Name: Grandma's Five Cup Salad
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 15 min
Ingredients: 1 (11 ounce) can mandarin oranges, drained; 1 (8 ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained; 2 cups miniature marshmallows; 1 cup flaked coconut; 6 ounces sour cream

My Grandmother made this every year for Christmas when I was a  kid.

Grandma's Five Cup Salad

(11 ounce) can mandarin oranges, drained

(8 ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained

marshmallows

coconut

sour cream

Combine the oranges, pineapple, marshmallows, coconut, and sour cream. Stir till mixed well. Refrigerate till cold. Serve.


I grew up eating this salad!  A wonderful way to make it is to use vanilla yogurt instead of sour cream.  It adds a bit of sweetness without overpowering it.  (My mom said she has made it with pina colada yogurt and that was really good.) Whenever I make this to bring places, I leave out the coconut because there are many people who do not like coconut.  They always rave on it and it's so simple to make :-).

I have been making this recipe since I was first married 20 years ago!  It is awesome just the way it is written.  It's best if you make it a day ahead though. Make sure to drain the friut very well so there is no runny stuff in the bottom of the bowl.  

Very simple recipe, but wonderful. My oma used to take the coconut and put a little food coloring on it to suit the seasons; green for St. Pattie's day, red for Christmas, pink for easter, etc. Thanks for sharing this. Gives the salad just a slight color which is pretty cool.

Wonderful! Fast and easy! The only thing I did different, I used half the amount of sour cream and used cool whip to replace it. Everyone loved it!

This was a refreshing side dish. I used pineapple chunks instead of crushed; I thought it was easier to eat this way. Might try using yogurt instead of sour cream next time.

I've always enjoyed this salad.  I needed to take something to a church function and had everything except the mandarin oranges.  I had a 10 oz jar of marachino cherries.  I just drained them and added them to the mixture.  It turned out great!  This stuff is almost a dessert.

This reminds me so much of my Grandma and sleeping over at her house with my cousin. She always had these ingredients on hand for us because it's so easy for anyone to make. The only difference is that our recipe calls for 1 cup or 8 oz of each: 1 cup marshmallows, 1 cup coconut, 8 oz sour cream, 8 oz mandarin oranges, 8 oz crushed pineapple. Of course, I think the oranges &amp; pineapple may just come in 11 oz cans, but we never cared since we both love pineapple &amp; oranges.

The presentation is beautiful. The taste is out of this world. A not too sweet fruit salad. I cut back on the marshmallows...just personal preference. Thanks, Trece, great salad.

YUM, YUM! Very easy and yummy! My family does Thanksgiving twice each year (Thurs &amp; Sat). I made a different "Ambrosia" salad that called for whip cream (cool whip) on Thurs. then this one on Sat. This version is SO much better! Don't be fooled by the sour cream instead of the whip cream, it still very sweet but not overly sweet like the other. This is the one that will go into my recipe box. Thanks!!!

This is the greatest recipe.  I substitute Fat Free Sour Cream and cut the coconut way back and we have a very low fat "dessert".  I bring this to our potlucks at work and everyone loves it!  And it's so quick to make too.

This is so flipping good. Really. I like to use the multi-colored marshmallows and add in marachino cherries and chopped bananas. NOTE: To prevent the brown look to your bananas, toss with a tablespoon of lemon juice before adding to the salad.

Was a huge hit at Thanksgiving, but make at least 3-4 servings for a large crowd!

I think I've been eating this salad my entire life at potlucks, so I was delighted to find it here.  I doubled the fruit and then used 8oz of sour cream and it was just perfect!

This is an old family special occassion recipe for us, passed down through the generations. Only difference we use drained chunk pineapple so the salad is not runny at all. And we add 1 cup chopped pecans for crunch. My kids like this best the next day when the marshmallows are soft.

My favorite Summer treat! I do add a cup of walnuts for some crunch. Quick, easy, and absolutely DELICIOUS!

Add food coloring to coconut to fit the seasoning - ie/ green and red for Christmas..

Just like my grandma used to make! One time I did not have any sour cream on hand so I used fat free plain yogurt and you couldn't tell the difference.  This one is always a great hit for potlucks.

