Easy Ambrosia Salad

Ambrosia salad, also known as 5-cup salad, is an easy-to-make side dish (or even dessert).

A combination of pineapple, coconut, mandarin oranges, and mini marshmallows is mixed into a creamy base.

Just 5 ingredients, one cup of each, make this sweet salad a holiday favorite.

This Ambrosia Salad recipe was a staple at my Grandma’s holiday dinner table.

What is Ambrosia Salad?

Ambrosia literally means ‘food of the gods’ and this recipe is a fluffy ‘salad’ that really isn’t a salad at all. Some call it a fruit salad with marshmallows (also known as 5-Cup salad). It’s most often served as a side dish for Easter or even Thanksgiving dinner!

but it also a tasty side dish. While it’s called a salad, this is more like a dessert recipe.

It starts with a creamy base and the addition of:

mandarin orangespineapple tidbitsmini marshmallowscoconut

Ambrosia Recipe Variations

The possibilities for ingredients in this recipe are endless.

Creamy Base: The base in this recipe is sour cream or Greek yogurt (both of which sweeten from the marshmallows) but you can use vanilla yogurt, cream cheese, or even whipped topping (like Cool Whip) or whipped cream. I have also seen cottage cheese in some versions but we prefer a smooth texture.Additions: Try other goodies including maraschino cherries or nuts like walnuts or pecans.Fruit: Trade the mandarin oranges and pineapple for canned fruit cocktail or peaches. If you’d prefer, skip the cans and fold in fresh fruit like grapes, bananas, blueberries, and/or strawberries!

How to Make Ambrosia Salad

Ambrosia Fruit Salad is a great side to whip up if you are short on time!

Drain all pineapple and oranges (per the recipe below).Add all ingredients to a large bowl and gently fold.Let chill in the refrigerator at least 4 hours.

Tips for Ambrosia Salad

Be sure to make this salad ahead of time so it has a chance to sit, this helps blend the flavors and makes the marshmallows soften which sweetens the recipe.Drain all fruit ingredients well so the dish isn’t watery.Gently fold in the mandarin oranges last as they can be fragile and break apart.Sour cream can be substituted with Greek yogurt or plain yogurt.

What are your favorite Ambrosia Salad ingredients? Let us know in a comment below!