Easy Fruit Salad

4.62 20 Published Mar 20, 2024, Updated Jun 20, 2024 This fruit salad is the perfect recipe to make when you are buried in fruit and don’t know what to make or when you need a super simple side for a cookout, backyard bbq, picnic or party!

Why I Love This Fruit Salad

Quick and Easy: With minimal prep and no cooking required, you can have a fresh fruit salad ready in no time! Versatile: This salad is the perfect side dish for any occasion, from everyday meals to summer BBQ’s and Easter brunch. It would be delicious paired with an egg-based dish like this sweet potato kale frittata or egg white quiche. Customizable: Feel free to swap in or add any fruits according to season and what you have on hand.

Easy Fruit Salad Ingredients

When making fruit salad always look for fresh and seasonal fruit for the best results. Here’s what I would recommend including, but these are just suggestions! I obviously love this combination and think it’s perfect as is, but if you have different fruit on hand or want to clean out the fridge, feel free to switch up which fruit you use!

strawberries – when buying or picking strawberries, look for bright red berries with no mold or dark spots. blueberries – again, make sure there isn’t any mold! The plumper and juicer the berry, the sweeter it is. Blackberries would be a great substitute here. fresh pineapple – gently press the skin of the pineapple – if it’s ripe, it will give a bit. You can also smell the base of the pineapple. If it smells like a sweet pineapple, it’s ripe and ready! kiwi – gently press the kiwi skin. If it gives slightly, it is ripe. Avoid super hard kiwis – they’ll be hard and bitter! green or red grapes – look for plump, firm grapes. We don’t need any mushy or wrinkly grapes! mandarin oranges or clementines – look for oranges that have a bright orange color without dark spots or bruises. lime juice and zest – adding just a little lime juice and zest really helps the flavors pop in this fruit salad! maple syrup or honey – a touch of sweetness to bring the whole salad together.

How to Make Fruit Salad

The best part about fruit salad is how easy it is to make! Here’s the two-step process: Toss: In a large bowl toss together strawberries, blueberries, pineapple, kiwi, grapes and mandarin oranges. In a small bowl, whisk together lime juice, lime zest and maple syrup. Serve: Drizzle lime dressing over fresh fruit mixture, toss and serve immediately.

How to Make a Fruit Salad Taste Even Better

Growing up my mom used to add a sprinkle of sugar to fresh fruit salad to help the fruit release their juices and soften. For this recipe I recommend adding a little pure maple syrup or honey to make a lime “dressing” of sorts, which takes this salad to the next level and really brightens up the flavor of the fruit. That said, I have made this fruit salad without the maple syrup/honey and it’s still just as delicious. If you’re using seasonal, ripe fruit, the salad should be sweet enough without any added sugar.

How to Store Fruit Salad

Fruit salad is best fresh, but it will keep for a few days if you make it in advance. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-5 days.