I've been making this recipe for well over thirty years, and it's still good.
I doubled the recipe and made this for thirty people at a baby shower - it was a huge hit! There were NO leftovers! I took the advice of many other reviewers added pecans and apples (with skins - and no celery!), added red and green grapes, strained the canned fruit overnight, added a large box of pistachio instant pudding to the whipped topping and no milk - made it very thick and creamy, not runny at all, and the colors of the fruit looked great - together it was a perfect combination! It was so simple. You can't go wrong with this recipe - add any fresh fruit you want (except raspberries or bananas - ask me how i know haha).
Read MoreVery disappointed with this. I love ambrosia salad and was looking for a recipe. With all the rave reviews I thought I had found a good one. But this turned out sickly sweet and not at all what I was looking for. Needed much more fruit and the combination of the marshmallows with so much whipped topping put it over the edge for sweetness. Next time I'll try the one that uses sour cream. I think that's closer to the dish I remember.
Read More I doubled the recipe and made this for thirty people at a baby shower - it was a huge hit! There were NO leftovers! I took the advice of many other reviewers added pecans and apples (with skins - and no celery!), added red and green grapes, strained the canned fruit overnight, added a large box of pistachio instant pudding to the whipped topping and no milk - made it very thick and creamy, not runny at all, and the colors of the fruit looked great - together it was a perfect combination! It was so simple. You can't go wrong with this recipe - add any fresh fruit you want (except raspberries or bananas - ask me how i know haha).
Very disappointed with this. I love ambrosia salad and was looking for a recipe. With all the rave reviews I thought I had found a good one. But this turned out sickly sweet and not at all what I was looking for. Needed much more fruit and the combination of the marshmallows with so much whipped topping put it over the edge for sweetness. Next time I'll try the one that uses sour cream. I think that's closer to the dish I remember.
Excellent recipe. Everyone LOVED this!!! I made this twice in the last week. The first time I made it with strawberry Cool Whip and used two cans of mandarin oranges. It was really good (a little too much coconut though). The second time I made it I used regular Cool Whip but added a box of instant pistachio pudding to the Cool Whip and then added the rest of the stuff, still using two cans of mandarin oranges. I only used about 1 1/4 cups of coconut this time. Everyone raved about this recipe with the pistachio pudding in it. I will definitely make it this way from now on. Thanks for the recipe Didi!!! :-)
I just love AMBROSIA! BUT here is what I do.. I dont measure, just use what you think looks and tastes best! cream cheese (creamed.....) or sour cream real whipped cream (beat in vanilla & sugar) pineapple, crushed can mandarin oranges mini-marshmallows coconut cherries spalsh 1/2 & 1/2 splash orange juice little pineapple juice from can sugar if needed.....
Really good fruit salad! I omitted the milk and added 1 cup of chopped pecans and a teaspoon of vanilla. I think it would be good with more fruit too, maybe even some bananas. Update: do not omit the milk unless you will be eating this salad the same day. Overnight the marshmallows absorb all the juices.
I've never made this before and I needed something easy in a hurry. Great recipe and tastes incredibly yummy. For those who are recipe-challenged like me, the 3 1/2 cups whipping cream comes out to roughly an 8 oz tub. It's ever so slightly less, but not enough to make a difference.
Amazing stuff. I made it for a few friends at a barbeque and they loved it. I did add some other kinds of fruit (grapes and apples). Can't wait to make again. Thanks.
We love this ambrosia. I have just altered this a little bit to our taste. I use 2 cans oranges, 1 can crushed pineapple, 3 cups cool whip, 1 cup sour cream, 2 heaping cups marshmallows, and 1jar of cherries. Oh, if I have grapes I throw some halved grapes in too. This really gets better with chill time. It is great to make it the night before. Delicious. Thanks for the inspiration.
This was delicious! Just like I remember it at all of my family picnics when I was little. I did leave out the coconut and served it on the side (my husband hates coconut) and I also added 1/2 cup of sour cream for extra creaminess and tang. It was perfect!
I made this for a church picnic last night and it disappeared in no time. I'm glad I taste-tested it before I left home because there was none left when it was my turn in line! It tasted great and I will definitley be making this recipe many times again!
This was my first shot at making a fruit salad and it was so easy and quick not to expensive as well. The taste was awesome. Although I think adding more mandarine oranges would really set it off next time. My family loved it. Thanks !
