The Cozy Cookbook is here! 
This Ambrosia Salad recipe is easy to make with fluffy Cool Whip, Pineapples, Cherries, Mandarin Oranges, Fruit Cocktail, and more! It’s the best side dish recipe that everyone loves.
Be sure to try my super refreshing Fruit Dip and Peach Cobbler recipes next!
Ambrosia Salad
This Ambrosia Salad is a simple, refreshing, and nostalgic side dish recipe that is so easy to prepare. It’s perfect for summer potlucks and BBQs, but it has a special place at the holiday table well!
It’s got juicy mandarin oranges, pineapples, and fruit cocktail, and maraschino cherries.
You’ll also find varying textures with every bite, ranging from creamy Cool Whip and vanilla yogurt, to crunchy chopped pecans, fluffy mini marshmallows, and sweet coconut flakes!
You can’t beat this recipe, there’s a place for it at just about every occasion!
How to Make It
Note: This is an overview. See recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
Use paper towels to remove as much moisture from the fruit as possible. Use a silicone spatula to gently stir the ingredients together in a large bowl until well-combined. Serve immediately, or refrigerate until ready to serve.
Pro Tips
- Be sure to use paper towels to remove as much moisture from the fruit as possible so that the consistency remains creamy and not watery.
- Coconut Flakes: Feel free to toast the coconut flakes in a skillet over medium for a few minutes to add more depth of flavor! Stir frequently and watch them closely.
- Yogurt: 1/2 cup sour cream + 1 tsp. vanilla extract can be used instead of yogurt if needed or preferred.
- Mint: Fresh mint makes a beautiful garnish to this dish!
- Feel free to add a little cottage cheese to the mix as well!
- Make Ahead: Feel free to make this dish hours ahead of time and store in an airtight container until ready to serve. It can also be stored overnight until ready to serve.
- Ambrosia: This word comes from Greek mythology and translates to “the food of the Gods“. It implies that the food is delicious and life giving, providing eternal youth or immortality. (Wouldn’t that be nice!?)
Storage
- Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days. (Leftovers don’t freeze well.)
Tools For This Recipe
(Amazon affiliate links*)- Check out all of my kitchen essentials here.
- Silicone Spatulas– My tool of choice to gently combine these ingredients together.
- Mixing Bowls with Lids– Perfect for preparing this and refrigerating or transporting it until ready to serve! (I have these and love them.)
- Serving Bowls
*As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Try These Next
-
- Mango Salsa
-
- Peach Cobbler
-
- Fruit Dip
-
- Thai Chicken Salad
-
- Chicken Enchiladas
-
- Marry Me Chicken Pasta
Get My Free E-Book!
- I’ve got a FREE e-Book with 7 super popular dinner recipes! Click here to join my email list and I’ll send your e-Book right over!
- And be sure to follow me on Instagram, Pinterest, & Facebook!
Tried This Recipe?
Leave a review, I love hearing your feedback! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Ambrosia Salad
Ingredients
- 20 oz. pineapple chunks, drained and patted dry
- 15 oz. mandarin oranges, drained and patted dry
- 15 oz. fruit cocktail, drained and patted dry
- 10 oz. maraschino cherries, drained and patted dry
- 6 oz. vanilla yogurt, full fat. See notes
- 1 cup mini marshmallows
- ½ cup sweetened coconut flakes
- 8 oz. cool whip, thawed
- 1/3 cup chopped pecans, optional
Instructions
- Use paper towels to remove excess from the fruit so that the texture remains creamy (vs. watery).
- Set aside a few mandarin oranges, cherries, coconut flakes, and nuts to decorate the top of the salad.
- Add salad ingredients to a large bowl and use a silicone spatula to gently combine. Transfer to a serving dish and top with reserved fruit, coconut flakes, and nuts.
- Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve.
Notes
- Be sure to use paper towels to remove as much moisture from the fruit as possible so that the consistency remains creamy and not watery.
- Coconut Flakes: Feel free to toast the coconut flakes in a skillet over medium for a few minutes to add more depth of flavor! Stir frequently and watch them closely.
- Yogurt: 1/2 cup sour cream + 1 tsp. vanilla extract can be used instead of yogurt if needed or preferred.
- Mint: Fresh mint makes a beautiful garnish to this dish!
- Feel free to add a little cottage cheese to the mix as well!
- Make Ahead: Feel free to make this dish hours ahead of time and store in an airtight container until ready to serve. It can also be stored overnight until ready to serve.
- Ambrosia: This word comes from Greek mythology and translates to "the food of the Gods". It implies that the food is delicious and life giving, providing eternal youth or immortality. (Wouldn't that be nice!?)
Storage
- Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days. (Leftovers don't freeze well.)
Nutritional information is an estimate and is per serving. This recipe has 8 servings.
Hi Stephanie
Brooklyn and I are enjoying your cookbook so much. It has a permanent space on my countertop! I’m still doing PT so we look to your recipes as a source of comfort! Thank you! I have a question about the Ambrosia salad. I’m going to a Celebration of life and would like to make this. I’m not sure if it’s an inside or outside event. Will it be ok to make this if it’s an outside event? Here in Florida the heat is unbearable. I don’t want it getting spoiled. Thank you for sharing such great recipes. Blessings.
Hi Donna! I’m so happy to hear that you’re loving the cookbook!!! I just sent my second cookbook to the printer this week which I’m SO excited about!! As far as the ambrosia salad and unbearable heat, whipped cream and yogurt can only withstand that heat for so long, maybe you could find a way to place the serving bowl in another bowl of ice to help keep it chill? Otherwise, it may not hold up too long. Perhaps a pasta salad would work better?
I made this for a cool summer desert. The cool whip with vanilla yogurt is a tasty base. Using paper towels to get excess water off of fruit is an appreciated tip! Next time I think I’ll used a diced apple instead of fruit cocktail to have some crunch and freshness in it. I didn’t add the coconut (too cheap to buy) and pecans (nut allergy), and it was fine w/o those.
So glad that you loved it Brenda, it’s so delicious in the summer months! I love snacking on it at night too! 😉 Thank you so much!
Looks great – but nix on the coconut and pecans – my family would never eat this with those in it. Other than those 2 ingredients – this is the perfect salad. Thank you for posting it.
You’re welcome, hope you enjoy it 🙂
I decided to make some of this after seeing your post on Instagram since it looked delicious! My eyes did not deceive me…it was fabulous! I just love the consistency and the mixture of fruit complimented by yogurt and the fluffy cool whip. Surprisingly, I haven’t had ambrosia salad before but now I’m going make it and munch on it in the evenings when I want a little something sweet. It’s perfect for Summer! I brought a little bit to my neighbor as well and she was thrilled. Thank you!
I’m so happy that you loved it Barbara! You’re just like me- I love snacking on this at night for some reason. We’re going through a heat wave so it’s extra refreshing. Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review! 🙂 -Stephanie