This quick and easy fruit salad combines ripe strawberries, blueberries, grapes, kiwi, pineapple chunks and mandarin oranges with a hint of lime.
Introducing the easiest fruit salad recipe you’ll ever make!
This fruit salad is the perfect recipe to make when you are buried in fruit and don’t know what to make or when you need a super simple side for a cookout, backyard bbq, picnic or party!
Why I Love This Fruit Salad
- Quick and Easy: With minimal prep and no cooking required, you can have a fresh fruit salad ready in no time!
- Versatile: This salad is the perfect side dish for any occasion, from everyday meals to summer BBQ’s and Easter brunch. It would be delicious paired with an egg-based dish like a frittata or quiche.
- Customizable: Feel free to swap in or add any fruits according to season and what you have on hand.
Easy Fruit Salad Ingredients
When making fruit salad always look for fresh and seasonal fruit for the best results. Here’s what I would recommend including, but these are just suggestions! I obviously love this combination and think it’s perfect as is, but if you have different fruit on hand or want to clean out the fridge, feel free to switch up which fruit you use!
- strawberries – when buying or picking strawberries, look for bright red berries with no mold or dark spots.
- blueberries – again, make sure there isn’t any mold! The plumper and juicer the berry, the sweeter it is. Blackberries would be a great substitute here.
- fresh pineapple – gently press the skin of the pineapple – if it’s ripe, it will give a bit. You can also smell the base of the pineapple. If it smells like a sweet pineapple, it’s ripe and ready!
- kiwi – gently press the kiwi skin. If it gives slightly, it is ripe. Avoid super hard kiwis – they’ll be hard and bitter!
- green or red grapes – look for plump, firm grapes. We don’t need any mushy or wrinkly grapes!
- mandarin oranges or clementines – look for oranges that have a bright orange color without dark spots or bruises.
- lime juice and zest – adding just a little lime juice and zest really helps the flavors pop in this fruit salad!
- maple syrup or honey – a touch of sweetness to bring the whole salad together.
How to Make Fruit Salad
The best part about fruit salad is how easy it is to make! Here’s the two-step process:
Toss: In a large bowl toss together strawberries, blueberries, pineapple, kiwi, grapes and mandarin oranges. In a small bowl, whisk together lime juice, lime zest and maple syrup.
Serve: Drizzle lime dressing over fresh fruit mixture, toss and serve immediately.
How to Make a Fruit Salad Taste Even Better
Growing up my mom used to add a sprinkle of sugar to fresh fruit salad to help the fruit release their juices and soften.
For this recipe I recommend adding a little pure maple syrup or honey to make a lime “dressing” of sorts, which takes this salad to the next level and really brightens up the flavor of the fruit.
That said, I have made this fruit salad without the maple syrup/honey and it’s still just as delicious. If you’re using seasonal, ripe fruit, the salad should be sweet enough without any added sugar.
Recipe Tips!
- Use a variety of fruit: Use whatever fruit you have on hand! This recipe can be totally customized with a different blend of fruit. Mango, cherries, melon, honeydew, peach, etc are all great options!
- Skip the banana: While I love bananas, they tend to go brown and slimy relatively quickly so I don’t usually put them in my fruit salad. Of course, you’re welcome to add it if you’d like!
- Don’t use frozen fruit: For the best results, I would only use fresh fruit. Once thawed, frozen fruit will get mushy and watery so it won’t work for this recipe.
- Use ripe fruit: Make sure all the fruit you’re using is ripe! You may need to plan ahead and buy the pineapple and kiwi a week in advance to give it time to ripen at home.
How to Store Fruit Salad
Fruit salad is best fresh, but it will keep for a few days if you make it in advance. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-5 days.
More Fruit Salads to Try:
Be sure to check out the full collection of salad recipes on EBF!
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In a large bowl toss together strawberries, blueberries, pineapple, kiwi, grapes and mandarin oranges. In a small bowl, whisk together lime juice, lime zest and maple syrup, if using.
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Drizzle lime dressing over fresh fruit mixture, toss and serve immediately.
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Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-5 days.
- No added sugar: feel free to skip the added maple syrup/honey if you don’t want the added sugar. If you’re using fresh, ripe fruit it will be plenty sweet!
Serving: 1/4 of recipe | Calories: 257kcal | Carbohydrates: 61g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 1g | Sodium: 10mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 45g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
