Easy Fruit Salad

How do you turn a bowl of fruit into a fruit salad to remember? Add a simple honey-citrus dressing!

By
Diana Rattray
Diana Rattray
Diana Rattray
Southern-cuisine expert and cookbook author Diana Rattray has created more than 5,000 recipes and articles in her 20 years as a food writer.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Updated on 12/10/23
Tested by
Kayla Hoang
Photo of Kayla Hoang
Tested by Kayla Hoang
Kayla Hoang is a freelance recipe developer, writer, and baker whose Bangladeshi and Vietnamese roots influence all she does. Her life revolves around food and she can almost always be found waiting by the oven for a fresh batch of cookies.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Easy Fruit Salad on a platter with a serving spoon

The Spruce Eats / Julia Hartbeck

Prep: 20 mins
Cook: 0 mins
Total: 20 mins
Servings: 8 to 10 servings
Yield: 11 to 11 1/2 cups

This easy fruit salad is naturally sweet, refreshing, and delicious. With strawberries, blueberries, grapes, citrus fruits, and tropical fruits, plus a delightful dressing made with honey and freshly squeezed lime and orange juices, it’s basically summer in a bowl. And while it’s perfect for summer parties and outings—hello picnic season—this colorful, flavorful fruit salad will be a crowd pleaser at potlucks, showers, and even office functions, not to mention family dinners and brunches.

Feel free to customize the salad with your favorite fruits or make it with fresh local or seasonal fruit. Try some other fruit and berry combinations. Raspberries, peaches, pitted cherries, mandarin oranges, blackberries, and cantaloupe are all good choices. Bright colors and a variety of textures will make your fruit salad a sure winner.

Which Fruits Should Not Be Mixed in Fruit Salad?

There really are no rules around what can and cannot go in fruit salad. However, bananas can be tricky, as they tend to fall apart if they’re too ripe, so you may want to skip them.

Tips for Making the Best Fruit Salad

  • Do your prep—Rinse all fruits thoroughly, and check blueberries for stems.
  • Cut with care—Slice or cube fruit into uniform bite-sized pieces.
  • Plan ahead—Avoid cutting up apples, pears, or bananas until it's time to serve the salad, and if you think you'll have leftovers, toss the apples, pears, and bananas with lemon or orange juice, and serve them on the side.
  • Consider canned fruit—Fresh fruits are best, but there is an exception: drained canned pineapple chunks or rings. Canned pineapple retains its bright color and excellent flavor.


What You'll Need to Make This Fruit Salad
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An Easy-to-Use Whisk
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A Durable Cutting Board
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A Chef's Knife You Can Count On

"This easy fruit salad is zingy and fresh, and full of flavor. The 4-ingredient dressing is super bright and brings out the fruit's natural flavors. If you like things on the less sweet side, or your fruit is super ripe, consider adding just a little dressing at a time to control the sweetness. " —Kayla Hoang

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A Note From Our Recipe Tester

Ingredients

For the Fruit

  • 3 cups hulled, sliced strawberries

  • 2 cups blueberries

  • 2 cups seedless grapes

  • 2 cups pineapple chunks, fresh or canned

  • 2 medium navel oranges, peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces

  • 1 cup sliced kiwi

For the Dressing

  • 1/4 cup honey

  • 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice

  • 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice

  • 2 teaspoons finely grated lime zest

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Easy Fruit Salad ingredients in bowls

    The Spruce Eats / Julia Hartbeck

  2. In a large serving bowl, toss together 3 cups hulled, sliced strawberries, 2 cups blueberries, 2 cups seedless grapes, 2 cups pineapple chunks, fresh or canned, 2 medium navel oranges, peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces, and 1 cup sliced kiwi.

    Sliced fruit on a serving platter with serving spoons

    The Spruce Eats / Julia Hartbeck

  3. Combine 1/4 cup honey, 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange, 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice, and 2 teaspoons finely grated lime zest; whisk to blend.

    Honey, orange and lime juice in a bowl with a whisk

    The Spruce Eats / Julia Hartbeck

  4. Pour honey-lime dressing over the fruit.

    Fruit and fruit salad dressing on a platter

    The Spruce Eats / Julia Hartbeck

  5. Toss to coat and serve immediately.

    Easy Fruit Salad on a platter with serving spoons

    The Spruce Eats / Julia Hartbeck

How to Store

  • Be sure to follow food safety precautions: Keep the fruit salad refrigerated within 2 hours of cutting and keep refrigerated until ready to serve. If the fruit will be served in setting where the temperature is above 90 F, serve it from a cooler or nestle the bowl in a larger bowl of ice (refresh the ice often) at 40 F or colder.
  • Discard any fruit that has been left out for more than 2 hours.


Feeling Adventurous? Try This:

  • Instead of honey, use maple syrup, golden syrup, or agave nectar.
  • For a twist on the fruit salad, add 2 cups of plain or vanilla yogurt to the dressing mixture.
  • Swap out pineapple chunks with mango chunks or cantaloupe.

How Can I Use Leftover Fruit Salad?

Fresh fruit salad is best served immediately, so try to avoid making more than you will need. After a day or so, some leftover fruits will be mushy and soft, and the flavors of the individual fruits will begin to taste the same. If you do find yourself with leftovers, here are some ideas:

  • Chop or blend some of the leftover fruit and add it to homemade gelato.
  • Add some of the fruit to your morning oatmeal or dry cereal.
  • Make a fruit smoothie with leftover blueberries or other fruits.
  • Add some of the fruit to ice cube trays and freeze it. Add the frozen fruity cubes to your iced tea or sangria.
  • Spoon leftover fresh fruit salad over pound cake, and top with a dollop of freshly whipped cream or thawed frozen whipped topping.

 

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
124 Calories
0g Fat
32g Carbs
1g Protein
×
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 8 to 10
Amount per serving
Calories 124
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 0g 1%
Saturated Fat 0g 0%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 3mg 0%
Total Carbohydrate 32g 12%
Dietary Fiber 4g 13%
Total Sugars 25g
Protein 1g
Vitamin C 86mg 432%
Calcium 37mg 3%
Iron 1mg 4%
Potassium 314mg 7%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)