Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Quick & easy. Just mix all the ingredients together and chill in the fridge overnight.
Can be a side or dessert. One of the great things about this creamy marshmallow fruit salad is that it can be served as a side dish or dessert. It’s a bit of a 2-in-1 recipe!
Always a hit. No matter when you serve it, it’s sure to disappear quickly as everyone LOVES it.
What is Ambrosia Salad?
Ambrosia salad is a fruit salad made with crushed pineapple, mandarin oranges, grapes, maraschino cherries, whipped topping, marshmallows, and shredded coconut. While many ambrosia fruit salads include sour cream, I chose to exclusively use whipped topping for this Hawaiian ambrosia salad. It’s so much sweeter and has no tang from the sour cream. For those of us from the South, Ambrosia Salad Recipe is a staple side dish at most gatherings.
What You’ll Need
This dessert salad is made with a handful of different fruits tossed in Cool Whip. Here’s a quick look at what you’ll need. See the recipe card below for a printable list.
Mandarin Oranges – This recipe uses canned mandarin oranges, but you can use fresh orange slices.
Pineapple – I also used canned pineapple but fresh works too.
Green Grapes – Fresh green grapes are cut in half for this fruit salad. Red grapes will also work.
Maraschino Cherries – The addition of maraschino cherries is a favorite of mine personally, but can also be optional. The cherries also make this salad look pretty when serving.
Sweetened Coconut Flakes – Coconut flakes add a nice texture to this fruit salad.
Mini Marshmallows – My kids favorite part of this salad! Multi-colored, fruit-flavored mini marshmallows are great if you can find them.
Whipped topping – The best part of the salad! It makes it light and creamy and perfectly sweet.
Variation Ideas
Swap in your favorite fruits and nuts. Feel free to swap out any of the ingredients for something you prefer more or omit something you’re not a fan of. The great thing about this creamy fruit salad is just how versatile it is.
Use fresh fruits. Using canned fruits keeps this fruit salad quick and easy to prepare but feel free to use Cuties, clementines, or mandarins instead of canned oranges. Just cut each slice into pieces. Fresh pineapple can also be used.
Add more tropical fruits. Since this is a Hawaiian ambrosia salad, you can add lychee, passion fruit, dragon fruit, mango, or papaya for a more Hawaiian taste.
Add some sour cream. If you prefer your fruit salad a little less on the sweet side, replace a bit of the whipped topping with sour cream.
How To Make Ambrosia Salad
This creamy fruit salad comes together in just a few steps. Remember to prepare it ahead of time so it has plenty of time to chill!
Drain the fruits. Drain the juices from all of the canned fruits.
Combine ingredients. Mix all of the ingredients together in a large bowl.
Chill. Cover and chill in the fridge for several hours. Overnight is ideal, as it gives time for the flavors to combine and the marshmallows to soak up any extra liquid.
