A fruit salad like no other. Mandarin oranges, pineapple and coconut mixed with a delicious cream (amongst others). This old fashioned southern Ambrosia recipe is wickedly delicious.

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If you have a lot of other things going on in the kitchen, this dish makes a really easy dessert to throw together without hardly any effort. Great for the holiday season.

It's also great during the hotter months as the citrus fruits can be nice and quenching.

What makes this recipe so yummy

• Who doesn't like a simple recipe you can whip up in less than 10 minutes? Perfect for any dessert table.
• The fruits are interchangeable. Just use your favorite.
• The longer it keeps in the refrigerator it just marries so well and tastes better.
• Creaminess and sweetness mixed with delicious fruits.

Groceries you'll need: Ingredients

• Heavy Whipping Cream
• Vanilla Extract
• Powdered Sugar
• Mandarin Oranges or orange segments
• Crushed Pineapple or Pineapple Tidbits
• Peach Chunks
• Maraschino Cherries
• Miniature Marshmallows
• Sweetened Coconut Flakes

See recipe card at the bottom of this post for quantities.

Recipe walkthrough: Instructions

This is an overview of the recipe steps. For more detailed instructions visit the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

• Step 1: Add the heavy cream, vanilla and powered sugar to a large mixing bowl and beat together until stiff peaks form.
• Step 2: Add the remaining ingredients and fold together with the whipped cream mixture.
• Step 3: Refrigerate for about 30-60 minutes before serving.

Recipe variations and substitute ideas

• Frozen Topping - instead of whipping your own cream, you could use cool whip (frozen topping).
• Sour Cream - add some of this to add some flavor dimension.
• Canned Fruit - change out the various fruit in this southern Ambrosia Salad recipe to anything you prefer. You could even just use a can of fruit cocktail.
• Pecans - add some chopped pecans for some texture or any nuts.
• Pistachio Pudding - mix in some of this and make a watergate salad.
• Vanilla Yogurt - instead of whipped topping or whipped cream.
• Ice Cream - again, to replace the whipped cream.
• Grapes - make a great addition.

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Necessary gear: Equipment

The following are affiliate links. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

There's not a lot of equipment needed for this recipe. A large bowl for whipping your cream, a hand mixer and a large spoon to fold together.

I have some affiliate links in the recipe card below.

More southern dessert recipes I think you'll love

• Old Fashioned Chess Pie
• Banana Pudding Cups
• Rice Pudding With Evaporated Milk
• Southern Lemon Pie
• Louisiana Crunch Cake
• Cherry Pie

How to store leftovers

Store this Old Fashioned Southern Ambrosia in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Or you could cover the mixing bowl with plastic wrap to refrigerate.

Mel's kitchen notes

Keep some maraschino cherries (with the stalks) to decorate the top upon serving, for that extra pizazz.

Frequently asked questions: FAQs

If you’ve tried this Old Fashioned Southern Ambrosia Recipe or any other great recipe on my site, let me know in the comment section below, how it turned out, we love hearing from our readers!

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