What was ambrosia made of?

Most ambrosia recipes contain canned (often sweetened) or fresh pineapple, canned mandarin orange slices or fresh orange sections, miniature marshmallows, and coconut . Other ingredients might include various fruits and nuts: maraschino cherries, bananas, strawberries, peeled grapes, or crushed pecans.

What country does ambrosia salad come from?

Ambrosia salad is a classic American dessert salad that has been around for many years. It typically consists of a combination of fruits, marshmallows, and sometimes coconut, nuts, or whipped cream.

What is the difference between ambrosia and watergate?

Watergate has a nutty, sweet flavor from the pistachio flavoring while ambrosia features a prominent coconut flavor . Another dead giveaway is the signature minty green color of a Watergate salad that comes courtesy of the pistachio pudding blend while ambrosia salad has a white color.

Is ambrosia good for you?

When it simply comes to enjoying the familiar taste of Southern-style ambrosia, this real food version is a satisfying treat that provides a great dose of probiotics, as well as a healthy boost of nutrition !

What does ambrosia taste like?

Its flavor is best described as refreshing with floral notes and a pleasant crisp, fine-grained flesh . It's very sweet with very little acidity. Ambrosia is an apple that naturally doesn't brown quickly after being sliced, making it perfect for snacks or salads. You can cook with it too!

What are some interesting facts about ambrosia?

The word “ambrosia” means delicious or fragrant. Ambrosia was also the magical fruit of the gods in ancient Greek mythology . The gods on Mount Olympus ate ambrosia to maintain immortality and without it, they became weak. In Homer's Iliad, the gods bathed in ambrosia and used it as perfume.

What language is ambrosia from?

"Ambrosia" literally means "immortality" in Greek ; it is derived from the Greek word "ambrotos" ("immortal"), which combines the prefix "a-" (meaning "not") with "mbrotos" ("mortal"). In Greek and Roman mythology, only the immortals-gods and goddesses-could eat ambrosia.

Why is it called a Watergate salad?

Syndicated household advice columnists Anne Adams and Nan Nash-Cummings, in their "Anne & Nan" column of October 9, 1997, reported that name came from the similar "Watergate Cake" (which shares most of the same ingredients): "The recipes came out during the Watergate scandal.

Why is it called Watergate?

The name "Watergate" comes from the hotel in Washington, D.C. where the first crime and break in took place, and is often associated with political scandals.

Who invented pistachio pudding?

Pistachio pudding is a green pudding made from pistachio nuts and occasionally contains small chunks of almonds. Jell-O also sells boxed pistachio pudding mix. Boxed pistachio pudding was developed by Kraft Foods in 1975.

What is the drink ambrosia made of?

Fill an 8-oz. glass with ice. Stir in rum, orange juice, pineapple juice, and a splash of grenadine . Garnish, if desired.

How to make ambrosia in The Sims 4?

You need a death flower, an angelfish, and a potion of youth . If you have Realm of Magic, you can sometimes get the first two ingredients from the magic shop (the Potion Ingredients stall in Caster's Alley). If not, read on... Death flower: You need to graft a pomegranate with an orchid.

The Best Ambrosia Salad Recipe (2024)

August 19, 2019 By Sam 47 Comments

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This Ambrosia Salad recipe is a classic old-fashioned favorite. While many versions use artificially-flavored store-bought whipped cream, today we’re improving upon the flavor by making our own homemade whipped cream and tweaking this recipe to dessert salad perfection!

A Better Ambrosia Salad Recipe

Throwback to an old-fashioned favorite today! A recent favorite for me. Growing up, I honestly always avoided Ambrosia Salad. There was something about the fact that it was called a salad but that it also had marshmallows!? in it that I just couldn’t seem to get behind.

As far as unconventional, non-lettuce-based “salads” go, potato salad and macaroni salad were about as far as I ever ventured. Dessert salads like Ambrosia salad were often on the menu, but never on my plate.

Oh, was I ever missing out.

If you’ve ever had Ambrosia Salad in the past, chances are it was made with Cool Whip. Sure, Cool Whip is easy to use and works in a pinch, but the (artificial) taste simply doesn’t compare to making our own homemade, from-scratch whipped cream. This simple switch in ingredients changed me forever from a dessert salad skeptic to an Ambrosia Salad fan(atic).

What You Need

Heavy Cream — rather than using Cool Whip, as so many Ambrosia Salad recipes do, we are making our own homemade whipped cream. It’s going to make the flavor so much better (and only takes 5 minutes)!
Powdered Sugar
Vanilla Extract
Sour Cream — This ingredient is key for adding a great depth of flavor to this Ambrosia salad recipe and keeps it from being too sweet!
Mandarin oranges
Maraschino cherries— remove any stems.
Pineapple tidbits — If you can’t find “tidbits” then pineapple chunks will work, just cut each piece in half so the pineapple doesn’t overwhelm things. Alternatively you can chop up your own fresh pineapple into small bite-sized pieces!
Sweetened shredded coconut
Mini marshmallows — regular, white, classic mini marshmallows will work just fine in this recipe, but personally I prefer the fruit flavored marshmallows.
Nuts— optional! I don’t care for nuts in ambrosia salad, but if you are a fan then feel free to add ¾ cup of coarsely chopped nuts in with the marshmallows.

How to Make Ambrosia Salad

Start by making a simple homemade whipped cream by using an electric mixer to beat together heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract.
Stir in sour cream. It might seem like an odd combination, but give it a taste test. The sour cream adds such a nice depth of flavor (just like it does with my cheesecake).Soooo good.
Stir in fruits and marshmallows, tossing everything together until completely combined.
Cover and allow to chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour before serving.

