Easy Ambrosia Salad Recipe

My ambrosia salad recipe is a classic recipe that has been around for years. This ambrosia dessert is made with Cool Whip, yogurt, maraschino cherries, grapes, pineapple, and more. It makes a sweet and crunchy salad.

You will find that ambrosia salad is a traditional mixed fruit salad that is creamy, sweet, and crunchy. This is a simple dessert salad that has been served for years, especially in the southern states.

Why you’ll love this Ambrosia Salad recipe!

1. This recipe has a variety of fruit giving it a fresh mix of summer flavors.
2. It is sweet and delicious- Kids and adults alike will love this recipe.
3. Can be made in advance, making it a great dessert for potlucks, summer cookouts, and holiday gatherings.
4. The use of canned fruit brings this dish together in a flash.

Ingredients In Ambrosia Salad

Substitutions/Additions

• Fruit – Consider swapping out the type of fruit you are using in the salad. You can use any type of canned fruit so long as you drain off any juice.
• Lower Calories – If you are watching your calories use a light Cool Whip and reach for no sugar added fruit. You can also use a non-fat version of the yogurt.
• Flavor – Add in a tablespoon of vanilla pudding to add more flavor to the salad.
• Nuts – Swap out the walnuts with pecans, cashews, or leave out the nuts for a creamier fruit salad.

How To Make Ambrosia Salad

1. In a large mixing bowl, add your Cool Whip and your Greek Yogurt together. Mix until combined. (Photo 1)
2. Add in the rest of the ingredients and mix to combine. (Photos 2 & 3)
3. Refrigerate salad for at least 4 hours too overnight.
4. Garnish with coconut, walnuts, and cherries right before serving. (Photo 4)

Storing Tips

Refrigerator

You can store your ambrosia salad in the fridge for 3-4 days. Keep in mind, though, that you will find that with each day the marshmallows will get a bit soggier, and all the fruit will release more juice, making it a runnier salad.

Freezing

Due to the ingredients used, you will find it does not freeze well. I recommend only making what you plan to eat before the salad spoils.

What to serve with this Ambrosia Salad Recipe

This dessert marshmallow salad is so easy to throw together to end your meal and would really be great after any meal with a Southern flair.

Consider serving up our club sandwich as a lighter main dish and a sweet fruit salad as dessert. You could also try a classic main dish like a crockpot pot roast.

Recipe FAQs

Need more fruity dessert recipes? Try these:

• Marshmallow Fruit Salad with Blueberries
• Easy Lemon Blueberry Fluff Salad
• Double-Crusted Apple Pie
• Easy Blueberry Dump Cake
• Southern Peach Cobbler with Canned Peaches
• Frozen Watermelon Agua Fresca
• See all our delicious desserts!

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Ambrosia Salad

Course: Desserts

Cuisine: American

Ambrosia Salad is a fruit salad or also known as 5 cup fruit salad that is a classic fruit salad recipe. Loaded with Cool Whip, nuts, coconut and a handful of fruit. A classic dessert you have to try.

5 from 2 votes

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Author: Kim Schob

Serves: 12 cups

Prep: 15 minutes mins

Chill time 4 hours hrs

Total: 4 hours hrs 15 minutes mins

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients

• ▢ 8 ounce (226 ⅘ g) Cool Whip thawed
• ▢ 8 ounce (226 ⅘ g) plain greek yogurt or sour cream
• ▢ 30 ounce (850 ½ g) can mandarin oranges drained well
• ▢ 40 ounce (1 ⅐ kg) can pineapple tidbits drained well
• ▢ 1 ½ cups (226 ½ g) green grapes
• ▢ 16 ounce (453 ⅗ g) jar maraschino cherries drained well
• ▢ 10 ounce (283 ½ g) bag mini marshmallows regular or fruit flavored
• ▢ 2 cups (160 g) shredded coconut
• ▢ ¾ cup (87 ¾ g) chopped walnuts

Instructions

• In a mixing bowl you will add your Cool Whip and the Greek yogurt together.
  8 ounce Cool Whip, 8 ounce plain greek yogurt
• With a spatula mix to combine the two. Don't overmix or it will deflate the whipped topping.
• Add in all the other ingredients except the coconut, nuts, and the cherries. The rest add in and mix well.
  30 ounce can mandarin oranges, 40 ounce can pineapple tidbits, 1 ½ cups green grapes, 10 ounce bag mini marshmallows
• Refrigerate the ambrosia fruit salad for up to 4 hours to overnight.
• Right before serving stir in the nuts, coconut, and cherries.
  2 cups shredded coconut, ¾ cup chopped walnuts, 16 ounce jar maraschino cherries

Notes

Fruit – You can change up the fruit you use. Fresh strawberries, purple grapes, or even different canned fruit. Just drain the fruit if canned. 

Whipped Topping – Make homemade whipped topping if you don’t want to use Cool Whip. 

Yogurt – If you do not like Greek Yogurt, you can use plain yogurt or even sour cream to the recipe. Adds a nice tangy component. 

Refrigerate – You need to allow your salad to refrigerate and set up for at least 4 hours before serving. That way, the flavors blend together. 

Nutrition Information

Calories: 397kcal (20%), Carbohydrates: 73g (24%), Protein: 6g (12%), Fat: 11g (17%), Saturated Fat: 6g (38%), Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g, Monounsaturated Fat: 1g, Trans Fat: 0.001g, Cholesterol: 4mg (1%), Sodium: 85mg (4%), Potassium: 389mg (11%), Fiber: 5g (21%), Sugar: 61g (68%), Vitamin A: 1042IU (21%), Vitamin C: 34mg (41%), Calcium: 97mg (10%), Iron: 1mg (6%)

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