This is the version that most closely matches the ambrosia salad I grew up eating in church basements and at my grandmother’s table: creamy but still light, wonderfully textured and sweet without tasting sugary.
Plan Enough Time For These
- I’ve found that you need to thaw the Cool Whip overnight in the fridge, not on the counter. Counter-thawed Cool Whip won’t hold as well. You want the Cool Whip’s texture to be cold and soft.
- Make sure your cream cheese is at room temperature so that you don’t end up with any lumps in your creamy mixture.
- The salad needs its chill time built into your plan. Right after mixing, the dressing feels lighter and looser than the finished texture after chilling.
Make-Ahead Guidance
I wouldn’t make ambrosia salad more than 24 hours ahead of when you need it. That is when the salad is at its best.
Past that, a small amount of liquid begins to separate at the bottom, even if you use the paper-towel drain step I mentioned below.
Ingredient Notes
- Do not substitute crushed pineapple for the pineapple tidbits. It releases too much liquid and will make the ambrosia runny.
- I prefer using sour cream, not yogurt or cream cheese. Sour cream cuts the sweetness and provides a classic texture.
- Choose mini marshmallows because they soften evenly during chilling. Both white or multi-color are fine.
- If you would prefer, you can make homemade Cool Whip.
- For more no-bake desserts made with Cool Whip, visit my Cool Whip desserts page.
Read Before You Start
The number one complaint about ambrosia salad is that it gets watery quickly. That’s something that is preventable.
Typically, excess juice is what makes ambrosia watery. These steps make the difference between salad that holds for 3 days and salad that pools liquid at the bottom of the bowl by tomorrow morning:
- Thoroughly drain the pineapple, oranges and halved cherries in a colander before they ever touch your bowl.
- If you have the time, line a shallow dish with paper towels, lay the pineapple, oranges and cherries in a single layer. Cover with more paper towels and chill for at least an hour.
- Rinse and pat the cherries dry after draining. Otherwise, they’ll bleed and you’ll have a pink ambrosia salad.
The Step Where You Can Go Wrong
Fold the fruit into the creamy mixture gently with a spatula instead of stirring or mixing aggressively.
Mandarin oranges are the first thing to break apart when overmixed. Once they split, the juice leaks into the dressing and it won’t have the same hold. Proper folding keeps the oranges pieces together, the cherries distributed instead of smeared and the creamy texture in tact.
I’ve gathered all of my dessert salads and fluff recipes together so it’s easy to browse all my dessert options. Many use similar ingredients and foolproof methods as my ambrosia. Check out this watergate salad and orange creamsicle salad for two more vintage recipe ideas..
Storage Instructions
In the fridge, covered tight, you can store this recipe for up to 3 days. Within the 3-day window, expect a little liquid to settle at the bottom by day two. Drain it off or stir it back in. The salad itself is still good.
I don’t recommend freezing. Cool Whip survives the freezer fine on its own, but combined with sour cream, marshmallows, and the residual moisture from the fruit, it separates on thaw. The marshmallows go gummy. There’s no version of frozen ambrosia I’ve seen that holds up.
Recipe Test Notes – Updated May 2026
Originally published in June 2021, this recipe was redeveloped in May 2026 to better reflect the classic Southern ambrosia salads readers actually remember from church potlucks and family holiday tables.
Ambrosia Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 8 ounce container Cool Whip thawed
- ¾ cup sour cream
- 1 ½ cups mini marshmallows
- 1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
- ½ cup chopped pecans 1 tablespoon reserved for garnish
- 20 ounce can pineapple tidbits in 100% juice drained well
- 15 ounce can mandarin orange segments in 100% juice drained well
- 1 cup maraschino cherries drained well and halved
Instructions
- In a large bowl, gently fold together the Cool Whip and sour cream.
- Add the mini marshmallows, sweetened shredded coconut, and chopped pecans (reserve 1 tablespoon pecans for garnish) and gently fold until all the ingredients are incorporated. Don't overmix.
- Add the DRAINED pineapple tidbits, mandarin orange segments, and maraschino cherries to the bowl. Gently fold together to avoid breaking apart the fruit pieces, just until the fruit is evenly distributed.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours to allow the salad to chill and the flavors to meld. The mixture should be fluffy and slightly thickened after chilling.
- Once chilled, give the salad a gentle fold before transferring to a serving bowl.
- Sprinkle the reserved 1 tablespoon chopped pecans on top to garnish.
Nutrition
Comments
Patsi Stillo says
I ate this as a child and still love it. No nuts ever!
Sonya Finch says
Always loved Ambrosia Salad when Mom made it. I still get hungry for it, but it never tastes like hers did. With nuts(pecans) and white marshmallows is my preference.
Patti says
Love Ambrosia. We used to use a can of fruit cocktail as all the ingredients for fruit. Never put nuts in it. Loved the coconut in it. Had never thought about rainbow marshmallows. Next time I will.
Patti says
Love Ambrosia. We used a can of fruit cocktail since it had all different fruit including cherries. Never used nuts. Loved the coconut in it. Only used white marshmallows, but will try colored ones next time.
Kim says
Literally making this tonight! Family fav! And with coconut!
Love your recipes
Judy Harold says
We also added apples, coconut & fruit cocktail. Love the nuts. We always had pecans (pecan trees), so we added pecans! Thanks!
Barbara says
Very good, not too sweet, perfect!
Carol H. says
Delicious. So easy too. My cream cheese was at room temp and it blended together with the Cool Whip with no trouble. I hope my family loves it as much as I do because it is an easy side dish.
Amy Kelley says
I love this recipe! I omitted the walnuts. This is the perfect side dish for a cookout by the pool or lake. My family isnt a fan of coconut, but for those who love coconut and fruit, this is the perfect combination!