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This cool and refreshing Fresh Fruit Salad Recipe is the absolute best way to celebrate summer! Unlike heavy, creamy versions, this easy fruit salad is light, vibrant, and incredibly simple to toss together for your next BBQ, potluck, or brunch. It features a mix of seasonal favorites tossed in a bright honey lime dressing that brings out the natural sweetness of berries, melon, and other fruit.
I love a great summer fruit salad with all the colors, textures, and refreshing sweet flavors. It’’s one of my favorite summer salads to make for BBQs, potlucks, and brunches because it works as a’s the perfect side dish for any meal – and the taste is amazing!
The secret to the best fruit salad isn’t just the fruit: it’s the dressing. My signature honey lime glaze uses a hint of vanilla to tie all the flavors together without being overpowering. By using fresh-squeezed orange juice as the base, you get a natural acidity that keeps the fruit looking vibrant and prevents it from breaking down too quickly. It is the perfect healthy side dish that works for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
This easy, non-creamy fruit salad recipe yields 8 servings and features a refreshing honey lime and vanilla dressing. It uses a blend of strawberries, blueberries, pineapple, mandarin oranges, and grapes. The recipe is highly customizable with seasonal fruit and can be prepped in just 30 minutes.
Click to see the recipe card below for full ingredients & instructions. See below the recipe card for even more information: process shots, variations, FAQ and more.
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How to make Fruit Salad Dressing
- I like using fresh-squeezed orange juice but you can use a prepared one if you prefer.
- While honey is the traditional sweetener for adding body and sheen to the dressing, it can be substituted with agave or maple syrup for a vegan-friendly version. If you find the salad is sweet enough on its own, you can skip the sweetener entirely and just use the citrus juices.
- I love the zing of lime zest but use lemon zest if that’s all you have, or even orange.
- Whisk the dressing in a small bowl or measuring cup. Don’t dress the salad too soon or the fruit will start to break down.
Expert Tips
- I would avoid fruit that browns quickly, like bananas and apples, unless you plan to eat the fruit salad soon after it’s made. Apple salad is the way to go with that fruit.
- You can also switch up the dressing by using pineapple juice, watermelon juice, or other fresh fruit juice in place of the orange juice. Add a few squeezes of fresh lemon juice or lime juice, too.
- I like to add the honey because it adds sweetness, but it also gives the dressing a little bit of body. You can use agave instead or skip the sweetener altogether.
- For the best results, wait to wash the fruit until you make the salad. It will keep it better that way.
- Avoid using frozen fruit – a fresh fruit salad is always the way to go.
Fruit Salad Recipe
Recipe Video
Ingredients
- Salad:
- 1 pound strawberries hulled and sliced
- 6 ounces blueberries
- 2 cups cubed fresh pineapple
- 4 mandarin oranges peeled and sectioned (see note)
- 1 cup seedless green grapes halved
- Dressing:
- ¼ cup fresh squeezed orange juice
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon lemon or lime zest
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- Mint or additional lime zest for garnish
Instructions
- Combine all the fruit in a large bowl.
- Place the orange juice, honey, zest and vanilla in a measuring cup or small bowl and whisk until smooth. Pour over fruit, toss gently to coat.
- You can serve this immediately or chill for up to 4 hours before eating. Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Recipe Notes
- Avoid fruit that browns quickly or is too delicate to stand up to stirring and dressing.
- Don’t dress the salad until close to serving time. The longer the salad sits dressed the softer the fruit will get.
- Store in refrigerator but best eaten within 12 hours of dressing the salad.
Recipe Nutrition
Storage & Making Ahead
- Store this in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
- Leftover Fruit Salad will keep for a few days, but the salad won’t be as pretty as when it was first made.
- Fruit salad is best not long after it’s made. The fruit will start to break down and release juices after it’s been made. You can make it up to four hours in advance and keep it in the refrigerator. It should hold up fine, but it will have more liquid. I do not recommend making this the day before serving.
Recipe Variations
You can add or swap the fruit in the salad for other types that you like. There are a lot of choices, so here are some ideas you might like:
- Grapefruit
- Stone fruit like peaches, plums, or apricots (be sure to peel them)
- Mango
- Papaya
- Kiwi
- Other berries, like Raspberries or Blackberries
- Cantaloupe or honeydew melons
- Watermelon
- Red grapes
FAQs
You can prep the fruit and whisk the dressing separately up to 24 hours in advance, but it is best to combine them only up to 4 hours before serving to prevent the fruit from getting too soft.
It is not recommended. Frozen fruit becomes very soft and releases a lot of liquid as it thaws, which will make the dressing watery and the salad mushy.
The acidity in the orange, lime, or lemon juice in the dressing naturally helps slow down the browning process. Also, avoid adding bananas or apples until the very last second.
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Note that the fruit will continue to release juices the longer it sits.
This was delicious! The dressing really jazzed it up!