Have you ever looked for a dessert that was quite enjoyable and didn't take long to make? This recipe is one of those types of desserts. But, it is Dairy Free also! It's hard to have dairy-free desserts, and if you need to monitor your dairy, this dairy-free ambrosia recipe is for you to try!
Ambrosia recipes became popular in the 1920s and 1950s as potluck dishes. In our Philadelphia neighborhood, they also called it a five-cup fruit salad. Each ingredient was about 1 cup and mixed with one cup of the creamy component. My husband introduced me to this dessert when we first got married.
This ambrosia recipe was inspired by my SURPRISE DAIRY FREE GLUTEN FREE PARFAIT RECIPE on this site. While this recipe is per person, the ambrosia recipe has more ingredients and is excellent for a crowd.
Ingredients
- 16 oz. Dairy-Free Yogurt - KiteHill plain made with Almond milk
- 10 oz jar Maraschino cherries - pitted and stem free
- 20 oz. Can Pineapple tidbits in water
- 15 oz. Mandarin oranges
- 1 c of shredded coconut dried or fresh
- 1 c of marshmallows minis (optional)
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Instructions
First, prep and combine all the ingredients for the large bowl. Start by measuring the DF yogurt, add the canned and drained Pineapple tidbits in water, and the drained Mandarin oranges.
Next, drain and cut the maraschino cherries in half and add to the bowl.
Add Coconut to the bowl and mix well.
We tossed a handful of marshmallows in at the last minute. Then, refrigerate it for about 1 hour or until cold.
Reveal:
After we waited for the Ambrosia salad to chill, we enjoyed it with the whole family. It was wonderful and not very sweet because I didn't add any additional sugar. What do you think? Would you make it tonight for a sweet treat?
Substitutions
While you can easily use dairy vanilla yogurt or sour cream to make regular ambrosia, below are other things you can do with this recipe.
- Vegan - to make this dish vegan, you will need to use vegan marshmallows. They are usually found in health food stores, like Whole Foods.
- Gluten-free - this recipe is gluten-free naturally. Usually, Marshmallows are gluten-free.
Variations
This recipe is pretty flexible, depending on your tastes and likes. Below are just some variations you can do.
- Bananas - you can easily add sliced bananas at the last minute to this dish. Use one banana per recipe.
- Grapes - Cut the grapes in half and add about a cup to the bowl and mix well.
- Get kids involved in making this dessert - This recipe is easy because most of the ingredients are already cut up.
- Less Coconut - if you don't want to taste the coconut as much, you can easily use finely shredded coconut and cut the quantity in half.
- Walnuts - You can add chopped walnuts to this dish for an added crunch.
- Coolwhip - if you want, you can replace the vegan yogurt with Coolwhip.
- Sour Cream - Use the same parts of the vegan yogurt with the sour cream. I have never tried the Dairy-Free Sour Cream with this recipe. If you feel daring, feel free to try it and let us know how it goes.
- Marshmallows optional - Well, we didn't add the marshmallows till the last minute because basically, we forgot to. So, some of our photos have marshmallows in it and others do not.
Equipment
Equipment can have a significant impact on how a recipe turns out. Below, I used the following items to make this recipe: A large mixing bowl, a wooden spoon, a strainer, a chef knife, and a cutting board.
Storage
This can be stored in the refrigerator for a few days. This dairy-free yogurt didn't break down after a few days.
Do not freeze any of these ingredients after they are mixed or in raw form.
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Ingredients
- 16 oz. Dairy-free Yogurt
- 10 oz. Maraschino cherries - pitted and stem free
- 20 oz. Can Pineapple tidbits in water
- 15 oz. Mandarin oranges
- 1 cup shredded coconut dried or fresh
- 1 cup of mini marshmallows (optional)
Instructions
- First, prep and combine all the ingredients in the large bowl. Start by measuring out the DF yogurt, then add the canned and drained Pineapple tidbits in water and the drained Mandarin oranges.
- Next, drain and cut the maraschino cherries in half and add to the bowl.
- Add Coconut to the bowl and mix well.
- Toss 1 cup of mini marshmallows in if you want. This is optional.
- Refrigerate for about 1 hour or until cold.
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