Ambrosia Salad

Y’all, this is the old-fashioned Christmas bowl everybody goes back to! 🍊🍒 Ambrosia Salad is creamy, fruity and sweet, with mandarin oranges, pineapple, mini marshmallows, coconut and maraschino cherries.

There’s no cooking at all. You fold sour cream and whipped topping together until smooth, fold in the fruit, marshmallows and coconut, and add the cherries last so it stays a pretty pale pink. Then it chills in the fridge until serving time.

Spoon it into a pretty glass bowl and set it right on the holiday table.

Why You’ll Love It

• No cooking. Just fold, chill and serve.
• Only 7 ingredients. Mostly cans and pantry staples.
• Make it ahead. It needs at least 2 hours in the fridge anyway.
• Retro and pretty. That pale pink color looks so festive in a glass bowl.
• A holiday tradition. It’s the bowl everybody goes back to.

Ingredients You’ll Need

• Sour cream and whipped topping: Folded together into the creamy base.
• Mandarin oranges and pineapple tidbits: Drained well so the salad isn’t watery.
• Mini marshmallows and sweetened shredded coconut: The classic ambrosia mix-ins.
• Maraschino cherries: Drained and halved, and folded in last.

You’ll find the exact amounts and steps in the printable recipe card below.

How to Make It

In a large bowl, fold the sour cream and whipped topping together until smooth. Gently fold in the mandarin oranges, pineapple, marshmallows and coconut. Fold the cherries in last, nice and gently, so the salad stays a pretty pale pink. Cover it and chill it for at least 2 hours, then spoon it into a pretty glass bowl to serve.

Tips for the Best Ambrosia Salad

• Drain the fruit well. Drain the oranges, pineapple and cherries so the salad stays creamy.
• Fold gently. Folding (instead of stirring hard) keeps the mandarin oranges whole.
• Cherries go in last. Fold them in gently at the end so the salad stays pale pink.
• Chill it. Give it at least 2 hours in the fridge.
• Serve it pretty. Spoon it into a glass bowl so you can see all the layers of color.

Do you have an ambrosia lover in your family? Make this one for them this Christmas. 🎄