Easy Fruit Salad Recipe

Name: Easy Fruit Salad Recipe
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: 2/3 cup fresh orange juice; 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice; 1/3 cup brown sugar (packed); 1/2 teaspoon grated orange zest; 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 2 cups cubed fresh pineapple; 2 cups strawberries (hulled and quartered); 3 kiwi fruit (peeled and sliced); 6 ounces blackberries; 2 oranges (peeled and sectioned); 1 cup seedless red grapes (halved); 2 cups blueberries

Easy fruit salad recipe! This simple fruit salad is tossed in a sweet citrus dressing for a delicious and easy summer side dish or dessert.

A wooden spoon in a glass mixing bowl full of fruit salad.

This simple and easy fruit salad makes a delicious side or light dessert. This recipe combines a lightly sweet citrus sauce and lots of fresh fruit.

The sauce adds a hint of sweetness and brightens the flavor. The citrus in the sauce also helps to keep the fruit from turning brown.

This fresh fruit salad is as flexible as it is delicious! Check out the variations below for ideas.

Ingredients and substitutions

Orange juice: Fresh orange juice is best.
Lemon juice: Fresh lemon juice is best. Lime juice would also work.
Brown sugar: Light or dark brown sugar will work. Use more or less to taste. A different sweetener, like honey or maple syrup, could also work.
Orange zest
Lemon zest: Lime zest could also work.
Vanilla extract
Pineapple chunks
Kiwi
Strawberries: Overripe berries won’t work as well in fruit salad.
Blackberries
Oranges: Or a similar fruit like clementines or mandarin oranges.
Grapes: I like to use red grapes, but green or black grapes would also work.
Blueberries

How to make fruit salad

Step 1: Bring orange juice, lemon juice, brown sugar, orange zest, and lemon zest to a boil in a saucepan over medium heat.

Step 2: Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until slightly thickened, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes.

Step 3: Remove from heat, and stir in vanilla extract. Set aside to cool.

Step 4: Add the pineapple, strawberries, kiwi, blackberries, grapes, and blueberries to a large bowl.

A bowl of fruit salad next to a wooden spoon.

Step 5: Pour the cooled sauce over the fruit. Toss to coat in sauce.

Step 6: Cover and refrigerate for 3-4 hours before serving.

Variations

One of the great things about fruit salad is that you can use so many different types of fruit in this recipe! Here are some other ideas:

Mango chunks
Watermelon
Raspberries
Peach or nectarine
Apples
One fruit that doesn’t work well in fruit salad is banana. It softens quickly, so I don’t recommend using it unless you’re going to eat it immediately after making.

Recipe FAQs

Can I use frozen fruit?

Not for this recipe. Thawed frozen fruit works well for a number of recipes, but it will give you mushy fruit salad.

Can I use more or less sugar?

Absolutely! Depending on how sweet the fruit is and how sweet you’d like the fruit salad to be, you can adjust the amount of sugar in the sauce.

Overhead photo of a bowl of fruit salad.

Storage

Store any leftover fruit salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Fruit salad will keep for about 2-3 days in the fridge.

However, fruit salad is best eaten in the first day after it was made.

More fruit salad recipes!

If you’ve tried this easy fruit salad recipe, don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave me a comment below. I love to hear from people who’ve made my recipes!

You can subscribe to receive my latest recipe newsletters or follow me on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest for even more delicious food.