It is a good quickie salad. It was a bit bland for me. I like my food to make a statement even if it is subtle. Second time around I added a chopped gala apple quickly dipped in lemon juice. Skipped the milk and used yogurt instead and I had some vanilla syrup and added a tbls. Also let the fruit sit in a strainer for 1/2 hour. Much better ambrosia salad offered a delicate sweet vanilla tone and a cooling tropical fling.
Traditional fruit fluff. Was looking for this recipe, had this at different functions but didn't know what it was. I am VERY happy I have found it. At first I omitted the coconut, not a huge fan if coconut. Tasted great! I toned down the sweetness by doing half the whipped cream and half sour cream, and dumped in whatever fruit I was in the mood for! I would be carefull of adding juicy fruit. It might make it pretty watery. Drain your fruit good! one more time YUMMY!
I made (doubled) this for Christmas Eve, and based on others' reviews, added pistacio instant pudding mix and lowfat sour cream in place of milk. I omited the cherries and added strawberries and even left out the marshmallows. I added apples, red grapes, and pecans (toasted them, didn't work, they got soggy, but the coconut was nice toasted). Everyone liked it alot, but didn't taste the pudding flavor because I made the mistake of using a small package of sugar-free (& 1 regular), which was almost flavorless! I made it again already & this time used 2 small regular packs of the pudding mix and it became a beautiful light green and very flavorful! The best part is that the regular pudding has tiny pistacio bits in it (you don't really have to add nuts at all) which makes it divine!! You really can add any fruit, fresh or canned (2nd time I replaced crushed pineapple with a can of WELL-DRAINED Dole Tropical Mixed Fruit which has pineapple chunks. It was amazing!) I'm a coconut freak, but depending on how much other fruit I choose to add, I decide the amount of coconut I want to add at the end (at least a good cup so far). I also used all lite whipped topping & it was fabulous. threw in a banana. with or without marshmallows, woo-hoo! happy mixing!
This stuff is just delicious! i absolutely love it and so does my family! it's a great way to sneak in some fruit. I toss in any fruit i have around, but my favorite additions is crushed toasted pecans! WOW! this recipe even tastes better the next day.
We loved this recipe! Couldn't find Whipped Topping here in Australia (so instead used 1 cup heavy cream whipped until almost stiff, added 1/2 cup sugar and 1 tsp vanilla and beat until peaks hold) and omitted the milk. Guests are a bit suprised at the ingredients, but there is never any left! Thanks very much.
This was a good base but like others I tweaked it a little. I added some fruit cocktail, a banana(put a little lemon juice on it and it won't turn brown), an apple and instead of milk I used sour cream...yummy. also added some walnuts.
Made this pretty much as stated except that we liked how it was tasting and looking so much that we added a little more of everything (without actually measuring). This was SO good! No one could stay out of it. We didn't add enough of anything to really drastically change this recipe so I would have to say to make it just as the recipe states. Very easy to make too. I'd never made it before and I love how simple this is! Just put everything in a big bowl and mix... doesn't get any easier than that!
This was good, however you need to REALLY like sweet things to enjoy this. It's really sweet and we found it a little too sweet for our tastes.
Very easy to make, fairly inexpensive. Everyone loved it at my gathering - much better than the boring fruit salad we usually have. I think I'll ad some more fruit next time, because they tended to hide in the fluff. Maybe some strawberries?
always get great raves on this wonderful refreshing salad! i use an 8 oz. tub of cool whip, i use 1/4 cup milk and a 1/4 cup sour cream instead of a 1/2 a cup of milk, add 1/2 cup chopped walnuts and a package of pistachio pudding and a nice handfull of green grapes too! drain the fruit very good too or it will be mushy.
I made this to take to a Hawaiian party. I followed the recipe bones, so to speak, but only used 1 cup coconut. I used coloured mini marshmallows, I added one can of fruit cocktail, 1/2 cup chopped pecans, and I eliminated the cherries and milk. I estimated the amount of whipped topping - maybe 2 1/2 cups? I just added until it was pretty moist. I suggest draining your fruits very well, and I prefer it made ahead so the marshmallows get very soft and foamy. The leftovers still taste yummy after 2 days.
I took this dish to Easter dinner and it was the talk of the evening. It is extremely easy to make and very tasty. It was a nice alternative to a heavy dessert. Thanks Didi!....I followed the recipe exactly and I didn't make any changes as suggested by other reviewers. It tasted fine to me.
Being born, raised and still living in the Deep South, I know good Ambrosia and this is GOOD Ambrosia. It's SO good that when I asked my friends what to bring to Thanksgiving Dinner, they said for me to bring one thing...this Ambrosia. It's the best I've ever eaten.
