Good Fruits For Fruit Salad

Good Fruits For Fruit Salad. When you are having a fruit salad, what are some great fruits to put into it? Fruits like apples and oranges are easy, but what about strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and other fruits. Here is good fruits for fruit salad are. Be sure to add them to your next fruit salad for taste.

The Fruits in a Typical Fruit Salad, Ranked

It’s the summertime. And summer means barbecues, pool parties, and barbecues that are also pool parties where nobody can swim for 30 minutes. No matter how hard you try to limit your food intake to meat, potato salad, and three other kinds of meat, your conscience (and your blood pressure) will convince you to include some fruits and veggies on that paper plate.

The most logical choice? Fruit salad. It’s easy to make, it tastes refreshing, and it contains tasty, in-season fruits. But don’t be naïve. Not all fruits were created equal. You can put anything in a fruit salad, yet these are the nine most common ingredients. And some are terrible. Here they are, ranked.

9. Blueberries

This isn’t one you’ll find in every fruit salad — more like 60% of them. Do you know why? Because not all people are idiots. Only some people are idiots. Don’t get me wrong, blueberries certainly have plenty of applications in this world. Pies for one! And, well. No, they should only go in pies. Because they’re insignificant.

You can only really enjoy blueberries when there are many of them, together. But dispersed in a sea of much more prominent fruit, you’ll be lucky to get more than three in one bite. And that’s only if you manage to carefully balance them on your fork (no one eats fruit salad with a spoon) on the way to your mouth without them rolling off, back into the mix, or onto the floor and out of your life forever. Don’t put blueberries in fruit salad.

8. Cantaloupe

Inevitably, you’ll find more cantaloupe than any other fruit in a fruit salad. This is something I’ve never quite understood. Cantaloupe is typically pretty bland and generally underwhelming. Even the best cantaloupe you’ve ever had is just “alright.” In fact, if it’s not hard and partly green and mealy, you’ll consider it some pretty damn good cantaloupe in the grand scheme of things. “Hey, it’s actually not disgusting and slightly sweet! Three pieces are enough, though.”

How did the fruit ratios get so out of whack in the first place? It couldn’t have been through lucid thought and well-pondered consideration. It’s as if Big Cantaloupe managed to persuade the Fruit Salad General of the Federal Fruit Salad Mixture Council (the FFSMC, of course) to meet in a dark ally, so they could swap dirty cantaloupe money in exchange for top billing in every American’s summertime bowl. Cantaloupe is why I hate politics.

7. Honeydew melon

Honeydew doesn’t fool me. It is but cantaloupe’s green, sweet-talking cousin. “Look at the honeydew, it seems so smooth and a little exotic. That name just sounds like something you just wanna eat up!” Bullshit. Now, I won’t throw the ‘dew under the bus like cantaloupe, because it can be a memorable experience. At its best, it’s really good. I might even consider eating it by itself! Except it’s hardly EVER at its best. It is the Derrick Rose of the fruit world.

It also exists in large quantities in most fruit salads, but it’s rarely there because of its actual talent. Honeydew is like the seat-fillers at the Academy Awards. It creates the illusion of a room crowded with great quantities of special individuals, but in actuality, it’s just there to take up space. In fact, if they perched actual honeydew melons on each seat at these awards shows, most likely no one would notice the difference.

6. Banana

I love you banana, but I think you’re lost. I’m not sure exactly how you found your way into a bowl filled with melons and berries, but you seem uncomfortably awkward ‘round these parts. And even worse, you look soggy as hell. And you’ve only been here for five minutes. In fact, in the short time since someone added you to the fruit salad, you’ve desperately tried to take on the tastes of every other fruit at the party in a desperate attempt to fit in. And I’m sorry, but that’s a major turnoff.

The only place worse for you to be than in a fruit salad is in Jell-O (don’t tell my grandma). Just be yourself! You know where you’re great? A peanut butter sandwich. When you’re frozen, covered in chocolate, and coated in nuts, you make my day. Hell, just straight out of the peel is a good time. Time to do some soul searching banana, and figure out where you fit in in this world.

5. Strawberries

I have a feeling I’m gonna catch some heat for this one. Does anyone dislike strawberries? Not that I know of. Do people always want more strawberries in the fruit salad? Almost always, yes. So how come they don’t even get top-four billing? It’s mostly because strawberries are TOO popular.

They have a great rep that they’ve earned legitimately and are so often used in so many other applications. Strawberry ice cream? Solid. Strawberry pie? Almost as American as apple. Strawberry Nesquik? You better believe I’m on board. With all this acclaim, it just seems that strawberries don’t pull their weight as much as they do in their other iterations. Sure, you might pick them out of the bowl specifically, just because of the name recognition, but there are better, tastier options and there certainly is such a thing as too many strawberries. Next!

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

1. 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.
2. Make the dressing. In a small bowl, whisk together the lime zest, lime juice and honey.
3. 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.

Fruit Salad for A Crowd

Fresh fruit tossed in a bright citrus dressing with just a hint of cinnamon is a great, easy-to-make dish when you’re feeding a crowd. It’s always one of the first dishes to go on my buffet table. Whether you’re hosting a holiday party, family reunion, block party, or tailgating, this fruit salad will be a fan favorite!

A couple of weeks ago, I had the honor of hosting my son’s drum line for dinner. It may seem a little daunting to have 28 hungry kids and their director over for dinner, but it’s actually quite easy, thanks to several easy recipes for feeding a crowd, especially this one!

On the menu was pasta with sauce, meatballs, garlic bread, cupcakes along with this fruit salad for a crowd!

I specifically wanted to make something fresh and full of flavor and knew my fruit salad was just what was needed. It’s a great mix of fruit (I always chose what goes in by what’s on sale) with a citrus dressing sweetened with honey. At the end of the meal, I think they agreed, since there were just two little grapes left in the pan.

