Description
Ambrosia salad is a classic no-bake dessert. This creamy, fluffy, and perfectly nostalgic dish is a sweet, festive treat for the holidays. It’s a delightful ambrosia fruit salad that brings back vintage memories.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 (8 ounce) container Cool Whip, thawed
- 1 (15 ounce) can mandarin oranges, drained
- 1 (20 ounce) can pineapple tidbits, drained
- 1 (10 ounce) jar maraschino cherries, drained and halved
- 2 cups mini marshmallows
- 1/2 cup shredded coconut
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)
- 1/4 cup sour cream (optional, for a tangier classic ambrosia)
Instructions
- In a large bowl, gently fold together the thawed Cool Whip and sour cream (if using). This creates the creamy base for your ambrosia salad.
- Add the drained mandarin oranges, pineapple tidbits, and halved maraschino cherries to the bowl. Mix carefully to combine all the fruit.
- Stir in the mini marshmallows and shredded coconut. These ingredients add to the fluffy ambrosia texture.
- If desired, fold in the chopped pecans for extra crunch in your traditional ambrosia salad recipe.
- Cover the bowl and refrigerate the ambrosia fruit salad for at least 2 hours before serving. This allows the flavors to meld and the salad to chill thoroughly.
- Serve your easy ambrosia salad recipe chilled as a dessert or side dish.
Notes
- For a richer flavor, you can add 1/4 cup of cream cheese softened to the Cool Whip mixture.
- If you prefer a less sweet ambrosia, use unsweetened shredded coconut.
- This fluffy ambrosia recipe can be made a day ahead for best results.
- Any leftover ambrosia salad should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: No-Bake
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 250
- Sugar: 30g
- Sodium: 50mg
- Fat: 10g
- Saturated Fat: 7g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 40g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 1g
- Cholesterol: 0mg