Ambrosia Salad – A Beautiful Mess

I have to admit, I’m proud to have become a grandma while I’m still in my 30s. I’ve been pointed out (for most of my adult life) that many interests that I like, the decor I choose, and the foods I love to make that remind them of their grandmother. Laugh out loud.

I think this ambrosia salad is no exception.

To me, this is a side dish (or dessert!) that I’ve seen served at bridal parties, baby showers, and other hot pot meals.

If you’ve never eaten an ambrosia salad before, it’s a creamy fruit salad that seems a bit odd based on the ingredients, but don’t pass up on it until you try it!

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Why is it called ambrosia salad?

My understanding is that ambrosia means “fragrant” or “delicious” and is also associated with fruit in Greek mythology. This is definitely a very tasty fruit salad, so the name fits.

I suspect that the ambrosia salad might be a southern (US) thing. But if you’re from another region, I’d like to know if it’s something you saw or ate growing up. Hailing from southwestern Missouri, we also have a fusion of Southern cooking and Midwestern cuisines.

Ambrosia Salad Ingredients:

• Whipped Topping (Cool Whip, or unbranded version)
• Vanilla yogurt
• Coconut with sugar
• Mandarin Oranges – canned
• Pineapple – canned small pieces
• Maraschino cherry
• Sliced ​​almonds
• Chopped Pecans
• Fruity mini marshmallows

These are the ingredients I use, mostly traditional. The main thing that I do a little differently with my ambrosia salad recipe is to add more nuts than you are used to.

I love some of the crunchy treats along with the creaminess and sweet fruit flavors of this recipe. It adds a bit of dimension.

Alternatives & Variations:

• Whipped cream can be substituted for the whipped topping. This dish won’t keep for long, but if you think it will be consumed in a day, this won’t matter.
• Sour cream or plain Greek yogurt can be substituted for vanilla yogurt. This will make the ambrosia salad a little less sweet. However, this means a rather sweet side dish, or even dessert.
• Fresh fruit can be used instead of canned, but the recipe card below lists the measurements in canned quantities, so you’ll need to convert them.
• Almonds or pecans can be replaced with another nut (like pistachios) if needed.

Fruit flavored marshmallows can be hard to find. When I went grocery shopping for these items, they didn’t have these at two of the three stores I went to. And I suspect it might be a Southern thing (let me know in the comments), so it might be hard to find in certain areas.

You can replace them with regular flavored mini marshmallows OR leave them out of the recipe altogether. Ambrosia salads would still be delicious and sweet without them — it’s just a traditional ingredient that adds an interesting texture.

As I mentioned, I find ambrosia salad served most often in large meals like Thanksgiving or one baby shower.

So, if you are preparing for such a meal, here are some other side recipes you might like:

I love this ambrosia salad! Next, I’ll have to get the official family recipe and share my aunt Ina’s cranberry salad. It’s also one of these sweet salads that reminds me of big family meals. Interesting. so so. Emma