Classic Ambrosia Salad

This classic Ambrosia salad recipe is made with cool whip, canned fruit and sweet marshmallows for the perfect kid friendly potluck dish. Bring it to a picnic or a backyard barbecue, or make it as the ultimate easy holiday side dish or no bake dessert like grandma used to make!

Ah, Ambrosia. I can’t be the only one wondering why on earth this is called “salad” – but whatever the name, it’s just such a sweet childhood memory. Way too good too pass up (and so easy, too!).

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Ambrosia salad is…

• … prepped in 5 minutes! Yes, really.
• … sweet, creamy and delicious
• … perfect to feed a crowd at a potluck
• … made with staples like cool whip and canned fruit for a budget-friendly and pantry-friendly option

Ambrosia salad ingredients

This is just an overview of the ingredients you’ll need (handy at the grocery store!). Jump to the recipe for quantities.

Ingredient notes

• Please do NOT use fresh pineapple in place of the canned! Fresh pineapple would turn extremely bitter in combination with the sour cream, making the salad inedible.
• Any chopped nuts you like will work – we like pecans, walnuts or almonds best. You can also just skip them if you prefer.
• White mini marshmallows work well in place of fruit-flavored/pastel ones. They’re just a little less colorful 🙂

How to make Ambrosia salad

This is the easiest recipe ever! It only takes 5 minutes to throw together, then all that’s left to do is chill it in the fridge for a couple of hours.

Recipe tips

• Do not over-stir the whipped topping, or it could turn watery and ruin your entire salad.
• Make sure to drain the fruit very well, leaving too much canning liquid in the fruit is also a common reason for watery Ambrosia salad.
• Use a large enough bowl! The marshmallows add a lot of volume and you’ll want to be able to fold the salad without making a huge mess. You can always transfer the salad to a smaller bowl for serving later.

Storage tips

I generally avoid making Ambrosia salad too far ahead – it can turn watery and/or very gooey at some point. It is best eaten after 2-4 hours of chilling in the fridge. If you need to store leftovers, you can keep them covered in the fridge for up to a day, but please know the texture can turn a little funny.

More easy no bake desserts

• No Bake Summer Berry Icebox Cake

Watch the recipe video

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