Fresh Fruit Salad
Orange Juice Fresh Fruit Salad is a twist on a classic fruit salad. It's perfect for serving for brunch, showers, or just as a healthy side dish for dinner! Perfect to customize with whatever fruit you have on hand, too!
Growing up, I wasn't a big fan of veggies but I've always loved fruit.
During both of my pregnancies, my only "cravings" were for more and more fruit.
We always make this whipped cream fruit salad for holidays (ideally with homemade whipped cream) but sometimes I want something even lighter.
A couple of years ago, right after Greyson was born, my mom wanted to host a little brunch for me for my birthday with some of my good friends from our birth class.
We made Breakfast Egg Casserole, Bacon Roasted Breakfast Potatoes and this Orange Juice Fresh Fruit Salad. It instantly became a go-to recipe in my book (thanks Mom!).
Orange Juice Dressing for Fresh Fruit Salad
Orange juice makes for an easy and delicious dressing for fruit salad.
Not only is it the can't-get-enough kind of sweet, but the acidity of the citrus helps to keep the fruit fresher by preventing browning.
Lemon and lime juice work too, but orange juice is naturally sweeter and less tart, so it works really beautifully in a fresh fruit salad.
Some people use whipped cream, simple syrup or poppyseed dressing to dress up their fruit salad, but orange juice is so simple and tastes great without a lot of effort.
When can I serve Fresh Fruit Salad?
This fruit salad is perfect for a big crowd fr brunch or just for a nice treat with dinner. I also love snacking on it in the afternoon when I'm craving something sweet! My family even enjoys fruit salad for Christmas and Thanksgiving!
The best part about this fruit salad is how easy it is. It just requires a few minutes of washing and chopping some fruit up and you're 90% of the way there.
The other 10%? Just a splash of orange juice and tossing the whole thing together!
And that 10% is really important here because the orange juice dressing for fruit salad is really delicious and makes the whole dish better.
Can I make it in advance?
Fruit salad can be made up to a day ahead, but I always try to make it the day of so it is freshest and looks the prettiest. Some fruits bleed colors so the longer it will sit, the more the colors might be off.
One time-saving idea is that you can wash and prepare the fruit and store each type in airtight containers, then just combine everything before serving.
Or you can make it the day of your event. When I make it for Thanksgiving, I usually do this part while the turkey is in the oven.
Even if you do make it in advance, keep in mind that both bananas and apples turn brown when cut, so only add these kinds of fruits just before serving. The acidity of the orange juice dressing will help with this.
How to store fruit salad
Fruit salad should be stored in a food-safe, airtight container. It will keep for 1-2 days after making it, but for the prettiest presentation, it will look best the first day.
Check out these tips for keeping fruit salad fresh.
If you have leftovers you can always serve it over Waffles with Self Rising Flour!
What Fruits can I put in Fruit Salad?
This particular mix was apples, strawberries, blueberries, clementines, grapes and kiwi. I've used pears and raspberries before too and both are a delicious addition!
Feel free to have fun with your own favorite combinations! Below are the fruits I always add to my fruit salad:
- Pineapple, diced into chunks
- Strawberries, sliced
- Kiwi, halved and sliced
- Red and/or green seedless grapes, whole or halved
- Blueberries, whole
- Red and/or green apples, diced
- Oranges, sliced
Depending on what I have on hand and what’s in season, I might also include:
- Bananas, sliced
- Pears, diced
- Raspberries, whole
- Cherries, pitted and halved
- Blackberries, whole
- Grapefruit, peeled and sliced
- Blood orange, peeled and sliced
- Clementines or tangerines, broken into their wedges
- Watermelon, diced into cubes
- Cantaloupe, diced into cubes
- Honeydew melon, diced into cubes
- Pomegranate arils
Really, you could use any fruit that is either in season or in your fridge! The perfect excuse to use up some fruit that needs to be eaten quickly.
Ready to make your own Orange Juice Fresh Fruit Salad? Scroll down for the recipe!
Try these fruity dishes too!
Pin Fresh Fruit Salad for later!
As always, if you make this recipe, I'd love to know how they turn out! Leave a comment with a rating on this recipe to share your thoughts.
Orange Juice Fresh Fruit Salad
Ingredients
- 2 apples peeled and chopped (about 2 cups)
- 1 kiwi peeled and sliced (learn how to peel a kiwi here!) (about ¼ cup)
- 1 quart strawberries hulled and quartered (about 4 cups)
- 1 pint blueberries about 2 cups
- 2-3 clementines peeled and slices separated (about ½ cup)
- 1 cup red seedless grapes
- ½ cup orange juice
Instructions
- Wash all fruit.
- Peel and chop apples and kiwi.
- Cut strawberries into slices.
- Add all fruit to serving dish.
- Pour orange juice over fruit and toss.
- Refrigerate for 30 minutes until serving, optional but recommended!
If I added cucumber, Watermelon and pineapple then the fresh orange squeeze, would it be a okay Combination?
Sounds like that would be delicious! Let me know how it goes 🙂
How long will this last in the fridge with the orange juice in it
Hi Jacqui! Probably 3-4 days, depending on how fresh your fruit is! It never has lasted longer than a day or two with how fast we eat it in my house 😉