Ingredients Needed To Make Fruit Salad For A Crowd

• Red Grapes
• Green Grapes
• Pineapple – cubed
• Cantaloupe – cubed
• Strawberries – washed with caps removed and sliced in quarters
• Blueberries
• Orange juice
• Honey
• Cinnamon

People Often Ask…

What fruits can I substitute in Fruit Salad For A Crowd?

The beautiful thing about fruit salad is it’s super versatile, I always say you can just use what’s on hand. The ingredients in this recipe are my go-to fruit salad recommendations, but here are a couple other fruits you could include.

– Banana
– Peaches
– Raspberries
– Blackberries
– Honey Dew Melon

Tips For Making Fruit Salad For A Crowd

1. When purchasing fruit, buy what is on sale. I always use grapes because they tend to be on sale and add volume to the salad. Plus, almost everyone likes grapes.
2. Stay away from “odd” fruit. This salad is meant to feed a crowd, so you want the ingredients to be something that most people will like.
3. Melons that are pre-cut can be found in the produce cooler section. I often buy what’s on sale and then cut into small pieces which will fill out my salad.
4. Apples are a great addition to this salad. Make sure you place chopped apples into cool lemon water before adding to the salad to deter browning.
5. Metal pans – I buy several large ones at a time and keep them on hand until needed.

Quick & Easy 30 Minute Recipes! (plus weekly recipe updates)

Honey Lime Rainbow Fruit Salad

The BEST Fruit Salad with a sweet and bright honey lime dressing! It’s an incredibly refreshing, must have side dish that’s made with beautiful blend of delicious fruits and a simple dressing to compliment it. This is always sure to be a crowd favorite!

The Best Fruit Salad Recipe

I first shared this recipe 5 years ago but it’s one of my favorite recipes, so for new readers or in case you missed it I thought it needs to be revisited. Plus I thought this exactly what mom’s want on Mother’s Day for brunch paired with waffles, crepes or Eggs Benedict!

I know Skittles are good, but I’m thinking this has got to be the right way to get a taste of the rainbow. This blend of colorful fruits all come together to make a gorgeous rainbow, made with healthy ingredients!

Kids will love this this fruit salad and it is an easy way to get them to eat plenty of fruit at once.

A Fruit Salad Dressing without Cream or Pudding

Plus this version is so much butter than those frozen whipped topping fruit salads.

This recipe shows you how to make fruit salad without the heavy, creamy fruit salad dressing that you’re used to seeing. It leaves plenty of room for all the flavors of the fruit to shine without drenching it in sugar and other random flavors.

Plus it doesn’t use any of those packaged pudding mixes. Why should we coat all the vibrant and incredible flavors of the fruit with an artificial flavor from a pudding mix?

Let’s not ruin a good thing like fresh fruit by coating it with packaged ingredients where we can’t even pronounce the ingredients on the label.

All it takes is a little honey and lime to really make that fresh fruit sing. 100% natural honey and lime make this fruit salad shine (literally and figuratively).

Ingredients for this Easy Fruit Salad

• Strawberries – to select good strawberries it’s kind of a no brainer. They should have a nice red color, no dark spots, no mold, and check out the leaves – those green tops should look vibrant and fresh.
• Pineapple – to pick a good pineapple smell the bottom, it should have that sweet pineapple scent. To know when it’s ripe the skin should be turning yellow and it should have some give when pressed.
• Blueberries – I like those plump juicy blueberries here. They tend to be sweeter.
• Red grapes – to choose good grapes squeeze a couple of them, they should be firm and plump, they should also look tight and intact to the stems (not loose) and they should have a nice color.
• Kiwi – to select kiwi look for some that are fairly soft when pressed. Those that are firm are sour and unripe. Small or large size won’t matter.
• Mandarin oranges – I used to use canned mandarins here but I prefer fresh now. Either will work great. Mangoes work well as a substitute for the oranges.
• Bananas – these are optional. If you do add them just use yellow bananas. No green peel (not sweet enough) and no brown (too mushy).
• Honey – I don’t recommend substitutions for this unless there’s an allergy (if so I’d maybe try maple syrup or brown rice syrup).
• Limes – in a pinch lemons would work too.

How to Make Fruit Salad

• Prepare fruit: chop fruits (except blueberries) and add to a large mixing bowl.
• Make dressing: in a small mixing bowl, whisk together they honey, lime zest and lime juice.
• Toss fruit with dressing: pour dressing over fruit just before serving and toss to evenly coat.
• Easy as that!

Can I Use Frozen Fruit in this Recipe?

For best results only use fresh fruit, not frozen in this fruit salad. Frozen fruit is mushy once thawed and watery so it won’t work the same here unfortunately. Keep in mind though that you can use other fruits that are in season, it’s a versatile recipe.

Can I Make it in Advance?

If I happen to haven any left of course I still eat it the next day but it’s not quite as good as it was the first day.

What I recommend is to chop the fruits up to 1 day in advance (except bananas) and make the dressing a day in advance. Refrigerate then the following day let dressing rest at room temp 20 minutes. Toss fruit and dressing together when you’re ready to serve it.

Tips for Perfect Fruit Salad:

• Use a variety of fruit. Just about any fresh fruit will work here but use a blend to add a variety of flavor and eye catching color.
• Use ripened fruit. As in you may need to plan ahead and buy the pineapple and kiwi nearly a week in advance because they take time to ripen.
• Wait to add the bananas, or even hold the bananas. These will brown if not served shortly after preparing.
• Don’t zest the lime with a cheese grater. Chances are you’ll end up with some white pith of the lime peel which will make the fruit salad taste bitter. Use a zester and use light pressure.