Cranberry Pomegranate Ambrosia Salad

This Ambrosia Salad will be the best fruit salad you ever make!  It is wonderfully light, sweet, tangy, refreshing, EASY, make ahead (AKA stress free!), and always a swooning favorite!

Ambrosia means, โ€œfood of the godsโ€ and this Ambrosia Salad is nothing short of heavenly.  It is often served for Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner because it is special occasion worthy, and SO easy to make โ€“ you donโ€™t even have to do any chopping โ€“ thatโ€™s my kind of salad!  This Cranberry Pomegranate Ambrosia Salad recipe is an updated holiday spin on the iconic recipe loaded with cranberries, pomegranate arils, mandarin oranges, pineapple and mini marshmallows in a luscious vanilla yogurt cream dressing.

up close of a spoon scooping classic ambrosia salad with pineapple, mandarin oranges, mini marshmallows, cranberries and pomegranate seeds in a glass bowl


 

What is ambrosia?

Ambrosia Salad is a creamy variation on a traditional fruit salad that originated in the 19th century. It is a southern classic and traditionally contains pineapple, Mandarina oranges, mini-marshmallows and coconut all cocooned in a fluffy, sweet dressy primarily comprised of whipped cream. ย It is more of a light dessert than a salad and is a welcome addition to any potluck or holiday.

With the holiday season upon us, I thought it was time for an update on this iconic classic.ย  And I couldnโ€™t be more pleased โ€“ or addicted โ€“ to the results.ย  ย Ambrosia Salad occasionally gets a bad rap, but I promise this Ambrosia Salad recipe is sooooo irresistible, my I-never-eat-leftovers husband was eating the leftovers straight from the fridge.

side view of best ambrosia salad in a small glass serving dish with creamy yogurt dressing
ingredient icon

Ambrosia Fruit Salad Ingredients

There are thousands of takes on Ambrosia Salad but all of them start with juicy fruit and some form of creamy dressing.

Traditional Ambrosia Salad contains:

  • Mandarin oranges
  • Pineapple
  • Coconut
  • Miniature marshmallows

Other Common Add-Ins:

  • Maraschino cherries
  • Bananas
  • Grapes
  • Apples
  • Pecans
top view of creamy ambrosia salad with pineapple, mandarin oranges, mini marshmallows, cranberries and pomegranate seeds with creamy dressing with yogurt in small glass serving dishes

How to make Ambrosia Salad without Coconut

Ambrosia Salad is one of the easiest โ€œsaladsโ€ or special occasion recipes youโ€™ll make in your whole life.ย  It takes less than 10 minutes and most of that is simply adding ingredients to a sieve or stirring in a bowl.

  1. We start by finely chopping cranberries in a food processor.  You can use fresh or frozen (thawed) cranberries.  I actually used fresh cranberries that had been frozen and then thawed.  (I always freeze any fruit Iโ€™m not going to use in time – they are perfect for smoothies, or Ambrosia Salad in this case!)
showing how to make ambrosia salad by chopping fruit
  1. Next, add the pineapple to a fine mesh sieve and push out any excess moisture (over the sink) with a spatula followed by the cranberries.  This will keep our Ambrosia Salad from getting watery.
showing how to make ambrosia salad by removing excess juice from pineapple;e
showing how to make ambrosia salad by stirring pineapple and cranberries together
  1. Stir in sugar until well combined.  We need this extra sugar because raw cranberries are extremely tart.
showing how to make ambrosia salad by adding sugar to fruit
  1. Place sieve over a bowl, cover and place in the refrigerator.  Let chill 2 hours up to overnight.
showing how to make ambrosia salad by stirring pineapple, sugar and cranberries together
  1. Add cranberry mixture to a serving bowl. Stir in the marshmallows, followed by mandarin oranges.
showing how to make ambrosia salad by stirring pineapple, mandarin oranges and cranberries together in a glass bowl
  1. For the dressing, beat heavy cream in a large mixing bowl for 1 minute then beat in powdered sugar.  Continue to beat until peaks form.
showing how to make ambrosia salad by beating heavy cream to make creamy dressing
  1. Fold vanilla yogurt into whipped cream.
showing how to make ambrosia salad by mixing yogurt and cream together
showing how to make ambrosia salad by stirring creamy dressing into salad
  1. Fold the whipped cream mixture into the cranberry mixture. 
  2. Refrigerate for 1-4 hours.
showing how to make ambrosia salad by chilling in the refrigerator for a few hours
  1. Right before serving, garnish with the pomegranate seeds.
showing how to make ambrosia salad topping with pomegranate seeds
  1. DEVOUR!
up close of a spoon scooping classic ambrosia salad with pineapple, mandarin oranges, mini marshmallows, cranberries and pomegranate seeds in a glass bowl
up close top view of a spoonful of creamy ambrosia salad with pineapple, mandarin oranges, mini marshmallows, cranberries and pomegranate seeds with creamy dressing with yogurt in small glass serving dishes

