Description
A delightful and easy-to-make Ambrosia Salad featuring a creamy blend of whipped topping and sour cream combined with sweet mandarin oranges, pineapple, cherries, colorful marshmallows, shredded coconut, and crunchy pecans. Perfect as a refreshing side dish or dessert for any occasion.
Ingredients
Scale
Salad Base
- 8 ounces Cool Whip (thawed)
- 1/2 cup sour cream
Fruit and Mix-ins
- 1 (15 ounce) can mandarin oranges (drained)
- 1 cup chopped fresh pineapple
- 3/4 cup maraschino cherries (without stems, sliced in half)
- 3 cups marshmallows (multi-colored flavored recommended)
- 1 cup shredded coconut
- 3/4 cup pecans (chopped)
Instructions
- Combine Creamy Ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, add the thawed Cool Whip and sour cream. Stir thoroughly until they are well combined, creating a smooth and creamy base for the salad.
- Add Fruit and Mix-ins: Gently fold in the drained mandarin oranges, chopped fresh pineapple, halved maraschino cherries, marshmallows, shredded coconut, and chopped pecans into the creamy mixture, ensuring all ingredients are evenly distributed without crushing the fruit.
- Chill the Salad: Cover the bowl and chill the salad in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour or preferably overnight. This allows the flavors to meld beautifully and the salad to become refreshingly cold before serving.
Notes
- For best texture, use fresh pineapple rather than canned.
- Multi-colored marshmallows add a fun visual appeal but plain white marshmallows work equally well.
- To make the salad ahead, prepare and refrigerate overnight to enhance flavor blending.
- Optionally, substitute pecans with walnuts or almonds if preferred.
- Drain canned fruit thoroughly to prevent the salad from becoming watery.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Category: Salad
- Method: No-Cook
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: Ambrosia Salad, fruit salad, no bake dessert, creamy fruit salad, holiday salad, summer salad
