My best fresh fruit salad contains grapes, nectarines, bananas, mangoes, kiwis, strawberries, oranges, and pineapple! This easy, classic fruit salad recipe features a made-from-scratch honey citrus fruit sauce that screams summertime! It's a refreshing salad that doubles as a dessert!
Jump to:
- Summer Fruit Salad Recipe
- 🥘 Ingredients
- 🔪 How To Make Simple Fresh Fruit Salad
- 🍽️ What To Serve With Fruit Salad
- 💭 Angela's Pro Tips & Recipe Notes
- ⭐ Testimonials
- 🥡 Storing
- ❔ What Fruits Are Best For A Fresh Fruit Salad
- ❔ How do I Make The Fruit Sauce For The Salad
- ❔ Can I Prepare The Fruit Salad In Advance
- ❔ How Can I Prevent My Fruit Salad From Browning
- ❔ How Long Should I Chill The Fruit Salad
- 🍍🥗 More Great Salad Recipes
- 📖 Recipe Card
- 💬 Comments & Reviews
Summer Fruit Salad Recipe
A great fresh fruit salad is a summertime staple. Whether you're at a BBQ, picnic, or potluck, you can bet that a bowl of fruit salad will appear.
This chilled fruit salad includes a sweet honey sauce with hints of vanilla and citrus that complement the variety of fresh fruits! It's cool and refreshing and will make an excellent addition to any summer menu!
🥘 Ingredients
It should come as no surprise that the fruit is the star of the show here. The fresher your produce, the better!
Fresh Fruit
- Red Grapes – 1 cup of whole red grapes.
- Green Grapes – 1 cup of whole green grapes.
- Bananas – 2 bananas, sliced.
- Nectarines – 2 nectarines, peeled and sectioned.
- Mango – 1 mango, peeled and cubed.
- Kiwis – 3-4 kiwis, peeled and sliced.
- Mandarin Oranges – 3-4 oranges, peeled and sectioned.
- Pineapple – ½ pineapple, peel removed and cut into cubes.
Fruit Sauce
- Honey – 2 tablespoons or more as needed (*see note). You can use other sweeteners like maple syrup or agave nectar as an alternative to honey if needed.
- Lemon Juice – 2 tablespoons of fresh juice from your zested lemon.
- Lemon Zest – Zest of 1 large lemon.
- Vanilla Extract - ½ a teaspoon of vanilla extract.
*Be sure to see the recipe card below for ingredients, amounts & instructions!*
🔪 How To Make Simple Fresh Fruit Salad
There is no cooking involved in this recipe. You'll need a knife and cutting board for slicing fruit, a large and small mixing bowl, and a whisk.
This makes a large fruit salad with enough for 10 side salad-sized servings.
Step 1: Make sauce. In a small mixing bowl, combine 2 tablespoons (42 grams) of honey, 2 tablespoons (29.6 milliliters) of lemon juice, lemon zest from 1 large lemon, and ½ teaspoon (2.46 milliliters) of vanilla. Whisk lightly to combine. Set aside and allow the ingredients to marry as you cut your fruit.
Step 2: Combine fruit. After cutting your fruit, add them all to a large serving or mixing bowl (1 cup (151 grams) red grapes, 1 cup (151 grams) green grapes, 2 bananas (272 grams), 2 nectarines (312 grams), 1 mango (207 grams), 3-4 kiwis (274 grams), 3-4 mandarin oranges (264 grams), ½ a pineapple (452.5 grams).
Step 3: Toss with honey sauce. Pour the honey sauce over all the fruit and toss lightly until the fruit and sauce are evenly distributed.
Step 4: Chill and serve. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or foil and place it in the refrigerator to chill for 2-4 hours. Toss lightly once more before serving.
🍽️ What To Serve With Fruit Salad
You can't go wrong pairing this fruit salad with summertime classics like cheeseburgers or BBQ ribs! It also makes a light, refreshing side dish for hearty seafood dinners like frutti di mare or a Cajun seafood boil! Enjoy!
💭 Angela's Pro Tips & Recipe Notes
- Add more honey as needed to thicken the sauce to taste.
- You should have roughly 1-2 cups of each fruit type (if you prefer to buy cut fruit).
