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This ambrosia salad recipe is loaded with pineapple, mandarin oranges, coconut and miniature fruit-flavored marshmallows. This creamy fruit salad takes only 10 minutes to make and is ready to enjoy after chilling for 2 hours in the fridge. Serve it as a sweet side dish or dessert—it’s always a hit at holidays and potlucks!
I fondly remember my Nana making her ambrosia salad recipe for pretty much every church function. My Nana’s original recipe has been long since lost, but I spent months recreating it until I nailed down a version that tasted just like hers did.
I have been making this recipe for decades. It is one of my favorite dishes to make for every holiday. If there’s one thing you can count on being on our table whether it’s Easter, Thanksgiving, or Christmas, it’s a big bowl of ambrosia.
My version uses vanilla yogurt along with whipped topping and I love to include fruit-flavored marshmallows in the mix, too. It only takes 10 minutes to throw together. Let it chill in the fridge for a couple of hours (or more!) and it’s ready to take to all of your potlucks.
What readers are saying
“Love this recipe. I am asked to make this recipe at every family event.” – Jennifer
“An excellent traditional Ambrosia Salad recipe. Delicious!!!” -Lynn
“Absolutely delicious and very easy to make. I’ve made ambrosia as a young mother, but with only the whipped topping. Adding the vanilla yogurt gave this recipe a nice change of flavor.” -Jeanne
“I made this ambrosia for Easter and my family loved it, especially my husband! I liked the cool whip and vanilla yogurt dressing. It made it especially good!” -Debbie
A note from Jamie
2026 update: I first shared my ambrosia recipe back in 2014, although I’d been making it for ages even before then. It is still one of my readers’ favorite recipes, and for good reason.
Jamie’s recipe testing tips
- Use vanilla yogurt for more flavor. Some ambrosia recipes use cottage cheese (similar to my orange fluff recipe) and others use sour cream or vanilla pudding. I like to use vanilla yogurt instead. You still get some tanginess to balance the sweetness, but also get some added vanilla flavor to round things out.
- The citrus fruit keeps it from becoming too sweet. The acidity of the oranges and pineapple balance the sweetness of the other ingredients. If you aren’t a fan of the texture of canned mandarin oranges, you can use fresh clementine segments instead.
- Mix gently. Trust me—if you stir this together too vigorously, the fruit will break down and you’ll end up with a bowl of mush. Gently fold the salad together so you keep bigger chunks of the fruit intact for a variety of textures.
Ambrosia ingredient notes
⬇️ For the full recipe, including ingredient amounts, scroll down to the recipe card below!
- Whipped topping: Such as Cool Whip or TruWhip, thawed according to the package directions. If you want to avoid using whipped topping, you can use stabilized whipped cream instead.
- Vanilla yogurt: You can use regular vanilla yogurt or use vanilla Greek yogurt for a bit more tang and a slightly thicker texture.
- Sweetened shredded coconut: Feel free to omit this if you don’t care for coconut or have an allergy.
- Canned mandarin oranges: Drained.
- Canned pineapple: You can use tidbits or crushed pineapple here. Make sure to drain this as well.
- Maraschino cherries: Drained. To make things quicker and easier, look for maraschino cherries without stems.
- Chopped pecans: I love the crunch these add. If you have time, try toasting the nuts first. These can be omitted if you have a nut allergy.
- Mini marshmallows: I like to use the fruit-flavored marshmallows for even more flavor and color, but regular mini marshmallows work just as well!
Make ahead and storage
This ambrosia salad recipe needs to chill in the fridge before serving, so it’s great for making ahead of time. You can make it up to a day ahead; store it covered in the fridge until you’re ready to serve.
If you want to keep the crunchy texture of the pecans and the springy texture of the marshmallows, feel free to wait to add those until just before serving.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Do not freeze this salad.
Ambrosia Salad
Equipment
Ingredients
- 8 ounces frozen whipped topping thawed
- ½ cup vanilla yogurt
- 1 cup shredded sweetened coconut
- 1 (11-ounce) can mandarin oranges drained
- 1 (8-ounce) can pineapple tidbits or crushed pineapple drained
- 1 cup maraschino cherries drained
- ½ cup chopped pecans optional
- 1 ½ cups mini fruit-flavored marshmallows or regular mini marshmallows
Video
Instructions
- In a large bowl, stir together the whipped topping and yogurt.8 ounces frozen whipped topping, 1/2 cup vanilla yogurt
- Using a rubber spatula, carefully fold remaining ingredients into whipped topping.1 cup shredded sweetened coconut, 1 (11-ounce) can mandarin oranges, 1 (8-ounce) can pineapple tidbits or crushed pineapple, 1 cup maraschino cherries, 1/2 cup chopped pecans, 1 1/2 cups mini fruit-flavored marshmallows
- Chill for at least 2 hours before serving.
