Fruit Salad

You might be wondering—do you really need a recipe for fruit salad? In this case, we say yes. Our simple honey-citrus dressing takes the delicious fruit up a notch in this recipe, elevating this classic side to whole new heights. Fruit salads are endlessly versatile, but choose the wrong combination of fruits (or assemble it too early), and you've got a soggy, less-than-ideal side dish on your hands. No need to stress—we've laid out all of our fruit salad tips here, from our favorite fruits to use to how to keep it perfectly fresh for all your upcoming BBQs. Keep reading on for everything you need to know:

What People Are Saying:

"Absolutely delightful combination of fruit! This was a big hit and I highly recommend it." - OliveLeaf

"I’ve made this for many occasions. The bowl is always empty! Looks pretty and tastes delish!" - OrangeCherries

How to Make Fruit Salad

INGREDIENTS

The Fruit
For our fruit salad, we chose a combo of strawberries, blueberries, kiwis, raspberries, oranges, grapes, mangos, and apples, but you can customize this completely based on your preferences. Blackberries, cherries, pineapple, and banana would all be delicious, just make sure to keep the total amount close to the same as we have it here. Tip: If you do decide to add banana to your fruit salad, it can quickly become brown and mushy—we recommend waiting to add to the rest of your fruit salad until you’re ready to serve.

The Dressing
• Honey: Because this dressing is so simple, this is a great opportunity to utilize that special orange blossom or wildflower honey you’ve been saving. Don’t eat honey? Try swapping agave or maple here instead.
• Orange Juice: I bet you already know what I’m going to say—it’s GOTTA be fresh squeezed! That said, it doesn’t have to be fresh squeezed orange juice. Try lime, grapefruit (though you may have to up the honey to counteract its bitterness), or tangerine instead.
• Lemon Zest: While not strictly necessary, a little citrus zest adds an extra pop of freshness and brightness to this dressing. It’s THE ingredient that’ll have everyone going in for one more bite.

STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS

This recipe is so easy, it barely needs instructions. Simply add all your fruits together in a large bowl, whisk together your dressing, then pour it over top. I like this with a little chill in the fridge before serving, but you can also eat it immediately.

Full list of ingredients and directions can be found in the recipe below.

What To Serve With Fruit Salad

This simple fruit salad is classic, but it’s not the end all, be all of putting fruit into salad. Below, I’ve listed a few more recipes that range from a meal in itself, to practically dessert.

• Strawberry Spinach Salad: With sweet strawberries, herby chicken, tangy feta, and crunchy pecans, this will make even so-called spinach haters fall in love after just one bite.
• Ambrosia Salad: This Southern fruit salad is a classic for very good reason: Full of fruits, nuts and coconut all tossed in a sweet and creamy dressing, it's my ideal kind of salad.
• Watermelon Feta Salad: This has the perfect balance of sweet and salty flavors that will pair perfectly with practically any warm weather meal (or all on its own, straight out of the bowl—I won’t judge!).

Recipe Tips

— Say no to frozen fruit. When you defrost fruit, it can end up deflated and mushy, which isn’t ideal for fruit salad. We recommend using only fresh, ripe fruit for this salad.

— Keep it fresh. For maximum freshness, hold off on the dressing until it’s time to serve. If you’re concerned about your apples browning too much, try tossing them with a tablespoon of lemon juice and layering them under the rest of the fruit at the bottom of the bowl.

Make-Ahead & Storage

We recommend prepping the fruit no more than 4 hours in advance—any longer and you’ll start to see the cut fruit shrivel and oxidize (not exactly our idea of delicious). Hold off on preparing the dressing and keep your cut fruit well-covered and refrigerated until it’s time to serve.
If you have any leftovers, store them in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. To keep your fruit salad fresh (and to prevent it turning brown), add a few squeezes of lemon juice.