Delicious Old Fashioned Fruit Salad with Honey Lime Dressing: A Classic Recipe for Any Occasion
There’s something truly comforting and wonderfully nostalgic about an Old Fashioned Fruit Salad, especially when it’s prepared with love, just like my Mom used to make it. This isn’t just any fruit salad; it’s a vibrant medley of fresh fruits elevated by a secret ingredient – crushed pineapple – and a bright, zesty honey lime dressing that makes every spoonful utterly irresistible. I’m thrilled to share this cherished family recipe with you, one that consistently earns rave reviews for its exceptional flavor and delightful texture.
Fruit salad is a universally loved dish, celebrated for its refreshing qualities and natural sweetness. It’s the ultimate guilt-free dessert, a fantastic breakfast option, and a versatile side for any meal. This particular recipe shines as a breakfast fruit salad, pairing beautifully with a wide range of morning favorites. Imagine it alongside a hearty brunch spread, perhaps with my Easy Eggs Benedict with Prosciutto & Quick Blender Artichoke & Roasted Red Pepper Hollandaise Sauce, or as a vibrant addition to your next potluck breakfast. Its classic appeal and delightful flavors make it a go-to choice.
What sets this Old Fashioned Fruit Salad apart is not just the specific combination of fruits—cantaloupe, strawberries, pears, kiwi, peaches, oranges, and grapes—but also the strategic inclusion of crushed pineapple. The pineapple adds a unique juiciness and subtle tang that ties all the flavors together, creating a depth you won’t find in typical fruit salads. Then, there’s the homemade honey lime dressing. This simple yet profound addition transforms the salad from good to truly extraordinary, adding a layer of sweet and tangy brightness that awakens the palate. It’s truly a must-try!
The Versatility of a Classic Fruit Salad
This easy-to-prepare fruit salad is incredibly adaptable. It can stand proudly as a light and healthy dessert on its own, providing a burst of natural sweetness without being overly heavy. Alternatively, it serves as a stunning and nutritious addition to any dessert buffet, offering a refreshing counterpoint to richer treats. Many people cherish a classic fruit salad as an essential component of holiday meals. Its vibrant colors and fresh flavors complement hearty dishes often served during occasions like Thanksgiving turkey, Christmas dinner, or Easter ham. It provides a much-needed light and refreshing element that balances the richness of holiday feasts, making it a welcome sight on any holiday table.
Beyond holidays, this old fashioned fruit salad is perfect for summer picnics, backyard BBQs, or as a refreshing snack throughout the week. Its wholesome ingredients make it an excellent choice for a healthy snack or a light lunch. Preparing it in advance means you always have a nutritious and delicious option ready to enjoy. The combination of varied textures and vibrant colors also makes it a visually appealing dish that’s sure to impress guests.
🥘 Ingredient Notes: Crafting the Perfect Blend
My Mom had a few steadfast rules for her fresh fruit salad, and I’ve adopted them wholeheartedly, especially when it comes to fruit selection. You won’t find blueberries or raspberries in her recipe because, as she wisely observed, they tend to “run” and bleed their color into the rest of the salad, particularly if made a day in advance. This is a crucial tip for maintaining the beautiful, distinct appearance of each fruit.
I often prefer to make this fruit salad in advance, as it allows all the flavors to meld beautifully, and honestly, there’s quite a bit of chopping involved! Planning ahead saves time on the day you plan to serve it. While fresh fruit is always preferred for peak flavor and texture, you can certainly use high-quality canned fruit for items like oranges or peaches, especially when fresh varieties are out of season or harder to find. Just be sure to choose options packed in juice or light syrup to avoid excessive added sugar.
For this cherished old-fashioned recipe, you’ll need a carefully selected array of fruits, each contributing to the salad’s overall appeal in terms of both color and texture:
- Canned Crushed Pineapple: This is a key ingredient! Unlike pineapple chunks, crushed pineapple integrates its juicy, tangy essence throughout the entire salad, acting as a natural binder and flavor enhancer. Do not drain the liquid; it’s essential for the salad’s moistness and unique flavor profile.
