Our ambrosia dessert recipe with Cool Whip is a twist on the classic version. Ours is uber creamy, packed with flavor, and super quick to make!
You can truly get the best of both worlds! We've essentially only tweaked some basic ingredients to give the dessert a much creamier mouthfeel and a more balanced flavor. And what's more, is that now you don't have to waste time whipping cream!
Prep Time5 minutesmins
Total Time5 minutesmins
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: ambrosia dessert recipe with cool whip, How do you make fruit with Cool Whip?, How far ahead can I make ambrosia salad?, Is there cottage cheese in ambrosia?, What kind of nuts are in ambrosia?
Make the cream baseBefore starting this recipe, make sure that your whipped topping is properly thawed. Once thawed, add it to a large mixing bowl and add the vanilla yogurt too. Then, stir the ingredients together until you have a uniformly smooth and creamy mixture.
Fold in the remaining ingredientsOnce your creamy base is finished, you can gently add and fold in all of the remaining ingredients. Do not overmix it. Only keep folding the mixture until the ingredients are evenly distributed and just combined.
1 can of orange slices, drained, 1 can crushed pineapple, drained, 1 cup canned or maraschino cherries, drained, 1 cup mini marshmallows, 1 cup shredded coconut, 1/2 cup pecan nuts, toasted and chopped
Chill your ambrosia dessertFinally, cover the surface of the ambrosia fruit salad with plastic or saran wrap. Then, rest it inside the fridge for at least 4 hours. But, your flavor will be a lot better if you leave it overnight.
Garnish and serveIf you would like to garnish this dessert, you can do so right before serving. You can either add some of each fruit, or just simple fresh mint leaves. It doesn't have to be exceptionally fancy or decoratively placed. After all, this is a rustic and old-school dessert.
Notes
As we have mentioned before, you can use fresh fruit for this recipe instead of canned options. Many people prefer an unpreserved and unsweetened addition. But then you have to allow the mixture to rest in the fridge overnight. This is the only way the fruit will soften enough to have an appealing texture.Ambrosia salad has a pretty good and stable shelf life. Especially if you use canned fruits. However, we would say that you shouldn't keep it for longer than 3 days in the fridge. You should also always store it inside a clean stain and odor-free airtight container.