Ambrosia Salad Recipe
Ambrosia Salad is one of those “blink and it’s gone” side dishes that magically disappears from the table—right between the ham and Aunt Susan’s rolls. It’s sweet, creamy, delightfully retro, and requires zero culinary skills. Basically, it’s the kind of no-fuss comfort that makes any gathering feel a little warmer.
This recipe takes its inspiration from the 1953 Better Homes and Garden New Cookbook and was created by my friend, Rhonda, who made a few small changes to the original recipe, but it’s still just as delicious!
Classic ambrosia salad is a dish that typically consists of fruit, marshmallows, and whipped cream. There are many variations of ambrosia salad, but the most common ingredients include oranges, pineapple, grapes, coconut, and nuts. It’s often served in the South during winter months at holiday gatherings but can be enjoyed any time of year.
Why do they call it ambrosia?
In Greek, ambrosia means “immortality”. In mythology, the gods and goddesses ate ambrosia to maintain their immorality. While this heavenly salad won’t grant you immortality, it will make your belly happy.
This ambrosia salad recipe includes all of the classic ingredients, plus a few extras, like maraschino cherries and mandarin oranges. Let’s take a quick look at the recipe, shall we?
Ingredient List
- 15 ounces mandarin oranges, drained
- 15 ounces pineapple tidbits, drained
- 4 cups miniature marshmallows (white or rainbow)
- ½ cup green seedless grapes, diced
- ¼ cup unsweetened shredded coconut or coconut flakes
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice, freshly squeezed
- ½ cup maraschino cherries
- ¼ cup walnuts, diced (optional)
- 1 banana, sliced (optional)
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream
- ½ cup vanilla Greek yogurt
Steps For Making Ambrosia Salad
- Place the mixing bowl, whisk attachment, and whipping cream in the freezer to chill while you prepare the dish.
- Assemble the ingredients. First, drain the pineapple and mandarin oranges, then place them in the large bowl.
- Add the mini marshmallows, dice the seedless green grapes, and add them.
- Chop and add the walnuts, coconut, and maraschino cherries.
- Squeeze in the fresh lemon juice and stir.
- Pull the mixing bowl, whisk attachment, and whipping cream from the freezer. Add the whipping cream into the mixing bowl and whisk at high speed until stiff peaks form. Then slowly incorporate the Greek yogurt using a spatula. You will want to fold the yogurt in.
- Add the whipped cream and yogurt mixture to the fruit. If you are adding the sliced banana, you can add it now and stir.
- Place the bowl into the refrigerator and chill for an hour.
Serve in fun serving bowls.
Love a good throwback dish? Me too. After you whip up this Ambrosia Salad, check out a few more crowd-pleasing classics like Pea Salad, Orange Fluff Salad, and my Watergate Cake for a sweet finish.
Ambrosia Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 15 ounces mandarin oranges drained
- 15 ounces pineapple tidbits drained
- 4 cups mini marshmallows white or rainbow
- ½ cup green seedless grapes diced
- ¼ cup unsweetened coconut shredded
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice freshly squeezed
- ½ cup maraschino cherries
- ¼ cup walnuts diced (optional)
- 1 medium banana sliced (optional)
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream
- ½ cup vanilla Greek yogurt
Instructions
- Place the mixing bowl, whisk attachment, and the whipping cream in the freezer and let it chill while you are preparing the dish.
- Assemble the ingredients. First, drain the pineapple and the mandarin oranges and place them in the large bowl.
- Add in the mini marshmallows and dice up the seedless green grapes and then add those in.
- Chop and add the walnuts, coconut, and maraschino cherries.
- Next, squeeze in the fresh lemon juice and stir.
- Remove the mixing bowl, whisk attachment, and whipping cream from the freezer. Add the whipping cream into the mixing bowl and whisk at high speed until stiff peaks form. Fold the Greek yogurt into the whipped cream.
- Stir the whipped cream and yogurt mixture into the fruit mixture. If you are adding the sliced banana, add it in now and stir.
Nutrition
Recipe Notes
- If you don’t like walnuts, you can use pecans. This is also great without nuts.
- Feel free to use apples, dates, or purple grapes in this dish.
- Store ambrosia salad in the refrigerator for up to three days.
- You can use fresh pineapple chunks in place of canned pineapple tidbits.
Last Bite
If you try this recipe, I’d love to hear what you think — Leave a comment below… and let me know how fast it disappears at your table.
