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You are here: Home / No Bake Desserts / The Best Ambrosia Salad Recipe

The Best Ambrosia Salad Recipe

August 19, 2019 By Sam 15 Comments

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This Ambrosia Salad recipe is a classic old-fashioned favorite. While many versions use artificially-flavored store-bought whipped cream, today we’re improving upon the flavor by making our own homemade whipped cream and tweaking this recipe to dessert salad perfection!

A Better Ambrosia Salad Recipe

Throwback to an old-fashioned favorite today! A recent favorite for me. Growing up, I honestly always avoided Ambrosia Salad. There was something about the fact that it was called a salad but that it also had marshmallows!? in it that I just couldn’t seem to get behind.

As far as unconventional, non-lettuce-based “salads” go, potato salad and macaroni salad were about as far as I ever ventured. Dessert salads like Ambrosia salad were often on the menu, but never on my plate.

Oh, was I ever missing out.

If you’ve ever had Ambrosia Salad in the past, chances are it was made with Cool Whip. Sure, Cool Whip is easy to use and works in a pinch, but the (artificial) taste simply doesn’t compare to making our own homemade, from-scratch whipped cream. This simple switch in ingredients changed me forever from a dessert salad skeptic to an Ambrosia Salad fan(atic).

Ingredients for Ambrosia Salad

What You Need

  • Heavy Cream — rather than using Cool Whip, as so many Ambrosia Salad recipes do, we are making our own homemade whipped cream. It’s going to make the flavor so much better (and only takes 5 minutes)!
  • Powdered Sugar
  • Vanilla Extract
  • Sour Cream — This ingredient is key for adding a great depth of flavor to this Ambrosia salad recipe and keeps it from being too sweet!
  • Mandarin oranges
  • Maraschino cherries — remove any stems.
  • Pineapple tidbits — If you can’t find “tidbits” then pineapple chunks will work, just cut each piece in half so the pineapple doesn’t overwhelm things. Alternatively you can chop up your own fresh pineapple into small bite-sized pieces!
  • Sweetened shredded coconut
  • Mini marshmallows — regular, white, classic mini marshmallows will work just fine in this recipe, but personally I prefer the fruit flavored marshmallows.
  • Nuts — optional! I don’t care for nuts in ambrosia salad, but if you are a fan then feel free to add 3/4 cup of coarsely chopped nuts in with the marshmallows.

How to make Ambrosia Salad

How to Make Ambrosia Salad

  1. Start by making a simple homemade whipped cream by using an electric mixer to beat together heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract.
  2. Stir in sour cream. It might seem like an odd combination, but give it a taste test. The sour cream adds such a nice depth of flavor (just like it does with my cheesecake). Soooo good.
  3. Stir in fruits and marshmallows, tossing everything together until completely combined.
  4. Cover and allow to chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour before serving.

Three glass bowls with ambrosia salad

How Far In Advance Can I Make Ambrosia Salad

I recommend making Ambrosia Salad 1-24 hours before you intend to serve, for best flavor and texture. However, Ambrosia Salad will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days (make sure to store in an airtight container). I do not recommend freezing as the quality degrades when thawed.

Enjoy!

More Old Fashioned Favorites

  • Rice Krispie Treats
  • Buckeyes
  • Potato Candy

I originally shared this recipe for Ambrosia Salad over on Real Housemoms! 

Oh, and hey! Today’s new video was filmed in my brand new kitchen! I’m working on a post to show you everything we had done to the new space, so stay tuned, but I hope you enjoy today’s sneak-peek 🙂

Best Ambrosia Salad Recipe

An easy homemade Ambrosia Salad Recipe! Sweet and so simple, no Cool Whip required!
Be sure to check out the quick how-to video below the recipe!
Print Pin Rate
Course: Appetizer, Dessert, Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Keyword: ambrosia salad, dessert salad
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Chilling Time: 1 hour
Servings: 10 servings
Calories: 332kcal
Author: Sam Merritt

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cups heavy cream 180ml
  • 1/4 cup powdered sugar 35g
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup sour cream 120g
  • 11 oz can mandarin oranges well drained (312g)
  • 10 oz ¾ cup maraschino cherries without stems
  • 1 8 oz can pineapple tidbits well-drained
  • 1 1/2 cups sweetened shredded coconut 120g
  • 4 cups mini marshmallows¹ 200g

Instructions

  • Combine heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract in a large bowl. Use an electric mixer to beat until mixture is thick, billowy, and the consistency of Cool Whip.
  • Stir in sour cream.
  • In a separate bowl, stir together oranges, cherries, pineapple, coconut, and mini marshmallows.
  • Add whipped cream/sour cream mixture and stir until completely combined.
  • Cover bowl and chill in refrigerator for at least 1 hour before serving.

