INGREDIENTS:
- 3 (20 oz) cans crushed pineapple (drained)
- 4 (15 oz) cans mandarin oranges (drained)
- 1 (8 oz) container of Cool Whip
- 1 (8 oz) container of sour cream
- 1 (10.5 oz) package miniature marshmallows
- 3/4 cup shredded coconut (or to taste)
INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Mix pineapple, mandarin oranges, Cool Whip, sour cream, marshmallows, and shredded coconut together in a bowl. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate until flavors blend. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Tastes even better when chilled overnight.
Tips & Tricks
- Give your salad a more refreshing vibe by using more fresh fruits. Another lighter approach is to use reduced-fat sour cream. However, don’t leave out the marshmallows. It’s got that unique texture that no other substitute can replace.
- Add more flavor to your Ambrosia fruit salad by adding a bit of nutmeg or cinnamon. Yum!
- Do not overdo the fruit-mixing: mix your fruit gently so it stays nice and crunchy.
- Add the oranges after mixing the rest of the ingredients together because they are very fragile and break apart easily.
- Don’t have sour cream on hand? Use Greek yogurt instead. It’s a healthy alternative that tastes just as good!
- Give your Ambrosia a nice crunch by topping it with some chopped pecans, pistachios, cashews, walnuts, or almonds. Toast them in a pan first to bring out all their wonderful flavors!
- If you want your kids to take part in all the fruit eating, we suggest using colored mini-mallows to get them excited!
- If you are adding Maraschino cherries to your fruit salad, you may want to skip it until right before serving it, unless you’re okay with the cream turning red!
- Want a more indulgent treat? Use a combination of whipped cream and cream cheese instead of sour cream.
- Ambrosia fruit salad will last for as long as 3 days when stored in the fridge in an air-tight container. So, feel free to make it in advance.
Do not leave the salad on the counter for over two hours, or the dressing will start to melt. It’s best served chilled, so be sure to place it back in the fridge should there be any leftover.
A word of caution: do not freeze Ambrosia salad and defrost before serving. The fruits will ooze liquid as they defrost, which will make your dressing break. You can, however, freeze it and serve it frozen like ice cream. Yum!