- Fresh fruits are recommended for the best taste and texture, but you can use canned fruits in a pinch. Be sure to drain them well. You can follow my recipe for fruit cocktail salad if you prefer canned fruits!
- When making the fruit sauce, other citrus fruit juice, pineapple juice, and orange zest are also tasty and can be used instead of lemon.
- If cutting your fruit in advance, wait until you are ready to serve to add the bananas. They turn mushy quickly in the fridge.
- Add nuts like almonds, walnuts, or seeds like chia or sunflower seeds for extra crunch!
⭐ Testimonials
This fruit salad is my go-to healthy and delicious treat, that's perfect for any occasion! The simplicity of the recipe makes it a winner in my book.
-Carol from Texas
🥡 Storing
Leftover fresh fruit salad will last for 1-2 days refrigerated in an airtight container. However, it's best fresh!
>>>>See all of my recipes here<<<<
❔ What Fruits Are Best For A Fresh Fruit Salad
The recipe suggests using a mix of red and green grapes, bananas, nectarines, mango, kiwis, mandarin oranges, and pineapple. However, you can add blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, peaches, plums, apricots, apples, or pears based on availability and preference.
❔ How do I Make The Fruit Sauce For The Salad
Combine honey, lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla extract in a small bowl and whisk lightly. This sauce is poured over the cut fruit and tossed to coat evenly.
❔ Can I Prepare The Fruit Salad In Advance
Yes, you can cut the fruit and prepare the salad in advance. However, it's best to add bananas just before serving, as they can turn mushy in the fridge.
❔ How Can I Prevent My Fruit Salad From Browning
The lemon juice in the sauce helps prevent browning, especially for fruits like apples and bananas.
❔ How Long Should I Chill The Fruit Salad
Chill the fruit salad in the refrigerator for 2-4 hours before serving to let the flavors meld.
🍍🥗 More Great Salad Recipes
- Greek Salad - Crisp cucumber, feta cheese, and homemade Greek dressing make for the most refreshing salad!
- Hawaiian Macaroni Salad - Pineapple juice is the secret ingredient of this sweet and creamy macaroni salad!
- Caprese Salad - A Caprese salad with fresh tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil is an Italian classic.
- Asian Cucumber Salad - Cool, crispy cucumbers in a tangy soy sauce vinaigrette.
- Egg Salad - My go-to recipe for egg salad with mayo and mustard for the perfect balance of flavors!
- Baked Potato Salad - An upgraded potato salad with classic baked potato toppings mixed right in!
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📖 Recipe Card
Fresh Fruit Salad
Ingredients
Fruit Sauce
- 2 tablespoon honey (*see note)
- 1 large lemon (zested and juiced, use 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice)
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Fresh Fruit
- 1 cup red grapes
- 1 cup green grapes
- 2 large bananas (peeled and sliced)
- 2 large nectarines (or white nectarines, pit removed and cut into cubes)
- 1 large mango (peeled and cubed)
- 3-4 kiwis (peeled, sliced, cut into chunks)
- 3-4 mandarin oranges (peeled and sectioned)
- ½ pineapple (peel and core removed, cut into cubes)
(Note: 2x or 3x only changes the ingredient list)
Instructions
- In a small mixing bowl, combine 2 tablespoon honey,1 large lemon juice and zest, and ½ teaspoon vanilla extract. Whisk lightly to combine. Set aside and allow the ingredients to marry as you cut your fruit.
- After cutting your fruit (1 cup red grapes, 1 cup green grapes, 2 large bananas, 2 large nectarines, 1 large mango, 3-4 kiwis, 3-4 mandarin oranges, ½ pineapple), add them all to a large serving bowl or mixing bowl.
- Pour the honey fruit sauce over all the fruit and toss lightly until everything is thoroughly combined.
- Cover the bowl and place it in the refrigerator to chill for 2-4 hours, toss lightly once more before serving.
Notes
- Add more honey as needed to thicken the sauce (or to taste), if desired.
- You should have roughly 1-2 cups of each fruit type (if you prefer to buy cut fruit).
- When making the fruit sauce, other citrus fruit juice, pineapple juice, and orange zest are also tasty and can be used in place of lemon.
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