Fruit Salad

By Maria Lichty

Updated May 02, 2023

View RecipePin Recipe4.69

Every time I take this Fruit Salad to a party or potluck it gets rave reviews. It’s a simple fruit salad, but the citrus poppy seed dressing makes it extra special. This salad is SO good, it made it into our cookbook, which has our very best recipes.

This salad includes a rainbow of fruits and a sweet honey citrus mint dressing that makes all of the flavors pop. I love this salad because you can swap in your favorite fruits and use whatever fruits are in season.

The colors are beautiful and vibrant, and the flavors are light, fresh, and oh so sweet!

This salad can be served as an appetizer, side dish, or dessert at bridal showers, baby showers, parties, potlucks, barbecues, picnics, and more! Everyone loves a colorful and refreshing fruit salad!

What Fruits to Use

I love this bright combination of summertime flavors! Here are the fruits I like to put in this fruit salad…imagine all these bright colors coming together! It’s gorgeous.

• Pineapple
• Blackberries
• Strawberries
• Blueberries
• Kiwi

Feel free to mix up the fruits, depending on the season and what you like. Other good options include: grapes, raspberries, orange segments, pomegranate, peaches, mango, apples, and even bananas.

I don’t recommend using frozen fruit for this recipe, you want to use the freshest fruit you can find! Frozen fruit will get mushy and release too much liquid as it thaws out.

Fruit Salad Dressing

I love making a tart and sweet dressing to drizzle over the salad! It pulls all the flavors together really well. The citrus combo is divine and the dressing really makes the fruit salad special. Don’t skip it!

The ingredients are simple and it only takes a few minutes to whisk up. You can make the dressing in a bowl or jar and keep it in the fridge until you’re ready to serve!

• Orange zest
• Lime zest
• Orange juice
• Lime juice
• Honey (can use pure maple syrup or sugar to make the salad vegan)
• Poppy seeds (you can buy poppy seeds in the spice aisle or bulk bins)
• Chopped fresh mint

Prepping the Fruit

• Cut the fruit into similar size pieces.
• To keep the berries fresh, don’t rinse or wash the fruit until ready to use.
• Pineapple– The pineapple needs to be peeled and chopped. Remove the top and bottom, then cut the hard, prickly skin off. Quarter the inside, then cut the hard core out. Now you’re left with just the soft, juicy, edible part! Cut that into smaller squares and it’s ready to go.
• Blackberries and Blueberries– They only need to be rinsed and then they’re ready to go into the salad whole. Easy!
• Strawberries– Rinse, cut off the green top, and slice.
• Kiwi– Kiwi can seem intimidating because of their fuzzy, brown skin, but they’re actually simple to prepare! Cut the top and bottom off, then slip a spoon in between the brown skin and the green fruit. Slide it around the outside and the middle will slip right out! From there it can be diced and tossed into the fruit salad. And FYI-did you know kiwi skin is safe to eat? I always cut it off for fruit salad though because we want to see the pretty green color!

How to Make Fruit Salad

• When all of the fruit is ready to go, place it in a large bowl and drizzle the dressing over the fruit. Gently toss, being careful to not mash or squish any of the berries.
• I like to garnish with extra fresh mint for a pop of green! Plus, mint is SO good with fruit.
• You can serve the salad at room temperature or chilled. It is good both ways.

How to Keep Fruit Salad from Browning

The key to keep fruits looking fresh is citrus! An acidic juice preserves the color and brightness of these fruits. This is where the citrus dressing comes in handy!

If you are going to use bananas in your fruit salad, wait until serving time to add them. They brown quickly after being sliced.

How to Store

Fruit salad is best the day it is made. However, it can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days.

Remember, you can make the dressing in advance. It will keep in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

More Fruit Salad Recipes

• Quinoa Fruit Salad with Honey Lime Dressing
• Berry Quinoa Salad
• Watermelon Feta Salad
• Berry Caprese Salad
• Tomato, Peach, & Burrata Salad

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Salads

Favorite Fruit Salad

This Fruit Salad with Citrus Poppy Seed Dressing is colorful, sweet, and the perfect side dish to any meal. It is refreshing, healthy, and always a crowd pleaser. Feel free to mix up the fruit, depending on what is in season.

4.60 from 10 votes

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 0 minutes mins

Total Time 15 minutes mins

Cuisine American

Servings 10

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients

  

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For the salad:

• 1 large pineapple, peeled and chopped
• 18 oz blackberries
• 16 oz strawberries, hulled and sliced
• 12 oz blueberries
• 4 kiwi, peeled, sliced and halved

For the dressing:

• 1 teaspoon orange zest
• 1 teaspoon lime zest
• 3 tablespoons orange juice
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 teaspoon poppy seeds
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint

Instructions

 

• Combine the pineapple, blackberries, strawberries, blueberries, and kiwi in a large bowl.
• In a small bowl or jar, combine the orange zest, lime zest, orange juice, lime juice, honey, and poppy seeds. Whisk together until honey is dissolved.
• Drizzle the dressing over the fruit and gently stir until fruit is well coated. Garnish with fresh mint. Serve.

Notes

To make the recipe vegan, use pure maple syrup or sugar instead of the honey. 

Nutrition

Calories: 142kcal, Carbohydrates: 35g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 1g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Sodium: 4mg, Potassium: 406mg, Fiber: 7g, Sugar: 24g, Vitamin A: 270IU, Vitamin C: 122mg, Calcium: 55mg, Iron: 1mg

Keywords fruit, salad

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