So, you’ve been tasked with the responsibility of preparing a delicious ambrosia salad for an upcoming party. Or, perhaps you are simply in the mood for making a yummy ambrosia salad to enjoy as a refreshing dessert after enjoying a main meal!
Whatever your reason for wanting to make some freshly prepared ambrosia salad, we’re sure that you might agree with us when we say that, there is nothing worse than preparing food that nobody wants to eat – especially when it comes to nostalgic food like ambrosia salad!
The perfect dish for summer parties, family get togethers and everything in-between, ambrosia salad is a delicious fruit salad that consists of canned pineapples, maraschino cherries, mandarin oranges, marshmallows, coconut and a generous helping of sweet and juicy grapes…not to mention plenty of cream!
Though it sounds simple, ambrosia salad is just one of those dessert dishes that you simply can’t get wrong, which is why we are here to lend you a helping hand.
To make sure that you are able to perfectly prepare your ambrosia salad for yourself, your friends and your loved ones to enjoy, this guide is going to be providing you with the only recipe you’ll ever need.
Just keep on reading!
What Is Ambrosia Salad?
So, before we get any further into this guide and talk you through the steps of preparing your very own perfect ambrosia salad – we first think that it would be a good idea to talk you through what this dessert dish even is.
A true classic, ambrosia salad is a yummy dessert salad that is intended to be enjoyed after a main meal.
If you are making it the traditional way (which is what we are going to be showing you how to do today) this dessert salad is usually made with a variety of sweet fruits including cherry, oranges, pineapples and more.
On top of that, a mixture of whipped cream and sour cream is usually added to give it a creamy texture that’s a hit with children and adults, alike!
To provide you with more context, ambrosia salad initially originated in the South of America during the 1800s.
It was initially intended to be a simple, three ingredients salad that was typically layered with orange slices, a sprinkling of sugar and a little bit of coconut.
As you might have already been able to guess from the earlier descriptions of ambrosia salad – this initial simple recipe didn’t stay this way for too long!
Soon enough, the original ambrosia salad recipe started to appear in cookbooks all across the country.
However, it wasn’t until the mid-1800s until the newer recipe (the recipe that we are all familiar with today) began to be promoted in cookbooks across America.
Due to the creativity of cooks at the time, ambrosia salad soon became known as a recipe that consisted of a variety of other ingredients such as whipped cream, sour cream, cherries and even pineapple!
As you might have already been able to tell, despite the fact that ambrosia salad changed so much (especially during the earlier years of its inception) one main ingredient always found its way into the different variations of the ambrosia salad recipe: coconut!
Sure, even though many chefs found themselves disagreeing on whether or not the coconut included should be canned, fresh or dried out, they all agreed that it was a necessary ingredient to have in the ambrosia salad.
Why Are Marshmallows In Ambrosia Salad?
Ambrosia is a fruit salad by nature, so it only makes sense that you should be wondering why there is marshmallow in some of the modern recipes of this classic dish!
Well, despite the fact that marshmallows add a sweet and confectionery element to ambrosia salad, the true reason for the addition of marshmallows in modern ambrosia salad might actually surprise you a little – it all came down to product marketing!
During the 1920s (a little over 100 years since ambrosia salad was initially invented in the South) a popular company named Whitman’s introduced a brand new product on the market – Marshmallow Whip!
At the time of its release, Marshmallow Whip was intended to be used in dessert dishes for a touch of sweetness, and the classic and beloved ambrosia salad was the perfect dish to pair it with.
So much so, that in the year of 1926, Whitman’s began to publish recipes with Marshmallow Whip.
Each recipe that Whitman’s wrote provided clear instructions on how to pair their product, Marshmallow Whip, with the classic recipes – and ambrosia salad was one of the very first!
Soon after, many people began to include Marshmallow Whip in their ambrosia salad recipes, and soon enough, marshmallow became a staple ingredient in ambrosia salad recipes all over the world.
By the 1950s, almost all ambrosia salad recipes were made to include marshmallow as the final “topping” to ambrosia salad.
