Ambrosia Salad – A Lovely Mess

I have to admit, I type of satisfaction myself on being a little bit of a grandma whereas I’m nonetheless in my mid-30s. I’ve had individuals level out (for many of my grownup life) that most of the hobbies I get pleasure from, the decor I select, and the dishes I wish to make remind them of their grandmothers. Lol.

I feel this ambrosia salad isn’t any exception.

To me, this can be a facet dish (or dessert!) that I’ve seen served at bridal showers, child showers, and different potluck meals.

If you happen to’ve by no means had ambrosia salad earlier than, it’s a creamy fruit salad that may sound a bit odd primarily based on the elements, however don’t knock it till you strive it!

Soar to Recipe

Why is it referred to as ambrosia salad?

My understanding is ambrosia means “aromatic” or “scrumptious” and can also be related to fruit from Greek mythology. That is actually a really scrumptious fruit salad, so the title matches.

I believe that ambrosia salad could also be type of a southern (U.S.) factor. However if you happen to’re from one other area, I’d like to know if it’s one thing that you just noticed or ate rising up. Being from southwest Missouri, we’ve got of a mixture of Southern cooking and Midwestern dishes, too.

Ambrosia Salad Components:

• Whipped Topping (Cool Whip, or the off-brand model)
• Vanilla Yogurt
• Sweetened Coconut Flakes
• Mandarin Oranges – canned
• Pineapple – canned tidbits
• Maraschino Cherries
• Sliced Almonds
• Chopped Pecans
• Fruit-Flavored Mini Marshmallows

These are the elements I take advantage of, that are largely conventional. The primary factor I perform a little completely different with my ambrosia salad recipe is add extra nuts than you sometimes see.

I like some crunch together with the creaminess and candy fruit flavors of this recipe. It provides a bit extra dimension.

Substitutions & Variations:

• Whipped cream will be substituted for whipped topping. The dish won’t retailer for as lengthy, however if you happen to assume it will likely be consumed in a day, then this received’t matter
• Bitter cream or plain Greek yogurt will be substituted for vanilla yogurt. This may make the ambrosia salad rather less candy. Nevertheless, that is meant to be a fairly candy facet dish, and even dessert.
• Contemporary fruit can be utilized as a substitute of canned, however the recipe card under lists measurements in canned portions, so that you’ll must convert these.
• Almonds or pecans will be substituted for an additional nut choice (like pistachios) if wanted.

Fruit-flavored marshmallows will be onerous to search out. Once I was grocery looking for these provides, they didn’t have these at two of the three shops I went to. And I believe it might be type of a southern factor (let me know in feedback), so it might be onerous to search out in sure areas.

You possibly can substitute these for normal flavored mini marshmallows OR go away them out of the recipe utterly. The ambrosia salad will nonetheless be very scrumptious and candy with out them—it’s only a conventional ingredient that provides an fascinating texture.

As I discussed, I see ambrosia salad served most frequently at massive meals like Thanksgiving or a child bathe.

So, if you happen to’re making ready for a meal like that, listed here are another facet dish recipes you would possibly like:

I like this ambrosia salad! Subsequent, I’ll should get the official household recipe and share my great-aunt Ina’s cranberry jello salad. It’s additionally considered one of these candy salads that simply jogs my memory of huge household meals. Get pleasure from. xo. Emma