Ambrosia Salad (sweet)
Old-fashioned quick fruit salad is a creamy dessert made with canned fruits, marshmallows, pecans and coconut. A nostalgic holiday and potluck favorite!
Servings 6 servings
Ingredients
- 2 cups pineapple chunks canned and drained
- 2 cups mandarin orange segments canned and drained
- 1 ½ cups mini marshmallows or chopped large marshmallows
- ½ cup maraschino cherries drained and chopped
- ½ cup sweetened shredded coconut
- ½ cup pecans walnuts also work
- ½ cup heavy cream or store-bought topping
- 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
- ½ cup regular sour cream
Instructions
- Combine 2 cups pineapple chunks, 2 cups mandarin orange segments, 1 ½ cups mini marshmallows, ½ cup maraschino cherries, ½ cup sweetened shredded coconut and ½ cup pecans in a large bowl, reserving some pieces of each to decorate.
- If whipping the cream, in a medium bowl, beat ½ cup heavy cream with 1 tablespoon powdered sugar until medium-firm peaks form. Don’t let it get completely stiff, or it might curdle.
- Add ½ cup regular sour cream to the whipped cream (or store-bought topping) and integrate without beating.
- Fold half of the sour cream mixture into the fruit pieces and stir to coat with a spatula. Add the rest in two parts. Don't use it all if you feel it's too much for the amount of fruit. I use a spatula. Don’t overmix it. Taste and adjust to your liking.
- Transfer to a salad bowl or platter, sprinkle reserved ingredients on top, chill for 1 or 2 hours and serve cold, topped with the reserved ingredients.
Notes
If using unsweetened coconut, add 1 or 2 extra teaspoons of sugar to the sour cream mixture.
Fresh pineapple, cherries and oranges: you can use them, but make sure they're sweet. For the oranges, you need peeled wedges. Here's how to supreme an orange. The cherries won't have the flavor of the maraschino.
Use only whipped cream and no sour cream. Or half Greek yogurt instead of sour cream, for a lighter salad.
Use seedless grapes and bananas in addition to the rest of the fruit. You might need more dressing or to decrease the amount of other fruits so the final amount is the same. It's a modern take on the original ambrosia salad recipe.
