Tips

• Usually in many recipes you could get away with substituting another cream-based ingredient for the likes of sour cream or the Cool whip called for in this recipe but I strongly advise that you don’t use anything such cream cheese, cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, or heavy cream in this dessert salad - it’s going to impact on the overall taste and texture. 
• While you may think that canned fruit cocktail is an easy and convenient alternative to use in this recipe, I recommend that you stick with fresh fruit prepared by yourself. It’s going to taste much better and will also last longer, having a firmer texture to the fruit than a canned fruit cocktail that has been sitting in simple syrup. 

Variations

• Unsweetened Coconut. If you’d like to reduce the overall sweetness in this dessert salad, use unsweetened shredded coconut.
• Fruitful. Other fruits can be used in this dessert salad such as bananas. If you don’t enjoy grapes, simply omit them. Regular oranges can also be used instead of Mandarin oranges. 
• Toasty. Toast the shredded coconut for a deeper nutty flavor in this Ambrosia salad.
• Go Nuts. While I’ve used pecans, walnuts or almonds can be used instead. 
• Serving Bowl. Serve your Ambrosia salad in a large clear bowl or in single shallow glasses for special occasions such as Christmas.