Your family will love this delicious berry salad featuring strawberries, blueberries, and more, tossed with a tantalizing sweet and tangy vanilla dressing to enhance all that juicy sweetness. Homemade fruit salad is perfect for a brunch, a side dish for a cookout, or a summer dessert!
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👩🏻🍳 Why You'll Love This Recipe
Fresh fruit season is here! Hooray!
I love recipes with lots of produce, like this fruit salad, or like my fresh Fruit and Vegetable Salad (yes, fruits and vegetables in the same salad...it's delicious!)
This homemade fruit salad is bursting with fresh, fruity flavor, and the tangy vanilla dressing provides an extra boost of sweetness that really ties all of the flavors together.
Use your favorite fresh fruits for this berry salad and customize it however you like!
And for another delicious and fruity recipe, try this Copycat Chick-fil-A Frosted Lemonade!
🥘 Ingredients Needed
For a complete list of ingredients, please refer to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- strawberries - give your berry salad a beautiful red color.
- pineapple - brings some tropical flavor.
- blueberries - you can use any kind of berries instead of in addition to the blueberries.
- grapes - I used green grapes for variety in color, but use whatever grapes you prefer.
- lime juice - brings a nice, fresh acidity to the dressing.
- pineapple juice - use the juice from the fresh pineapple to avoid having to buy more!
- sugar - enhances the natural sweetness of all the delicious fruit.
- vanilla extract - makes for a yummy, vanilla-y dressing.
🔪 Instructions
Please note: This is an overview of the instructions. You'll find the complete instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Slice the strawberries into bite-sized pieces. You might also want to cut the grapes in half, but this is optional.
- Combine strawberries, grapes, blueberries, and pineapple in a bowl, then set to the side.
- Mix lime juice, pineapple juice, sugar, and vanilla extract in a separate bowl. Mix until all of the sugar's dissolved.
- Pour over the fruit and toss to combine. Top with some mint or even whipped cream!
👪 FAQs
A fruit salad is any combination of chopped or small fruits, typically tossed in some kind of syrup or dressing.
The longer your berry salad sits the juicier it will get, so one way is to make it right before serving and eat it without delay. You can also try storing it in the basket of a salad spinner in order to allow some of the juices to separate out and prevent sogginess. Just be sure to toss all those delicious juices back into the mix when it comes time to serve again!
Lemon juice, lime juice, or any kind of citrus juice helps slow down oxidation, which is the process that turns certain fruits brown over time. Melon, berries, and citrus are some fruits that won't much be affected, but this fruit salad has grapes and pineapple, citrus juice is a great option to add some flavor and prevent browning.
It can be served as either! Especially in the summer, homemade fruit salad can be a delicious and refreshing appetizer or side dish. If you want to serve it as a dessert, try topping with some whipped topping, or even over ice cream!
In moderation, sure! Fruits are a great source of proteins, antioxidants, fiber, and an array of vitamins. Just be aware that this berry salad has a sugary syrup that goes over top, but one way to up the health factor is to cut back on the syrup or exclude it altogether (the fruit will still be plenty sweet without it!).
🧊 Storage
Your berry salad will last anywhere from 3-6 days in the fridge. It can depend on what kinds of fruits you're using, but the dressing for this berry salad contains both sugar and lime juice which work to preserve the fruit.
One way to ensure longer-lasting salad is to separate out some of the juices and keep them stored separately, then re-combine when it's time to serve again.
This homemade fruit salad recipe also lasts for up to 8 months in the freezer, which means that freezing it is the better option if you need it to last longer than a week or so. To thaw, let your fruit salad sit in the fridge (overnight if possible), and by that point it should be good to go!
💭 Helpful Tips
- This berry salad can be made ahead of time or right before serving, depending on your preference. For a super fresh salad, prepare directly before serving. If you prefer your fruits to mingle and for the flavors to meld, prepare the day or night before and give it time to sit.
- Canned pineapple can be used if you don't want to deal with cutting fresh pineapple.
- One way to prevent sogginess for certain fruits is to slice them ahead of time but add them to the fruit salad just before serving.
Make this homemade fruit salad recipe for a barbecue, a picnic, or any springtime or summertime meal. The sweet and tangy flavors are just perfect for warm weather!
📖 Variations
- Some other delicious fruits that would taste great in this homemade fruit salad are bananas, kiwis, apples, raspberries, or blackberries.
- Serve with whipped cream or another kind of whipped topping, with vanilla ice cream, or on top of pound cake or angel cake for a fruity dessert!
- For a nutrition boost, you can also add some greens like spinach into this berry salad.
🥗 Suggested Main Dishes
Here are some fantastic summery main dishes that would be fantastic as a main entree to serve alongside your homemade fruit salad!
🍇 Related Recipes
Here are a few more fruity recipe ideas for you!
Homemade Fruit Salad Recipe
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📋 Recipe Card
Berry Salad
Ingredients
- 16 ounces strawberries
- 12 ounces fresh pineapple, cut into chunks (I buy pre-cut fresh pineapple)
- 12 ounces blueberries (or blackberries)
- 2 cups green grapes
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 1 tablespoon pineapple juice (I used the juice from the fresh pineapple)
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Cut the strawberries into bite-sized chunks. Cut the grapes in half (if desired).
- Place the strawberries, pineapple, blueberries, and grapes in a large bowl. Set aside.
- Combine the lime juice, pineapple juice, sugar, and vanilla extract. Stir until the sugar is dissolved.
- Add the dressing to the bowl of fruit and toss to combine. Garnish with fresh mint or top with whipped cream for an extra special treat!
Notes
- Serve immediately or make ahead of time, whichever you prefer. If you like the fruit super fresh then time your preparation to be close to when you will serve. But if you like the flavors to meld and don't mind the fruit being a little softer, then make this the night before. (I personally prefer eating this the next day!)
- You can use canned pineapple chunks if you don't want to deal with fresh pineapple.
- You can also use sliced banana, apple, kiwi, or other fruits. Mix and match based on what fruit looks best or what you have handy. (Sliced bananas and apples don't hold up as well as some other fruits, so if you use them, assemble the salad close to when you will be serving it, or make it ahead of time and add them right before serving)
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Nutrition
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Happy cooking!
Deirdre
This was so tasty, like an alcohol-free healthy sangría salad!
Jill
Great tip to store it in a salad spinner. This salad was fabulous. Thanks!
Erica
So incredibly easy and yet so delicious. Win win!
Liz
This is such a perfect salad to bring to a picnic or barbecue! And it's so colorful. Thanks for the recipe!
Kate
The gorgeous vanilla dressing really sets off the berries - such an easy and gorgeous summer dessert - thanks!
dina
i love a summer fruit salad. yum!
shelby
Fresh fruit always draws me right in! To me there is nothing more refreshing that a serving of fruit for dessert!
miss messy
Love the idea of putting vanilla extract in! 🙂
DannyUK
I'll have to give this a go! #WinedDownWednesday