How Far In Advance Can I Make Ambrosia Salad

I recommend making Ambrosia Salad 1-24 hours before you intend to serve, for best flavor and texture. However, Ambrosia Salad will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days (make sure to store in an airtight container). I do not recommend freezing as the quality degrades when thawed.

Enjoy!

More Old Fashioned Favorites

Rice Krispie Treats
Buckeyes
Potato Candy

I originally shared this recipe for Ambrosia Salad over on Real Housemoms!

Oh, and hey! Today’s new video was filmed in my brand new kitchen! I’m working on a post to show you everything we had done to the new space, so stay tuned, but I hope you enjoy today’s sneak-peek 🙂

Best Ambrosia Salad Recipe

An easy homemade Ambrosia Salad Recipe! Sweet and so simple, no Cool Whip required!

Be sure to check out the quick how-to video below the recipe!

5 from 7 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Appetizer, Dessert, Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Chilling Time: 1 hour hour

Total Time: 1 hour hour 15 minutes minutes

Ingredients

▢ ¾ cups (180 ml) heavy cream
▢ ¼ cup (35 g) powdered sugar
▢ ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
▢ ½ cup (120 g) sour cream
▢ 11 oz (312 g) can mandarin oranges well drained
▢ 10 oz (¾ cup) maraschino cherries without stems
▢ 1 8 oz can pineapple tidbits well-drained
▢ 1 ½ cups (120 g) sweetened shredded coconut
▢ 4 cups (200 g) mini marshmallows¹

Instructions

Combine heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract in a large bowl. Use an electric mixer to beat until mixture is thick, billowy, and the consistency of Cool Whip.
¾ cups (180 ml) heavy cream, ¼ cup (35 g) powdered sugar, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Stir in sour cream.
½ cup (120 g) sour cream
In a separate bowl, stir together oranges, cherries, pineapple, coconut, and mini marshmallows.
11 oz (312 g) can mandarin oranges, 10 oz (¾ cup) maraschino cherries, 1 8 oz can pineapple tidbits, 1 ½ cups (120 g) sweetened shredded coconut, 4 cups (200 g) mini marshmallows¹
Add whipped cream/sour cream mixture and stir until completely combined.
Cover bowl and chill in refrigerator for at least 1 hour before serving.

Notes

¹I like to use the rainbow/fruit flavored mini marshmallows for more of a tropical flavor, but classic white mini marshmallows work just as well!

Nuts?

Some people like to add nuts to their ambrosia salad. ¾ cup of coarsely chopped nuts such as pecans or walnuts would make a great addition.

Storing Ambrosia Salad

Nutrition

Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.

Tried this recipe? Show me on Instagram!Mention @SugarSpun_Sam or tag #sugarspunrun!

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Reader Interactions

Comments

Tami Olson
October 08, 2023 at 2:25 am

I just made this version with homemade whipped cream. So delicious. May add a few nut before I serve for dinner tomorrow.
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Reply
- Sam
  October 09, 2023 at 8:40 pm
  I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much, Tami! 🙂
  Reply
Audrey Cortez
October 13, 2022 at 5:34 pm
I can’t wait to make this nostalgic salad tomorrow for my brother’s birthday! It’s so difficult to find in delis nowadays. I’d like to make enough so that he has plenty for himself, as well as to share. I was wondering how much this makes? I think I’ll double the recipe just to be sure. Thank you so much for literally making my younger brother’s birthday so much sweeter!
Reply
- Sam
  October 13, 2022 at 9:58 pm
  Hi Audrey! It makes about 10 servings, but of course that depends how big you like a serving to be. You can never have enough if you ask me! 🙂
  Reply
Renee San Marco
November 25, 2021 at 10:13 am
Love the receipt but way too sweet. Next time I will cut the powdered sugar by at least half and maybe 2/3.
Reply
Meena Maharaj
June 16, 2021 at 1:26 pm
The best Ambrosia
Reply
- Dee
  August 21, 2021 at 8:06 am
  
  Sam, I had never had ambrosia, so like you I realized I had been missing out. I followed your recipe without changing a thing and it came out delicious! Brought some to my mom who has a picky palate and she loved it too!
  Reply
  - Sam
    August 21, 2021 at 9:36 pm
    I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much, Dee! 🙂
Seth
March 28, 2021 at 1:26 am

I’m so glad I came across your recipe! It Turned out amazing!!! Thank you for sharing
Reply
- Sam
  March 28, 2021 at 9:39 pm
  I’m so glad you enjoy them so much, Seth! 🙂
  Reply
- Joyce Leftridge
  April 04, 2023 at 11:12 am
  Do you have a recipe for Waldorf salad ?
  Reply
  - Sam
    April 05, 2023 at 9:25 pm
    Hi Joyce! Unfortunately I do not. 🙁
Laura
February 19, 2021 at 12:12 pm
What about lemon extract instead of vanilla?
Reply
- Sam
  February 22, 2021 at 10:38 am
  If you like the flavor combination that will work fine. You will want to use less though as lemon extract is much more potent than vanilla. 🙂
  Reply
  - Mary
    July 03, 2022 at 12:04 pm
    Do I not drain the maraschino cherries? It does say to drain the mandarin oranges, but nothing about the cherries. I want to make sure. Looking forward to making this salad. TIA
  - Sam
    July 04, 2022 at 10:06 pm
    Hi Mary! You do not want to add the liquid from the cherries. 🙂

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