• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
A Southern Soul

A Southern Soul

Easy Recipes & Entertaining Ideas For Everyday Life

Search
  • Recipes
    • Air Fryer
    • Appetizers
    • Beverages
    • Bread
    • Breakfast
    • Comfort Food
    • Crockpot/Slow Cooker
    • Desserts
    • Grilling
    • Main Dish
    • Party Food
    • Salads
    • Side Dish
    • Snacks
    • Soups & Stews
    • Southern Classics
  • Midweek Menu
  • About
  • Shop
Home » Blog » Recipes » Salads

Easy Ambrosia Salad

by Donya Mullins 17 Comments This post may contain affiliate links.

Jump to Recipe

This post may contain affiliate links.

Ambrosia Salad is a classic recipe that’s hard to resist. Made with pineapple, cherries, oranges, coconut, pecans, and grapes all wrapped up in fresh whipped cream and marshmallows, is a fruit salad that dreams are made of!

Inside a white serving bowl sits a delicious Ambrosia Salad, made with oranges, cherries, pineapple and marshmallows is tossed in a light fluffy mixture of fresh whipped cream with a touch of sour cream for extra flavor.
Pinterest banner

If you’re from the South, then you know about Ambrosia Salad. It’s one of those dishes you’d always find on the table at Christmas, Thanksgiving, and Easter. It was also a “must-have” for any covered dish supper at church or a family get-together.

Ambrosia, as it’s called, (you can drop the salad part) is one of those old-school recipes that brings back such fond memories that it was destined to appear in my kitchen.

The first time I made Ambrosia for my family, I must say, I didn’t quite get the overjoyed reaction I was expecting. Actually, I got three sets of eyes staring at me with “what in the world is that” kind of look. Then came the questions about what was in Ambrosia and why I would put marshmallows in a salad. Now, I need to say that until that day, several years ago, Mr. A Southern Soul had never even heard of this southern classic dish, much less tasted it. That’s when I had to do a little “schooling” so my fellas could understand just how special Ambrosia is!

It didn’t take me long to convenience them to give it a taste, and that’s when I knew I had ’em. After a few bites and several oohs and ahhs, my sweet husband and my sons finally understood why I had to have them love Ambrosia as much as I do. It’s just tradition, as simple as that.

A full, large white serving bowl sits next to a small square plate piled high with Ambrosia Salad, made with oranges, cherries, pineapple and marshmallows is tossed in a light fluffy mixture of fresh whipped cream with a touch of sour cream for extra flavor.

Ingredients To Make Ambrosia Salad

For the Salad

  • Canned Pineapple chunks
  • Canned Mandarin oranges
  • Maraschino cherries
  • Green grapes – halved
  • Pecans – chopped
  • Mini marshmallows
  • Sweetened Coconut flakes
  • Sour Cream

Whipped Cream

  • Heavy cream
  • Sugar
  • Vanilla
A full, large white serving bowl sits next to a small square plate piled high with Ambrosia Salad, made with oranges, cherries, pineapple and marshmallows is tossed in a light fluffy mixture of fresh whipped cream with a touch of sour cream for extra flavor.

How To Make Easy Ambrosia Salad

It only takes a few ingredients to make Ambrosia. Canned pineapple, mandarin oranges, and cherries are drained and set aside for about an hour to make sure all the juice is drained and the fruit dries out a bit.

While that’s happening, the grapes are cut in half and the pecans are roughly chopped. For my salad, I like using fresh homemade whipped cream which is super easy to make, you can substituent with whipped topping, with heavy cream, sugar, and vanilla.

Once the fruit is ready, just mix in a bit of sour cream to the fluffy, whipped cream. Next, add in the coconut and marshmallows. Then, add in the fruit and nuts and you’ve got a delicious, fresh Ambrosia Salad!

Inside a white serving bowl sits a delicious Ambrosia Salad, made with oranges, cherries, pineapple and marshmallows is tossed in a light fluffy mixture of fresh whipped cream with a touch of sour cream for extra flavor.

People Often Ask…

What Is Ambrosia Salad?

Ambrosia salad is a retro southern recipe, most people will remember their aunts and grandmas bringing to potlucks. Some folks call this a salad, while others think of it as a dessert, all I know is that it’s fresh, light, and delicious!

