Southern Ambrosia Recipe
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Southern Ambrosia makes a classic holiday fruit salad loaded with citrus fruits. A sweet and creamy salad, ambrosia is always a favorite!
Grandmother Verdie would always prepare it a the day before our family Christmas and Easter so that it was perfectly chilled for serving. Filled with so much delicious, seasonal citrus fruit, Ambrosia has to be one of my favorite little recipes that can be considered a side and also works just perfectly as a dessert.
There’s just something about making it now for the holidays that keeps her right there with me with every stir that I make. It’s like she’s whispering to me about making sure that the whipping cream has just the right amount of stiffness before stirring in the fruit. I can’t help myself from pulling out the glasses of hers that she’d serve her ambrosia in. With their worn golden rims, they still are just as beautiful to me as they were as a little girl thrilled to be able to have her ambrosia salad in the “fancy glasses” for the first time.
There’s just nothing like those family recipes to me. And this one is definitely a special one.
Here’s Grandmother’s Ambrosia recipe. I hope you love it as much as my family does!
Ambrosia Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup whipping cream
- 2 tablespoons confectioner’s sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 medium oranges, sectioned
- 2 medium grapefruit, sectioned
- 1 cup chopped pineapple, or 1 (8-ounce) can diced pineapple, drained
- 1/2 cup sweetened flake coconut
- 1 cup mini marshmallows, optional
- 1/4 cup roasted pecans, optional
- 1 (10-ounce) jar Maraschino cherries, drained (optional)
Instructions
- Pour whipping cream into a large bowl and whisk until soft peaks begin to form. Slowly add confectioner’s sugar and vanilla and whip until stiff peaks form. Fold in oranges, grapefruit, pineapple, coconut, marshmallows and roasted pecans. Pour into a large glass bowl. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 8 hours before serving. When ready to serve, add cherries to top of ambrosia and serve.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Enjoy!
Robyn xo
From the Add a Pinch recipe archives. Originally published 2012.
Thanks for the memory. Mama made this (almost exactly like the recipe) and I have looked for recipe ever since she passed away in 1983. Plan on re-introducing it to my Thanksgiving menu this year. Again, an amazing “pass-me-down” recipe.
What a sweet and special comment, Virginia. I’m so happy you found it and that you are including it in your holiday menu too. This is a special one we’ve always loved – I have fond memories of my grandmother making it.
I’m so honored to have you here, Virginia and hope that your family enjoys this! xo