Fresh fruit salad is one of the easiest and quickest desserts you can make. Refreshing and packed with vitamins, it can be made with endless combinations of seasonal fruits. A colorful, vibrant dessert that looks as good as it tastes.
This fresh fruit salad recipe can be made ahead of time. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. As it chills, the fruits release their juices and the flavors blend together, just like a sangria.
You can easily adjust the flavors depending on the season, with rosemary, fresh thyme, or vanilla in summer, and warmer spices like cinnamon or cardamom in winter. Perfect as a dessert, an afternoon snack, or even breakfast, it’s always a refreshing treat.
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Why Everyone Loves Fresh Fruit Salad?
This is one of those desserts everyone loves, from kids to adults, for any occasion.
Fresh and nutritious: Packed with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, it’s both light and satisfying. No matter which fruits you choose, it fits easily into a balanced diet.
Endless variety: Sweet, tangy, crisp, or juicy, every fruit salad is different. Play with colors and textures depending on the season for a dessert that looks just as good as it tastes.
Quick and easy: No special skills needed, just good, ripe fruit. It’s the perfect way to end a meal on a light note, serve at a buffet, or enjoy anytime during the week.
Fruit salad ingredients
Note: You’ll find a printable recipe card at the bottom of this post..
Serves 8: adjust quantities as needed. Feel free to swap or add fruits based on your preferences and what’s in season.
- 1 green apple
- 1 red apple
- 1 pear
- 1 mango
- 1 large grapefruit
- 1 bunch of grapes
- 3 bananas
- 1 kiwi
- 125g (4.4 oz) blackberries
- 150g (5.3 oz) raspberries
- 1 lemon (to prevent oxidation)
- 750ml (25.4 fl oz) fresh orange juice, more or less
- 1 vanilla bean (optional)
- Rosemary, fresh thyme or cinnamon stick, pick one according to your taste (optional)
- Sugar or honey (not necessary, I don’t use any)
How to Make Fresh Fruit Salad
Start by washing the fruit, then drain and pat dry with paper towels.
Squeeze the oranges and pour the juice into a pitcher or directly into a large bowl.
Split the vanilla bean in half and scrape out the seeds. Stir them into the orange juice along with the pod. You can also add a sprig of rosemary, fresh thyme, or a cinnamon stick to taste. Remove them before pouring the juice over the cut fruit.
Dice the apples, pear, and kiwi into small, even pieces. Remove any seeds and inedible parts. You can peel them completely, partially, or leave the skin on, depending on your preference.
Peel the mango and bananas, then cut them into cubes.
As you go, place the prepared fruit into a bowl or serving dish.
Lightly drizzle the fruits that tend to brown, such as apples and bananas, with a little lemon juice to prevent oxidation.
Peel the grapefruit, then carefully remove the supremes by cutting away the thin membrane around each segment. Add them to the rest of the fruit.
Add half of the grapes, blackberries, and raspberries.
Gently toss everything together until evenly combined.
Arrange the remaining blackberries, raspberries, and grapes on top. If the fruit is particularly juicy, you may not need to add any extra liquid. Add more or less orange juice, depending on your taste.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve. Let the fruit salad chill for at least 30 minutes to 1 hour, until nicely chilled and the flavors have had time to blend.
Before serving, gently toss the fruit salad again, then garnish with fresh mint leaves or a sprig of rosemary for a refreshing finish.
Serve in individual bowls or footed dessert cups.
Feel free to customize this recipe with your favorite fruits or whatever is in season. Enjoy!
You have 3 serving options:
- Toss all the fruit together in a large bowl with as much juice as you like.
- Layer the fruit in a large serving bowl, then pour the juice over the top.
- Serve directly in individual glasses or dessert cups.
Which Fruits Should You Use for a Fresh Fruit Salad?
A fruit salad can be made with as few as three fruits. Here is a selection to guide you through the seasons and inspire your combinations.
The essentials: Available year-round, these fruits make a simple and delicious salad on their own: red apples, green apples, pears, oranges, and bananas. They also create the perfect base for adding other fruits.
Berries: Blackberries, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries
Exotic fruits: Mango, kiwi, persimmon, pineapple, pomegranate, lychee
Summer fruits: Peaches, nectarines, grapes, apricots, cherries, melon
Dried fruits: Raisins, cranberries, walnuts
For the juice: Squeeze fresh oranges for the base, then add a little lemon juice to prevent oxidation and a bit of grapefruit juice for a subtle hint of bitterness. You can also add grapefruit supremes directly to the salad. Store-bought juice can work in a pinch, but nothing beats freshly squeezed.
How to Store Fresh Fruit Salad
Can you make fruit salad ahead of time? Yes, you can prepare it a few hours in advance. The flavors will have time to develop, much like a sangria.
However, add the berries at the last minute to prevent them from staining the other fruits.
Fresh fruit salad will keep in the refrigerator, covered with plastic wrap or stored in an airtight container, for up to 2 days. After that, the fruit tends to soften and lose its flavor.
More Fruit Dessert Recipes
Easy Fresh Fruit Salad Recipe
INGREDIENTS
Adjust quantities as needed. Feel free to swap or add fruits based on your preferences and what's in season.
- 1 green apple
- 1 red apple
- 1 pear
- 1 mango
- 1 large grapefruit
- 1 bunch of grapes
- 3 bananas
- 1 kiwi
- 125 g blackberries
- 150 g raspberries
- 1 lemon to prevent oxidation
- 750 ml fresh orange juice, more or less
- 1 vanilla bean optional
- Rosemary fresh thyme or cinnamon stick, pick one according to your taste (optional)
- Sugar or honey not necessary, I don’t use any
PREPARATION
- Start by washing the fruit, then drain and pat dry with paper towels.
- Squeeze the oranges and pour the juice into a pitcher or directly into a large bowl.
- Split the vanilla bean in half and scrape out the seeds. Stir them into the orange juice along with the pod. You can also add a sprig of rosemary, fresh thyme, or a cinnamon stick to taste. Remove them before pouring the juice over the cut fruit.
- Dice the apples, pear, and kiwi into small, even pieces. Remove any seeds and inedible parts. You can peel them completely, partially, or leave the skin on, depending on your preference.
- Peel the mango and bananas, then cut them into cubes.
- As you go, place the prepared fruit into a bowl or serving dish.
- Lightly drizzle the fruits that tend to brown, such as apples and bananas, with a little lemon juice to prevent oxidation.
- Peel the grapefruit, then carefully remove the supremes by cutting away the thin membrane around each segment. Add them to the rest of the fruit.
- Add half of the grapes, blackberries, and raspberries.
- Gently toss everything together until evenly combined.
- Arrange the remaining blackberries, raspberries, and grapes on top. If the fruit is particularly juicy, you may not need to add any extra liquid. Add more or less orange juice, depending on your taste.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve. Let the fruit salad chill for at least 30 minutes to 1 hour, until nicely chilled and the flavors have had time to blend.
- Before serving, gently toss the fruit salad again, then garnish with fresh mint leaves or a sprig of rosemary for a refreshing finish.
- Serve in individual bowls or footed dessert cups.
- Feel free to customize this recipe with your favorite fruits or whatever is in season. Enjoy!
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