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Ambrosia (Fruit Salad)

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a close up shot of Ambrosia Salad in a clear bowl
The tropical, exotic flavors in this easy ambrosia salad will guarantee that it will get eaten up fast!
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Table of Contents
  1. What Is Ambrosia?
  2. Ingredients For Ambrosia Salad
  3. Ambrosia Salad Recipe Substitutions And Additions
  4.  How To Make Ambrosia Salad
  5. How To Serve Ambrosia (Fruit Salad)
  6. Fruit Salad With Cool Whip Storage
  7. Ambrosia Fruit Salad Is A Classic!
  8. Frequently Asked Questions
  9. More Recipes You’ll Love
  10. JUMP TO RECIPE
  11. Even More Recipes You’ll Love

Our classic ambrosia salad recipe is a tasty fluff salad that is packed with pineapple, sweet mandarin oranges, crunchy coconut, and miniature marshmallows. The simple ingredients are mixed with a creamy dressing, making this heavenly salad a delicious and refreshing choice for the perfect side dish.

a close up shot of Ambrosia Salad in a blue bowl

What Is Ambrosia?

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Ambrosia is an American variety of fruit salad, usually containing pineapple, mandarin oranges, marshmallows, and coconut.

Ingredients For Ambrosia Salad

Ambrosia Salad raw ingredients that are labeled

You’ll need:

  • 8 ounces of cream cheese, room temperature
  • 1 (8-ounce) container of whipped topping
  • 1 (15-ounce) can of mandarin oranges, drained
  • 1 (20-ounce) can of crushed pineapple, drained
  • 1 (12-ounce) jar of maraschino cherries, drained and cut in half (plus more for garnish)
  • 1 cup of shredded coconut flakes
  • 1 cup of mini marshmallows
  • chopped walnuts (optional, for garnish)

Ambrosia Salad Recipe Substitutions And Additions

NUTS: If your family doesn’t like the walnuts, they can be left off. You could also replace them with slivered almonds or another nut, depending on your preference.

WHIPPED TOPPING: If you would prefer to use homemade whipped cream in this easy fruit salad, check out our own stabilized whipped cream recipe.

CREAM CHEESE: In place of the cream cheese, you could opt to use sour cream, vanilla yogurt, or plain Greek yogurt, and your dressing will still be nice and creamy.

FRUIT: If you prefer, you could add a can of fruit cocktail for a different variety of fruit in your ambrosia salad with cream cheese.

MARSHMALLOWS: You can choose to use white miniature marshmallows or, make your salad extra fun with rainbow mini marshmallows.

Can I Add Other Fruit To This Ambrosia Fruit Salad Recipe?

This delicious fruit salad is flexible, and you can easily add other fruits. Red or green grapes would be a perfect choice for this recipe.

Can I Leave Out The Coconut?

You can certainly omit the coconut from this salad without it being missed.

 How To Make Ambrosia Salad

STEP ONE: In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese on low until smooth.

OUR RECIPE DEVELOPER SAYS

Make sure your cream cheese is at room temperature so that you don’t end up with any lumps in your creamy mixture.

cream cheese blended in a bowl

STEP TWO: Add the whipped topping, a third at a time, mixing on low speed.

whipped topping added to the cream cheese and blended together

STEP THREE: Stir in the mandarin orange slices, pineapple, cherries, coconut, and marshmallows.

PRO TIP:

Stir all of the ingredients together carefully, as you don’t want to break apart the fruit pieces.

oranges, pineapple, cherries, coconut, and marshmallows stirred in a bowl

STEP FOUR: Spoon into a serving bowl and garnish with chopped walnuts and cherries if desired.

PRO TIP:

If you have the time, allow this marshmallow fruit salad with cream cheese to chill for several hours in the fridge. This will allow the flavors to mingle together in your salad.

How To Serve Ambrosia (Fruit Salad)

This easy salad is refreshing and light, perfect for a simple side dish during the summer months.

It would be yummy as part of a grilled meal such as grilled tilapia, grilled salmon, or grilled chicken.

It is also a popular salad to be found on a holiday dinner table or other special occasions.

Check out this Watergate salad and orange creamsicle salad for other fun vintage fluff salad recipes we all love.

Fruit Salad With Cool Whip Storage

IN THE FRIDGE: If you don’t eat all the creamy fruit salad in one serving, just scoop it into an airtight container and store it in the fridge. It will last for two to three days.

IN THE FREEZER: We do not recommend freezing this easy dessert. Neither the marshmallows nor the creamy dressing will do very well in the freezer.

a close up shot of Ambrosia Salad in a clear cup

Does Ambrosia Salad Go Bad?

Ambrosia salad will last in the fridge for around three days as long as it is well-covered.

Ambrosia Fruit Salad Is A Classic!

This ambrosia with cream cheese is a classic salad, and the fresh fruit flavors are hard to resist. It is light, fluffy, and flavorful, with a unique mix of colorful fruit, marshmallows, and whipped topping. And those cherries! Make it to enjoy with your family soon… you won’t be disappointed.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is it called ambrosia salad?

The name ambrosia originally referred to as “food of the Gods”. This salad got its name as many of the ingredients were once hard to find, making it a luxury.

Where is ambrosia salad popular?

Ambrosia salad is a popular dish that is often found in the Southern United States.

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a close up shot of Ambrosia Salad in a clear bowl

Ambrosia Fruit Salad with Cool Whip

5 from 57 votes
The tropical, exotic flavors in this easy ambrosia salad will guarantee that it will get eaten up fast!
Prep Time 10 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Servings 6

Ingredients
  

  • 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
  • 8 ounces whipped topping
  • 15 ounces mandarin oranges, drained
  • 20 ounces crushed pineapple, drained
  • 12 ounces maraschino cherries, drained and cut in half (plus more for garnish)
  • 1 cup shredded coconut
  • 1 cup marshmallows
  • chopped walnuts, for optional garnish

Instructions
 

  • In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese on low until smooth.
  • Add the whipped topping, a third at a time, mixing on low speed.
  • Stir in oranges, pineapple, cherries, coconut and marshmallows.
  • Spoon into serving bowl and garnish with chopped walnuts and cherries if desired.

Video

Notes

  • Substitute the walnuts for slivered almonds if you prefer.
  • Make sure your cream cheese is at room temperature so that you don’t end up with any lumps in your cream mixture.
  • Stir all of the ingredients together carefully, as you don’t want to break apart the fruit pieces.
  • If you have the time, allow this salad to chill for several hours in the fridge. This will allow the flavors to mingle together in your salad.

Nutrition

Calories: 506kcal | Carbohydrates: 73g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 16g | Cholesterol: 42mg | Sodium: 205mg | Potassium: 366mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 65g | Vitamin A: 1538IU | Vitamin C: 33mg | Calcium: 120mg | Iron: 1mg
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Proudly Prepared by the Spaceships Kitchen

This recipe was developed, tested, cooked and photographed by the Spaceships Kitchen. From our dinner table to yours, we hope you think it's out of this world!

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  1. Sonya Finch says

    5 stars
    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.

  2. Patti says

    5 stars
    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.

  3. 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.

  4. Judy Harold says

    5 stars
    We also added apples, coconut & fruit cocktail. Love the nuts. We always had pecans (pecan trees), so we added pecans! Thanks!

  5. Carol H. says

    5 stars
    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.

  6. Amy Kelley says

    5 stars
    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!

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