Along with that, it was also becoming increasingly more common to include a mixture of whipped cream and sour cream into the ambrosia salad, too. This helped to give it a distinct, creamy flavor that offered the perfect balance between sweet and savory.
What Ingredients Are Essential To Ambrosia Salad?
So, now that we’ve covered in detail what ambrosia salad is (as well as how it came to be) we’re sure that you might be interested in learning a little more about what ingredients are an absolute necessity in ambrosia salad…as well as what ingredients you will be able to go ahead and leave out.
Below, let’s take a look at the main ingredients that you should make sure that you are always remembering to include in your ambrosia salads. Let’s take a look at them all below:
Fruit
When it comes to a classic and perfectly prepared ambrosia salad, you are going to want to make sure that you are remembering to include a variety of fruits including cherries, pineapple, oranges and a generous amount of juicy fresh grapes.
Ideally, it is almost always recommended that you include fresh fruit, as this will ensure that you will be able to enjoy the best flavor and texture.
However, you can also opt to use canned fruits if this is something that you might prefer or is going to be a more convenient option for you.
As for which fruits you might be able to leave out or even add? Well, for the most part, it is recommended that you stick with the fruits that we have shared above if you are going for a classic ambrosia salad.
However, if you don’t mind straying away from tradition, you can definitely sip out on including certain fruits that you might not like, and even opt to add in new fruits to enjoy!
In recent years, peach has become a popular choice to include in ambrosia salad.
Marshmallows
As you will have certainly been able to see from our section above, marshmallows are a real must when it comes to ambrosia salad!
If you would like to make sure that the ambrosia salad that you are preparing is totally classic and in-line with traditional recipes, then you should certainly opt to use a marshmallow whip-style cream like the earlier recipes used.
However, this certainly isn’t an absolute necessity, and you can quite easily opt to use regular, standard marshmallows mixed into your ambrosia salad.
Not only that, but if you would like to add in a little “surprise” for your loved ones and guests to enjoy – then why don’t you consider adding in mini marshmallows?
These will be harder to spot when mixed into the ambrosia salad, and will allow for a sugary-sweet surprise with each bite!
Coconut
Another favorite ingredient that you simply have to make sure that you are including in your ambrosia salads is coconut!
Like we have already mentioned in a previous point in this guide, even though chefs throughout the years have often found themselves disagreeing on whether or not the coconut included should be fresh, dried or in flake-form – one thing’s for sure, they have all agreed that coconut is a necessity!
If you are going to be preparing your very own ambrosia salad, then we highly recommend that you make sure to include only unsweetened coconut in your ambrosia salad.
The main reason for this is that, due to the fact that modern ambrosia salad already contains plenty of sweetness thanks to the whipped cream, marshmallows and fresh fruit, adding in sweetened coconut will only make the ambrosia salad taste a little too sweet.
Instead, we highly recommend that you make sure to only include unsweetened coconut in your ambrosia salad in order to prevent the ambrosia salad tasting too sweet, while also ensuring that the creaminess of the natural coconut flavor will be able to shine through when it has been mixed into the rest of your ambrosia salad.
Top tip: If you are planning to use dried coconut (which is one of the most popular forms of coconut used in ambrosia salad) we highly recommend that you make sure to place the coconut that you are going to use in the refrigerator prior to using it.
This will help to ensure that the coconut flakes will be able to retain their taste and texture even after they have been mixed into the rest of the ambrosia salad.
If you don’t do this, then there is a high chance that the dried coconut will become soft and soggy when mixed into the whipped cream, soft fruits and other sauces you are going to be using in your ambrosia salad!
Nuts
Even though nuts aren’t necessarily a “classic” ingredient that are used in traditional ambrosia salad recipes, they have certainly become a favorite in recent years!
That being said, if you are someone who loves to snack on nuts such as walnuts, cashews and salted nuts – then the good news is that you will be able to incorporate them into your future ambrosia salads!
Top Tip: If you are someone who loves nuts and you would like to include them in your ambrosia salads, it is important to keep in mind that nuts are only meant to offer a subtle “nuttiness” to the overall flavor profile of your ambrosia salad.
