Ambrosia salad recipe with cool whip, fruit and marshmallows is perfect for your upcoming picnic. Kid friendly with just the right amount of sweetness, this is a classic recipe that will remind you of what grandma used to make!
The mandarin oranges, pineapple and sweet maraschino cherries make such a fun and festive and fresh fruit salad!
You will love making Cool Whip Ambrosia Salad!
It’s easy to get caught up with side salads during the spring. Salads remind everyone of summer and healthy food and picnics. And it’s true; I do love some cucumber tomato feta salad, Caprese, and even zesty Italian pasta salad, pretty much any day of the week.
But I always remember ambrosia salad for all the holidays as well.
I have eaten this throwback, traditional, and old-fashioned recipe every Thanksgiving and every Christmas for as long as I can remember.
Between that and Watergate salad, it was a real treat for us as kids.
So while the adults started on all the turkey and ham, we ran to the other side of the table for the marshmallows, fluffs, and cool whip combined with fruit!
AMBROSIA SALAD INGREDIENTS
This classic ambrosia salad recipe with Cool whip is just the tip of the iceberg as old Southern Favorites go.
Truly a retro dessert, an Ambrosia Salad recipe, Watergate salad recipe, and Cranberry Waldorf Salad are as timeless as your childhood.
The cherries, oranges, and pineapples allow the citrus of the fruits to mix in gently with the cool whip topping and vanilla yogurt for an expansive creamy fruit salad.
Here are all the best Ambrosia Salad ingredients you need to gather for this infamous dessert salad recipe.
- Mandarin Oranges, drained
- pineapple chunks (also called pineapple tidbits) drained
- maraschino cherries, drained
- vanilla Greek yogurt
- shredded coconut
- mini marshmallows
- chopped pecans (Optional)
- whipped topping
How to make Ambrosia Fruit Salad with Cool Whip
You may look at this recipe for a family gathering or holidays like Thanksgiving or Christmas to balance out all the vegetable side dishes. Still, fluff salads are also amazing and underappreciated for summer salads, potlucks, and picnics.
There really is no such thing as a “traditional fruit salad,” but if any recipe is more well-known than this one, I’d love to hear it.
- To get started on Ambrosia Salad, ensure favorite fruits are all completely drained and prepped.
- Mix mandarin oranges, canned pineapple, and maraschino cherries in a mixing bowl.
- Add Vanilla Greek yogurt, shredded coconut flakes, and miniature marshmallows (you can also use fruit-flavored marshmallows) and mix well.
- In this ambrosia salad recipe, we used Vanilla Greek yogurt, but it is easy to change up the yogurt flavors and make a different version. (for example, try strawberry or lemon yogurt for a bit of sweetened flavor). Do not feel married to Vanilla if you know that you love a flavor of something else. Half the fun in the kitchen is making it your own!
- Using a spatula, fold in whipped topping slowly, covering all fruit and marshmallows.
- Stir Ambrosia Salad Well before serving to ensure equal flavoring and remove any settling.
What is Classic Ambrosia Salad?
Classic ambrosia salad is often up to the maker; from Jell-O and sour cream additives to the original pistachio and Watergate salad feel, it’s an old-fashioned salad rooted in huge pot lucks that you would find at your church.
A traditional Southern holiday dish, I love ambrosia mainly because of the creamy Cool Whip. And it’s true that Ambrosia “salad” is more of a dessert than a salad, but I try to convince myself the fruits make it ‘healthy.” (P.S. It’s not meant to be healthy).
Also, in this simple Ambrosia fruit salad recipe, I leave the traditional plain whipped topping in the recipe, but I have also used the Birthday Cake Cool Whip (as shown in the video), and it’s SO GOOD!!
So if you see flavored cool whips out due to the season, feel free to branch out. The birthday cake cool whip is slightly pink too, which is a lot of fun and gives a soft pink hue to the dessert.
Sweet Fruit Salad Recipe FAQs
What I love about this recipe is its minutes, I mean minutes, until it’s done! I think it can be so stressful to have to prep meals in a holiday setting, and this ambrosia salad is basically a dump and mix scenario.
Make sure you have enough time to let this dessert fluff salad sit in the fridge and get good and cold. The flavors need a chance to blend and solidify, and it just tastes better this way.
I like the consistency and flavor of vanilla yogurts, but it’s OK to experiment and try flavors like strawberry and cherry yogurts!
Try to make Ambrosia Salad at least an hour ahead of time but up to four hours for the best flavor and fluff.
I am also showing a picture of the Birthday Cake Cool Whip, so you know what to look for in the store if you choose that.
Expert Fluff Salad Tips
Can Ambrosia Salad be served instantly? It is OK to serve Ambrosia Salad immediately or refrigerate salad with the bowl covered for at least 4 hours or overnight if you can to really solidify the flavors and allow the full fluff.
Can this salad be left on a table outside during a potluck? Because this salad has dairy, putting and leaving it in the heat outside for long periods is not recommended because it will melt down. We recommend placing inside an air-tight container in a cold cooler.
Is Ambrosia Salad actually Southern? It is!
Is there a way to prevent fruit from turning brown (like adding bananas)? – the only way to prevent sliced fruit from changing colors is typically acid-like lemon juice, which can alter the flavor.
It’s best to add fruits (like bits of apples and bananas) that brown just before serving. There are also brands of spray that are supposed to be flavorless and colorless to prevent fruit from altering colors, but I haven’t found one to test yet.
Fruit Salad Variations
While there is an often used recipe for this type of salad, there really is no wrong way to enjoy the fruit.
Here are some changes to Ambrosia Salad to really make it your own or may bring back specific memories with this vintage fruit salad dessert.
- Peeled and sliced green Grapes
- Fresh Sliced Bananas (add right before serving so they don’t turn brown)
- Chopped up fresh Strawberries
- Orange slices
- shredded coconut (about a 1/2 a cup)
- any drained canned fruits
- Crunchy toppings like pecans, pistachios, or walnuts – in this ambrosia salad recipe, I left them out as I didn’t have them in my pantry then. Still, they are super common to use, and I do prefer them when I make this classic dish recipe for holiday gatherings.
Southern Dessert Salad Recipes
Need more recipes that are perfect for holiday tables?
Ambrosia Salad Recipe with Cool Whip
Ingredients
- 15 oz. Mandarin Oranges drained
- 20 oz. pineapple chunks drained
- 12 oz. jar of maraschino cherries drained
- 3/4 cup vanilla Greek yogurt 6 oz container
- 1 cup coconut
- 1 cup mini marshmallows
- 8 oz. tub Cool Whip whipped topping thawed
- crunchy pecans chopped / optional
Instructions
- Mix drained Mandarin oranges, drained pineapple chunks and drained maraschino cherries together in a mixing bowl.
- Add Vanilla Greek yogurt, shredded coconut and mini marshmallows and mix well.
- Fold in whipped topping with a spatula. NOTE: There are flavored toppings out in the fall and feel free to use flavored cool whips for an extra treat. I love the Birthday Cake one!
- Place ambrosia salad in the fridge for at least 1 hour prior to serving.
- Serve Ambrosia Salad immediately or refrigerate, covered, until ready. This salad can be made ahead of time.
- Stir well before serving to prevent any fruit or cool whip settling.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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