How to Keep Fruit Salad Fresh | Meal Prep Fruit Salad - Mind Over Munch (2024)

Apple & Orange Meal Prep Fruit Salad – How to Keep Fruit Salad Fresh for a Week

For a fruit salad that keepswell, give this meal prep fruit salad a try! Learn how to keep fruit saladfresh for a week with a homemade citrus syrup and a few simple tips.

Typically, fruit salad is NOT ideal for meal prep. After sitting for a day or two, the fruit starts to brown, get soggy, or become sour. But, fruit is one of my favorite healthy snacks, and I’m more likely to eat it if it’s ready and waiting for me in the fridge.

That’s why I wanted to make ameal prep fruit salad that can last all week—but how? With this appleand orange fruit salad recipe, I’ll show you how to keep fruit salad fresh with3 basic strategies:

• choose your fruits wisely
• chop your fruits properly
• add some sugar to preserve

Tips for Making FruitSalad in Advance

Choose Meal Prep FruitSalad Ingredients Wisely

Some fruits spoil faster than others, and some are more delicate than others. So, when making fruit salad in advance, it’s important to choose fruits that will last well without becoming soggy or sour.

Generally, most berriesaren’t a great choice because they tend to fall apart and get soggy. But, somewhole fruits with a skin—like blueberries and grapes—will hold up well in ameal prep fruit salad like this.

In terms of fruits that youhave to cut, wetter, juicier, or softer fruits can be a risky choice. Fruitslike watermelon can leak its juices throughout the week, and sliced banana willbrown quickly in a fruit salad that’s made in advance.

My best recommendation forhow to keep fruit salad fresh all week is to stick with simple apples andoranges. Or, add some heartier sliced fruits like mango and peach. Apples tendto brown over time, but the acid from the citrus will help to preserve them.And, both apples and oranges stay nice and sweet even after slicing!

Chop Fruits Properly

How you chop fruits for a meal prep fruit salad can make ahuge difference. If you have the option to not chop some fruits (i.e.blueberries and grapes), just leave them whole! The fewer the juices in your fruitsalad, the better.

For this apple and orangefruit salad recipe, I recommend first chopping your oranges. Wait to chop theapples until your citrus syrup is ready, so they don’t begin to brown.

When chopping oranges, thebest way to minimize the juices is to start by slicing off the top and bottomof each orange, then slice along the edge of the orange to remove the rind.Then, slice and cube the peeled orange.

After making your citrus syrup, chop your apples into cubes as well. In terms of how to keep fruit salad fresh all week, it’s best to leave the skin on your apples. You can peel your apples if preferred, but they’ll hold up a bit better with the skin intact. That goes for other fruits with an edible skin, like peaches or pears.

Add a Bit of Sugar to KeepFruit Salad Fresh All Week

Finally, the most importanttip for how to keep fruit salad fresh for a week: add a bit of sugar to helppreserve the fruit. You don’t need much sugar, but by tossing this mealprep fruit salad in just a bit of citrus syrup, you can keep it fresh and tastyfor days!

In this apple and orange salad recipe, I made a simple citrus syrup using freshly-squeezed orange juice, lemon juice, and a bit of honey. You can also use regular refined sugar if you prefer.

Simply add all of those syrupingredients into a saucepan, bring to a boil, and reduce to a simmer for about5 minutes. (Now’s a good time to chop those apples!) Once the citrus syrup hasthickened up, pour it over your chopped apples and toss to coat, followed byyour chopped oranges.

It’s a simple addition, butthis citrus syrup can make a huge difference in making fruit salad that keepswell. Typically, the fruits in a meal prep fruit salad undergo oxidation thelonger they sit, which is why they turn brown and soggy. But, just the smallbit of sugar in this syrup helps to prevent oxidization and keep your fruitsalad fresh!

How Long Does Meal PrepFruit Salad Last?

Once your meal prep fruitsalad is all tossed together, cover the bowl or transfer everything intoairtight containers. The more airtight the seal is, the longer your fruit saladwill last.

Then, store your apple and orange fruit salad in the fridge and it should last for up to 5 days. Portion it out as desired throughout the week and enjoy!

$37 Trader Joes Budget Meal Prep | 1 Hour Vegetarian Meal Prep