- Kiwi: The bright green flesh and tiny black seeds of kiwi add a striking visual contrast and a delightful sweet-tart flavor. Its soft texture complements the crunchier elements.
- Strawberries: Sweet, juicy, and vibrantly red, strawberries are a classic fruit salad staple. They provide a beautiful pop of color and a universally loved flavor.
- Mandarin Oranges: Whether you choose fresh or canned segments, mandarin oranges bring a lovely citrusy sweetness and a tender texture. If using canned, opt for those packed in their own juice.
- Peaches: Sweet and fragrant, peaches (fresh or canned) add a soft, succulent element. If using canned, remember to save the juice for a “Top Tip” later on!
- Cantaloupe: The soft, sweet, and aromatic cantaloupe offers a refreshing base with its delicate orange hue. It’s hydrating and provides a different texture compared to the other fruits.
- Pears: Pears contribute a subtle sweetness and a slightly granular, yet tender, texture. Choose firm-ripe pears for the best results.
- Grapes: Whether you prefer red or green, grapes add bursts of sweetness and a satisfying crunch. Their spherical shape and smooth skin offer a textural contrast.
And let’s not forget the star of the show that truly elevates this fruit salad: the Honey Lime Dressing. For this bright and refreshing dressing, you’ll need:
- Liquid Honey: This works best as it blends smoothly without clumping. It provides natural sweetness and a lovely sheen to the fruit.
- Fresh Lime: You’ll be using both the fresh lime juice for its sharp acidity and the zest for an intense burst of citrus aroma and flavor. The zest adds an aromatic quality that can’t be replicated.
For precise quantities, please refer to the detailed recipe card below.
🔪 How to Make This Irresistible Old Fashioned Fruit Salad
Creating this delicious fruit salad is straightforward, but careful preparation of each fruit ensures the best texture and appearance. Follow these steps for a perfect outcome:
- Prepare the Cantaloupe: Begin by slicing the cantaloupe in half. Use a spoon to scoop out and discard the seeds. Then, carefully remove the skin with a knife or peeler. Once cleaned, cut the cantaloupe flesh into bite-sized cubes, ensuring uniform pieces for easy eating.
- Hull and Slice Strawberries, Peel Oranges: Wash your strawberries thoroughly. To hull them, either use a small paring knife to cut out the green leafy tops or watch our “How to Hull Strawberries” video for an easy method. Once hulled, slice the strawberries into appropriate sizes. For the mandarin oranges (if fresh), peel them and gently separate them into individual segments.
- Drain and Chop Peaches: If using canned peaches, carefully drain the liquid from the container. Do not discard this juice! Set it aside for a fantastic “Top Tip” you’ll find below. Once drained, chop the peach halves or slices into bite-sized pieces. If using fresh peaches, peel (optional, but recommended for a smoother texture) and chop them.
- Prepare the Kiwi: The easiest way to peel a kiwi is using the “spoon method.” Simply cut off both ends of the kiwi, then slide a spoon between the skin and the flesh, rotating it around the fruit to separate the skin. Once peeled, chop the kiwi into small cubes. Refer to our “How to Peel a Kiwi with a Spoon” video for a visual guide.
- Core, Peel, and Chop Pears: Wash the pears. Use a knife or a corer to remove the core from the center. Peel the skin (this helps with texture in the salad), and then chop the pears into bite-sized pieces.
🎥 Essential Preparation Videos
To ensure your fruit preparation is as effortless as possible, here are some helpful video guides:
How to Hull Strawberries video: Learn a quick and efficient way to remove strawberry stems.
How to peel a kiwi with a spoon: Discover the easiest method for peeling kiwis.
