Winter Fruit Salad Recipe | Savory Nothings (2024)

20 minutes mins

| 2 Comments |

5 from 4 votes

Jump to Recipe | Updated: | by Nora

This Winter Fruit Salad is a great way to eat fresh fruit during the colder months. It makes a healthy addition to any Christmas, New Year’s or other holiday gathering.

Winter Fruit Salad Recipe | Savory Nothings (1)

Fruit salad is one of my favorite fresh and healthy side dishes/desserts/snacks/fix for anything. It can be hard to eat enough fresh fruit during winter, but with this fruit salad? You’ll eat tons.

If you’re looking for an easy way to get your kids to eat fresh fruit during the winter, this is it. And it’s so simple to make!

Ingredients you’ll need

Here is a visual overview of the ingredients in the recipe. Scroll down to the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post for quantities!

Winter Fruit Salad Recipe | Savory Nothings (2)

Ingredient notes

  • Honey: I recommend using a runny honey with a mild taste. Maple syrup is a good substitute if you don’t want to use honey.
  • Poppy seeds: If you’re not a fan, just leave them out! The salad tastes delicious without the poppy seeds, too.
  • Fruit: Feel free to leave out any fruit you don’t enjoy. You can increase a different kind of fruit in its place, or use another winter fruit you enjoy. If you want to add banana, please make sure to only slice and add it as you’re serving the salad – otherwise it will turn mushy and brown.
  • Dressing: I go for a very simplified dressing here, it’s enough for me in this salad with so many different kinds of fresh fruit. If you want something with a little more zing, go for my Poppy Seed Fruit Salad Dressing with lemon juice.
  • Do not add dairy: If you want to use a different dressing entirely, feel free. But do not add anything dairy-based to this fruit salad – fresh kiwi fruit reacts with dairy products and yields a very bitter, metallic taste. Not pleasant! So steer clear from any yogurt, cream or pudding based dressings here.

How to make a Winter Fruit Salad

Start by cutting up all the fruit. I’ll admit, it takes a little while to prep it all. Feel free to go for canned where you can, if you need to save a little time.

Winter Fruit Salad Recipe | Savory Nothings (3)

Next, add the salad dressing ingredients to a small bowl or measuring jug and whisk to combine.

Winter Fruit Salad Recipe | Savory Nothings (4)
Winter Fruit Salad Recipe | Savory Nothings (5)

Now just add your fruit to a large salad bowl, toss with the dressing and serve!

Winter Fruit Salad Recipe | Savory Nothings (6)

Recipe tips

Hold the sugar. It really doesn’t need it. Way back in the 90ies it may have been cool to add two cups of sugar to a fruit salad (no, really, I made these kinds of fruit salads) – but not in 2020.

Of course it all depends on the tartness of your fruit, but be gentle on the sweetener and let the fruit shine. You can always add sugar, but you can’t take it away if there’s too much.

Don’t add mushy fruit. You may be surprised to find there’s no banana in this salad – but apart from the fact that I’m no raw banana lover (gimme all the banana bread, but not raw please), they just really don’t do anything in a fruit salad for me. They turn brown really fast, they turn mushy and mushy banana makes everything taste terrible.

Otherwise, you also need to pay attention to use a really firm pear. They’re usually the small green ones. Don’t go for the large brownish ones for a salad – they just fall apart and turn the salad into a mess.

Be careful with the pomegranate. If you don’t want to end up with an all-red salad, you need to be careful with the pomegranate.

There are two options: Either you can just sprinkle the arils on top. Or, this is the way for patient people, you can rinse and dry them very carefully. It’s best to let them mostly air-dry, so if you want to go this route do this before you prep any other fruit.

Add them after you’ve mixed all the other fruit with the dressing and just toss them in slightly.

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Other than that, there’s really not much to say about this – chop, dress, toss. That’s about all the remaining instructions you’ll need for this fruit salad.

More fruit salad recipes

  • Greek Yogurt Berry Fruit Salad
  • Berry Cheesecake Fruit Salad
  • Greek Yogurt Fruit Salad
  • Strawberry Fruit Salad with Mint and Pistachios

PSIf you try this recipe, please leavea review in the comment section and add a star rating in the recipe card – I appreciate your feedback! Follow along onPinterest,FacebookorInstagram.

