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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 45 Comments

    This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Please read my disclosure policy.
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    Ambrosia salad in white bowl

    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!

    Ambrosia salad in white bowl with spoon

    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 ¾ cup of coarsely chopped nuts in with the marshmallows.

    Ambrosia salad ingredients in bowls

    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 🙂

    ambrosia salad in white bowl

    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!
    5 from 6 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Appetizer, Dessert, Side Dish
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
    Chilling Time: 1 hour hour
    Total Time: 1 hour hour 15 minutes minutes
    Servings: 10 servings
    Calories: 301kcal
    Author: Sam Merritt

    Ingredients

    • ¾ cups heavy cream (180ml)
    • ¼ cup powdered sugar (35g)
    • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
    • ½ 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 ½ cups sweetened shredded coconut (120g)
    • 4 cups mini marshmallows¹ (200g)
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    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.

    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. ¾ 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: 1serving | Calories: 301kcal | Carbohydrates: 45g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 30mg | Sodium: 70mg | Potassium: 156mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 38g | Vitamin A: 769IU | Vitamin C: 13mg | Calcium: 50mg | Iron: 1mg

    Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.

    Tried this recipe? Show me on Instagram!Mention @SugarSpun_Sam or tag #sugarspunrun!
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Audrey Cortez

      October 13, 2022 at 5:34 pm

      I can’t wait to make this nostalgic salad tomorrow for my brother’s birthday! It’s so difficult to find in delis nowadays. I’d like to make enough so that he has plenty for himself, as well as to share. I was wondering how much this makes? I think I’ll double the recipe just to be sure. Thank you so much for literally making my younger brother’s birthday so much sweeter!

      Reply
      • Sam

        October 13, 2022 at 9:58 pm

        Hi Audrey! It makes about 10 servings, but of course that depends how big you like a serving to be. You can never have enough if you ask me! 🙂

        Reply
    2. Renee San Marco

      November 25, 2021 at 10:13 am

      Love the receipt but way too sweet. Next time I will cut the powdered sugar by at least half and maybe 2/3.

      Reply
    3. Meena Maharaj

      June 16, 2021 at 1:26 pm

      The best Ambrosia

      Reply
      • Dee

        August 21, 2021 at 8:06 am

        5 stars
        Sam, I had never had ambrosia, so like you I realized I had been missing out. I followed your recipe without changing a thing and it came out delicious! Brought some to my mom who has a picky palate and she loved it too!

        Reply
        • Sam

          August 21, 2021 at 9:36 pm

          I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much, Dee! 🙂

    4. Seth

      March 28, 2021 at 1:26 am

      5 stars
      I’m so glad I came across your recipe! It Turned out amazing!!! Thank you for sharing

      Reply
      • Sam

        March 28, 2021 at 9:39 pm

        I’m so glad you enjoy them so much, Seth! 🙂

        Reply
      • Joyce Leftridge

        April 04, 2023 at 11:12 am

        Do you have a recipe for Waldorf salad ?

        Reply
        • Sam

          April 05, 2023 at 9:25 pm

          Hi Joyce! Unfortunately I do not. 🙁

    5. Laura

      February 19, 2021 at 12:12 pm

      What about lemon extract instead of vanilla?

      Reply
      • Sam

        February 22, 2021 at 10:38 am

        If you like the flavor combination that will work fine. You will want to use less though as lemon extract is much more potent than vanilla. 🙂

        Reply
        • Mary

          July 03, 2022 at 12:04 pm

          Do I not drain the maraschino cherries? It does say to drain the mandarin oranges, but nothing about the cherries. I want to make sure. Looking forward to making this salad. TIA

        • Sam

          July 04, 2022 at 10:06 pm

          Hi Mary! You do not want to add the liquid from the cherries. 🙂

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    The author (Sam) in blue shirt holding donut 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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