Ambrosia Salad Recipe (2024)

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Classic Ambrosia Salad is a quick and easy vintage recipe made with colorful fruit, mini marshmallows, and coconut in a creamy sweet dressing.

Ambrosia Salad Recipe (1)

Ambrosia Salad

If you are in need of a super quick and easy recipe to bring to a party or potluck, look no further. This Ambrosia salad, also called 5 cup salad, can be whipped up in less than 15 minutes, and it is loved by all.

This Ambrosia Salad is a vintage recipe that features canned fruit, making it easier to find ripe, juicy ingredients. Summer oranges are not always the best, but canned fruits are always the ripest of the bunch. Bright juicy fruit with sweet mini marshmallows and coconut swim in a creamy, sweet, and tangy dressing

Even though it's not a "salad" by the traditional green lettuce standards, this Ambrosia salad is light, refreshing and can be made ahead of time, which makes it perfect for parties and potlucks.

What is Ambrosia Salad?

Ambrosia salad is an American fruit salad. A salad only in the sense that it's a mixture of produce and has a dressing of sorts.

In ambrosia salad, the salad consists of canned or fresh pineapple, canned or fresh mandarin orange slices, mini marshmallows, shredded coconut, and possibly nuts such as pecans or walnuts.

For the dressing, this dish uses a mixture of sour cream and whipped cream for sweet and tangy creamy base to bring this salad all together.

Why is it called Ambrosia?

Back in the 19th century, when Ambrosia salad was first made, the ingredients were considered new, luxurious, exotic, and often difficult to find.

The salad was a special treat reserved for holidays and special occasions, and called “ambrosia” after the food of the Greek and Roman gods (The Greek myth said that ambrosia gave immortality to anyone who ate it.).

Ambrosia Salad Recipe (2)

Why Sour Cream?

There’s a lot going on in this salad, including quite a few sweet ingredients such as the marshmallows, homemade whipped cream, and even the fruit, which is naturally sweet.

To counteract all that sweetness, sour cream brings in just a touch of tanginess. Plain Greek yogurts would also work the same way, but you really do need a little something to cut all of that sweetness.

Can you Freeze Ambrosia Salad?

I really love to freeze everything humanly possible, but I wouldn’t recommend freezing this salad. When it thaws it will become watery and soggy, and the texture just won't be the same.

Ambrosia salad is best when made fresh and served within 3 days.

More Fruit Salad Recipes You'll Love

  • Watergate Salad - a unique mixture of ingredients that you would never think would work, but actually taste amazing.
  • Homemade Fruit Salad - a bright healthy fruit salad featuring fresh berries and grapes.
  • Berry Cheesecake Salad - a creamy dessert salad with fresh berries in a creamy cheesecake dressing.
  • Snickers Caramel Apple Salad - crunchy apple pieces, gooey candy bar bits, and plenty of caramel all in a creamy pudding dressing.

Ambrosia Salad Recipe (3)

Ambrosia Salad

Classic Ambrosia Salad is a quick and easy vintage recipe made with colorful fruit, mini marshmallows, and coconut in a creamy sweet dressing.

4.96 from 22 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Ambrosia Salad

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 0 minutes minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes minutes

Servings: 16 servings

Calories: 232kcal

Author: Michelle

Ingredients

  • cups heavy whipping cream
  • 1 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • ½ cup sour cream
  • 3 cups mini marshmallows
  • 1 cup shredded coconut
  • 1 can pineapple tidbits (15 ounces) drained
  • 1 jar maraschino cherries without stems (10 ounces) drained and patted dry
  • 1 can mandarin orange wedges (11 ounces) drained
  • ½ cup chopped pecans

Instructions

  • In a large mixing bowl, add cream, sugar, and vanilla. Beat until soft peaks forms. (We're making homemade whipped cream! You know the consistency 😉)

  • Fold in sour cream until combined.

  • Fold in all remaining ingredients.

  • Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before servings to allow to set and flavors to meld. Serve cool.

Notes

  • To skip a step, use frozen whipped topping instead of making homemade whipped cream with the first 3 ingredients. Just make sure to thaw it first!
  • You can use plain white marshmallows for the pretty multi-color fruit flavored ones.
  • Be sure to pat dry your maraschino cherries or your whole dessert will be very pink.
  • If you'd prefer to swap out the canned fruit for fresh fruit, use about 1.5-2 cups chopped fresh fruit. Try using chopped grapes and fresh pineapple, cherries, and oranges.
  • Storage: Store covered in the refrigerator. Ambrosia salad is best when made fresh and served within 3 days.
  • Make Ahead: This Ambrosia salad can (and should!) be made ahead. It's best to let it chill for at least 2 hours, so making it the morning or night before will work perfectly.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 232kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 34mg | Sodium: 38mg | Potassium: 129mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 22g | Vitamin A: 527IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 47mg | Iron: 1mg

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Ambrosia Salad Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What's the ingredients in ambrosia? ›

The best Ambrosia Salad recipe is made with pineapple, mandarin oranges, yogurt, mini marshmallows, coconut and whipped cream. This easy side dish has a delicious tropical sweetness and is always a crowd favorite!