Due to this, for the very best flavor and texture results when incorporating nuts into your ambrosia salad, we highly recommend that you place the nuts that you are going to be using in a food processor so that they can be broken down into very small pieces.
If you don’t have a food processor, then we recommend that you make sure to break the nuts you are going to be using into smaller pieces.
As a side note, if you are someone who loves nuts and would like to enjoy a more intense flavor (that won’t overpower the rest of your ambrosia salad ingredients) then we highly recommend that you consider toasting your nuts prior to adding them into your ambrosia salad!
This will help to intensify the flavor of the nuts without actually being too strong that you won’t be able to taste the rest of the ingredients or throw the flavor profile of your ambrosia salad out of balance.
Sauce
Next up, you’re also going to want to make sure that you are including the sauces! When it comes to adding sauces to your ambrosia salad, the classics that you can include as the perfect finishing toppings are the following:
Whipped cream
Sour cream
Cool whip
Marshmallow whip (if you aren’t going to be including any marshmallows)
When it comes to including sauce, it is worth keeping in mind that sour cream by itself can often be way too “tangy” and “sharp” if it is only used with the canned, sweet fruits that you are going to be including in the main part of your ambrosia salad.
On the other hand, it is also worth keeping in mind that a cool whip when used by itself can often be far too sweet.
In addition to the above, if you are thinking about potentially putting a cool whip into your ambrosia salad, you should keep in mind that it often tends to contain a variety of different ingredients that aren’t necessarily good such as corn syrup, emulsifiers, chemicals and more.
All that being said, when it comes to what sauces you should include in your ambrosia salad, we highly recommend that you opt for a combination of whipped cream and sour cream if you want to enjoy the perfect blend between sweet and savory.
You can then go ahead and add in the mixture to your ambrosia salad to make sure that all of the fruits have been perfectly combined.
How To Make Ambrosia Salad: Step-By-Step Instructions
Now that we’ve covered all of the different aspects of the ambrosia salad (including all of the ingredients that you should make sure that you include) we are now going to be talking you through the only ambrosia salad that you will ever need to make this perfect dessert salad dish each and every time!
Let’s take a look at the step-by-step instructions below:
What You’ll Need
Before we jump into the instructions, we’re first going to be taking a moment to talk you through all of the main ingredients that we recommend that you use.
These ingredients will ensure that you are able to make a perfect, classic and traditional ambrosia salad. Let’s take a look at the ingredients you’ll need to have below:
Mini marshmallows or alternatively, standard-sized marshmallows that have been cut into smaller pieces.
Maraschino cherries that have been drained and halved into two.
Green grapes (you can also use red grapes if you do not have any green grapes).
Small pineapple chunks that have been well-drained if they have been taken from a canned pineapple jar.
Unsweetened coconut flakes that have been left in a refrigerator for at least 20 minutes prior to mixing them into the rest of your ambrosia salad.
Sour cream.
Whipped cream.
Granulated sugar (this is optional, but ideal for anyone who might have a sweet tooth!)
As a side note, keep in mind that you can easily swap out and change any of the ingredients that we have listed above.
There really are no rules and you can change the ingredients that we have recommended you use in any way that you would like. Now, let’s move on to the instructions:
Step-By-Step Instructions
Step One
First things first, you are going to want to take a moment to prepare the space in which you are going to be making your ambrosia salad.
Keep in mind that ambrosia salad can often get a little bit messy, so we highly recommend that you have a spacious and clean workspace for you to prepare your ambrosia salad! A kitchen countertop will work just fine.
Step Two
After you have prepared the area in which you are going to be making your ambrosia salad and laid all of your ingredients and supplies out – you can then go ahead and begin preparing the fruit!
If you are going to be using canned fruit, you should make sure that you are taking the time to drain all of the cans of fruit in order to ensure that all of the excess liquid has been removed from the fruits you are going to be using.
The last thing that you want to happen is for your ambrosia salad to be too runny!