The word ‘ambrosia’ means delicious or fragrant, which is perfectly fitting for this recipe. The ingredients to this dish may change depending on who makes it, but it is always a delicious and fragrant dish.

My version of this classic recipe is made with pineapple, cherries, oranges, coconut, pecans and grapes all wrapped up in fresh whipped cream and marshmallows, and it is the fruit salad of my dreams!

A full, large white serving bowl sits next to a small square plate piled high with Ambrosia Salad, made with oranges, cherries, pineapple and marshmallows is tossed in a light fluffy mixture of fresh whipped cream with a touch of sour cream for extra flavor.

More Great Salads With Fruit

  • Fruit Salad For A Crowd
  • Cranberry Pecan Slaw
  • Sunshine Fruit Salad
  • Spinach & Fresh Fruit Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing
  • Broccoli Apple Salad
Ambrosia salad made with oranges, cherries, pineapple and marshmallows is tossed in a light fluffy mixture of fresh whipped cream with a touch of sour cream for extra flavor.
4.86 from 7 votes

Ambrosia Salad

Author: Donya Mullins
Course: Dessert, Salad
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Drain Fruit: 45 minutes
Servings: 8
Print Pin Rate
Ambrosia Salad is a classic recipe that's hard to resist. Make with pineapple, cherries, oranges, coconut, pecans and grapes all wrapped up in fresh whipped cream and marshmallows, is a fruit salad that dreams are made of!

Ingredients

  • 1 20 oz can pineapple chunks
  • 1 15 oz can Mandarin oranges
  • 1 cup Maraschino cherries
  • 1 cup green grapes – halved
  • 1 cup pecans – chopped
  • 3 cups mini marshmallows
  • 1 cup sweetened coconut flakes
  • ½ cup sour cream

Whipped Cream

  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1 1.2 tablespoons sugar
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla

Instructions

  • Place pineapple chunks and oranges in a strainer and set aside, approximately 45 minutes to drain. Drain cherries, rinse in cold water and set aside with other fruit to drain.
  • Using a stand or hand mixer, whip heavy cream, sugar and vanilla until stiff peaks are formed. Fold in half of sour cream until mixed then add remaining being careful not to deflate whipped cream. Add coconut and marshmallow to mixture and stir gently.
  • Add in fruit and nuts, stirring to incorporate. Cover and chill until ready to serve.
Ambrosia salad made with oranges, cherries, pineapple and marshmallows is tossed in a light fluffy mixture of fresh whipped cream with a touch of sour cream for extra flavor.
Did you make my Ambrosia Salad?I’d love to see! Share on Instagram, tag @asouthernsoul, and use the hashtag #asouthernsoul!
Tag on Insta Leave a Rating
Ambrosia salad made with oranges, cherries, pineapple and marshmallows is tossed in a light fluffy mixture of fresh whipped cream with a touch of sour cream for extra flavor.
Ambrosia salad made with oranges, cherries, pineapple and marshmallows is tossed in a light fluffy mixture of fresh whipped cream with a touch of sour cream for extra flavor.
Donya with A Southern Soul

Meet A Southern Soul

Hey, there! I’m Donya and welcome to A Southern Soul. I love to cook and entertain with easy to make recipes and simple ideas that make people feel special. Read More

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
Arrow icon in teal blue for email opt-in.

What’s For Dinner?

5 Easy Delicious Meal Plans + Secrets To Getting Dinner On The Table!

Reader Interactions

Comments

    Rate & Comment Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




  1. Christine P Brown

    January 2, 2023 at 10:12 am

    Great Southern Recipes… Most of which my Grandmother & Great-Grandmother made for me throughout my life and since they’ve passed on I love seeing these genuinely old recipes still being passed on throughout the different generations. Thank You ma’am for sharing.

    Reply
    • Donya Mullins

      January 3, 2023 at 12:24 pm

      You’ve made my day!
      Thank you so much for sharing,
      ~Donya

      Reply
  2. Cheryl M Skipper

    December 24, 2022 at 2:57 pm

    11 TBSP of sugar?

    Reply
    • Donya Mullins

      December 24, 2022 at 4:20 pm

      That would be 1 and 1/2 tablespoons.
      Merry Christmas,
      ~Donya

      Reply
  3. Wendy Hampton

    June 27, 2022 at 4:02 pm

    Gosh, I had forgotten about this wonderful dish. Haven’t made it in quite awhile when it appeared in my inbox. Your recipe has even more pizzazz than most Ambrosia recipes. I’m heading off to the store right now. It is nearly 100 today in California and i was craving something sweet and juicy! this will be perfect!