Once all your fruits are prepped, it’s time to assemble the salad. In a large mixing bowl, combine all the chopped fruits along with the whole grapes. Then, add the entire can of crushed pineapple, including its liquid. The pineapple juice is crucial here; it provides moisture and a tangy sweetness that integrates beautifully with the other fruits. Gently mix everything together until well combined, ensuring an even distribution of all the colorful components.
Crafting the Irresistible Honey Lime Dressing
The honey lime dressing is what truly elevates this Old Fashioned Fruit Salad from good to absolutely sensational. It’s incredibly simple to make, yet its impact on the flavor profile is profound. Here’s how to whip up this bright, sweet, and tangy topping:
- Juice the Lime: Take half a fresh lime and extract its juice. For the best results and to maximize juice yield, roll the lime firmly on a countertop before cutting it in half. A manual juicer works wonders for this.
- Zest and Combine: Using a fine grater or a zester, carefully remove the zest from the same half-lime. Be sure to only get the green part, avoiding the bitter white pith. In a small bowl, combine the fresh lime juice, lime zest, and liquid honey. Whisk these three ingredients together vigorously until they are thoroughly combined and the honey has fully dissolved into the lime juice. The zest will infuse the dressing with an incredible aromatic depth.
- Dress the Salad: Once your dressing is ready, pour it evenly over the prepared fruit salad. Gently toss the fruit to ensure every piece is coated with the delicious honey lime mixture. This dressing not only adds a burst of flavor but also helps to keep the fruit fresh and vibrant.
💡 Top Tips for the Best Fruit Salad
Achieving a truly outstanding fruit salad involves a few tricks of the trade, many of which I learned from my Mom:
Essential Juicer: For the brightest and freshest Honey Lime Dressing, investing in a good juicer is a game-changer. Personally, I find the simplicity and efficiency of manual citrus juicers unbeatable for getting every last drop of juice and infusing maximum flavor.
Don’t Waste Peach Juice: My Mom always taught me to never waste food, and her wisdom extends to the juice from canned peaches. Instead of pouring it down the drain, add it to your fridge’s juice collection. It blends wonderfully with orange juice or other fruit juices, adding extra flavor and natural sweetness without additional sugar.
Chill Time is Key: While the fruit salad is delicious immediately, allowing it to chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes (or even an hour) before serving gives the flavors time to meld and intensifies the refreshing qualities of the dressing. For best results, chill for at least 2 hours.
Sharp Knife, Happy Chef: A sharp knife is your best friend when preparing fruit. It makes chopping safer, faster, and ensures clean cuts, which contributes to a more appealing presentation and prevents bruising delicate fruits.
Selecting Ripe Fruits: For the best flavor, always use ripe, in-season fruits. A ripe cantaloupe will smell sweet at its stem end and feel slightly soft. Strawberries should be uniformly red and firm. Pears should have a slight give when gently squeezed.
📖 Delicious Variations & Smart Substitutions
This delightful fruit salad recipe is naturally accommodating to various dietary needs and preferences. It is inherently gluten-free, dairy-free, and even Weight Watchers friendly, making it a fantastic choice for a wide audience. But the beauty of a classic fruit salad lies in its flexibility. Feel free to customize it to your heart’s content!
- Vegan Friendly: To make this fruit salad entirely vegan, simply substitute the honey in the dressing with agave nectar. Agave is a wonderful plant-based sweetener; just remember to use about half the amount of agave compared to honey, as it is sweeter.
- Adding Bananas: If you love bananas in your fruit salad, a common concern is their tendency to brown quickly. The best solution is to add sliced bananas to individual servings *just before serving*. This keeps them fresh and prevents discoloration, maintaining the beautiful appearance of your salad.
- Watermelon Wonder: For a refreshing summer twist, consider adding watermelon. My Mom sometimes includes it, especially during warmer months. Watermelon adds a hydrating crunch and a lovely pink hue.
