This 10-ingredient Pistachio Ambrosia Salad takes only 15 minutes to prep and is the perfect make ahead salad or side dish. With whipped topping, pistachio pudding mix, and coconut, there's so much to love about this green ambrosia!
Now this is a salad we can get behind! With just a handful of sweet, tasty, easy-to-find ingredients that are simply mixed together, this Pistachio Ambrosia Salad is ready to enjoy in just minutes. It's a nutty, pistachio spin on the traditional recipe - and we are all about it!
Sweet crushed pineapple and mandarins, tropical coconut and fluffy marshmallows are all folded into chilled whipped topping in this Green Ambrosia Salad for the ultimate flavor and texture experience. With so many sweet notes and a minty green color, this Southern charm is a crowd-pleasing dessert everyone will love.
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If you're a fan of this retro pistachio ambrosia salad, be sure to try these recipes for some of our other favorite old-school side dishes. This Green Jello Salad is colorful and flavorful, and it doesn't get more vintage than this delicious and sweet Green Fluff Salad.
Table of Contents
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Quick and Easy Dessert. With just a handful of easy-to-find ingredients that all get mixed together, plus no baking required, this sweet treat is ready to enjoy in just minutes.
- Tasty Twist on Tradition. Ambrosia salad is a classic - an oldie and a goodie, for good reason. This is a fun, pistachio twist on the traditional version.
- Make-Ahead Sweet Treat. Because this sweet salad can be mixed together ahead of time and left to set in the fridge before serving, it's a great dessert to whip up early and serve to a crowd!
- Customizable. Get creative and experiment with different add-ins to this salad. Try different nuts and fruits based on your preferences!
Ingredients
Scroll Down for Ingredient Amounts Listed in the Recipe Card Below
- Whipped Topping: The light, airy base for this salad, use your favorite kind here. You can find store-bought whipped topping in the refrigerated and freezer sections at the store, or you can make your own homemade whipped cream. Both work!
- Sour Cream or Greek Yogurt: Adds a nice tang and rich, thick texture to the salad.
- Instant Pistachio Pudding Mix: The signature flavor and color of this green ambrosia. Find this in the baking aisle of most grocery stores.
- Crushed Pineapple: Sweet and tropical tasting, this adds delicious flavor to the dish.
- Mandarin Oranges: Also sweet and sometimes tangy, these add flavor, texture and a pop of color to the salad. Be sure to thoroughly drain these before using to keep the salad from being watery.
- Green Grapes: Sweet with a bite, these add nice flavor and texture to this recipe. We like green for their slight tartness, but you can use red or a mixture of both, too.
- Mini Marshmallows: Airy and chewy, these add the perfect sweetness and texture to this retro salad.
- Shredded Coconut: Perfectly sweet and with a tropical flavor profile, this is a signature ingredient for ambrosia salad.
- Maraschino Cherries: Beautifully bright in color and sweet in taste, these offer flavor and a pop of color to this salad.
- Walnuts or Pecans: Either work, or use whatever nut you have on hand. Chopped nuts add a delicious roasted note and great crunchy flavor.
Tools You'll Need
How To Make Pistachio Ambrosia Salad
- In a large mixing bowl, combine whipped topping or fresh whipped cream, sour cream, and instant pistachio pudding mix. Stir gently until well combined. The pudding will thicken the mixture.
- Add in crushed pineapple (with juice), mandarin oranges, grapes, miniature marshmallows, shredded coconut, and chopped nuts (if using). Mix gently until everything is evenly distributed.
- Fold in the maraschino cherries carefully to avoid breaking them.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour (or up to 4 hours) before serving. Garnish with additional cherries, mandarin oranges, coconut, and/or chopped nuts if desired.
Expert Tips
- Chill Ingredients Before Using. To keep everything extra cold and refreshing, chill the ingredients ahead of time before mixing together. Chill the fruit, marshmallows and whipped cream or topping. This will ensure the salad sets correctly and will result in the best flavor.
- Avoid Over-mixing. Don't heavily mix this salad, be gentle and stir together until just combined, to keep all ingredients in tact.
- Homemade Whipped Topping: While Cool Whip is a popular choice, you can use homemade whipped cream as a more natural alternative. Simply whip together 1 ½ cups heaving whipping cream, ¼ cup powdered sugar and ½ teaspoon vanilla extract until stiff peaks form. The salad will keep for a couple days.
What To Serve With Pistachio Ambrosia Salad
There are so many options of what to pair with this dish. It's always part of a holiday spread at our house. We love to add it to a menu with other recipes like:
Storage and Make-Ahead Instructions
- For the fridge: If you've got leftovers of this salad, lucky you! Store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days.
- Make ahead instructions: This is a great dish to make in advance. You can mix everything together and store it covered in the fridge until you're ready to eat. Letting it sit in the fridge a bit helps it to set, but we recommend serving it sooner than later for maximum flavor and freshness!
- We don't recommend freezing this dish as it compromises the texture.
FAQs
Ambrosia tastes like coconut, watergate has a pistachio flavor profile. Ambrosia also often is made with sour cream, while watergate is not, and lastly, ambrosia salad usually includes various fruit-like mandarins, crushed pineapples and grapes, while Watergate traditionally is only made with crushed pineapples.
Ambrosia salad is traditionally made with a creamy base, like whipped topping and/or sour cream, fruit, like canned mandarin oranges, crushed pineapple, grapes and maraschino cherries, shredded coconut (a signature ingredient), and chopped nuts. There are many varieties of this classic salad, but these are commonly used ingredients.
Fruit fluff is a dessert that's commonly made with fruit, whipped topping, gelatin, and marshmallows. Other variations can also be made with pudding mix, cream cheese and chopped nuts.
More Easy Salad Recipes
Pistachio Ambrosia Salad
Ingredients
- 8 ounce container whipped topping (thawed) optional use homemade whipped cream
- 1 cup sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
- 3.4 ounce package instant pistachio pudding mix
- 20 ounce can crushed pineapple with the juice
- 1 cup drained mandarin oranges
- 1 cup halved green seedless grapes
- 1 cup miniature marshmallows
- 1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
- ½ cup chopped pecans or walnut optional
- ½ cup drained and halved maraschino cherries
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, combine whipped topping or fresh whipped cream, sour cream, and instant pistachio pudding mix. Stir gently until well combined. The pudding will thicken the mixture.
- Add in crushed pineapple (with juice), mandarin oranges, grapes, miniature marshmallows, shredded coconut, and chopped nuts (if using). Mix gently until everything is evenly distributed.
- Fold in the maraschino cherries carefully to avoid breaking them.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour (or up to 4 hours) before serving. Garnish with additional cherries, mandarin oranges, coconut, and/or chopped nuts if desired.
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