How to Make Fruit Salad (2024)

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Make a refreshing, juicy Fruit Salad the RIGHT way! This fresh, vibrant side dish is a spring and summer staple and can be prepped in under 15 minutes.

Spring and summer brings with them fresh fruit and warmer days. Fruit Salad is a perfect go to breakfast or a juicy side dish. For a couple more fruity breakfast suggestions check out these other vibrant dishes: Rainbow Fruit & Yogurt Parfaits and Healthier Breakfast Fruit Pizza.

Our Favorite Sweet Side

I know, I know, this post seems crazy, right?! Cut fruit, toss fruit and boom, you’ve got fruit salad. That’s how I made fruit salad. That’s probably how most people make it. But if you want to know the secrets to making a really good fruit salad, read on!

Yes, you need fresh fruit, but also make sure to have a large cutting board, a sharp paring knife, a large bowl and a mixing spoon.

Once you have those items, it’s time to pick out the fruit.

What Fruits Go Well Together?

First, it’s important to know HOW to pick the best fruit. Here are some tips:

1. Make sure it won’t brown (NO bananas or apples unless eating with 30 minutes max)
2. Make sure it won’t get smushed (NO over ripe raspberries)
3. Make sure it’s in season and/or ripe

A few more tips…

DO cut fruit so that it’s all relatively similar in size. Obviously blueberries are going to be small, but everything else should be more or less equal.

DO Toss fruit in freshly squeezed citrus juice and zest instead of granulated sugar. Go with what makes sense.

Adding a Dressing

Fruit salads do not need a dressing, but they do enhance the flavors. Here are a few suggestions for that:

• For a salad incorporating cut up oranges (like this one), use orange juice and zest to sweeten it.
• For an all berry fruit salad I’d suggest using lemon juice and zest.
• For a tropical salad (melons, pineapple, strawberries, mango etc.) use lime juice and zest.

Garnish with fresh herbs or spices. Mint, poppy seeds, or a dash of chili powder (for tropical salads) make great additions. Totally optional though!

Storing Info + Tips

Can you freeze fruit salad? Yes, but we think it’s best NOT frozen since fruit salad doesn’t thaw the best, but it is possible. Some recipes suggest to freeze fruit salad in a simple syrup because it can help decrease the chance of freezer burn. And if you do freeze it, eat it while there are still some ice crystals on it (before it turns to mush).

How to keep fruit salad from browning? Citric acid or lemon juice can help prevent it. But once its oxidized its really hard to prevent some browning.

How far ahead can you make a fruit salad? Depends on the type of fruit you use. Oranges and grapes keep longer than bananas and apples. So like I previously said only use bananas if you’re serving it immediately. If you make it with grapes and oranges you can probably make it the day before and be fine.

What does fruit salad go best with? About anything, and especially for BBQs. Here are some of our favorite main dishes to have fruit salad with:

• Homemade sloppy joes
• Instant pot BBQ chicken
• Homemade brioche hamburger buns

For more recipes, check out

• Red White & Blue Fruit Salad
• Berry Pecan Quinoa Salad
• Healthier Breakfast Fruit Pizza
• Strawberry Avocado Spinach Salad
• Grape Salad
• Ambrosia Salad

I hope that was helpful! Let’s take our fruit salads from meh to Mmmm! Leave a comment below with your favorite fruit salad combo, I’d love to know!!