Fruit Salad
Fruit Salad with honey lime dressing is sweet and full of fresh flavor. This easy fruit salad recipe is a favorite summer side dish or dessert!
Fruit salad is a classic side dish that’s perfect for almost any occasion. Along with this Berry Fruit Salad recipe, this fruit salad is one of our very favorites. It’s bursting with fresh fruits and perfect for serving at a summer BBQ.
This recipe features a rainbow of fruits and a sweet fruit salad dressing. The combination of ingredients in this recipe make for a delicious and colorful salad. You can swap in your favorite fruits and adapt this recipe to use what is in season. The honey lime dressing is light and fresh and we use just enough to add an extra zip of flavor to our fresh fruit.
We can’t get enough of this fresh fruit salad. The recipe makes a big bowl, which is a good thing because it always gets eaten in record time!
Fruit Salad Dressing
This fruit salad is tossed in a simple dressing made from lime zest, lime juice and honey. The dressing brings out the sweet flavor of the fruit and makes this salad worthy of a special occasion!
Since ripe fruits are already sweet, we just need a little bit of dressing on the salad. If you don’t have limes on hand, you can substitute fresh lemon juice and lemon zest. You may want to scale down the amount of lemon juice, since lemons are more tart than limes.
Fruit Salad Recipe Ingredients
Here’s an overview of the ingredients needed for this salad recipe. I chose this combination of fruit and berries because it gives you a delicious mix of flavors and colors. Below, you’ll find suggestions for other fruits you can use. This recipe is easy to customize and make your own!
- Red Grapes: Or use green grapes if that’s what you have on hand. I left the grapes whole, but you can halve them if serving the fruit salad to very young children.
- Pineapple: You can purchase a fresh pineapple and chop it yourself, or buy pre-cut pineapple from the grocery store. Fresh is best, as the texture of canned pineapple is not as good.
- Strawberries: Stem and slice them.
- Blueberries: A sweet favorite! They’re easy to wash and require no other prep.
- Blackberries: A beautiful addition to a summer fruit salad.
- Kiwi: To prep, slice off the two ends and then peel with a small paring knife. Then cut the kiwi in half lengthwise and slice.
- Lime Zest & Lime Juice: Brings a touch of tartness, which balances out the sweet fruit and honey. Zest the lime whole, then cut it in half and juice it.
- Honey: Makes the fruit salad irresistibly sweet.
How to Make Fruit Salad
- Prep the fruit. Wash and dry the fruits well. Peel, core and chop the pineapple, slice the strawberries and peel and chop the kiwi. Put the fruit in a large serving bowl.
- Make the dressing. In a small bowl, whisk together the lime zest, lime juice and honey.
- Combine. Pour the dressing over the fruit and toss gently to mix.
How to Zest a Lime:
- The easiest way to zest a lime is to use a microplane. You can also use a vegetable peeler to remove larger strips of the lime peel and then chop finely. Be sure to remove just the green part of the lime peel and not the white part underneath, which can be bitter.
- Once you’ve zested the lime, roll it on your counter a few times to soften it up. This makes it easier to juice.
Tips for the Best Fruit Salad
- Use fruits that are in season for peak freshness and flavor.
- After washing the fruit, dry it well before adding it to your salad. Wet berries or grapes can add too much extra moisture to the salad, which will make the fruits soften faster.
- Add the dressing to the fruit right before serving. The longer the fruit sits in the dressing, the more it will start to break down and soften.
- When tossing everything together, stir very gently. Consider adding the most delicate fruits, such as blueberries and kiwi, last.
- If you are adding fruits that brown easily, such as bananas, apples or pears, slice and add them right before serving.
- You can add a little bit of chopped fresh mint to this recipe if you enjoy the flavor of fresh mint.
What Other Fruits Can I Use?
Fruit salad tastes best when it’s made with ripe, in season fruit. You can switch up this recipe based on your preferences and what is in season where you live. Try:
- Summer: Peaches, nectarines, raspberries, cherries, watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew.
- Fall/Winter: Apples, pears, mandarin oranges, pomegranate.
- Year Round: Bananas.
For a fun variation on fruit salad, try these rainbow fruit kabobs.
Can I Use Frozen Fruit?
I don’t recommend using frozen fruit. As frozen fruit defrosts, it is much softer than fresh fruit and will not hold up well in fruit salad. Frozen fruit also tends to release too much liquid as it thaws.
Make Ahead and Storage Tips
If you would like to do some of the prep work ahead of time for this recipe, you can wash, dry and chop your fruit a few hours ahead of time. You can also whisk together the dressing ingredients. Store the dressing and fruit in the refrigerator, separately. You’ll want to wait and add the dressing to the salad no more than an hour before serving.
If you have leftover fruit salad, you can store it in the refrigerator for a day or two. The fruit will soften and release some of its juices, but it will still taste delicious.
More Summer Salad Recipes
Fruit Salad
Ingredients
- 1 pound red grapes, or green grapes, about 3 cups
- 2 cups chopped fresh pineapple
- 1 pound fresh strawberries, about 2 cups sliced
- 6 ounces fresh blueberries, about 1 cup
- 6 ounces fresh blackberries, about 1 ½ cups
- 3 kiwi, peeled and sliced
For the Dressing
- zest of one lime
- 1 ½ tablespoons lime juice
- 2 tablespoons honey
Instructions
- Wash and dry the fruits well. Peel, core and chop the pineapple, slice the strawberries and peel and chop the kiwi. Combine all fruit in a large bowl.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the lime zest, lime juice and honey. Pour over the fruit and toss gently to combine. Serve immediately.
Notes
- If making fruit salad ahead, wait and add the dressing no more than an hour before serving. If you are preparing the fruit ahead, it is best to wash, dry and chop it no more than a few hours before you plan to serve it.
- Leftover fruit salad can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for a day or two. The fruit will soften and release some of its juices, but it will still taste delicious.
The make ahead storage tips were so helpful! I brought this to a picnic. It was a huge hit!! Love that I was able to change the serving amount and the recipe automatically changed!! Bookmarking your site!
This is a perfect balance of berries and fruit and it is so beautiful. Thank you for a really delicious and elegant fruit salad recipe!
We had this with out Easter brunch – it was delightful. I used maple syrup instead of honey to make it vegan – delicious.
I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe! Thank you for sharing. 🙂
This was delicious! The dressing put it over the top! I used fresh mango in mine instead of grapes because I did not have grapes on hand and the mangos worked really well! I chopped all the fruit in the morning but kept the kiwi separate. I added the kiwi and the dressing right before serving. Worked perfectly and the colors were stunning and it tasted so good! My whole family loved it!
Can I use lemon instead of lime?
Yes, you can.
My 4th of July go to salad.  It’s the best fruit salad ever!