This fruit salad is super yummy
and refreshing, not to mention SIMPLE! It’s hard to beat a delicious and
hydrating bowl of sweet juicy fruit to enjoy on a hot summer day.
I know this fruit salad recipe seems super simple, and that’s because it is! This super delicious salad pairs perfectly with my “Lean Chicken Kabobs” recipe I shared last week, the fresh mint and honey lime dressing REALLY bring out the flavor. But why make a fruit salad when I could just go buy one from my local grocery store? The problem with pre-cut fruit salads is that most of the time the fruit is not ripe, it is not customizable unless you buy everything individually (this is where cost can add up QUICK!) and sometimes they are even coated with preservatives to keep the freshness. With a homemade fruit salad, you can avoid all these pitfalls and bring life back into your fruit salads by being able to control the freshness, ripeness, and variety of fruit you pick, leaving you with the best fruit salad ever.
Tools Needed
- Kitchen Knife
Large Bowl
Cutting board
Ingredients for Fruit Salad
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Blueberries: Plump and juicy blueberries are easy to find in the summertime! Just be sure they are not wrinkled but firm and plump.
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Strawberries: Strawberries picked from your garden or local farm are best but unfortunately this is more likely to happen in the spring. In summer your local grocery store will be sure to carry nice, big, deep red colored berries, just check to see to make sure they are not bruised or molded.
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Kiwi: Green kiwis are my go-to for this summer salad. The slight tanginess balances the sweetness from all the other fruits. You can also choose to use gold kiwis which are equally delicious, the salad just won’t be as bright!
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Pineapple: A good juicy and ripe pineapple is the best! You can certainly purchase already cut up pineapple in the store but have faith in your abilities and purchase and cut one yourself as the freshness can’t be beaten!
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Grapes: You can use green or red grapes or both! You can also use seeded or seedless. Seeded is healthier while seedless is more enjoyable to eat, especially in a fruit salad, so go with what you prefer. I understand some people DO NOT eat anything seedless, but don’t let it stop you from consuming any fruits or vegetables at all. Something is better than nothing.
- Mangoes: Make sure your mangos are juicy and ripe. The mango should have a little give when you press into it but still firm.
Cantaloupe: Choose a ripe cantaloupe by making sure the rind is a golden yellow rather than green. The stem should also have fallen off and have a little give.
Key Lime Juice: If you can’t find key limes you can just use regular limes, again, something is better than nothing.
Honey: I ALWAYS opt for raw and unfiltered honey, it’s pricier than the more processed and filtered honey but SOOO worth it. You can also use agave instead if you are a vegan.
Fresh Mint: Fresh mint brings the entire salad together and adds that extra freshness. It is optional but HIGHLY recommended.
How To Make Fruit Salad
1) Prepare Your Fruit: Thoroughly wash and dry all of your fruit except for the mandarin oranges pineapple and mangos. Slice your grapes and strawberries and place into a big mixing bowl with the blueberries. You will then peel and cut your cantaloupe, pineapple and mangoes and add to the bowl. Peel and separate the orange segments, add to the bowl. Last, you will add your finely chopped mint to the bowl right before adding the dressing.
2) Mix Your dressing: Squeeze your lime juice into a bowl. Add your honey to the lime juice along with the lime zest and mix very well.
3) Make the Salad: Pour the prepared dressing all over the fruit you have prepared and use a big kitchen spoon to toss everything together, being careful not to let anything spill out of your bowl. You can also use food grade disposable gloves to mix your salad.
Serving Suggestions
- This fruit salad is delicious all by itself!
- This is a BIG salad so if you have alot leftover (we never do!) you can also freeze small batches and blend into a delicious fruit smoothie.
Tips
- Serve immediately or store covered in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
- You can add bananas if you want, but if you plan to store your fruit salad for a couple of days and you don’t want brown and or mushy bananas, wait to add the bananas until ready to serve.
- Cut your fruits the same bite sized pieces and a bit on the smaller side
- You can add more mint after a while to re-freshen the salad
- Make sure all of your fruit is sweet and perfectly ripe.
Classic Fruit Salad
Equipment
- Large Mixing Bowl
- Cutting Board
- Kitchen Knife
- Citrus Juicer or Squeezer (optional)
- Large Spoon (for mixing salad)
Ingredients
For Fruit Salad
- 1 Cup fresh Cantaloupe
- 1 Cup fresh pineapple
- 2 ripe mangos
- 3 kiwis
- 3 mandarin oranges
- 1 3/4 cup fresh strawberries about 8-10 large or about 300g
- 1 1/2 cup grapes about 225g
- 1 cup fresh blueberries about 190g
- 1-2 T Fresh Chopped Mint
For Honey Lime Dressing
- 2 T fresh lime juice (juice of about 1 lime)
- 2 T raw unfiltered honey
- Zest of 1 lime
Instructions
- Prepare Your Fruit: Thoroughly wash and dry all of your fruit except for the mandarin oranges pineapple and mangos. Slice your grapes and strawberries and place into a big mixing bowl with the blueberries. You will then peel and cut your cantaloupe, pineapple and mangoes and add to the bowl. Peel and separate the orange segments, add to the bowl. Last, you will add your finely chopped mint to the bowl right before adding the dressing.
- Mix Your dressing: Squeeze your lime juice into a bowl. Add your honey to the lime juice along with the lime zest and mix very well.
- Make the Salad: Pour the prepared dressing all over the fruit you have prepared and use a big kitchen spoon to toss everything together, being careful not to let anything spill out of your bowl. You can also use food grade disposable gloves to mix your salad.
Enjoy your delicious Fruit Salad!
Step by step with pictures
Step 1 &2
Prepare your fruit by cleaning the berries very well and drying them. Cut all of your fruit into bite sized pieces and add to a large bowl.
Step 3&4
Squeeze your lime juice into a bowl. Add your honey and lime zest to the lime juice and mix very well.
Step 5&6
Pour the prepared dressing all over the fruit you have prepared and use a big kitchen spoon to toss everything together, being careful not to let anything spill out of your bowl. You can also use food grade disposable gloves to mix your salad.
Step 7
Enjoy!
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