Boos, make sure y’all show up and out to the church function with my Southern Ambrosia Salad recipe. It’s so easy to pull together when you just ain’t got the time to make something fussy. I make mine with pineapple, mandarin oranges, maraschino cherries, mini marshmallows, and a ton of whipped cream, like a ton! It’s sweet, creamy and refreshing which is why all the Southern big mamas had this recipe in their back pocket for entertaining. Get into it. The best part is the whole thing is a no sweat recipe that even the kids can help make.
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How to Make Ambrosia
- Drain the Fruit: Thoroughly drain the pineapple chunks, mandarin oranges, and cherries. Make sure you get out as much liquid as humanly possible. You can even pat the fruit dry with paper towels if you’d like. Watery ambrosia ain’t it y’all!
- Fold Creams: In a large bowl, gently fold the whipped cream and sour cream together.
- Mix It Up: Slowly add the drained fruit, marshmallows, coconut, and pecans to the bowl, carefully folding in each addition. It’s best to add everything to the creamy mixture in increments of 3. You want to keep the texture airy so make sure you fold and not stir.
- Chill for at least an hour, then serve.
PRO TIP: If you wanna make it cute, reserve some maraschino cherries to garnish the top of your salad.
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Ambrosia Salad Recipe
Want to Save This Recipe, Boo?
I’ll email this recipe to you, so you can come back to it later!
Ingredients
- 20 oz pineapple chunks fully drained
- 15 oz mandarin oranges fully drained
- 1 cup maraschino cherries drained well
- 1 cup cool whip topping or homemade whipped cream
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1 cup mini marshmallows
- 1/2 cup shredded coconut
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans
Instructions
- Thoroughly drain the pineapple chunks, mandarin oranges, and cherries removing as much liquid as possible.
- In a large bowl, gently fold the whipped cream and sour cream together.
- Slowly add the drained fruit, marshmallows, coconut, and pecans to the bowl, carefully folding in each addition.
- Chill for at least an hour, then serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Recipe Tips
- Room Temp: Making sure your ingredients are room temperature will help make sure your salad doesn’t clump up or seize.
- Taste as you go! That way you can adjust sweetness and other flavors just how you like it.
- Mix Gently: Remember don’t just toss everything together in a hurry. Take your time and truly fold the ingredients together so the texture stays light and airy.
- Toast the coconut: If you have a little more time, toast up the coconut. It will give a much richer flavor. Just add your coconut flakes to a dry skillet over medium heat and stir frequently for about 3-5 minutes until they toast up.
- Let is Set! Throw that bowl in the fridge for a bit to let those flavors really set up. You want to let it chill at the very least an hour.
Recipe Help
Yep! Southern Ambrosia Salad can be made the day ahead before it’s served. It’s actually best to give the cream and fruit time to chill and commingle a bit.
Of course! In fact, it will taste fantastic especially if its fresh and ripe. It can enhance the finished treat so much.
Absolutely y’all. My baby girl and I are both allergic to many nuts so we avoid them at all costs. You can leave them out or you could substitute for something that will give that crunchy texture instead. I like to crumble up cookies and add that crunch back in. Delish!
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I love a good ambrosia salad! I can’t wait to make this for Easter this weekend!
An Easter dinner staple in our house!
This sweet salad is a Spring holiday delight! Perfect for picnics and cookouts too.
Love this fruit salad! The combination of juicy fruit and whipped cream can’t be beat!