This simple fruit salad is easy to make and delivers delicious fresh flavors. This is a bright and light side dish to serve at any gathering, but especially at picnics, barbecues, and potlucks!
When I was growing up, my mom always made fruit salads. Granted, she also always made "jello salads," and we don't need those to come back in style. But fruit salads always stuck with me as a delicious, easy, fast, healthy option to bring to and serve at any gathering.
What I love about this simple fruit salad is that it's quick to make, a great make-ahead dish for parties and gatherings, and it's so versatile and forgiving. It's a great clean-out-the-fridge recipe.
Some of my favorite fruits to use in fruit salad:
- Strawberries
- Blueberries
- Pineapples
- Apples
- Grapes
- Mango
- Mandarin oranges
- Watermelon
- Cantaloupe
- Honey Dew
But it's a little more than just tossing together your favorite fruit. There are three other ingredients that truly make this simple fruit salad sensational.
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🍓 Ingredient notes
Let's start with the specific fruit that I prefer to use in this dish. For an always delicious combination, try these ingredients together.
Berries - I love using a mix of strawberries and blueberries. On occasion, I'll also use raspberries and/or blackberries if we have them. However, if you are using raspberries, blackberries, or marionberries, keep in mind that they are more tender and can get smushed easily in fruit salads. They will also bleed color more than blueberries.
Grapes - green or red grapes add some nice sweetness and color. You can choose to cut grapes in half or leave them whole.
Tropical fruit - pineapple is always in my fruit salad. I love the bright fresh tropical flavor, color, and texture it adds! But you can also use mango or papaya.
Once you've gathered your fruit, three next three ingredients are KEY to taking a fruit salad from simple to sensational.
Orange juice - this helps keep the fruit from turning brown faster, and also adds some nice citrus flavor to the salad. You could also use lemon juice or pineapple juice.
Honey - Honey helps coat the fruit with a floral layer of sweetness. It also helps bind ingredients together a bit so it's easier to get forkfuls of fruit at once.
Mint - a few finely chopped fresh mint leaves adds brightness to the fruit salad.
✅ Step-by-step instructions
All you need to make this fruit recipe in terms of tools and equipment are:
- A large bowl. I like to serve fruit salad in either a large wooden serving bowl or a large white porcelain serving bowl.
- A large wooden spoon, tongs, or salad servers to toss together the ingredients.
Simply add each of the ingredients to the bowl together and toss to coat.
That's it! So easy!
🍽 What to serve with fruit salad
This dish is delicious on its own as a healthy summer snack. It also goes well as a side dish for almost any meal! It's especially delicious with these summery main courses:
- Grilled Bacon-Wrapped Scallops
- Asian Burgers
- Filipino Pork BBQ Skewers
- 15 Family-Friendly Instant Pot Recipes
- Citrus & Berry-Glazed Game Hens
- Air Fryer Paprika Chicken
🎉 Easy Make-Ahead Party Dish
You can make this dish the night before a party, road trip, or barbecue. Simply toss gently together before serving.
To Store: Fruit salad is best served within 3 days. However, you can refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
🥂 Wine pairings for fruit salad
Pour a glass of bubbly or rosé – or sparkling rosé! – to enjoy with this bright and fresh fruit salad.
🫐 Recipe FAQs
The addition of almost any acidic juice - such as the orange juice in the recipe, lemon juice, pineapple juice, or lime juice - helps prevent fruits such as apples and grapes from turning brown.
If kept in an airtight container, your fruit salad should last for up to 5 days in the refrigerator.
🍉 More delicious fruit recipes
- Mini Fruit Tarts
- Dairy-Free Mixed Berry Ice Cream
- Berry Meringue Parfaits
- Ricotta Crostini with Summer Berries
- Mini Pavlova Cakes with Peaches and Strawberries
Did you make this recipe? Don't forget to leave a 5-Star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 rating in the recipe card, and if you really loved it, please leave a comment further down on the page. Thank you!
Simple Fruit Salad
Ingredients
- 4 pounds mixed fruit: strawberries, pineapple, grapes, blueberries
- ¼ cup honey
- 1 tablespoon thinly sliced mint leaves
- ¼ cup orange juice
Instructions
- Combine all of the ingredients together in a large bowl and toss gently together to coat all of the fruit with the honey, mint, orange juice mixture. Serve immediately or refrigerate to allow the flavors to marinate the fruit for a few hours before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is a general estimate. Actual nutrition details may vary depending on the exact foods & brands you use to make this recipe. It does not take into account any substitutions, toppings, or optional ingredients.
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