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.
What Is Ambrosia?
Ambrosia is an American variety of fruit salad, usually containing pineapple, mandarin oranges, marshmallows, and coconut.
Ingredients For Ambrosia Salad
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.
STEP TWO: Add the whipped topping, a third at a time, mixing on low speed.
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.
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’s always a welcome, fresh side along with grilled tilapia, grilled salmon, or grilled chicken.
Check out this Watergate salad and orange creamsicle salad for other fun vintage fluff salad recipes we all love.
This is the style of fruit salad I come back to when time is tight, and I need my recipe to just work, without a doubt. I’ve gathered all of my dessert salads and fluff recipes together so they’re easy to go through, and many use similar ingredients and the same foolproof method.
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.
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
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.
Ambrosia salad is a popular dish that is often found in the Southern United States.
Ambrosia Fruit Salad with Cool Whip
Ingredients
- 8 ounces cream cheese room temperature
- 12 ounces maraschino cherries drained and cut in half (plus additional
- 8 ounces Cool Whip
- 20 ounces crushed pineapple drained
- 15 ounces mandarin oranges drained
- 1 cup shredded coconut
- 1 cup marshmallows
- chopped walnuts for optional garnish
Instructions
- Beat the cream cheese in a large bowl on low speed until completely smooth.
- Add the whipped topping in three additions, mixing on low until combined.
- Gently fold in the oranges, pineapple, cherries, coconut, and marshmallows.
- Transfer to a serving dish and top with chopped walnuts and cherries if desired.
Video
Notes
- Swap the walnuts for slivered almonds if that’s your preference.
- Bring the cream cheese to room temperature before mixing to avoid lumps.
- Mix gently to keep the fruit pieces intact.
- For best flavor, refrigerate for several hours before serving to allow everything to blend together.
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!