Alternatively, if you are going to be using fresh fruits – then we recommend that you make sure to rinse all of the fruits you are using thoroughly before using them in your ambrosia salad.
In addition to this, if you have bigger pieces of fruit, you should also be sure to cut them up safely into smaller pieces so that they can be mixed into the rest of your ambrosia salad!
Step Three
After you have prepared the main canned/fresh fruits that you are going to be using in your ambrosia salad, you are then going to be ready to go ahead and prepare the maraschino cherries!
In order to do this correctly, you are going to want to begin by cutting the maraschino cherries into halves, as well as making sure that you have removed all of the stems from the base of each cherry.
After you have prepared all of the cherries that you are going to be using, you should then make sure that you are going ahead and setting them to the side ready to be used later.
Step Four
Now, it will be time for you to begin preparing your cream! To do this, you are going to want to go ahead and whip your chosen crema using either a hand mixer or an electric whisk.
For the best (and most efficient) results, we highly recommend that you opt to use an electronic hand mixer as this will help to ensure that the cream is mixed properly.
You are going to want to make sure that you are mixing the cream until you can see that there is a thick, “whipped” texture.
Step Five
After you have finished whipping the whipped cream, we then recommend that you go ahead and set your whipped cream in a bowl to one side so that you can prepare the sour cream that you are also going to be using.
To do this, go ahead and measure out the sour cream that you are going to be using and then carefully pour it into the whipped cream that you have already prepared.
After you have done this, you should then go ahead and thoroughly mix the two creams together until they have been mixed together proportionality.
Step Six
Once you have prepared the sour cream and the whipped cream together in one bowl, you should then go ahead and add a little bit of granulated sugar if this is something that you would like to do.
Keep in mind that the whipped cream will already add plenty of sweetness to the overall flavor of your ambrosia salad, but if you are someone who has a sweet tooth (or simply wants to impress the little ones) then you can always go ahead and add in a few sprinkles of sugar!
If you are going to be adding a little bit of sugar, then you should be sure that you are thoroughly mixing the sugar so that it is distributed evenly throughout the whipped cream and sour cream mixture.
Step Seven
After you have done all of the above, you are then going to be ready to go ahead and mix in your mini marshmallows and any added nuts that you would like to include!
If you are going to be adding in nuts, then you should make sure that you are either processing them or breaking them into smaller pieces so that the nuts won’t overpower the rest of your ambrosia salad.
In addition to this, if you are already a big fan of nuts, then you can always consider giving them a toast prior to adding them into your ambrosia salad to help intensify the overall flavor of them all.
Once you have finished preparing your nuts, you can then go ahead and add in the mini marshmallows that you are going to be including in your ambrosia salad!
In order to do this, all you are going to need to do is simply take a handful of your chosen mini marshmallows and then mix them into your ambrosia sauce mixture of whipped cream and sour cream.
Then, after you have done this, all you are going to need to do is mix everything together and enjoy!
The Bottom Line
There we have it! You’ve made it to the end of the guide.
Now that you have taken the time to read through everything that we have talked you through above, we are hoping that you are now feeling prepared to go ahead and make your very own delicious ambrosia salad following the recipe that we have provided you with above!
Ambrosia salad is delicious and nostalgic, and given the fact that the dessert dish is so simple – any mistakes (even the smallest ones) can be catastrophic and throw the whole dish off balance.
However, by making sure to follow all of the guidance and instructions that we have shared with you above, you should find yourself preparing perfect ambrosia salad, time and time again!
Before you go ahead and click off this guide, why don’t you give this page a bookmark?
That way, if you ever need to come back and refresh your knowledge on how to make the perfect ambrosia salad using a sour recipe, you will know exactly where to find this page.
Thank you for reading, and we hope you have fun making your ambrosia salad! Bye for now.
Have you ever made something so delicious that you wished you could savor it forever?
Only to find that the recipe has now mysteriously vanished from your phone and the entirety of the internet. Yep, there’s not much more painful than that.
Hi, my name is Mark Williams and I have been infatuated with cooking since I was young. I would beg my mother to pull a chair up to the counter so I could watch what she was doing.