Notes
Ingredients
- A number of readers have made this recipe using stabilized whipped cream in place of the whipped topping.
- Feel free to omit the coconut and/or the nuts to accommodate allergies.
Make ahead
- This recipe can be made up to a day ahead of time. Store covered in the refrigerator until ready to serve. If you prefer, you can wait to add the pecans and marshmallows until just before serving to maintain their texture.
Storage
- Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Do not freeze.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Frequently asked questions
Honestly, it’s both!
My family loves to eat it as a side dish, similar to my cranberry fluff; we love a little bite of something sweet alongside something savory. But plenty of people also enjoy it as a dessert!
Yes! For a dairy-free ambrosia, use a dairy-free whipped topping, such as CocoWhip, and dairy-free vanilla yogurt. Since the recipe already has coconut in it, using a coconut-based whipped topping and yogurt would both be extra delicious.
More sweet salad recipes
If you love ambrosia salad as much as my family does, you might also enjoy some of these other sweet salads:
- Watergate salad: Similar to ambrosia, but using a pistachio pudding base.
- Pineapple fluff: For the people whose favorite part of ambrosia is the pineapple, this recipe focuses just on that!
- Creamy grape salad: The perfect balance of tangy, sweet, and refreshing.
- Strawberry pretzel salad: A Midwestern favorite made with layers of a salty-sweet pretzel crust, tangy cream cheese filling, and strawberry jello topping. Raspberry pretzel salad and pineapple pretzel salad are also big hits!
I haven’t had this since I was a kid!! Thank you I made This and my kids love It. I am so happy I found this recipe thank you again
I’m so happy you enjoyed the ambrosia salad, Brittni! Thanks so much for stopping by and sharing your feedback. Happy baking!
Jamie
I remember this as a kid. I’ll be making it this Christmas. Will I serve it as a side dish or part of the dessert? Or both lol
I hope you enjoy, Dianne! Thanks for stopping by and commenting. Happy baking!
Jamie
My momma always made this kinda salad but used…
1Can mixed fruit
1Can of pineapple tidbits
1Can of oranges
All drained
1C of colored mini marshmallows
1Jar of cherries drained
1C of sour cream
Half a cup of cool whip
1C of shredded coconut
Half a cup of chopped walnuts
1Tsp of cinnamon
Half a tsp of nutmeg
Half a tsp allspice
Mix all together and walla
Sounds delicious! Thanks so much for taking the time to comment. Happy baking!
-Jamie
@Sherri, I too make my ambrosia salad the same as your momma except I leave out the can of mixed fruit.Though I do add a chopped green apple & halved red grape to mine…..So delicious.Its neat to see all the different varieties of ambrosia salad there are.
I use fresh bing cherries, non-fat Greek yogurt, and sometimes no nuts for my ambrosia salad. Maraschino cherries make me feel sick for some reason. Non-fat Greek yogurt makes it taste good enough for me to eat. Sometimes I’m not in the mood for nuts. But I’ll definitely keep this recipe to help guide me for making ambrosia salad. Thank you for publishing this recipe.
Thank you for stopping by! Happy baking!
-Jamie
“Some could argue that this “salad” is really more of a dessert.” It’s both salad and dessert.
As a chef, I started my career working garde manger (cold food) station. Salad always seems to be marginalized and reduced as a plate of lettuce in most people’s minds Lol. In reality it’s the the most versatile dish in any kitchen.
Would it be good to make with fresh oranges too?
For sure!
How many people does this recipe serve?
The recipe serves 8. Thanks so much for stopping by.
some said they use vanilla pudding. How do you add. Do you mix and make pudding first or just add to whipped topping?
I made it with sour cream instead of yogurt. Then added 1 pint of raspberries to it cut up. Adds a nice punch of tart to it. Super delicious.
@Michelle, I am highly allergic to yogurt so I use sour cream also, it comes out really nice.
@Michelle, that sounds delicious with the raspberries!!! Gonna have to try that!!!
I haven’t tried your version. It does look good. I do different spin offs of the 5 cup salad. Each salad is different according to what I have on hand. I’ve added sliced banana, green grapes,or red grapes. I mix my combinations into drained fruit cocktail, pineapple tidbits and mandarin oranges with the tri- colored marshmellows.
I think I want to try adding the apples and maybe a pudding or yougurt instead of sour cream. Thanx for the ideas. FYI…the sour cream is sweetened from the coconut and marshmellow. They both have a powdery feel to them.
Using a different pudding or yogurt will change the flavor of the salad. Sounds yum-0 I think the french vanilla since its my favorite then banana cream. Happy stirring all.