This is so good, I take this to family get togethers a lot. Everyone loves it, I add marachino cherries to mine. Always a big hit!

Exceptionally good. Goes well as a side dish with many meals. I also add sliced maraschino cherries and a equal amount of cool whip with the sour cream and it still does not come out to sweet. I do not add the coconut because my son does not like it, however have it on the side for others to add if they choose. If you would like it a little sweeter - add a couple of teaspoons of your favorite flavor of jello gelatin to the mixture.

The flavors all go together so well. I make this in bulk and eat for breakfast or afternoon snack during the summer.

My nanny/surrogate grandmother used to make this recipe and I loved it.  I made this version for my work holiday party and everyone else enjoyed it too.

I was taking this to a picnic so I left out the coconut bc some people dont like it.  It was a huge hit and aven though I doubled the recipe, I took home no leftovers!

The first time I tried this recipe I didn't like the texture of it so I changed the coconut to desicated and only added about three quarters of a cup and it was absolutely delicious.  YUMMY!

This salad was always a holiday staple at my mom's dinner table.  The only thing she did differently was that it was an even cup of each of the listed ingredients plus a cup of chopped pecans and marachino cherries.  We still always called it "5 cup" salad even though she used seven.  The nuts add a nice texture and the cherries a pretty color.

Wow. I had never heard of this before, but I made it with fresh diced pineapple, an orange (peeled, cut into rings and then into section bits), Greek yogurt and unsweetened coconut. It is awesome! I skipped the marshmallows, but I'm sure they'd be great if you liked them. It made a great breakfast.

My granny makes this every year at Easter.  It is delicious and nobody would guess it has sour cream in it.

I love this quick and easy recipe!  So does my family.

I love this recipe! It makes the holidays special. this year for thanksgiving I'm making it. This is a recipe that is very yummy and also good for you. *:o)


Delicious, easy, and inexpensize. I added bananas because I thought with the crushed pineapple this recipe needed some bulk.

It doesn't get any easier than this! I've always hated Ambrosia-type salads because they are cloyingly sweet and drippy and full of marshmallows which I detest. Using sour cream instead of whipped topping and no fruit cocktail makes all the difference in the world! This has the perfect amount of sweetness for the tangy tropical fruits. I didn't even mind the marshmallows! Yummy!!

I've always loved this salad but never knew how to make it.  Thanks so much for posting.  It was easy to make and delicious!

Oh Yummy.  Good to keep in the fridge.  No artificial taste as with some "fluffy" fruit salads.

This is a must for our ham dinners (Easter and Christmas Eve).  I can't get enough of it and usually double the recipe to ensure leftovers!    My version is actually a 5 cup salad.  Same ingredients (although the mandarins are drained) but the amounts are exactly the same.  I usually use the pineapple can (as it goes in with the juice) and then measure the other ingredients.

I think for starters this has sooooo much potential when I saw the sour cream i thought GAG!  But if you let it sit and let the ingredents fall in love with each other, I really think you will be suprised how good this really is.  I think maybe for more color try using the colored mini mellows...could be fun.  Thanks for this one.

I made this for a teacher luncheon, and everyone loved it.  I added cherries and some of the juice from the bottle.  It gave it a really nice pink color and added a bit of cherry flavor!  Very good!

This is so good! I made this the first time using yogurt because of the reviews and didn't like it. I'm so glad I made it again like it calls with the sour cream because it's so much better. Don't change it!

Always a winner. You cannot go wrong with this side item. It is standard at all of our holiday meals.

Made this with lite cool whip and added chopped pecans; just ok.

I grew up on 5 cup, but the way we made it was, literally, 5 ingredients and 5 cups.  One cup pineapple chunks, one cup mandarin oranges, one cup shredded coconut, one cup mini marshmallows and one cup sour cream.  Fold all ingredients together and refrigerate until cold.  Every Thanksgiving and Easter we serve this dish!

This is really good....don't let the sour cream throw you off, it has a really fresh, tropical sort of flavor.  No modifications made.