What did ambrosia consist of? ›

Most ambrosia recipes contain canned (often sweetened) or fresh pineapple, canned mandarin orange slices or fresh orange sections, miniature marshmallows, and coconut. Other ingredients might include various fruits and nuts: maraschino cherries, bananas, strawberries, peeled grapes, or crushed pecans.

What was the ambrosia salad in the 70s? ›

Ambrosia salad, also known as five-cup salad, was popular in Australia in the 70s, but you may consider reviving it as a Christmas dish for its refreshing mix of fruit (usually mandarin and pineapple), marshmallows, coconut and sour cream. It's a Waldorf salad with candy added, I can love that once more.

Why is it called ambrosia salad in USA? ›

Ambrosia was so named for the food of the Greek and Roman gods. Its region of origin is lost to history. Its ties to the South are strong, though some believe it began in Vermont or elsewhere in New England.

What kind of fruit is an ambrosia? ›

Ambrosia is an attractive medium-sized apple, with a pink-tinged orange/red flush over a yellow background. As such it is very much in tune with the modern preference for "bi-coloured" apples.

Why does ambrosia salad exist? ›

The once hard-to-find ingredients were considered luxurious and exotic. The salad was a treat reserved for holidays and other special occasions, and named “ambrosia” after the food of the Greek and Roman gods. But it wasn't until the early 20th century that ambrosia as we know it came to be.

What are some interesting facts about ambrosia? ›

The word “ambrosia” means delicious or fragrant. Ambrosia was also the magical fruit of the gods in ancient Greek mythology. The gods on Mount Olympus ate ambrosia to maintain immortality and without it, they became weak. In Homer's Iliad, the gods bathed in ambrosia and used it as perfume.

What does ambrosia mean in the Bible? ›

Ambrosia means a thing giving immortality, hence the food. of gods.

Is ambrosia good for you? ›

Ambrosia apples are part of a healthy diet but they also have specific properties that help to boost the immune system. For example, Ambrosia contain Quercetin. This flavanoid, like other antioxidants, supports immune efficiency by fighting off free-radicals.

What is ambrosia in real life? ›

Some scholars have identified ambrosia as honey while others feel that a type of hallucinogenic mushroom was meant in the myths. Regardless of all this confusion, the word is now used metaphorically to mean anything so fragrant, so delicious that it seems divine — including a popular orange-and-coconut confection.

What is ancient ambrosia? ›

In the ancient Greek myths, ambrosia (/æmˈbroʊʒə/, Ancient Greek: ἀμβροσία, "immortality") is the food or drink of the Greek gods, often depicted as conferring longevity or immortality upon whoever consumed it. It was brought to the gods in Olympus by doves and served by either Hebe or Ganymede at the heavenly feast.

What was the original salad? ›

The ancient Babylonians, Egyptians, Greeks and Romans were known to consume mixed greens with a combination of salt, oil and vinegar. These early salads were often made with ingredients like lettuce, celery, radishes, and onions, which were considered beneficial for digestion and overall health.

Why is ambrosia so good? ›

Ambrosia apples have a thinner skin which means they're easy to bite into. This is great for the young and old – whether you're wearing dentures or breaking in your brand new teeth – Ambrosia apples are the better choice. For everyone else, the thinner skin just makes eating an Ambrosia apple that much more enjoyable.

Where is ambrosia salad popular? ›

Though not as ubiquitous as it once was, for many Southerners ambrosia is a traditional Christmas-time dish, a fixture of family gatherings and restaurant buffets. Is it a dessert or a salad?

What's the ingredients for Watergate salad? ›

Whipped topping, pistachio-flavored instant pudding mix, canned pineapple, mini marshmallows, and chopped nuts come together to create this light and fluffy American classic that's beloved by home cooks everywhere, not just in the South, but the Midwest as well.

What is ambrosia also known as? ›

Ambrosia (plant), a genus of flowering plants in the Asteraceae commonly known as ragweed. Ambrosia beetle, beetles which live in nutritional symbiosis with ambrosia fungi. Ambrosia fungi. Bee bread, also known as ambrosia or bee pollen.

What does ambrosia liquor taste like? ›

The bittersweet, grapefruit-y flavor of this rosy-red craft liqueur lands somewhere between Campari and Aperol. It pours fairly viscous, and plays well with ice, bubbly mixers, or gin; ideal for Negroni fans.

What does ambrosia taste like? ›

When eaten, ambrosia normally tastes like a pleasant food enjoyed by the consumer. For Percy, it was warm chocolate chip cookies, while for Piper it was the black bean soup her father used to make her.

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