherries, and gently fold in. Top with a few more sprinkles of coconut and chopped pecans if desired.
Chill for 1 hour up to overnight, then serve.
More Fall Salad Recipes You’ll Love
- Kale Salad with Apples, Cranberries, & Cheddar Cheese
- Roasted Beet, Avocado, & Goat Cheese Salad with Chicken
- Spinach Salad with Turkey, Apples, & Butternut Squash
- Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad with Beets, Pecans, & Goat Cheese
- Chicken Caesar Salad
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Kirk Duncan says
You are my Food Porn, Cypress Ternes. Beam me up Scotty.
heidi says
Oh why thank you. I think. :)
Becky says
This was one of my favorites from childhood too, but when my Mom passed away, our family stopped making it. It was one of her favorites. Thanks for bringing it back! It will be my new go-to addition to parties!
heidi says
Celebrating through food memories is one of the best ways to celebrate those we love and loved. Don’t you think? Enjoy Becky.
Maria says
I do make a Swedish version of Ambrosia sallad, which is less sweet, with no marshmallows, no maraschino cherries, no coconut and no sweetened whipped cream. And with fresh red grapefruit, so there is no conserved fruit at al. I do not serve it for Thanksgiving, but mostly as a filling in ham roll ups for pot luck buffees in fall or winter.
heidi says
That sounds delicious Maria, and a great idea for a buffet.
Carole says
Maria, I’d love it if you could share the recipe. :)
stacy says
omg. I completely forgot about this salad!! My aunt used to make it and I LOVED it as a kid. Thank you for posting this!! Running to the store today to get ingreds stat!!!
heidi says
Isn’t it funny how those old-school cravings never go away? Memory is a powerful thing!
Jamie | The Kitchenarium says
I am so glad you posted it, Heidi! I held off for years posting one of our family’s favorite “salad” recipes because I had the same thoughts. We all have those family favorites that need to be on the table.
heidi says
Ah, agreed Jamie! What’s your family favorite? Please, share!
m says
I am making this for the first time this year. Thanks for sharing!
heidi says
I hope it becomes a tradition for you too!
Sara @ Last Night's Feast says
This looks delicious and definitely something my kids will devour!
heidi says
The tangy sweetness is always a kid favorite. Enjoy Sara.
carole says
I’ve never forgotten this salad. My own mother never made it, that I recall, but I had it many times as a child.
Maria, your recipe sounds wonderful too, as I’m no longer a fan of marshmallows.
heidi says
Enjoy Carole!
Shelley A says
I’m Totally In with this one Heid. But sorry, have to go sans whipped cream. Just like MJ’s version. Yours looks much prettier though.
Happy Thanksgiving!
heidi says
YEEESSS! We will miss you at the table Aunt Shelley!!! XOXOXOXO I miss grandma :)
Patti says
Love you and love that you have such great memories. Your salad sounds delicious, That said, I’m anxious to try your new additions. The salad I always made and loved only had sour cream, no nuts, no grapes no cherries. I’m looking forward to the additions. I’m sure it will be a winner as usual. You’re such a creative girl and fabulous cook. Love you, ❤️ See you tomorrow!! My tastebuds are excited!!
Wanda says
Love this, my Grandmother made this every holiday, but without the sour cream. Love it.
Rocio says
Hi! This salad looks and sounds delicious!!
How can I replace the mandarin oranges ? I don’t think I can get them in mi city :(
Kenna says
Buy them in a can
Gayle says
This is a fabulous recipe. A couple of minor changes makes it perfect. I drained the fruit the day before serving, and drained it again before mixing up the whipping cream 2 hours before serving. I made this recipe x5 for 65 people. Rave reviews!
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This looks amazing and so festive, I can’t wait to try it!
Angie says
This was a perfect addition to our Easter brunch. I used fewer marshmallows and only about 4 cherries to decorate.
Lindsey says
This is the best ambrosia salad ever!! I love ambrosia and have been wanting to make it the past year for my family but everyone always turns their nose up but FINALLY I made it and everyone has gone crazy for it!! I’ve made it twice in one week :D the only thing I did was swap raspberries for the cherries (I don’t like them) but this is my favorite recipe ever!!!
Lisa says
This dessert sounds wonderful. My mouth is watering as I read the ingredients. I plan to make this in the VERY near future! Only thing I will change is to use Trader Joe’s frozen Bing cherries instead of maraschino cherries. Otherwise, it sounds absolutely luscious!
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Hapee says
My grandmother made a similar recipe. However, she insisted that each grape had to be peeled first. Yes, I’m serious, and that was usually my job (along with peeling all of the Mandarin segments). It seemed to take forever to peel an entire large bunch of green grapes, but I got to spend that time in the kitchen with my grandmother, so I enjoyed it. It’s also not a bad activity to help a child develop eye-hand coordination and dexterity! In any event, her Ambrosia was the most delicate, tender rendition I’ve ever had, which I feel is in line with the name of the dish, the Food of the Gods. There weren’t any crunchy or chewy ingredients in her recipe, such as nuts or maraschino cherries. However, I’m not a stickler for family tradition, and enjoy all of the many variants of this dish I’ve tried! Still, I share this tip with Ambrosia lovers who might want to put in the time and effort to experience Ambrosia in its ultimate state of silken perfection.
Ashley Sorenson says
Wow, Hapee! I would have loved to try her version of the dish! It makes my heart happy to hear of the magic food can bring to a family. Thank you so much for sharing that awesome story!
Shari Giarraputo says
Love this. My mom makes an incredible one. We grew up this. Something so 70’s about this. Lol I’m going to have her make this one too. Thanks for sharing
Ashley Sorenson says
I hope you love it!
jeanne illenye says
Who doesn’t LOVE ambrosia?!! It’s like a dessert that’s good for you! Glad to see you’re bringing it back to the table.
Cd says
I’m making this for Easter dinner this year. We haven’t had it since I was a child! Just wanted to share a tip to you on how to keep your whipped cream from breaking (separating). Instead of granulated sugar in your whipping cream use 3T- 1/4cup of powdered(confectioners) sugar instead. It stabilizes the cream and it shouldn’t give you any trouble anymore. Good luck!
Maria Valente says
Hello Heidi, I was enjoying looking at all your recipes here seeing if different from the way I did them. The Ambrosia salad I made since the early 70s did not call for adding sugar or heavy whipped cream, and it was made the night before so all ingredients meshed together and it was a perfect combination of sweetness with the sour cream. The marshmellows picked up on all the goodness of the fruit. Now I wish I had some in front of me. Thanks for sharing with us. Happy Thanksgiving.