- Pineapple Choices: While crushed pineapple with its juice is a signature element of this recipe, you have options. You can use pineapple chunks for a different texture, or if you prefer a fresher approach, fresh pineapple (diced) can be used instead of canned. Just ensure you still get some liquid in there to help bind the flavors.
- Dressing Customization: While the Honey Lime Dressing is highly recommended for its unique flavor, you can certainly serve the fruit salad without it to save on calories or Weight Watchers points. However, the dressing truly elevates the taste, so consider it a worthwhile addition!
- Creamy Yogurt Dressing: For a different kind of dressing, serve it with a dollop of vanilla yogurt, or flavored yogurts like mango or strawberry. A plain Greek yogurt, perhaps with a little extra honey, also makes a healthy and creamy accompaniment.
- Indulgent Toppings: For those who enjoy a richer dessert experience, a dollop of whipped cream, cool whip, or another whipped topping adds a luxurious touch.
- Versatile Topping: This fruit salad isn’t just a stand-alone dish; it’s also a fantastic topping! Spoon it over plain Greek yogurt for a healthy and satisfying snack, or elevate your breakfast by serving it over vanilla yogurt, fluffy pancakes, or even a scoop of ice cream for an ultimate sweet treat.
- Other Fruit Additions: Don’t hesitate to experiment with other fruits that hold up well and don’t bleed. Consider adding segments of grapefruit for an extra tart kick, or diced mango for tropical sweetness. Avoid fruits that oxidize quickly unless you plan to add them at the last minute or use a lemon juice bath.
🥘 Main Dishes to Accompany This Classic Fruit Salad
This versatile classic fruit salad truly shines as a brunch or breakfast companion. Its refreshing qualities and natural sweetness beautifully complement a variety of savory and sweet breakfast and brunch dishes. Here are some fantastic recipes that pair wonderfully with this vibrant fruit salad:
- Award-Winning Maple Sausage Brunch Bites
- Pumpkin Pie Sheet Pan Pancakes
- Healthy Eggs Benedict (WW Friendly)
- Raspberry Cream French Toast Sandwich
👪 Serving Size & Perfect Presentation
This generous Old-fashioned Fruit Salad recipe is designed to serve 10 people, providing delicious 1-cup servings. It’s perfect for gatherings, family meals, or meal prepping for the week. One of the convenient features of this recipe is its adaptability. You can easily adjust the serving size to meet your specific needs; simply click on the serving number in the recipe card below and select your desired yield (half, double, or triple the recipe). The ingredient quantities will automatically adjust, taking the guesswork out of scaling.
For a beautiful and elegant presentation, I love to serve this fruit salad in small individual dessert bowls. This not only makes for a charming display but also helps with portion control and ensures everyone gets a perfect mix of fruits. Alternatively, a large, clear glass bowl beautifully showcases the vibrant colors of the fruit and makes for a stunning centerpiece on any buffet table.
🌡️ Storage & Make-Ahead Tips for Freshness
One of the beauties of this Old Fashioned Fruit Salad is that it can be made somewhat in advance, making it ideal for entertaining or busy schedules. However, for optimal freshness and appearance, I recommend preparing it no sooner than the night before you plan to serve it. This allows the flavors to marry beautifully without compromising the texture of the fruits.
A key tip for make-ahead success: always add the honey lime dressing right before serving. While the dressing does help preserve some fruits, adding it too far in advance can make some fruits overly soft. By adding it just before serving, you ensure the fruit retains its crispness and the dressing’s vibrant flavors are at their peak.
For any delightful leftovers, transfer the fruit salad to an airtight container and store it in the refrigerator. It will remain fresh and delicious for up to 2 days. Beyond that, the fruits may start to become too soft or release too much liquid.
It’s important to note that these ingredients, particularly the fresh fruits, do not stand up well to freezing. Freezing and thawing would significantly alter their texture, resulting in a mushy and unappealing salad. This fruit salad is best enjoyed fresh or within a couple of days of preparation.
