This retro cranberry ambrosia salad is the no-bake holiday side dish that shows up looking like dessert and absolutely refuses to apologize for it. Cool Whip, mandarin oranges, pineapple, and marshmallows team up with tart cranberries to make a sweet, creamy throwback everyone secretly loves. Quick to make, impossible to resist, and guaranteed to disappear faster than teenagers when it's time to wash dishes.
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🗝️ Why this vintage holiday recipe deserves a comeback
- It's retro in the best possible way - the kind of holiday side dish that tastes like childhood, family potluck dinners, and cousins you haven't seen since '88.
- Five minutes of effort, maximum applause - dump, stir, chill, and suddenly everyone thinks you inherited Grandma's culinary powers.
- Perfect balance of tart cranberries, creamy fluff, and juicy fruit - a cold, sweet break from the heavy holiday casserole parade.
- Budget-friendly and potluck-proof - this creamy holiday salad feeds a crowd without draining your wallet or your patience.
- No baking, no stress, no regrets - the holidays have enough chaos; let this one be your easy win.
Grab the free Cranberry Ambrosia Cheat Sheet and make holiday prep a whole lot easier. It's your quick-glance guide for swaps, tips, FAQs, and all the little things your brain forgets the moment guests pull into the driveway. Print it, pin it, or tape it inside a cabinet - it keeps you looking calm, capable, and fully in control of this old fashioned holiday side dish.
📖 Recipe
Cranberry Ambrosia Salad
Print Pin Recipe Rate RecipeIngredients
- 40 ounces pineapple tidbits, 2 20-ounce cans well drained
- 14 ounces whole berry cranberry sauce
- 22 ounces mandarin oranges, 2 11-ounce cans well drained
- ¾ cup chopped pecans
- 2 cups mini marshmallows
- 8 ounces Cool Whip, thawed overnight in the refrigerator
- 3 tablespoons vanilla yogurt
Instructions
- Place the pineapple and mandarin oranges in a colander and let them drain for 30 minutes before using.
- In large bowl, combine pineapple, cranberry sauce, oranges, pecans, and marshmallows.
- In another bowl gently blend the Cool Whip and vanilla yogurt
- Fold the Cool Whip mixture into the fruit mixture.
- Chill for 1 hour.
Notes
- Drain the fruit like your sanity depends on it. Extra juice turns this into fruity soup.
- Fold the Cool Whip and yogurt together gently don't stir.
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition information is estimated as a courtesy. If using for medical purposes, please verify information using your own nutritional calculator. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
This recipe has been tested several times. If you choose to use other ingredients, or change the technique in some way, the results may not be the same.
🧾 Ingredients for cranberry ambrosia salad
No fancy ingredients, no stress - just bright cranberries, sweet fruit, and creamy goodness coming together in one bowl of festive comfort.
- Whole berry cranberry sauce - the tart little troublemaker that shows up late, loud, and already dressed for the holidays.
- Pineapple - bringing sunshiny chaos to a winter side dish like it owns the place.
- Mandarin oranges - sweet, juicy overachievers that act like emotional support fruit.
- Mini marshmallows - soft little sugar pillows that absolutely refuse to behave like adults.
- Pecans - the crunchy Southern backbone holding this circus together.
- Cool Whip - the retro fluff that tastes like your childhood and questionable potlucks.
- Vanilla yogurt - the thing that pretends to make this "healthy," and honestly? Let her dream.
🔪 How to make this vintage cranberry side dish
This no-bake cranberry side dish comes together fast - just mix, fold, chill, and try not to eat half the bowl before dinner.
- Add the cranberry sauce, pineapple, mandarin oranges, mini marshmallows, and pecans to a big mixing bowl like you're starting the world's sweetest food fight.
- In a separate bowl, gently blend the Cool Whip and creamy vanilla yogurt until it looks fluffy enough to pass as effort.
- Dump that glorious cloud of Cool Whip onto the fruit mixture like you're blessing it with dairy-based salvation.
- Gently fold everything together until it becomes one creamy, retro holiday bowl of holiday goodness - then chill it so the flavors can gossip and settle.
👩🍳 Your cranberry ambrosia questions answered
This holiday side dish is so easy to make that it's almost effortless. Here are the answers to some frequent questions. Have other questions? Download the cheat sheet or ask me in the comments!
You can, but you'll need to cook them down and sugar them first unless you enjoy dental emergencies and bitter regrets. Stick with whole berry sauce for the classic retro vibe.
Because Cool Whip is dramatic and fruit juices have no boundaries. Make sure you drain the fruit very well and pat it dry with a paper towel. Chill the dish longer, fold gently, and try not to manhandle it like you're kneading bread dough.
📚 More holiday side dishes to keep your table Santa friendly
If this cranberry ambrosia has you feeling bold, sugary, and maybe a little chaotic, the fun ain't over. Try my Cranberry Jalapeño Sauce when you want something sweet with a little side-eye heat - it's the dish your mother-in-law will pretend is "too spicy" while she goes back for thirds. Swivel on over to Orange Creamsicle Salad when you need a retro dessert-side-dish hybrid that tastes like childhood nostalgia and poor decisions at the church potluck. And if you're craving a bowl of pure, fluffy joy? Pineapple Fluff will float in like a sugar-coated cloud and absolutely steal the show.
At the end of the day, this Cranberry Ambrosia Salad is the side dish that shows up like your favorite aunt-loud, nostalgic, a little chaotic, and somehow exactly what the table needed. It's retro without the weird Jell-O molds, festive without demanding therapy afterward, and so easy you could make it half-asleep with curlers in.
It's an easy potluck dish. Serve it with the turkey. Serve it with the ham. Serve it with nothing but a spoon and a moment of privacy. Whatever you choose, it never disappoints.
And you know what? You didn't just make a side dish.
You revived a holiday legend.
If you loved it, drop a comment and a rating-your girl thrives on validation.
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