Video

Notes

¹I like to use the rainbow/fruit flavored mini marshmallows for more of a tropical flavor, but classic white mini marshmallows work just as well!

Nuts?

Some people like to add nuts to their ambrosia salad. 3/4 cup of coarsely chopped nuts such as pecans or walnuts would make a great addition.

Storing Ambrosia Salad

I recommend making Ambrosia Salad 1-24 hours before you intend to serve, for best flavor and texture. However, Ambrosia Salad will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days (make sure to store in an airtight container). I do not recommend freezing.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 332kcal | Carbohydrates: 45g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 24mg | Sodium: 71mg | Potassium: 98mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 37g | Vitamin A: 9IU | Vitamin C: 16mg | Calcium: 3mg | Iron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @SugarSpun_Sam or tag #sugarspunrun!
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Filed Under: Desserts, Easter/Spring, No Bake Desserts, Summer Recipes, Summer Side Dishes

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Comments

  1. Debbie in California says

    August 21, 2019 at 1:56 pm

    We loved this as kids! Thank you for reminding me about it. My Mom always made it with real whipped cream like you do.

    One lesson she did finally learn was to make it while we 5 kids were not at home.

    For our household this was always a special treat for special meals, but
    if we saw the prescious ingredients out on the counter, we simply could not resist the temptation to wait til our Mom left the kitchen and each sneak in to help ourselves to the delicious fruit bits and marshmallows, we thought she’d never notice…we were wrong.

    Very cute idea to use the coloured mini marshmallows!

    Reply
    • Sugar Spun Run says

      August 21, 2019 at 2:07 pm

      Debbie, I am so happy that this recipe brought back so many wonderful childhood memories, Ambrosia Salad was a family favorite of mine too! I hope that you enjoy making it! 🙂

      Reply
  2. Julianne says

    August 20, 2019 at 12:29 am

    Love this recipe! My family always called the one with cottage cheese ambrosia, while we called this fruit-marshmallow concoction ‘fruit salad’. Have you ever had the cottage cheese version?

    Reply
    • Sugar Spun Run says

      August 20, 2019 at 7:12 am

      Thank you so much, Julianne. I have not tried the cottage cheese version, sounds yummy! 🙂

      Reply
  3. Mary says

    August 19, 2019 at 9:29 pm

    Can you leave the coconut out without altering the taste too much?

    Reply
    • Sugar Spun Run says

      August 20, 2019 at 9:15 am

      Hello, Mary! The taste will vary, but I recommend trying it. Let me know how it turns out! 🙂

      Reply
  4. Leslie Stevenson says

    August 19, 2019 at 3:33 pm

    When I was child in the 60’s my mother made this and added a can of shrimp. Does anyone else remember this variation?

    Reply
    • Sugar Spun Run says

      August 19, 2019 at 3:43 pm

      Hello, Leslie! I haven’t tried it, but sounds like a great addition. Let me know if you add it to your Ambrosia Salad and how it turns out! 🙂

      Reply
  5. Selah Howard says

    August 19, 2019 at 1:15 pm

    Hi there!

    You’re finally in your new kitchen?! How awesome! Must feel so nice finally, seems like a great design! Great job handling the moving and all that while being pregnant! Can’t believe you have time and energy to keep this site going! So happy for you guys!

    Reply
    • Sam says

      August 20, 2019 at 10:44 am

      I love my new kitchen! It is so much bigger and has so much more room! It really makes life a lot easier. Thank you so much for your support. 🙂

      Reply
      • Selah Howard says

        August 20, 2019 at 2:47 pm

        So great to hear that! Awesome! No problem. 😀

  6. Traci M says

    August 19, 2019 at 1:02 pm

    This would be such a pretty salad during the Christmas season

    Reply
    • Sugar Spun Run says

      August 19, 2019 at 1:24 pm

      The Ambrosia Salad is very pretty and is perfect for anytime of year! 🙂

      Reply
  7. sarah elisabeth says

    August 19, 2019 at 11:03 am

    I love that you are inspiring with the real whipped cream! I can’t wait to try this. Also, not a nut fan here!

    Reply
    • Sugar Spun Run says

      August 19, 2019 at 11:23 am

      Thank you so much, Sarah! I hope that you love the Ambrosia Salad. Let me know how you like it once you try it! 🙂

      Reply

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Sam Sugar Spun Run Hi, I'm Sam! I'm dedicated to bringing you sweet, simple, and from-scratch dessert recipes. My life may or may not be controlled by my sweet tooth. Send help (or chocolate). Read more about me.

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