Printable recipe

Printable Recipe Card

Winter Fruit Salad Recipe | Savory Nothings (12)

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Winter Fruit Salad

This Winter Fruit Salad is a great way to eat fresh fruit during the colder months. It makes a healthy addition to any Christmas, New Year’s or other holiday gathering.

Recipe by Nora from Savory Nothings

made it? tap the stars to add your rating!

5 from 4 votes

Recipe details

Prep 20 minutes mins

Total 20 minutes mins

Servings 6 servings

Difficulty Easy

Ingredients

Dressing

  • ½ cup orange juice
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 2 teaspoons poppy seeds

Salad

  • 2 crisp apples diced
  • 2 small firm pears diced
  • 1 large orange peeled and filleted, fillets cut bite-sized
  • 2 mandarin oranges peeled and segmented, cut segments in half if you prefer
  • 2 firm but ripe kiwis peeled and sliced
  • 1 firm persimmon diced
  • ½ pomegranate arils only

Instructions

  • Make the dressing: Add all dressing ingredients to a small jam jar, screw on the lid and shake well. Set aside until ready to use.

  • Make the salad: Place all ingredients in a large bowl (or arrange on a platter if you have enough time on your hands!). Mix with the dressing and serve immediately.

  • If you need to make this ahead of time, toss the apples and pear with lemon juice right after cutting. Keep the fruit in separate containers until ready to mix. Add the dressing just before serving.

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Notes

Ingredient notes

  • Honey: I recommend using a runny honey with a mild taste. Maple syrup is a good substitute if you don’t want to use honey.
  • Poppy seeds: If you’re not a fan, just leave them out.
  • Fruit: Feel free to leave out any fruit you don’t enjoy. You can increase a different kind of fruit in its place, or use another winter fruit you enjoy. If you absolutely want to add banana, please make sure to only slice and add it as you’re serving the salad – otherwise it will turn mushy and brown.
  • Dressing: I go for a very simplified dressing here, it’s enough for me in this salad with so many different kinds of fresh fruit. If you want something with a little more zing, go for my Poppy Seed Fruit Salad Dressing with lemon juice.
  • Do not add dairy: If you want to use a different dressing entirely, feel free. But do not add anything dairy-based to this fruit salad – fresh kiwi fruit reacts with dairy products and yields a very bitter, metallic taste. Not pleasant! So steer clear from any yogurt, cream or pudding based dressings here.

Recipe tips

  • Hold the sugar/honey. It all depends on the tartness of your fruit, but be gentle on the sweetener and let the fruit shine. You can always add sugar or increase the honey, but you can’t take it away if there’s too much.
  • Don’t add mushy fruit.Use firm, crisp fruit for salad. Else, the entire thing turns mushy.
  • Be careful with the pomegranate, or your salad will be pink.Either you can just sprinkle the arils on top. Or, this is the way for patient people, you can rinse and dry them very carefully. It’s best to let them mostly air-dry, so if you want to go this route do this before you prep any other fruit. Add them after you’ve mixed all the other fruit with the dressing and just toss them in slightly.

Nutrition

Serving: 1servingCalories: 188kcalCarbohydrates: 46gProtein: 2gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 4mgPotassium: 457mgFiber: 7gSugar: 34gVitamin A: 822IUVitamin C: 68mgCalcium: 60mgIron: 1mg

Nutrition is an estimate.

More recipe information

Course: Dessert, Side Dish

Cuisine: American, Traditional

Winter Fruit Salad Recipe | Savory Nothings (13)
About Nora
When I got married to my professional chef husband, I realized I had to step up my game in the kitchen. Now I share my favorite foolproof family recipes here on Savory Nothings: Chef-approved, kid-vetted and easy enough for everyday home cooks like you and me! Learn more.

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Comments

  1. Trudi says

    YUM !! thank you!

    Reply

    • Nora says

      Thank you for your comment, Trudi!

      Reply

Winter Fruit Salad Recipe | Savory Nothings (2024)

FAQs

What ingredient could you add to a fruit salad to keep the fruit from oxidizing? ›

A quick dunk in a combination of acid and water keeps the fruit from turning brown without changing its flavor profile. In a large bowl, combine 1 cup of water with 1 teaspoon lemon or lime juice (or 1/2 teaspoon white vinegar).

