Ambrosia Salad, Southern Style

Ambrosia! Doesn’t the name just sound heavenly? This ambrosia salad recipe reminds me why this dessert is named after the Greek “food of the gods.” It also always reminds me of my Granny and her Easter ambrosia!

A classic ambrosia fruit salad was one of my Granny Gray’s favorite Easter recipes, and it really is heavenly.

Fruit salads in general make a light, fresh addition to holiday tables: Easter, Christmas, Thanksgiving, and more. They are also super portable, so they are great to bring for potlucks. A basic fruit salad works beautifully as either a dessert or a side dish. 

What’s ambrosia salad made of?

This no-bake Southern ambrosia recipe takes a simple fruit salad and makes it something truly special.

• You start with a jar of maraschino cherries, rinsed and thoroughly drained. In fact, be sure to drain all of the canned fruit thoroughly to keep your ambrosia salad from getting watery. 
• While the cherries are draining–about 30 minutes–whip up your homemade whipped cream. 
• Fold the fruit, marshmallows, coconut, and nuts into the whipped cream. Or if you are making your ambrosia salad ahead, set aside the mandarin oranges and toasted pecans and add them just before serving.

Ambrosia Substitutions and Variations

For the fruit: You can make variations of this dessert by adding the fruit of your choice: blueberries, strawberries, peaches, bananas, etc. You can also use canned pineapple tidbits instead of fresh.

For the whipped cream: If you need an extra easy ambrosia salad or you want to keep it light, you can use Cool Whip or other ready-made whipped topping instead of the real whipped cream mixture. You can use vanilla yogurt or plain Greek yogurt, too. However, this special-occasion dessert is better with the real thing!

For the nuts: Nuts add a delightful crunch to your ambrosia salad. Feel free to substitute walnuts for the pecans, although I think pecans are the perfect complement to the sweetness of the fruit. If you’re allergic to nuts, you could substitute an equal amount of granola or pumpkin or sunflower seeds.

More Heavenly Holiday Desserts

The pineapple pie is a no-bake dessert like the ambrosia.

Classic Carrot Cake Recipe

Easy Pineapple Pie Recipe

Southern Bourbon Pecan Chocolate Chip Pie

Alabama Peanut Pie

Stacy Lyn’s Ambrosia Salad Recipe

Ambrosia fruit salad was one of my Granny Gray's traditional Easter recipes. This version is both easy and heavenly.

5 from 2 votes

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Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine Southern

Servings 12 servings

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1/2 cup maraschino cherries
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2 tablespoon powdered sugar
• 4 ounces sour cream
• 5 cups mini marshmallows (about 10 ounces or one bag)
• 2 cups grated unsweetened coconut shreds
• 1 fresh pineapple peeled, cored, and cut into cubes
• 1 cup canned mandarin orange segments
• 1 1/2 cups toasted pecans chopped
• 1 cup green grapes cut in half

Instructions

 

• Place the maraschino cherries in a strainer and rinse with cold water. Allow to drain for about 30 minutes.
• In the large bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, place the cream and sugar and whip until stiff peaks are formed. Add the sour cream and whisk to combine.
• Add the marshmallows, coconut, pineapple, mandarin orange sections, pecans, cherries, and grapes. Gently fold in the ingredients with a spatula to combine.
• Transfer the ambrosia salad to a serving bowl, cover, and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes before serving.

Notes

Stacy Lyn’s Note: Nothing’s worse than a watery ambrosia! To keep that fruit sharp and fresh, drain all the fruit before adding it in. If you are making this ahead, wait until you are ready to serve the dish to add the mandarin oranges and the toasted pecans.

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