Ambrosia – 5 Cup Salad
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Ambrosia – Five Cup Salad is an easy dish to make for a family gathering or church dinner. Full of fruit and mixed together with simple sour cream that melds together in a delicious fruity and refreshing salad.
(Post modified with new photos on 12/14/23.)
My mom always called this Five Cup Salad. However, I like to add the additional coconut flakes, which actually makes this a 5 1/5 cup salad. And doesn’t the word Ambrosia just give this salad a very luxurious and elegant sound?
After a bit of online research, I found that the term Ambrosia actually means “fruit of the Gods” and apparently was considered “magical fruit” in Greek Mythology. The recipe for Ambrosia salad first appeared in newspapers from Kansas to Rhode Island in the 1870’s.
What is Ambrosia Salad?
Like any traditional recipe, there appears to be some discrepancy in the ingredients for this salad. Sour cream vs whipped cream. Coconut or no coconut? Key fruits are pineapple and mandarin oranges, but other fruits varied from maraschino cherries (which seemed the norm) to apples or grapes.
I’m sure in the end, it comes down to the creator’s likes and tastes. My mom never had a fondness for coconut–or possibly it was my dad. Plus, there were many varieties of this type of salad, which may have caused further confusion. Waldorf Salad, Pineapple Fluff, Glorified Rice, Ambrosia, 5 Cup Salad–you get the idea.
More Fruit Salads to Try
Ingredients for Ambrosia – Five Cup Salad
(See the entire recipe at the bottom of this post.)
- pineapple chunks or tidbits, drained
- mandarin oranges, drained
- Honey Crisp apples, diced
- miniature marshmallows
- sour cream
- unsweetened coconut flakes
Instructions for Making This Recipe
To begin, gather all your ingredients so that you have everything close at hand.
Open the canned fruits and drain the juices. You may save the juice in a container for later use, if desired.
Core and slice the apple into small tidbit pieces. I like to leave the skin on for extra color for the salad.
Feel free to use your favorite apple for this salad. We like Honey Crisp apples, but Jonathan or Gala apples would work well, too.
In a large mixing bowl, combine drained pineapple, mandarin oranges, and diced apples.
Using a rubber spatula, gently fold in the marshmallows, and sour cream.
Spoon into a pretty serving bowl. Sprinkle the top with coconut flakes.
Cover and refrigerate for 2-3 hours. Serves 6-8.
See more Salad Ideas Here. View Thanksgiving Dinner Ideas Here. Browse ideas for a Christmas Eve Candlelight Dinner Here.
Ambrosia - Five Cup Salad
Ingredients
- 20 oz pineapple chunks drained
- 11 oz mandarin oranges drained
- 1 cup Honey Crisp apples cored and sliced into tidbits
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 cup miniature marshmallows
- 1/2 cup coconut flakes unsweetened
Instructions
- To begin, gather all your ingredients so that you have everything close at hand.
- Open the canned fruits and drain the juices. You may save the juice in a container for later use, if desired.
- Core and slice the apple into small tidbit pieces. I like to leave the skin on for extra color for the salad.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine drained pineapple and mandarin oranges, diced apples, sour cream and marshmallows. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the ingredients together.
- Spoon into a pretty serving bowl. Sprinkle the top with coconut flakes, and garnish with mandarin orange segments. Cover and refrigerate for 2-3 hours. Serves 6-8.
Nutrition