What kind of mixture fruit salad? ›

iii) Fruit salad is a mixture of various fruits. The pieces of fruits can be easily differentiated, which means that fruit salad is a heterogeneous mixture.

What is an interesting fact about the fruit salad? ›

History. The concept of fruit salad was probably introduced during the US Naval Era, perhaps in the early 1900s. While ancient CHamorus ate mangoes, papayas, young coconuts (månha), bananas and other native fruits, the mixing of a variety of fruits with a sweet sauce is distinctly Western.

What is the explanation for fruit salad? ›

Fruit salad is a dish consisting of various kinds of fruit, sometimes served in a liquid, either their juices or a syrup. In different forms, fruit salad can be served as an appetizer or a side as a salad.

What stops fruit salad from going brown? ›

Use citrus juice, like orange or lemon juice

“To prevent fruit salad from turning brown, you can toss the fruits in a mixture of citrus juice (like lemon or orange juice) before combining them, as the citric acid in the juice helps inhibit enzymatic browning by reducing the fruits' exposure to oxygen,” she says.

What fruits should not be mixed in fruit salad? ›

3. Avoid mixing acidic fruits with sweet fruits. Acidic and sub-acidic fruits such as grapefruits, strawberries, apples, pomegranates, and peaches, should never be combined with sweet fruits such as bananas and raisins. This is because it often leads to digestive problems, nausea, acidosis, and headaches.

What is a creamy fruit salad made of? ›

Mix pineapple juice and dry instant vanilla pudding together and set in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Mix the pineapple, fruit co*cktail, mandarin oranges, bananas & marshmallows together. Gently fold in pudding mixture. Lastly, fold in cool whip.

What is fruit salad dressing made of? ›

In a saucepan, combine the flour, pineapple juice, orange juice concentrate, sugar, honey and lemon juice. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened and bubbly. Cool. Serve over fruit.

What fruits can go together in a bowl? ›

Pretty much all melons pare well together. And all berries go well together and berries also go with melons. Then you have citrus fruits like oranges, pineapple, peaches and pears which also go together. So you pretty much can mix and match any of them to what ever combination you like.

What's the difference between a fruit salad and a fruit platter? ›

A fruit plate is generally presented in the same manner as crudité, as finger food with some sort of dip which may or may not be used. A fruit salad is usually prepared to be eaten with a fork and will generally be dressed in some way.

Is it healthy to eat fruit salad every day? ›

They're healthy!

Did you know that we should each be eating at least 400g of fruit everyday? The great thing about fruit salad is that it makes hitting those all important numbers a breeze. You'll also feel great about yourself thanks to a range of health benefits that come from increased vitamins and antioxidants.

Is eating fruit salad daily healthy? ›

The answer is a resounding yes, but with a caveat. While fruit salads offer a bounty of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, the key lies in mindful combination. Crafting a thoughtful fruit salad allows you to harness the unique benefits of each fruit, amplifying the nutritional richness.

Why do people put sugar on fruit salad? ›

Sugar is hygroscopic, which means it attaches itself to water molecules, when you add sugar to your fruit salad, sugar will extract the juice from the fruit. This helps soften the fruit and makes it easier on the palate. The salad is juicy.

Why fruit salad is the best? ›

With the right quantity and type of fruits, a fruit salad can work wonders for you, for it will provide you with a power-packed dose of fibre, vitamins and antioxidants. At the same time, you will also get a wide range of health benefits, right from lower blood pressure levels to weight management.

How do you reduce the oxidation rate when preparing fruits? ›

You can use refrigeration, freezing, or cold water to lower the temperature of food. For example, you can refrigerate cut fruits or vegetables, freeze meat or fish, or soak nuts or seeds in cold water to prevent oxidation.

How to keep bananas in fruit salad from turning brown? ›

To keep bananas in a fruit salad from turning brown, squeeze the juice of an orange, lemon or lime into a bowl and then slice the banana right into it. Stir gently to coat all sides, and remove the banana slices with a slotted spoon just before adding to your salad.

What ingredient is added to dehydrated fruits to prevent browning? ›

Citric acid is used to preserve the color of fresh cut fruit or as a pre-treatment for frozen and dried fruit. It can be used either alone or mixed with other substances, such as ascorbic acid, erythorbic acid, N-acetylcysteine, glutathione, and EDTA.

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