Easy Fruit Salad Recipe

This Easy Fruit Salad recipe makes a colorful and refreshing dessert. Serve these winter fruits plain or topped with whipped ricotta, yogurt or pastry cream. Use pizzelle as a serving dish for special festive occasions.

Italian meals often end with fresh seasonal fruit.

These fruit desserts are usually very quick and easy to prepare. Occasionally, depending on the fruit, they are sometimes lightly sweetened. 

Some examples include macerated strawberries, baked apples, and stuffed peaches.

Perhaps you are thinking that having a healthy fruit salad for dessert is kind of boring. The truth is that if you start with fresh seasonal fruit that is of high quality, not only will you be amazed at how delicious it is, but you will appreciate the refreshing flavors, especially after a heavy meal. 

What fruits to use

Regardless of the combination of winter fruits you use for this fresh fruit salad, somehow it always turns out great. Know that you can make substitutions based on personal preferences as well as the availability of fresh produce from your local fruit store.

These are the winter fruits I used today:

Cara Cara oranges: Slicing these pink navels truly showcases their unique color. This seedless variety of oranges is slightly less acidic than their counterparts and tastes a little sweeter. Available from December through May. [source]

Mandarins: There are two varieties of mandarins: clementines and tangerines. Both types are sweet and easy to peel and separate into sections. Either variety works really well in this recipe. 

Pomegranate arils: Easily remove the pomegranate seeds by strategically cutting the whole fruit into sections. Ready to eat pomegranate arils can also be purchased from your local grocery store. 

Kiwi: Feel free to use either the green or yellow/golden varieties. Ripe kiwis taste sweet with just a touch of tartness. 

Pears: Any variety of ripe pears works really well in this recipe. Use ripe pears for maximum flavor.

How to make a fruit salad step by step

The first thing we are going to do is properly rinse all of the fruits and one sprig of mint under cold running water. 

More specifically:

• 2 Cara Cara oranges
• 5 mandarins
• 1 pomegranate (we need 1½ cups pomegranate arils)
• 4 ripe kiwis
• 2 ripe pears

Transfer them on a clean towel, and with another clean tea towel, pat them dry. 

Slicing and dicing the fruits

In order to showcase the vibrant colors of winter fruit, once you peel them, you can slice, dice or leave as they are.

For this particular recipe, 2 of the kiwis were diced and 2 were sliced. I used a potato wave cutter to scallop the edges of the sliced kiwis to make them look more festive.

The oranges were sliced, the pears were diced, and the mandarin sections were left as is. 

Place all the prepared fruit in a large mixing bowl. 

Fruit salad dressing

In a small bowl, whisk together 1 tablespoon of honey, 2 tablespoons of freshly squeezed orange juice and 2 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice. 

Combining the fruit and the dressing

Pour the citrus honey dressing over the prepared fruit and gently toss together to combine. Let it sit for 15 minutes at room temperature before serving.

Garnish with mint leaves and serve. This homemade fruit salad not only makes a refreshing dessert but is also great for breakfast and brunch. 

Tips

• Purchase fruit that is fresh and ripe for the best tasting salad. If possible, purchase organic fruits. 
• The best fruit for fruit salad has a firm texture. Do not use mushy, overripe fruit. 
• Remove the excess moisture from the washed fruit to prevent it from getting soft and mushy. 
• Slicing and dicing the different fruits create a visually appealing fruit salad. Keep the pieces bite-sized. 
• Depending on the natural sweetness of each of the fruits, you may want to adjust the total amount of honey used. If your fruit is ripe, you can eliminate the need for honey. 
• This fruit salad is best the day it is made. 

Leftovers

Pureed leftover fruit salad is a nutritious and high fiber addition to a breakfast smoothie, a breakfast bowl, or yogurt. 

Fruit allergies

According to this source, one of the most prevailing sources of allergic reactions is kiwis.  If this is true for you, simply replace this fruit with green grapes or simply eliminate it from the salad. 

More winter salads

If you are looking for another colorful and healthy winter salad, this fennel orange salad is for you. It truly is a show-stopping salad and so very refreshing! If, on the other hand,  you are looking for a hearty grain salad, this fregola sarda spinach and pomegranate salad is the perfect recipe. 

Recipe inspiration

My mom would always prepare a platter of colorful fresh fruit for dessert. She would tell us that fresh fruits were full of vitamins and that they were some of the healthiest foods we could eat.

She was right. A few decades later, here we are all trying to “eat the rainbow.”

Depending on the season and the type of fruits available, sometimes she would slice them up and create bright and appetizing fruit salads. There was no particular recipe, but as was previously mentioned, using fresh seasonal fruit makes all the difference. 

Enjoy!

THANKS SO MUCH for following and being part of the She Loves Biscotti community where you will find Simple & Tasty Family-Friendly Recipes with an Italian Twist.

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Ciao for now,

Maria

★★★★★ If you have made this fresh fruit recipe, I would love to hear about it in the comments below and be sure to rate the recipe!