Our Best Ambrosia Recipes
In Greek, ambrosia means "Food of the Gods" and with its traditional layers of sweet fruit and coconut, it's not hard to understand why. Go beyond the simple fruit salad and sink your teeth into creative ambrosia recipes including green salads, cakes, cocktails, and tarts.
Ambrosia Fruit Salad
Whether you consider it a salad, side dish, or dessert, ambrosia is a holiday classic. It's quick and easy to make and can sit overnight if you like.
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Ambrosia Coconut Cake
Cut into this beautiful coconut cake and you'll find a luscious ambrosia filling made with orange segments and crushed pineapple between each layer.
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Tangerine Ambrosia Parfaits
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Ambrosia Cheesecake
Fresh orange curd and flaked coconut give this festive holiday cheesecake an even sweeter ambrosia spin.
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Charred Ambrosia with Toasted Coconut and Marshmallow Crème
Charred Ambrosia with Toasted Coconut and Marshmallow Crème Recipe
A cast iron skillet is the key to lending a delicious and caramelized glaze to this ambrosia dessert. We top this colorful dish with a light and fluffy marshmallow creme topping.
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Ambrosia Pudding Pie
Native Virginian and 10th President John Tyler’s official claim to fame is annexing the Republic of Texas into the United States in 1845, but culinary folklore holds him in equally high esteem for his cream-rich custard pie, a family recipe. Following British tradition, the earliest custard pies were recorded as puddings in antebellum cookbooks. These egg-based puddings were often baked in a “puff paste”— pastry rolled and folded with butter multiple times. We added an ambrosial note with orange marmalade, crushed pineapple, and coconut custard.
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Chewy Ambrosia Biscotti
Chewy Ambrosia Biscotti Recipe
Make someone's Christmas extra merry by treating them to a batch of these biscotti with their favorite coffee or tea.
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Ambrosia Streusel Bars with Shortbread Crust
Ambrosia Streusel Bars with Shortbread Crust Recipe
Fans of old school ambrosia will still love these fruity shortbread bars, perfect for gifting!
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Ambrosia with Chantilly Cream
Ambrosia with Chantilly Cream Recipe
The original ambrosia recipe is simply a layering of orange slices, sugar, and toasted unsweetened coconut. Over the years, folks began to add pineapple, maraschino cherries, and whipped cream to create more of a fruit salad, but the name stuck.
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Ambrosia Meringue Trifles
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Ambrosia Chess Tarts
These tiny tarts full of big fruity flavor will disappear bite-by-bite at your next get-together.
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New Ambrosia With Buttermilk-Coconut Dressing
New Ambrosia With Buttermilk-Coconut Dressing Recipe
Peppery arugula greens and spicy jalapeños are balanced perfectly with the sweetness of the citrus and the coconut dressing.
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Ambrosia with Apples
Plan on sectioning the citrus and chopping the pineapple ahead of time. If you use canned or jarred fruit, save the juices and add them to the ambrosia.
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Ambrosia Terrine
For an easy and beautiful plated dessert, top a slice of store-bought pound cake with a slice of Ambrosia Terrine and a dollop of whipped cream.
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Ambrosia Cocktail
This cocktail was inspired by the Southern side dish that's popular during the holidays. Add some marshmallows and cherries for a festive garnish.
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Spiced Ambrosia
Classic ambrosia is spiced with peppercorns and is topped with sweetened coconut and maraschino cherries.
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Ambrosia Macaroons
Give these soft, chewy macaroons a different look by garnishing with candied fruit like orange peels or green cherries.
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Cranberry-Ambrosia Cake
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New-Style Ambrosia
This is a twist on a Southern holiday classic--all the flavors of ambrosia with a fresh and simple approach. You can use a combination of any dried fruit: figs, pears, plums, peaches, cranberries, raisins, currants. With so many to choose from, Sara suggests using fruits with different shapes and colors. You can make this up to 4 days in advance; chill in an airtight container until ready to use. Prep: 14 minutes, Cook: 13 minutes.
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Rum-Allspice Pound Cake with Ambrosia
Rum-Allspice Pound Cake with Ambrosia Recipe
This cake will become a year-round favorite. You can use a Bundt pan instead of a 10-inch tube pan; just lower the oven temperature to 350°.