Fruit is one of the best ways to get naturally sweet flavor without refined sugar. When I’m not making homemade fruit leather or frosty sugar free popsicles, I pair it with healthy fruit dip, chia seed pudding, or I make fruit salad recipes like this one!
Fruit Salad Ingredients & Substitutions
Here I explain ingredients for the best fruit salad recipe, what each one does in the recipe, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card.
Fresh Fruit:
What goes in a fruit salad? Whatever fruit you’d like! Below is the fresh summer fruit I used in this recipe, as well as alternatives so that you can use whatever you have on hand.
Berries – I used fresh strawberries and blueberries, but you can use raspberries and blackberries, too. (If you prefer a lower sugar recipe for fruit salad, make it entirely with berries only — they are the lowest sugar fruit.) If you have leftovers, use them to make fruit leather next. Green Grapes – I used green, but you could also use halved red, purple, or black grapes as well. Mandarin Oranges – Use any type of oranges you prefer. Navel oranges, blood oranges, or temple oranges all make tasty options. You can even add canned ones if you don’t have fresh. Fresh Pineapple – Choose one that is firm and fresh, with bright green leaves. It should have a slight yellow color on the outside — although a more yellow color works too — and the skin should give slightly when squeezed. Kiwi – Adds a tart, sweet, tangy taste (and loads of vitamin C!). Try other tropical fruits if like. Fresh Mint – Optional, but adds a bright and refreshing flavor. You could also opt for other fresh herbs, such as basil, instead.
Fruit Salad Dressing:
You only need 2 simple ingredients to make dressing for fruit salad: You can use any fruit you like. Try apples, peaches, cantaloupe, pears, honeydew, plums, nectarines, apricots, pomegranate seeds, or even bananas. To keep the right ratio with the dressing, keep the total amount of fruit to about 8 cups.
Lemon – Since we need both lemon juice and lemon zest to make this simple dressing, a fresh lemon would work best. You can also use a lime (including the lime juice and lime zest) instead to make a honey lime dressing. Honey – I like to use zero sugar honey (it’s still sweet and the fruit already has plenty of natural sugar!), but regular honey also works. You can also replace this with maple syrup (or sugar-free maple syrup) instead, or add a teaspoon of vanilla extract for extra flavor.
How To Make Fruit Salad
This section shows how to make a fruit salad, with step-by-step photos and details about the technique, to help you visualize it. For full instructions with amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card. Just make my easy poppy seed dressing recipe here. It’s sweet, creamy, and bursting with poppy seeds!
Storage Instructions
Store: Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2-4 days. Freeze: You can freeze fresh fruit salad with the dressing or without. Place in an airtight container or freezer bag, and keep in the freezer for up to 4 months. The texture will be a bit different after thawing, but still delicious!
More Fruit Salad Recipes
Fruit and greens: The perfect pairing! Try these easy salads that feature a burst of sweetness from fresh fruit: Please enter your first name for your account. Your saved recipe will also be sent to your email. Nutrition info uses sugar-free honey (sugar content is higher using regular honey), and does not include optional mint.
