Ambrosia Salad with Sour Cream Recipe

Drain the fruit first—like actually drain it. Most people don’t, and that’s why their ambrosia salad turns into fruit soup by dessert time.

Why You’ll Love This Ambrosia Salad With Sour Cream

No baking. No cooking at all. Marshmallows get soft and pillowy instead of staying hard. The yogurt does something weird and good to them. Works for parties because you make it hours ahead. Just pull it from the fridge cold. Tastes better the longer it sits. Not immediately, but after a few hours the tartness mellows out and everything melds. Takes 6 minutes to throw together. The rest is just waiting.

What You Need for Ambrosia Salad

One can of mixed fruit—20 ounces. Drain it. Don’t just tip it. Actually press the fruit with paper towels or the back of a spoon. Get aggressive about it. Soggy salad is the enemy.

Marshmallows. Mini ones. Not the big puffy kind. They need surface area to get coated and stay bouncy.

Vanilla Greek yogurt. A cup and a quarter. Not whipped cream. Not sour cream—though the name’s misleading. Yogurt keeps everything from breaking down into mush, and it adds tang that balances the sweetness of the marshmallows.

How to Make Ambrosia Salad With Sour Cream

Drain everything twice if you have to. Seriously. Line a fine mesh strainer with cheesecloth if the fruit’s still wet after the first pass. Let it sit for 10 minutes. You want it dry.

Dump the drained fruit into a big bowl. Sprinkle the marshmallows over it—not all in one spot. Even coverage matters because otherwise you get dry pockets and marshmallow clusters. Pour the yogurt on top.

Now fold. Gently. Not mixing like you’re making a cake. Folding. The goal is every marshmallow and every piece of fruit gets coated in that creamy yogurt. But don’t lose the shape of the marshmallows. They should stay distinct, stay fluffy.

How to Get the Texture Perfect

Cover it tight with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours. Maybe 4 or 5.

This is where the magic happens. The marshmallows soften and puff up. The yogurt thickens slightly. The fruit and marshmallows trade flavors with everything around them. Check it at the 3-hour mark. The marshmallows should feel pillowy, almost spongy. If they still feel hard, give it more time.

The longer it sits—up to 5 hours—the more the tartness mellows. The flavors stop being individual and start being one thing.

Right before serving, stir once. Just once. You’re reincorporating any liquid that settled at the bottom. Don’t overdo it or you’ll break apart the marshmallows and turn everything back into a mess.

Ambrosia Salad Tips and Common Mistakes

Don’t skip the draining step. This kills most people’s batches. Canned fruit is full of syrup. That syrup pools at the bottom and makes everything soggy and sad.

Marshmallows will start to dissolve if you overmix. They’re delicate. Fold, don’t stir. Once everything looks coated, stop.

If you’re making this for a party, prep it the morning of or the night before. It actually improves. Cold and chilled and mellowed.

The yogurt is essential here—it’s not just a base, it’s what keeps the texture stable and prevents the whole thing from collapsing into liquid. Switching to actual sour cream will make it tangier and slightly thinner. Works, but different.

Ambrosia Salad with Sour Cream Recipe

By Emma

Prep:

6 min

Cook:

0 min

Total:

4h 6min

Servings:

6 servings

Ingredients

• 1 can (20 oz) mixed fruit, drained extremely well (pineapple chunks replaced by mandarin oranges)
• 1 cup mini marshmallows
• 1 1/4 cups vanilla Greek yogurt

Method

1. 1 Thoroughly drain canned fruit in a fine mesh strainer, press gently with back of spoon or paper towel to squeeze out as much juice as possible. This avoids watery salad later. If fruit still soggy, line strainer with cheesecloth and let sit 10 more minutes for extra dryness.
2. 2 In a large bowl, dump drained fruit. Sprinkle mini marshmallows evenly over fruit, then add vanilla Greek yogurt. Fold gently but thoroughly until all marshmallows and fruit coated in creamy yogurt. Avoid overmixing; marshmallows shouldn’t dissolve, keep shape and bounce.
3. 3 Cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 3 hours or up to 5 hours. Longer chilling mellows tartness, softens marshmallows till pillowy. Check texture visually; marshmallows should fluff up, yogurt thickens slightly.
4. 4 Before serving, stir lightly once to reincorporate any settled liquid at bottom but avoid breaking marshmallows. Serve chilled, garnish optional with chopped toasted pecans or a sprinkle of cinnamon if wanting a nutty twist.

Nutritional information

Calories

260

Protein

2g

Carbs

64g

Fat

0g

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Frequently Asked Questions About Ambrosia Salad With Sour Cream

Can I use regular yogurt instead of Greek yogurt? Greek yogurt’s thicker, so it coats better and sets firmer in the fridge. Regular yogurt will work but you’ll have something more like a dressing pooling at the bottom. If that’s okay with you, sure.

Why does my ambrosia salad get watery? Didn’t drain the fruit enough. That’s the only reason. Do it twice if you have to.

How long does this last? About 5 hours before it gets weird. The marshmallows keep softening and the yogurt keeps breaking down. Still tastes fine, but the texture gets sloppy. Make it day-of for a party.

Can I make this with fresh fruit instead of canned? You can but—it won’t be the same thing. Ambrosia salad with sour cream is kind of a specific retro dish that depends on canned fruit. Fresh fruit tastes different, breaks down faster, doesn’t have that same flavor profile. Probably better to just make a different fruit salad.

Should I add pecans or cinnamon? Doesn’t need it. But if you want a little crunch or spice, toasted pecans or a light cinnamon sprinkle works. Add it right before serving so the pecans stay actually crunchy.

Can I make this a day ahead? Not really. After 5 hours max it starts falling apart. The marshmallows dissolve more, everything gets mushy. Prep it the morning of if you’re serving at night.