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    ยฉCarlsbad Cravings by CarlsbadCravings.com

    up close of creamy ambrosia salad in a small glass serving dish with pineapple, oranges, marshmallows
    up close of a spoon scooping classic ambrosia salad with pineapple, mandarin oranges, mini marshmallows, cranberries and pomegranate seeds in a glass bowl

    Cranberry Pomegranate Ambrosia Salad

    Cranberry Pomegranate Ambrosia Salad will be the best fruit salad you ever make! It is wonderfully light, sweet, tangy, refreshing, EASY, make ahead (AKA stress free!), and always a swooning favorite!
    Servings: 10 -14 servings
    Total Time: 4 hours 10 minutes
    Prep Time: 10 minutes

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    Ingredients

    • 1 12 oz. bag fresh or frozen (thawed) whole cranberries
    • 1 20 oz. can crushed pineapple drained
    • 3/4 cup sugar
    • 2 cups miniature marshmallows
    • 1 15 oz. can mandarin oranges drained
    • 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
    • 1/3 cup Powdered sugar
    • 1/2 cup Greek vanilla yogurt nonfat is fine
    • 1 cup pomegranate arils/seeds

    Instructions

    • Finely chop cranberries in a food processor. Add to a fine mesh sieve and push out any excess moisture (over the sink). Add drained pineapple and push down with a spatula to remove any excess moisture. Stir in sugar until well combined. Place sieve over a bowl, cover and place in the refrigerator. Let chill 2 hours up to overnight.
    • Add cranberry mixture to a serving bowl. Stir in the marshmallows, followed by Mandarin oranges. Set aside.
    • Beat heavy cream in a large mixing bowl for 1 minute then beat in powdered sugar. Continue to beat until soft peaks form. Fold vanilla yogurt into whipped cream.
    • Fold the whipped cream mixture into the cranberry mixture. Right before serving, garnish with the pomegranate seeds. Serve immediately or best if chilled 1-4 hours.

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    ยฉCarlsbad Cravings Original adapted from Kelsey Nixon 

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    10 Comments

    1. Wendy says

      Jen youโ€™ve done it again, this ambrosia salad looks superb and I will definitely be serving it at our Thanksgiving along with your scalloped sweet potatoes and your stuffing which have become tradition in our home. Thank you for all you do for us!

      • Jen says

        Hi Wendy, thank you for your kind words! I love hearing that my sweet potatoes and stuffing are a Thanksgiving tradition! I think you will absolutely love this Ambrosia Salad as well. Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!

    2. Brook says

      Hi Jen, this is such a refreshing spin on ambrosia salad, I can almost taste the pomegranate seeds – yum! I also love the addition of vanilla yogurt to the dressing. I will definitely be making this soon. Quick question- do you know how many pomegranates Iโ€™ll need for 1 cup? Thank you!

      • Jen says

        Thank you Brook, I LOVE this salad and am so excited for you to try it! Great question – you will need one pomegranate for approximately one cup of seeds. Enjoy!

    3. Bethanie says

      I did a trial run on Sunday for Thanksgiving because Iโ€™ve never made ambrosia salad before and this was AMAZING! Both my boyfriend and I had to pry ourselves away. Itโ€™s definitly a keeper and will be a new holiday tradition!

      • Jen says

        Thank you so much for your awesome comment Bethanie! I am so pleased both of you loved it so much and will be a new holiday tradition – that makes me so happy! Happy Thanksgiving!

    4. Shari says

      This was the best thing I ate all Thanksgiving and will be a new family tradition! Thanks Jen, happy holidays to you and your family!

      • Jen says

        YAY! I absolutely love hearing that Shari, especially because this Ambrosia Salad is a new favorite of ours as well! Thank you and happy holidays!

    5. Tina Ingram says

      This looks delicious but one question don’t care for yogurt what can be replaced with the yogurt thank you God bless

      • Jen says

        Hi Tina! You can use sour cream as a sub for the yogurt. I hope you enjoy!