We used fruit cocktail instead of the pineapple, and instead of milk, we used mayonnaise (NOT Miracle Whip) to cut the sweetness. I use aabout 1/3 c., but you can add it to taste. A classic recipe!
This worked well for me as a base to start from. I added a greater variety of fruit and left out the cherries. Next time I may throw in some nuts also.
Delicious. Although I don't use the milk. Instead I use some of the pineapple juice.
Very tasty and well received at the party I attended. Instead of sour cream, I used 1 8-oz container of low fat, plain yogurt. I also used almost a 16-oz container of Cool Whip and extra fruit. Chilling the ingredients beforehand helps if you want to prepare and go.
This is so good!
SorrY We did not like this!! To much coconut and marshmellows. I remade it using Greek yogurt( which is like sour cream but healthy) Fruit cocktail . no milk
Really good. After I noted some other suggestions here on reviews, I added a little sour cream to cut the cool whip sweeteness a bit and a touch of milk to thin out. And I only used 1 cup of coconut...2 just seemed like too much.
So Yummy! I used fresh pineapple, mandarin oranges, and seedless green grapes. It was much more like a dessert (and less like a fruit salad) with all of the cool whip and marshmallows, but really tasty and a huge hit with my guests.
I served this recipe to 27 guests on Thanksgiving and everyone loved it! However, I substituted the 1/2 cup of milk for sour cream! It was great. May 12 year old daughter helped make it and had lots of fun too.
A delicious summer dessert, not too sweet. Better if chilled overnite. Will make again!
Quick, easy, and delicious! I didn't measure anything. I just used a tub of frozen whipped topping and dumped in the cans of pineapple and oranges. Used a small jar of cherries and small bag of walnuts. Then just dumped marshmallows and coconut until it looked good to me. It couldn't be any easier and tastes GREAT!
I looked for this recipe because my aunt used to make an ambrosia similar to this but she also added small curd cottage cheese to the cool whip and it was awesome! I'll try this recipe and see if it tastes the same. Thanks!
I've been making this for years. Also tastes great with a container of pina colada or pineapple yogurt in place of the milk. Adds a bit of tangy smoothie flavor.
Great recipe, but I added fresh clementine oranges which really added to the overall taste and appearance of the finished product. If you don't have fresh clementines I would suggest doubling the amount of mandarine oranges.
Excellent!!Very easy to make and tastes great!!
This was a great (and easy recipe). I had a craving for something sweet and citrusy on a hot summer day in the desert and this one fit the bill. One minor change, I used fresh whipped cream in lieu of the whipped topping.
This ambrosia is really good. I added less coconuts (only 1 cup) and please do not put milk in this ambrosia. It's not necessary. You don't want it to be runny! I give this recipe 4 stars because of the milk, however, mine would get a 5!
Great dessert! Everyone who tried it really liked it; some were apprehensive as to what it was ;) I used a 1/2 cup of sour cream (rather than milk) as someone suggested. It makes a lot too! So consider how much you need and adjust accordingly.
Yummy! I used 1 large can fruit cocktail, 1 medium can tropical fruit cocktail, 1/2 cup coconut mixed with 1 cup whipped cream and 1/2 cup sour cream.
This was excellent! The family gave it rave reviews. My daughter's boyfriend who doesn't like coconut, said this was very good, he had seconds. I used only 1 cup coconut and I also used a little of the cherry juice to color it. Other than those two adjustments, I followed the recipe completely. I did make it the night before, to allow the flavors to blend nicely in the refrigerator.
THIS RECIPE IS SIMPLE DELICIOUS! PERFECT FOR SUMMER. I will make this again, and again! Thank You. I love this site!!
Have made this a couple of times now and it is a big hit! I grew up loving ambrosia salad and am happy to have found a receipe that matches my memory of the dish. Like some other reviewers I used sour cream rather than the whipped topping and added 2 packages of pistachio pudding mix. I love the added crunch of the little bits of pistachio. If the green color turns you off though, it is certainly still very good without it. Also, I prefer to use chopped pineapple rather than crushed - I tried the crushed but think it makes it a little too mushy. Thanks for the receipe!
I made this according to the recipe the first time. Wow! I really prefer more fruit and a whole lot less topping and coconut. The second time I chopped up four navel oranges, used half whipped and half sour cream, and added celery and walnuts. Pretty darn good, and not nearly as sweet. My guests loved it with the modifications. Thanks Didi
I've never had ambrosia salad before, but I love all the ingredients, so I thought I would give it a try. Wow, I'm glad I did! It is such a refreshing summer dessert. I will be making this often, minus the maraschino cherries. Just going to grab some now!