Cut back on the coconut. Can use whip cream, yougurt, or low fat sour cream. Yummy

This is such a yummy salad and so easy! Makes a great take a long for a pot luck!

The only reason that I didn't give this 5 stars in all areas is because I felt that it required more than a little draining, I even used paper towels to drain the fruit and it took more time.  It is wonderful.

My mother-in-law gave me this recipe with all the same ingredients, using 1 cup of each so it was truly "5 cup salad." However, the variation I use to make it lower fat and less calories, is replace the sour cream with dannon low-fat peach yogurt.  Hubby thinks it tastes better with the yogurt.

Fantastic!!!  We had company and they loved it!!  I will most definiately be making this again.

I forgot how good this salad is. My mom used to make it all the time and I just rediscovered the recipe on this site. It is something that is easy, is from ingredients I normally always have on hand AND that everyone thinks is great. I usually add some sliced bananas too.

I made this for Easter, it is very good and went over very well.  Instead of the mini marshmallows I used large marshmallows and cut them into fourths (with scissors, wet them first) Seems like extra work but the big ones are less starchy and just hold their shape better in the salad. I used about 10-15.. great recipe!

You know how there are just some recipes that remind you of childhood?  This one is it!  I haven't had it in years.  I can't wait to share it with my kids!

**REVISED REVIEW: Following another cooks post I now make this salad with ONE change.  I now substitute HALF the sour cream (I use light sour cream) with a good grade lowfat vanilla flavored yogurt.  It's even b-e-t-t-e-r with a few less calories.  
Bingo..this is it!
My fiance' always talked about a wonderful salad his grandmother used to make at the holidays, and he tried to tell me what he thought was in it.  Guess what? No changes..., and it was so fun to be able to bring some of his lost family traditions to our own table.

This was very good and very easy to make!

Aren't grandma's great!  Favorite that everyone loves!

Our Nana always made this for special occasions and it is now one of the most requested dishes at family gatherings!Yummy!!

When I searched for "Five Cup Salad" it came up as Grandma's Five Cup -- it brought on a wave of such nostalgia!  The reason I wanted to make this was because my grandma always did, and I was missing her and her wonderful cooking.  Thank you for the recipe and the memories!

It wouldn't have been a holiday at Grandma's without her Ambrosia salad.  Gram used cool whip and sour cream, left out the coconut, and added maraschino cherries....perfect!  Thanks for the memory!

yes this is very very good i love it alot

this was fun to make, easy to make and quite good. However, it wasn't very popular at the buffet. Their loss.

This is a fantastic salad or dessert…It’s a little tangy which I enjoy I don’t like sickening sweet salads…The only suggestions I have is next time I will cut back a little on the coconut…Will make again…Thanks…

I make it a little differntly- use a container of cottage cheese insted of the sour cream, also 1 or 2 finely shredded carrots makes an interesting texture. Good for winter or summer!

Delicious, but double the recipe if you're feeding a crowd. There is no way this is 8 servings as is, unless everyone's only taking a few bites. I also add maraschino cherries.

love it love it love it could eat the whole bowl myself!

Next time, I will use little or no coconut as my family had issues with texture.

This was delicious!  It was my first time making it.  My daughter didn't like the coconut flakes so I'll probably leave those out next time.

This an excellent side dish.  It's good with colored marshmellows.

This is delicious! I could eat the entire bowl myself. It's so easy &amp; refreshing; my family loved it!

I really enjoyed this recipe. I added sliced marachino cherries to make it a little sweeter.

Yum!  My mother used to make this for her "fancy ladies' luncheons".  I made it with your recipe for old-times sake and was not disappointed.  Best to leave it in the fridge for 24 hours, the marshmallows get soft and puffy.  Also, you can make this with low-fat vanilla or orange/creamsicle yogurt instead of the sour cream.  Delicious!

Amazing traditional grandmother's recipe!  Caution...I love coconut so kept it in.  Many in the crowd would not even try due to the coconut.  I will consider leaving this out next time.

