This Fresh Fruit Salad Recipe features a medley of sweet, vibrant fruit tossed with an orange juice dressing. Quick to prepare, it’s an easy breakfast, side dish, or dessert!
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Pin RecipeQuick and Easy Fruit Salad Recipe
Yes, you read that correctly. This summer fruit salad has dressing on it! But no, we’re not talking Ranch or Caesar dressing here.
Salad dressing is not just for salads made with lettuce. In fact, it’s what really makes a fruit salad spectacular rather than boring and basic. My honey orange dressing is the ideal blend of sweet and tart and ties this whole fruit salad recipe together.
First, I cook my fruit salad dressing on the stovetop, letting it simmer for about five minutes. Cooking the dressing allows it to be thick and sticky, making sure to coat every piece of fruit.
In the meantime, I combine all my favorite fruits in a large bowl. Then, I pour the dressing on top, and let the mixture chill in the fridge for at least two hours in advance before I’m ready to serve. This really lets all the flavors of the fruit marinate in the dressing and develop.
Sitting in the dressing also helps extract the juices from the fruit. You can definitely eat the fruit salad right after mixing, but trust me, it is best when slightly chilled and extra juicy!
Ingredients for Fruit Salad
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- 3/4 cup orange juice – I like to use orange juice with pulp, as it has a more natural texture. You can use no-pulp orange juice or go the extra mile and squeeze your own fresh juice.
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1 tablespoon orange zest – You will need 1-2 oranges to get a tablespoon of zest.
- Vanilla
- 2 oranges – Use seedless oranges so you don’t have to worry about taking seeds out of the fruit salad. I love Mandarin oranges for this recipe!
- 3 kiwis – I like to cut my kiwi in half, then use a spoon to scoop each half out of the peel. This is the easiest way I have found to peel a kiwi.
- 2 bananas – Ripe bananas with brown spots on the peel are best! The more brown the skin of the banana is, the sweeter it will be.
- 2 cups strawberries
- 2 apples – I like Honeycrisp apples, which are crisp, tart, and juicy.
- 1 (20-ounce) can pineapple chunks – Feel free to substitute fresh pineapple if it’s available to you.
- 1 1/2 cups blueberries
Variations
- Replace the apples with crunchy pears.
- Use the pineapple juice from the can of pineapple chunks to make the dressing. Replace the orange juice with the pineapple juice for a whole new take on the fruit salad dressing.
- Use a honey lime dressing, swapping the orange juice and zest with limes.
- Skip the bananas if you plan to make the fruit salad in advance. The bananas tend to turn brown after a day and you want your fruit salad recipe to look as fresh as possible!
- Add a splash of lemon juice or lime juice before adding the dressing to prevent the fruit from turning brown.
- Season the fruit with Tajín or chili powder for a hint of heat.
Directions For How to Make Fruit Salad
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- Make the dressing: Add the orange juice, honey, and orange zest to a small pot, and simmer over medium heat for five minutes. The dressing will look thick and shiny. Remove the pan from the heat, and stir in the vanilla. Then, let the dressing cool.
- Cut the fruit: Cut all the fruit into small, bite-sized pieces. I aim for pieces that are one inch by one inch in size.
- Mix the salad: Add all the chopped fruit to a large mixing bowl. Then, pour the cold dressing over the fruit. Toss everything together, mixing up the fruit and coating everything in the dressing.
- Chill: Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and let the salad chill in the fridge for at least two hours. Scoop the fruit salad into small bowls, and enjoy!
Serving Suggestions
This fruit salad is great on its own! However, it’s also incredible paired with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. You can also use it as a topping on pound cake, pancakes, or waffles.
How to Store Fruit Salad
- Store fruit salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three to five days.
- I do not recommend freezing this recipe! Frozen fruits become soggy and lose a lot of their flavor once thawed.
- Note that the bananas may begin to brown after one or two days. They’re still safe to eat! However, you can omit the bananas if you plan to eat the fruit salad over the course of a few days. The salad will just look more appetizing!
Quick Tip
Use a serrated knife when cutting your oranges. Use a sawing motion, rather than pressing down on the orange pieces, which will squeeze out the juice. By gently cutting back and forth with a serrated knife, you will be able to make small pieces without losing all that tasty juice!
Fruit Salad
Equipment
- 1 Small pot
- 1 Large mixing bowl
Ingredients
Dressing
- ¾ cup orange juice
- ¼ cup honey
- 1 Tablespoon orange zest
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Fruit Mix
- 2 oranges, peeled
- 3 kiwi, peeled
- 2 bananas, peeled
- 2 cups strawberries, stemmed
- 2 apples, peeled, cored (honeycrisp or other crisp, tart variaties)
- 1 (20 ounce) can pineapple chunks, drained
- 1 ½ cups blueberries
Instructions
- In a small pot over medium high heat, add the orange juice, honey, and orange zest. Whisk together and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low and continue to cook for another 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, add the vanilla, then let cool to room temperature while preparing the fruit mixture.¾ cup orange juice, ¼ cup honey, 1 Tablespoon orange zest, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Cut the oranges, kiwis, bananas, strawberries and apples into bite sized pieces and add to a large serving bowl. Stir in the pineapple chunks and blueberries. Once the dressing has cooled, drizzle over the fruit and gently stir together. Cover and chill for 2 to 3 hours or overnight before serving.2 oranges, peeled, 3 kiwi, peeled, 2 bananas, peeled, 2 cups strawberries, stemmed, 2 apples, peeled, cored (honeycrisp or other crisp, tart variaties), 1 (20 ounce) can pineapple chunks, drained, 1 ½ cups blueberries
Nutrition
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