Very good but not quite "great." I would definitely add more mandarin oranges next time and use cream cheese to make it a bit creamer. Otherwise its a keeper!
I have always loved ambrosia and this by far is the best recipe for it I have ever come across. I have made it four times now and I never get tired of it. I did take one person's advice, however, and I use light sour cream in place of the milk. If you love coconut, you have to make this salad. P
I brought this as my contribution to Christmas Eve dinner. No one really said anything about it - good or bad. It was hardly touched though. I think they thought what we did... kinda 'blah'.
I could not believe how easy and tasty this was. I added diced apples because I like "crunch" and I omitted the milk because I thought that would make it too "runny". It was so good, I will definitely be making this again!
I liked this recipe and rated it a 4 because I always add a 16 ounce tub of sourcream to my ambrosia. You can't go wrong with the fruit and whipped topping, but add some sourcream and you get the bold flavor of all of the fruit.
This was my first attempt at making a fruit salad and it turned out great. I following some suggestions. I used only 20oz of cool whip and used a stick of cream cheese. I used less coconut and added a can of fruit cocktail and a couple of apples for texture.
This is one of my favorite fruit salads. If you like coconut, you will love this salad, and it is so EASY!!!!
Just like the Ambrosia Salad the older ladies used to bring to church dinners....Sweet and tangy. Very good...thanks Didi
Added a box of instant pistachio pudding, as others suggested. That helped. However, way too much whipped cream stuff and not enough fruit. Made it nearly tasteless. I added more pineapple (used an entire 15 oz. can) and a can of apricots, diced (that's all I had in the cabinet). I wasn't keen about it, but people at the barbeque seemed to like it and some even had seconds.
this was a fast and easy recipe to prepare. It had a nice smooth taste to it without an aftertaste. I make it now for every occasion.
I love ambrosia salad...this one isn't too bad. Keeps nicely in the fridge for a couple days.
Not a horrible recipe so I gave it three stars. It is not at all the best coconut ambrosia recipe. I have had way better.
This is a simple to make yet delicious ambrosia salad. One thing to observe is if the coconut flakes being used are old and too dry, they will not get moist even after refrigerating the salad overnight. So, be sure to use only fresh and moist coconut.
A great recipe for kids of all ages to help make. My sons (ages 3 and 2yrs)helped me mix it for a family Luau and they were so proud of their dessert! Watching them explain how they made it to all those enjoying it was a treat just as delicious.
It's a great easy to make recipe!
This recipe turned out to be delicious, especially the day after. I used light wipped cream and only used a few maraschino cherries as they are very flavourful. I thought the dry coconut I added stood out a bit especially the first day I made it because it's texture is different from anything else in the salad, so fresh coconut might be a better choice. Anyways, I loved the flavour the coconut gave it, it was delicious. Even my boyfriend liked it, he had 3 servings and he is a VERY picky eater! Thank you!
Wonderful! I added 1 cup of walnuts and 3 bananas and everyone loved it! My all-time favorite recipe for ambrosia to date! Thanks so much for sharing!
The longer it sits in the fridge the better, I let is sit for 24 hours and it was even better. Great Recipe!
Very Good I added Apples and Toastes pecans & some of the coconut I only used between 1/4 - 1/2 a cup I only had 8 oz cool whip but it was still super. I Deleted the milk and added a couple TBS of the pineapple juice instead. also I bought pineapple chunks insead of crushed.. It was still great.
I've been making Ambrosia for 30 years, but instead of whipped topping, I use sour cream. It's much better and not as sweet.
This was pretty good. I cut the amount of marshmellows in half because I thought it would be too sweet. I also add some toasted pecan bits. There was quite a bit left after Christmas, but we had a huge selection of desserts. I enjoyed it until the leftovers were gone.
I was disappointed in this salad. It has too much coconut and not enough oranges & pineapple. The whip topping makes it too sweet. I prefer the version with sour cream and a bit less coconut, but still plenty (Grandma's Five Cup Salad from this site). To me that is more of a traditional Ambrosia. Sorry this one just didn't do it for me or my family.
I have made this salad twice for parties. It went over great both times! The changes I made were similar to the others, sour cream instead of milk, and added pistachio pudding. I also added some orange extract to give it a little boost. I will definitely make this again!
