Make delicious Ambrosia Salad for an appetizer or dessert this holiday season. Use 3 easy ingredients for something guests will want again and again.
Thanksgiving is a wonderful time to gather with family and friends. This year (originally posted in 2019) we did a “Friendsgiving” dinner with our Dinner Club friends and it was such a fun time! We decided we would all bring something unique to our family traditions. My unique food item was Ambrosia Salad. My family has had it with both Thanksgiving Dinner and Christmas dinner for as long as I can remember! It’s a staple at our holiday table.
Ambrosia Salad is a creamy fruit salad with marshmallows. It’s an easy dessert salad perfect for special occasions such as holiday dinners, birthday parties, family gatherings, a church function, or bridal showers.
I called my grandma to get the recipe from her. She could only remember part of it since my mom has made it for so many years now. So I had to call her. But, of course, it’s one of those recipes that is done just by looks, not with any set amounts. As I prepared it, I measured everything out to make it easier for upcoming years, and for you!
The ambrosia recipe calls for sour cream, but you won’t taste it. It’s such a small amount, just enough to hold everything together. You don’t want too much, so start small. After refrigerating, if there isn’t enough, add a small amount and stir it in.
What is Fruit Cocktail?
Canned fruit cocktail is a pre-packaged mix of various fruits that are preserved in syrup, juice, or water. Common fruits included in a fruit cocktail can be peaches, pears, grapes, pineapple, and cherries. It’s convenient for snacking, baking, or adding to salads and desserts. The fruit is typically diced or sliced and mixed together for easy serving. It’s a popular pantry staple due to its long shelf life and ready-to-eat nature.
Serving Suggestions & Tips
- You can add other canned or fresh fruit such as mandarin oranges, maraschino cherries, pineapple tidbits or fresh pineapple, or other sweet fruit.
- Garnish your ambrosia fruit salad with Cool Whip or make homemade whipped cream by whisking heavy cream with sugar until it forms stiff peaks.
- Replace the sour cream with Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, whipped topping, or vanilla yogurt for a different flavor of creamy dressing.
- Make sure to get as much excess liquid as you can from the can of fruit cocktail. Otherwise, you lose the fluffy texture because there’s too much liquid.
Ambrosia Salad Step by Step
Ingredients
- 30 oz fruit cocktail
- 2 cups miniature marshmallows
- 1 tbsp sour cream
Preparation
Drain the syrup from the fruit cocktail. I used a mesh strainer over a bowl to do this.
Pour the fruit cocktail, mini marshmallows, and sour cream into a large mixing bowl. Gently fold everything together.
Refrigerate for a few hours. Gently stir one more time before serving chilled.
Ambrosia Salad Leftovers
Storage: Cover the leftover ambrosia salad with aluminum foil or plastic wrap, or move it to an airtight container. Leftovers can be refrigerated for about a day. After that, the marshmallows start to break down.
Recipe
Originally Published On: November 27, 2019
Updated On: November 4, 2024
Ambrosia Salad
Ingredients
- 30 oz fruit cocktail
- 2 cups mini marshmallows
- 1 tbsp sour cream
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- Drain the fruit cocktail
- Pour all ingredients into a large mixing bowl
- Gently fold together
- Refrigerate at least 2 hours, until cold
- Gently stir and serve chilled
All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutrition content will vary based on brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes, and more.
Thanksgiving Recipes
- Leftover Turkey Tortellini Soup
- Turkey Gravy from Scratch
- Smooth and Creamy Mashed Cauliflower and Potatoes
- Instant Pot Turkey Roasted to Perfection
- Grandpa’s Sweet Potato Casserole
- Buttermilk Biscuits
- Ambrosia Salad
- Garlic Mashed Cauliflower
- Roasted Butternut Squash
- Pumpkin Pie
- Cranberry Sauce Leftovers in Mini Jello Cups
- Homemade Stuffing or Dressing Recipe with Fresh Bread
- Sweet Potato Pie
- Creamy Homemade Mashed Potatoes
- Easy Apple Pie
- Chicken and Dumplings
- Lemon Herb Turkey Breast in the Instant Pot
- Classic Green Bean Casserole Recipe
Friendsgiving
I have been to one Friendsgiving prior to this, and that was back in college. You know, back when most of us didn’t really know how to cook?! This year was so much different. We had a total of 21 people here, including 8 kids. We had so much delicious food! I snapped a few photos on my phone to share with you all. They aren’t styled and they aren’t the best, but we were all too hungry for that!
I made a few of the “staples” too. I baked some biscuits and made a brown-sugar glazed ham. My family usually has ham since most of us don’t care for turkey.
I made two of the desserts, including the ambrosia salad that I mentioned earlier. We also made some Slow Cooker Bread Pudding and Justin found a recipe for a dairy-free whiskey sauce. One of my good friends, who is part of our dinner club, has a severe dairy allergy. It’s always fun to try to find ways to substitute things to make them dairy-free for her. It also makes me try new things!
ahhh the salad looks out of this world! I would love to make it, i love trying new things. Thanks a lot for the awesome recipe.
It’s such a good salad! My mom and I just made it again to bring to my family Thanksgiving this afternoon!
Ambrosia salad is one of my favorite holiday foods! I just ate some this morning that was left over from yesterday.
I didn’t know others had it at the holidays! It’s the only time of the year my family makes it even though it’s so easy.
Sour cream really does help hold it together. I like ambrosia salad! I haven’t had it for awhile though, maybe I’ll whip up a batch over here.
It’s amazing that the tiny amount of sour cream makes such a big difference in it!
I love trying out such easy fun recipes 😍 I have never tried salad with marshmallows, so this is something I’ll surely give a try soon ❤️
It’s definitely different from a regular salad, but it’s so yummy!
I didn’t know you had to add sour cream to this. Worth trying it with the kids this week now that they’re home.
The sour cream helps hold it together. It’s not a lot, but makes a big difference in the recipe.
I’ve never had Ambrosia salad! This year, I want to try all new recipes for Thanksgiving because it will be just e and my kids. Adding this to the list!
That’s an awesome idea! My family has made this for Thanksgiving and Christmas for as long as I can remember. We have it as a side, but it’s almost more of a dessert.
I have never heard of this. Not sure it is my cup of tea 🙈 But the rest of your meal looks amazing!
This sound really good, I haven’t had fruit cocktail in years and I love the addition of the mini marshmallows too!
I’ve heard of this before but I’ve never tried it. Is it super sweet?
Ambrosia salad isn’t really a thing in the UK, but it sounds super interesting, esp as a traditional holiday food x
I just love bringing fun treats to gathering. Love how easy this was to make.
I remember trying this as a kid, my mom made it. It was so delicious. I think I need to make it for my kids!
Never heard of this being in the UK but it sounds yummy!
I’ve never heard of Embrosa Salad before now, looks delicious…I am making it for sure…
Wow what a fantastic looking spread! I had never heard of Ambrosia salad, but it seems so easy to make and fun to eat!
This looks so delicious. I love the idea of friends giving, I’ll have to mention it to my friends