❔ Frequently Asked Questions About Fruit Salad
The best way to prevent fruits like apples, pears, or bananas from oxidizing and turning brown in a fruit salad is to coat them with an acidic fruit juice. Lemon juice is the most common choice, but pineapple juice (which is already present in this recipe thanks to the crushed pineapple) or even orange juice can also be very effective. The acid slows down the enzymatic browning process, keeping your fruit looking fresh and appealing for longer. Prompt refrigeration also plays a crucial role.
To make a fruit salad truly exceptional, focus on three key areas: quality ingredients, a thoughtful combination of flavors and textures, and a phenomenal dressing. Using ripe, seasonal fruits ensures the best taste. A good mix of sweet, tart, juicy, and crunchy fruits keeps things interesting. And finally, a delicious homemade dressing, like our honey lime dressing, adds a vibrant, cohesive flavor that ties all the individual fruit flavors together, elevating the entire dish. Don’t underestimate the power of a simple, fresh dressing!
The best fruits for a fruit salad are those that are in season, offer a good balance of sweet and tart, and have varying textures. A combination of soft fruits (like peaches, kiwi, cantaloupe), juicy fruits (strawberries, oranges), and crunchy fruits (grapes, pears) works beautifully. Avoiding fruits that oxidize quickly (unless treated) or bleed color excessively (like raspberries or blackberries if making ahead) is also a good strategy for a visually appealing salad.
Yes, you can certainly prepare the Old Fashioned Fruit Salad components a day ahead. Chop all the fruits (except for any that brown quickly, like bananas) and store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Prepare the honey lime dressing separately and store it in a sealed jar. Combine the fruits and dress the salad just before serving for the freshest taste and best texture. This advance preparation makes entertaining a breeze!
Whether you have a holiday breakfast or brunch on the horizon, or simply want a healthy and delicious option for any day of the week, this Old Fashioned Fruit Salad is the perfect answer. After so much holiday indulging, or just as a wholesome everyday treat, this vibrant and refreshing fruit salad is the ideal light accompaniment to any meal or a delightful stand-alone snack.
🍰 More Healthy Dessert Inspiration
If you love this healthy and refreshing fruit salad, you’ll surely enjoy these other lighter dessert options:
- Light Pumpkin Cheesecake (with Oreo Crust)
- Gingerbread Fruit Christmas Wreath
- Watermelon Granola Breakfast Trifle
- Fruit Pizza Recipe (with Glaze)
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📋Old Fashioned Fruit Salad Recipe (with Honey Lime Dressing)
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Equipment
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zester
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juicer
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whisk
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sharp knife
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cutting board
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salad bowl
Ingredients
- 1 whole cantaloupe *chopped
- 454 g strawberries * about 1 lb
- 3 mandarin oranges *separated into segments
- 540 ml container peaches (no sugar added) * drained (save liquid to add to juice)
- 4 kiwis *chopped
- 2 whole pears *peeled, cored and chopped
- 1.5 cups grapes, whole *about ⅓ bag
- 398 ml – can of crushed pineapple * small can – do not drain liquid
Honey Lime Dressing:
- ¼ cup liquid honey
- ¾ tablespoon fresh lime juice * about the juice of ½ a lime
- ¾ teaspoon lime zest * about the zest of ½ a lime
Instructions
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Slice cantaloupe in half, remove seeds, skin and and cut cantaloupe into cubes.
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Hull and slice strawberries. Peel oranges and separate into segments
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Drain peaches and set aside juice (for another use- see NOTES)
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Chop peaches.
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Remove skin from kiwis and chop.
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Remove core from pear, peel skin and chop.
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Add all chopped fruit to a large bowl, as well grapes. Then add the canned crushed pineapple (and liquid) and mix together.
Honey Lime Dressing
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Juice ½ a lime
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Mix honey with lime juice and lime zest.
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Pour over salad and mix.
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Serve immediately
Notes
How to Hull Strawberries video
How to peel a kiwi with a spoon