I made this for my daughter's 3rd birthday. It was amazing, it tasted just like my Nonnie's when I was a little girl. I highly recommend this recipe. I served it with slices of Angel Food Cake.
this recipe made way too much but it was very yummy! i recommend cutting the recipe in 1/2. you still will have a lot to go around.
This was excellent. I've made it three times now, and it's been great!!! The first time I made it by the book, but the next time, I made it with a small package with banana pudding mix in it, and it added a lot of flavor, as well as adding a can of fruit cocktail to add a better variety of fruit to it. It is a great recipe!!!
I would give this 4.5 if I could and it's a 5 with some modifications. I reduce the coconut to 1/2 cup and, like others, just use one tub of Cool Whip. I use 2 cans of mandarin oranges and the large can of crushed pineapple. I use 1/4c milk and 1/4c sour cream. I've made this for several gatherings and there are never any leftovers.
I was a little leary of this being good when I was mixing it. But after I tried it I couldn't believe how great it tasted! I used a bit more mandarin oranges and pineapple.
It's the best! This is always a hit for the holidays and it is a great summer dish too. Thank You
This is a great recipe, I like to add walnuts and sour cream to add more flavor to it. It's wonderful. My family requests this at every holiday dinner.
I LOVE this recipe. The only thing I do differently is I do not drain the pineapple & I delete the milk. This salad has a lot of coconut, which is great if you love coconut. I also make it the night before so the marshmallows have a chance to soak up the liquid & get all soft & foamy. Letting it sit overnight with the cherries also gives it a slight pink tint which is great for baby showers or baptisms for little girls. Also makes a nice salad for bridal showers, Easter or picnics. Could also be used as a light dessert.
I was never a big ambrosia fan until I found this recipe. Now I can't get enough of it! I used the suggestion of other reviewers of adding pistachio pudding mix in and I think that's what really makes the recipe. I also add extra fruit, such as chopped apples, bananas, grapes, etc. We found the coconut and marshmallows to be a bit much, so we only use 1 cup of each now
Delicious! It seemed like it had a little too much whipped topping, so next time I'll try reducing it to 3 cups instead of 3 1/2 cups.
I love love love this stuff. I could eat the entire bowl myself. It's so light and fresh tasting. The only thing I do different is leave out the milk. You won't be disappointed with this salad.
I served this on a buffet and it was wonderful. I used colored-flavored marshmallows which made it very pretty as well as very good. I would serve this again.
I made this for my husband for Father's Day dessert and it was a hit. Even my three year old wanted some. The only thing I did different was substituting cool whip with fresh heavy whipped cream (3/4 cup cream with about 1/4 cup sugar and 1/2 tsp vanilla). I also added a can of fruit cocktail. Overall, I adjusted the amount of the coconut and marshmallow to my desirable taste. Will definitely make this again for my next family gathering.
Made it exactly as the recipe called for except I ommited the milk...I don't like a thin or runny salad.
EVERYONE LOVED THIS!! Took suggestions and substituted sour cream for milk; reduced coconut to 1 1/4 cups; added Pistachio instant pudding to whipped topping; and added 1 to 1 1/2 cups of slices almonds. Definitely will add this to our holiday menu.
Over thirty years, and barely any negative comments? It's all right for ambrosia, I suppose, but it's best without the cherries.
Throw it together and watch it disappear. Presto! Magic! (Just make sure you got yours first.)
My family loves this recipe. It's just like my Grandmas used to be! I always double the recipe at Christmas time. There is never any left. I followed the recipe, except I add some of the cherry juice from the maraschino's. It makes the salad a beautiful pink color, instead of soo white from the cool whip. It also adds a great flavor.
I made this dessert for a Christmas Eve party at my cousin's this past year. I added just a bit of ground cinnamon and a dash of nutmeg to the original recipe, also instead of milk, I added sour cream. It was delicious, just as good as what Mom used to make!!
Marvelous Marshmallow MMM..... Great recipe. I did use real cream and like others, used instant pudding. It stablizes the cream very well. Definately double the recipe. It does keep well. Thanks for the recipe.
This is a quick and easy ambrosia recipe, but I think the true secret is to mix in a stick of softened cream cheese into the cool whip. It gives it a unique and really great flavor that everyone always raves about.
I added one drained can of Very Cherry Fruit Cocktail and one small package chopped pecans. I don't know if I'd make this again. The milk addition was not for us.
This was a great recipe. I used the advise of other raters and added a box of pistachio pudding to the mixture.. It was great.. I also added some chopped apples and grapes to it to give it more texture.. Thanks for the recipe Didi!