    Reply
    • Donya

      June 28, 2022 at 8:20 am

      Hey there Wendy!
      I am so happy to hear that the email has inspired you, I think you’re totally right that this salad is the PERFECT dish to beat the heat! If you liked this dish, you should check out my Grape Salad recipe, it’s just as easy to make, it’s super refreshing, and it’s got that cool flavor that’s great for hot summers. Thank you so much for your kind words of support and for your phenomenal rating, I really hope you enjoyed the recipe!
      ~Donya

      Reply
  4. Carmen McDaniel

    February 17, 2021 at 12:34 am

    I love this…reminds me of long along. now I have the recipe. Thank you.

    Reply
    • Donya

      February 25, 2021 at 3:11 pm

      You are so welcome, Carmen. Good food brings back great memories.
      Have a lovely day,
      ~Donya

      Reply
  5. Jenn

    December 25, 2020 at 11:11 am

    I had to switch some things up because Finns do not like overly sweet things and…sadly I do not have access to mini marshmallows. So I used 1 Tbs sugar and ½ tsp vanilla sugar. Since I didn’t have access to maraschino cherries either, I used the cherries you use in fruit cake instead. Everything else was the same. I ended up with a very delicate balance of sweet and tangy! Excellent recipe thank you!

    Reply
  6. Wendy Hampton

    December 21, 2020 at 10:39 pm

    Ohhhhhh juicy, sweet but not too sweet, the combination of colors and textures is soooo good! Definitely the whipped cream! This is to good to save for just the holidays. I LOVE IT! and I saved it to my “heirloom recipes” file.

    Reply
  7. Sharon

    June 27, 2020 at 11:32 am

    My mom made this whenever we had company coming for dinner, back in the 60’s and 70’s. So good and left overs were no problem! 🇨🇦

    Reply
  8. Toni

    April 5, 2019 at 6:20 am

    This is such a fabulous salad!!

    Reply
  9. Toni

    April 5, 2019 at 6:18 am

    This salad looks really fabulous!

    Reply
  10. Megan @ Megunprocessed

    April 2, 2019 at 10:42 pm

    I’ve never heard of this before, but I love all that fruit in there!

    Reply
  11. Claudine

    March 26, 2019 at 10:11 pm

    I love the ingredients in this Ambrosia Salad! This will be on my menu for Easter Dinner this year. Thank you Donya for sharing your wonderful recipes.
    Claudine in Fort Worth, TX

    Reply
    • Janet Dwyer

      November 23, 2020 at 8:57 am

      Can this be made the night before? Will the cream break down if it sits too long?

      Reply
      • Donya

        November 23, 2020 at 9:21 am

        Hey Janet.
        I usually make it the night before I want to serve it. Give it a gentle stir before serving and you’ll be good to go!
        Happy Thanksgiving,
        ~Donya

        Reply

Primary Sidebar

Donya with A Southern Soul

Meet A Southern Soul

Hey, there! I’m Donya and welcome to A Southern Soul. I love to cook and entertain with easy to make recipes and simple ideas that make people feel special. Read More

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

What’s For Dinner?

5 Easy Delicious Meal Plans + Secrets To Getting Dinner On The Table!

Trending Now

  • Crock Pot Chicken Thighs in bowl of pot with serving fork.Crock Pot Chicken Thighs
  • Baked Potatoes made in the Air Fryer are tender and fully on the outside with a crispy skin that makes them irresistible. Easy to make, just add your favorite toppings like butter, chives, sour cream, salt and pepper.Air Fryer Baked Potatoes
  • Celery stuffed with cream cheese, bacon, herbs and cheddar cheese are outrageously good! Served as an appetizer or snack, this is a recipe that's sure to become a favorite at parties, BBQs and family gatherings.Outrageously Good Stuffed Celery
  • Hot Dogs in buns cooked in the air fryerEasy Air Fryer Hot Dogs
  • Warm dip made with spinach and artichokes.Crock Pot Spinach Artichoke Dip
  • Award Winning Southern Soul Chili served in a bowl topped with cheese and served with muffins.Award-Winning Southern Soul Chili Recipe

© 2023 · A Southern Soul · Cookie Policy · Privacy Policy