Fruit salad has a bit of a bad reputation as far as being a standout dish. In many forms, this isn’t exactly false, as the general lack of variety or inventiveness that some approach construction of a fruit cocktail with generally leaves one wanting.
We’re here to hopefully change that and get your creative juices flowing. Let’s go over how to make fruit salad at home using fresh ingredients, including those that aren’t exactly what you’d call traditional to the dish, to demonstrate the best way to bring out its full potential.
Prepare Ingredients:
- 2 cups watermelon, cubed
- 2 cups pineapple, cubed
- 1 cup cantaloupe, cubed
- 1 cup papaya, cubed
- 1 cup mango, cubed
- 1 peach, cubed
- 2 plums, cubed
- 1 green apple, cubed
- 1 cup orange juice (freshly squeezed)
- Fresh peppermint leaves, to decorate
The quantities and selection of fruits are a suggestion, try your own combinations!
The above ingredients are going to result in a basic fruit salad, which is tasty on it’s own. However, if you want to elevate your fruit salad to another level, choose from one of the following toppings:
1. Banana, Seeds & Coconut
- Fruit salad base
- Freshly chopped bananas
- Hemp seeds
- Chia seeds
- Shredded coconut
 2. Yogurt & Granola
- Fruit salad base
- Greek yogurt
- Granola
 3. Ice Cream & Maple Syrup
- Fruit salad base
- Vanilla ice cream
- Maple syrup
4. Cottage Cheese, Caramelized Pecans and Cookie Crumble
- Fruit salad base
- Cottage cheese
- 1 cup candied pecans
- Arrowroot biscuits, crumbled
The directions for these 4 toppings are below the base recipe.
Fruit Salad Base:
Combine All Base Ingredients
Combine all of the fruit salad base ingredients and decorate with mint leaves.
Completed Fruit Salad Base
This is your fruit salad base that can be enjoyed as is or livened up with the following 4 variations!
Variation #1: Banana, Seeds & Coconut
Add all of the toppings to the base.
Variation #2: Yogurt & Granola
Add all of the toppings to the base.
Variation #3: Ice Cream & Maple Syrup
Add all of the toppings to the base.
Variation #4: Cottage Cheese, Caramelized Pecans and Cookie Crumble
See how to make caramelized pecans here. You will need brown sugar, butter, milk, cinnamon and maple syrup for this recipe OR you can get the store-bought kind.
Add the cottage cheese, caramelized pecans and crumbled cookies to the fruit salad base. Serve.
Enjoy!
These are our variations on the classic fruit salad. Now you’ve got the skills to follow our step by step guide to elevate this easy homemade dish to heights you probably never dreamed of before.
This is far from the last word on the subject, however. Fruit salad’s simplicity lends itself well to tons of customization, so don’t be afraid to try something totally new working off what we’ve made as a base.
Switch up your fruits, serve them in new ways like with a dip, have them mixed with condensed milk, whipped cream, cream cheese and all sorts of other inventive dressing ideas. The sky is truly the limit.
Also, if you’re wondering about how to keep things fresh and stop your fruit from turning that ugly brown color, the secret lies in oxidation. Assemble your fruit salad no more than an hour before you intend to serve it for best results as the longer your fruit sits out exposed to air, the more likely it is to brown.
Help extend its lifespan by tossing it with acidic fruit juice like lemon or lime and by covering it with plastic wrap down to the surface while in the bowl.
What’s your favorite kind of fruit to put in a fruit salad? Hopefully it turned up in our recipe. If it didn’t, though, you’re more than welcome to change that yourself.
Fruit Salad 5 Ways
Ingredients
- 2 cups watermelon - cubed
- 2 cups pineapple - cubed
- 1 cup cantaloupe - cubed
- 1 cup papaya - cubed
- 1 cup mango - cubed
- 1 peach - cubed
- 2 plums - cubed
- 1 green apple - cubed
- 1 cup orange juice - freshly squeezed
- Fresh peppermint leaves - to decorate
Variation #1: Banana, Seeds & Coconut
- Fruit salad base
- Freshly chopped bananas
- Hemp seeds
- Chia seeds
- Shredded coconut
Variation #2: Yogurt & Granola
- Fruit salad base
- Greek yogurt
- Granola
Variation #3: Ice Cream & Maple Syrup
- Fruit salad base
- Vanilla ice cream
- Maple syrup
Variation #4: Cottage Cheese, Caramelized Pecans and Cookie Crumble
- Fruit salad base
- Cottage cheese
- 1 cup candied pecans
- Arrowroot biscuits - crumbled
Instructions
For the Fruit Salad Base:
- Combine all of the fruit salad base ingredients and decorate with mint leaves.
For the Banana, Seeds & Coconut Topping:
- Add all of the toppings to the base.
For the Yogurt & Granola Topping:
- Add all of the toppings to the base.
For the Ice Cream & Maple Syrup Topping:
- Add all of the toppings to the base.
For the Cottage Cheese, Caramelized Pecans and Cookie Crumble Topping:
- Add the cottage cheese, caramelized pecans and crumbled cookies to the fruit salad base. Serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information on In the Kitch is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. It may not include toppings and/or sauces.
Looking to further enhance your cooking skills? Check out…How to Grill Jumbo Shrimp