I could eat an enitre bowl of this myself ( and I am ashamed to admit...I have).  Best served after chilling several hours and the sour cream has married with marshmallows causing them
to melt ever so slightly.  I also use 1/2 to 1 cup chopped walnuts in this too- this gives the salad an interesting  texture and a tiny bit of crunch.  The hint of flavor they add is heavenly!!

my friend made this for an office christmas party and it was really good.  We all agreed it was best with the whip cream and not the sour cream.

Wow! Being Jewish (and in South Africa), I had never tried this recipe before. What a fantastic combination of flavours!I made this for my family, who all requested the recipe. I'm very impressed. Thank you for sharing this! (I'm going to try this next time with some tinned litchis for a more tropical flavour)

I used cream cheese and added bananas and merichino cherries. Delicious

Our family has made this for at least 3 generations. We also add Maraschino cherries and chopped pecans. My dad's side of the family uses cool whip instead of sour cream. We make this for holidays every year and when I make it I stick some back in the fridge for later!

Vey easy and very delish I used low fat sour cream..I will make this over and over again

Loved this! Used low fat sour cream and was still wonderful.

Wow! I never used to like this, but I tried some at a friend's house, and all of a sudden I had to have more! Found this quick recipe for what we call Ambrosia, and it is delicious! Very easy to make, and I had all the ingredients in the house. The kids wouldn't eat it, because it had coconut, so next time I will take a bit out for them before I add the coconut. What a great recipe!

Amazing!  I used lite sour cream to cut back on the fat and calories a little bit.  Per another reviewer's comment, I added some food coloring.  This dish looks great in pink!  It was so easy, I'll be making it all the time and I won't change a thing.  Thanks for sharing!

Awesome dessert salad. I know that kids must go ga-ga over this one. It was a bit too sweet for my taste, so next time I am going to omit the marshmallows and try some more fruit... I was thinking blueberries for a pretty color contrast.

Loved this!  Didn't add quite as much coconut as we have some non-eaters in our family, but it was still wonderful.  Also mixed a bit of cream cheese in with the sour cream before adding fruit.  Really yummy!

I have been looking for this recipie for years! It took me 5 minutes, and now my husband thinks I'm wonderful!

This is a classic recipe and was loved by everyone who ate it.

Made this yesterday for Thanksgiving.  There is none left today.  Excellent and so easy.

I made this salad for a barbeque I was going to and everyone loved it,I kept writing recipes out for everyone there which wasnt hard, since there is only 5 ingredients I had to remember.My son who is a very picky eater liked it a lot too.Thank you very much for a great recipe!

My step-mom used to make this for us for Christmas too, we called it sour cream salad though. I love it!!

Reminds me of the one my great aunt made. :) Takes me back to summers in Iowa.

I loved this stuff!! My husband is very picky and loved it too! I have also added fruit cocktail to it to give it a little more fruit. MMMMMMMMM Good!!

This is just like I had as a kid. My mom used to make it all the time and I loved it and now I can share it with my kids.

This very like my mom's "summer salad." Without fail, this dish is always gone at the end of a picnic. I omit the coconut per my mom's tradition, but other than that, this is a summer classic!

Perfect picnic salad.  I served it as a side dish with a casserole and it was a nice, light sweet accompaniment.  And it is soooo easy to throw together.  This is one of those easy recipes that you make over and over.

Was so easy to make and so good - I have different weights here so I had to guess but it turned out great.

This was really good. I used a full cup of sour cream. Really easy, will make again.

I made this for my daughter's Hawaiian luau &amp; the girls thought it was okay. Actually, some loved it &amp; others were grossed out (but hey, they are 10 years old). I enjoyed it - I know my mom used to make this when I was little. I don't know if I will have a craving for this again anytime soon - it is very sweet - but it is tasty.

My mother also made this salad every summer growing up.  However, she used an 8oz package of cream cheese instead of the sour cream.  Let the cheese soften and come to room temperature before trying to blend all ingredients. This is definetly an old time classic!

This was different from my recipe, and I must say a lot better!!  Everyone loved it, and wanted the recipe.  Thank you!!!!

Grandma's Five Cup Salad

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total: 15 minutes

Servings: 8

Author : Trece

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Instructions

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Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total: 15 minutes

Servings: 8

Author : Trece

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Instructions

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