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Best Ambrosia Salad {No Cool Whip}

posted by Liz Berg on November 19, 2017 (updated 9/9/21)

My great-grandmother’s fruit salad always graced our holiday table. For a delicious alternative, my Best Ambrosia Salad is incredibly delicious! And as a bonus, there’s no Cool Whip in the dreamy dressing.

This Fruit Salad Recipe is a bit of a splurge as far as salads go, but a perfectly tasty recipe for your Thanksgiving or Christmas table!

The Best Ambrosia Salad {No Cool Whip} in a white ceramic bowl

Table of Contents hide

1 Why You Should Make this Salad

2 Tips for Making Ambrosia Salad

3 Frequently Asked Questions

4 Ingredient Notes:

5 More Holiday Salads You’ll Love:

6 Best Ambrosia Salad {No Cool Whip}

Why You Should Make this Salad

My first exposure to an ambrosia salad was in college. When I was living in the dorms as a freshman, I’d hit the cafeteria for at least one meal a day. Occasionally, they’d have this creamy, fruit-laden salad with coconut and marshmallows. Once I discovered ambrosia, I was in love!

Instead of taking a shortcut with Cool Whip, this recipe is made with a rich, creamy dressing made from whipped heavy cream and sour cream.

It’s highly adaptable. I often omit the pecans since if they were included, I’d be forced to eat the whole salad myself! Darn my picky family. Don’t like coconut? It can be left out, too. And almost any fruit in bite-sized pieces will work, but try this classic combo first!

The Best Ambrosia Salad {No Cool Whip} in two small white bowls

Tips for Making Ambrosia Salad

Though a little foggy, my memories of that first ambrosia salad’s ingredients included mandarin oranges, pineapple, marshmallows, coconut, and some sort of whipped cream dressing. After researching and hunting for ambrosia without Cool Whip, I saw a variety of ingredient options. So, I selected my favorites.

A combination of sweetened whipped cream and sour cream provided the creamy dressing (from Alton Brown’s version). Not much sugar was needed since the marshmallows provide additional sweetness.
I used both canned and fresh fruit: canned pineapple tidbits, canned mandarin oranges, bagged coconut, fresh grapes, and a jar of maraschino cherries. Add or eliminate ingredients according to your preference!

Mini-marshmallows and pecans are classic additions I included as well. Toast, then cool your pecans if you’d like to enhance their flavor.
The maraschino cherries will bleed and color the dressing pink. To avoid that, place your cherries on paper toweling to dry the excess juices, and mix in just before serving.

I only used part of the cans of mandarin oranges and pineapple. Feel free to add all the fruit so you don’t have to deal with leftover canned fruit.
So many recipes used Cool Whip, and though I’ve definitely enjoyed those kinds of ambrosia in the past, I loved this no Cool Whip version so much more!

The Best Ambrosia Salad {No Cool Whip} in a white ceramic bowl surrounded by grapes, marshmallows and orange segments

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is this called Ambrosia?

The word ambrosia comes from Greek mythology and was “Food for the Gods” on Mt. Olympus. So this salad or dessert, made with fruit like oranges, bananas, and coconut, was given the name ambrosia. Hence, designating it as food tasty enough for the gods.

Where and When Did Ambrosia originate?

The first written recipes were in both Dixie newspapers and a cookbook as early as the 1870s, so there is speculation that this recipe debuted in the South. The early, simpler versions were made of layered oranges, coconut, and sugar. It is still a popular dish served as part of a holiday menu.

Ingredient Notes:

Heavy cream – Use the real stuff, never Cool Whip which is non-dairy and full of chemicals.
Sour cream – Don’t use low fat or nonfat as this is a splurge dish for special occasions
Mini marshmallows – Regular marshmallows cut into small pieces may be substituted in a pinch
Canned mandarin orange slices -drain well so the juice doesn’t water down the dressing
Canned Pineapple tidbits – drain as with the mandarin oranges, plus avoid buying either fruit in heavy syrup
Fresh grapes – seedless red or green grapes are best. Slice in half if they’re large.
Sweetened coconut flakes – though the original recipes had home cooks grating their own coconut, angel flake coconut is an easier option.
Chopped, toasted pecans – toasting nuts helps bring out their natural oils, enhancing their flavor. Place pecan halves in one layer on a baking sheet and toast for 5+ minutes at 350 degrees. Shake the pan every few minutes to prevent burning and never walk away from them as they’re roasting. Cool and chop.
Maraschino cherries – rinse and drain to prevent the red dye from bleeding into the dressing.

More Holiday Salads You’ll Love:

There are certain salads I seem to reserve for the holidays. The term salad usually conjures up visions of lettuce or other greens tossed with a creamy or vinegar-based dressing and other ingredients. But rules are broken during the holidays and salads which include marshmallows and whipped cream dressings are acceptable fare!

Autumn Crunch Pasta Salad from Chelsea’s Messy Apron
Thanksgiving Spinach Salad from Kalyn’s Kitchen
Holiday Lettuce Salad
Cranberry Fluff Salad
More delicious Salad Recipes

The Recipe: