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Front shot of ambrosia salad recipe in a glass serving dish
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4.84 from 6 votes

Ambrosia Salad Recipe

A simple Southern side dish, this Ambrosia Salad recipe comes together in 5 minutes with just 6 ingredients!
Course Dessert, Side Dish
Cuisine American, Southern
Keyword Ambrosia, ambrosia salad, ambrosia salad recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 0 minutes
0 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes
Servings 6 - 8 servings
Calories 302kcal
Author Blair Lonergan

Ingredients

  • 1 cup crushed pineapple, drained
  • 1 cup miniature marshmallows
  • 1 cup mandarin oranges, drained
  • 1 cup maraschino cherries, drained
  • 1 cup shredded coconut*
  • 1 cup sour cream

Instructions

  • In a large bowl, gently stir together all of the ingredients.

Notes

*I used unsweetened coconut, but any kind will work fine.
  • Make sure that you drain the fruit really well so that you don't have a watery ambrosia salad.
  • Gently fold together the salad ingredients so that you don't smash the cherries and oranges.
  • I like the rich creaminess of a full-fat sour cream, but you can also substitute with low-fat sour cream for a lighter option. As an alternative, try making your ambrosia salad with yogurt (if you do this, I would recommend a plain, whole milk Greek-style yogurt).
  • Can ambrosia salad be made the day before? Yes -- you can prepare this salad up to 24 hours in advance. I find that the ambrosia is best, however, when enjoyed within 4-6 hours of preparation. The fruit releases liquid as it sits, so the sour cream dressing becomes thinner the longer that it stays in your refrigerator.
  • How long does ambrosia salad last? The fruit salad will stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
  • Can ambrosia salad be frozen? No, I don't recommend freezing this salad, because the sour cream may "break" when thawed and the fruit will have an odd, mushy texture.
  • Is ambrosia salad healthy? Nope -- not particularly! This is a treat that is meant to be enjoyed on special occasions (not as a replacement for fresh fruit). One serving of the salad has about 300 calories.

Nutrition

Serving: 1/6 of the salad | Calories: 302kcal | Carbohydrates: 38g | Protein: 2.8g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2.3g | Cholesterol: 16.9mg | Sodium: 36.1mg | Potassium: 137.1mg | Fiber: 3.5g | Sugar: 29.3g