Fruit salad is a great way to enjoy summer’s finest. Fresh, ripe fruits are tossed in a simple Pina colada inspired sauce and tossed with coconut. This tropical fruit salad recipe makes a great side dish and an excellent dessert! It is the best summer fruit salad!
When my husband and I were newly married and I was just learning how to cook for our tiny family, I am fairly certain I avoided cooking all vegetables, I’m not sure if I even threw together a green salad.
It wasn’t until we had our first baby that the idea of veggies became an important part of our diets. I finally made the connection, If I wanted our kids to eat veggies, I better start serving veggies.
Since that revelation, I have added veggies to almost every meal. I will say, however, that some days, I am just like ‘forget it, let’s just have fruit”. The kids LOVE fruit. They devour it and I know it’s healthy so we can just call it a day, right?
How Is Fruit Salad Made?
Fruit salad is one of the easiest things to throw together! It’s literally just chopping fruit, place it in a bowl and toss!
This recipe is a little more involved than that, but not by much.
In a large bowl, combine chopped honeydew melon, pineapple, canned mandarin oranges, red grapes, and strawberries.
You could totally stop here, a fruit salad does not have to have a dressing. But this salad has a truly special dressing!
This fruit salad gets its tropical flavor from pina colada mix that has been whisked orange juice and a splash of lemon juice.
A little toasted coconut is sprinkled over the salad just before serving.
How Long Will Fruit Salad Stay Fresh?
Unfortunately, fruit salad does not last long, which is too bad because this is recipe is so delicious.
You can leave out a freshly made sala, however, you will have to cover and refrigerate this salad within two hours. If you leave the fruit out longer than that you run the risk of bacteria.
The fruit salad should be consumed within a day, after that, the fruit, especially the berries, will break down and soften.
Tips On Making The Perfect Fruit Salad
You can mostly combine any of your favorites in your fruit salad recipes. I personally avoid bananas because they turn to mush instantly.
I would recommend you cut your fruit into equal-sized pieces. It will make it visually pleasing, but more importantly, it will make the salad easier to serve and eat.
I understand not have everyone would have pina colada mix at home. If you don’t want to buy a bottle, then you can use pineapple juice and coconut a splash of cream of coconut or coconut extract.
Lime juice can also be added to the dressing.
Lemon zest can also be added to the dressing.
Feel free to omit the coconut if desired.
Chopped nuts would be a great addition!
Fruit salad can be made in advance if stored properly, however, I would not add the dressing until ready to serve. This would be great next to something savory like this Bologna Sandwich!
More Fruit Filled Recipes
Pina Colada Fruit Salad Recipe
Fruit salad is a great way to enjoy summer’s finest. Fresh, ripe fruits are tossed in a simple Pina colada inspired sauce and tossed with coconut. This tropical fruit salad recipe makes a great side dish and an excellent dessert! It is the best summer fruit salad!
Ingredients
- 1 pineapple, cubed
- 1 honeydew, cubed
- 1 14 oz can mandarin oranges (drained)
- 2 cups whole grapes
- 2 cups chopped strawberries
- ¼ cup bottled pina colada mix
- 2 tablespoons orange juice
- Splash of lemon
- ¼ cup toasted coconut
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the pineapple, honeydew, oranges, grapes, and strawberries
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the pina colada mix, orange juice, and lemon juice.
- Pour dressing over fruit stirring to coat.
- Add toasted coconut before serving.
Nutrition Information
Yield
10Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 130Total Fat 1gSaturated Fat 1gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 0gCholesterol 0mgSodium 31mgCarbohydrates 30gFiber 3gSugar 25gProtein 2g
LindY G says
I love fruit! This looks soooo good, thank you for sharing.