Easy Fruit Salad

Easy Fruit Salad recipe is made with fresh strawberries, blueberries, grapes, pineapple, and mandarin oranges. The dressing on it is whipped up using a vanilla pudding mix along with vanilla and almond extract. This salad is perfect for entertaining during the summer. Quick, easy and makes a big batch for potlucks, backyard parties and BBQs! It also makes the perfect salad for an easy brunch.

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There’s nothing like fresh fruit any time of the day, but it’s especially refreshing on a hot summer day. This easy fruit salad is one of my go-to recipes because everyone loves fruit and it always goes over well at parties. I just grab a variety of fruit that’s in season, chop it up and mix it together — we never tire of it!

We love serving this with our favorite breakfast casserole and don’t forget the bacon! It’s the perfect way to start the day if brunch is your thing. It’s also perfect for serving for lunch or dinner along side a  main dish. I love to throw Crock Pot Ham & Cheese Sandwiches in the slow cooker and serve it with that during the summer. No heating up the house while making dinner!

Why you’ll Love this Easy Fruit Salad

• This is a wonderful side dish to serve to guests. Perfect for brunch, summer cookouts, parties, and so much more!
• You can easily make this dish ahead of time and store it in the fridge until needed. A great way to save on prep time for your parties.
• Fruit salad is very customizeable. You can add anything you want and remove ingredients you don’t like too! Whatever combination of fruits that you want.

How to Make Easy Fruit Salad

• Strawberries – Slice up some ripe strawberries to add a sugary sweet element to this fruit salad.
• Blueberries – Fresh blueberries are one of my favorite parts of a fruit salad! Make sure they are plump and juicy.
• Red grapes – You can use green grapes if you prefer. There are also tons of other fun types of grapes out there now, so just choose your favorite and cut them up to mix in.
• Pineapple – Fresh pineapple and canned pineapple will both work for this easy fruit salad recipe.
• Raspberries – Some people don’t like the little seeds in raspberries, so feel free to leave them out if you prefer.
• Mandarin oranges – Canned oranges taste so yummy and work great in this recipe. However, you can also peel some fresh baby oranges to use in this recipe!
• Vanilla extract – A little vanilla extract adds so much flavor to this summer fruit salad.
• Almond extract – Feel free to omit this if you have an allergy to almond.
• Vanilla instant pudding mix – Mixing this into the fruit salad creates a sort of glaze. It’s so tasty!

What can I add to Fruit Salad?

You can pretty much add any fruit you want to this quick fruit salad. Here’s a few tasty options:

• Kiwi
• Peaches
• Honeydew melon
• Mango
• Watermelon
• Pears
• Cantaloupe
• Green grapes
• Maraschino cherries
• Clementines
• Bananas (add these right before serving so they don’t turn brown!)

How to Make Fruit Salad

1. Wash the fruit and chop it up into evenly sized pieces, then add it to a large mixing bowl.
2. Sprinkle the pudding mixture and extracts over the fruit and then stir gently to combine.
3. Refrigerate this for a few hours to create that delicious glaze on the fruit!
4. Serve and enjoy!

Can fruit salad be made a day ahead of time?

This one surely can! In fact, you want to make it at least a few hours ahead of time because the juices from the fruit mix with the vanilla pudding mix and create a delicious glaze on the fruit!

Can I use frozen fruit in a fruit salad?

I would not recommend using frozen fruit in this recipe. Once the frozen fruit is thawed it is mushy and watery. This would not be a good fruit salad!

If you are looking to make this budget friendly remember that you can use whatever fruit is in season and mix things up!

How to Store Leftover Fruit Salad

You’ll want to store any leftovers in an air tight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days depending on how ripe your fruit was when you made it! I love enjoy it the next day on top of some vanilla Greek yogurt and add a little granola to it for breakfast!

This is the best fruit salad recipe! I hope you enjoy throwing together a quick fruit salad whenever you need a yummy side dish.

More Fruit Recipes You’ll Love!

• Strawberry Rhubarb Pie
• Dessert Nachos
• Strawberry Tapioca Salad
• Grape Salad
• Ambrosia Salad
• Cranberry Fluff Salad
• Fruit Pizza

Did you make this? If you snap a photo, please be sure tag me on Instagram at @julieseatsandtreats or #julieseatsandtreats so I can see your yummy treat!

 

4.95 from 107 votes

Easy Fruit Salad

Quick and easy fruit salad recipe with strawberries, blueberries, pineapple and mandarin oranges. Covered in a dressing using vanilla pudding and extracts.

Prep:25 minutes mins

Total:25 minutes mins

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Ingredients

• ▢ 1 pound strawberries hulled and sliced
• ▢ 11 ounces blueberries
• ▢ 3 cups red grapes
• ▢ 1 whole pineapple sliced
• ▢ 15 ounces mandarin oranges (1 can)
• ▢ 2 Tablespoons instant vanilla pudding powder not prepared
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ▢ ½ teaspoon almond extract

Instructions

• In a large bowl combine the fruit and stir gently to mix.
• Sprinkle the pudding mixture on top of the fruit and add in vanilla and almond extract. Stir gently to combine with fruit.
• Refrigerate at least two hours or overnight. The juices from the fruit will combine with the pudding mix to create a glaze.

Tips

• You can skip the vanilla pudding mix and extracts if you prefer to have a simple fruit salad that’s just tossed together. It will not have a glaze on it if you leave that off.
• The almond extract can be skipped, just replace it with more vanilla extract if you don’t like almond or someone has an allergy.
• This is great served with yogurt. A fun option is to make breakfast parfaits with it.
• If you use bananas or apples toss them with a splash of lemon juice before mixing them in the salad to prevent browning.
• Use fruit with contrasting colors for the best presentation.
• Chop fruit roughly the same size. It’s easier to eat this way and prettier in the bowl.
• Mix it up by adding fresh herbs. For example you could use basil, lemongrass, lavender or mint for a new twist.
• The kids love it when you add a few mini marshmallows in this.
• Make sure you make it at least a few hours ahead of time because the juices from the fruit mix with the vanilla pudding mix and create a delicious glaze on the fruit.
• I would not recommend using frozen fruit in this recipe. Once the frozen fruit is thawed it is mushy and watery. 
• Pop leftovers in in the refrigerator and enjoy it the next day or pile it on top of some vanilla yogurt and add a little granola to it for breakfast!
• You’ll want to store any leftovers in a air tight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days depending on how ripe your fruit was when you made it!

Nutrition Information

Calories: 101kcal (5%), Carbohydrates: 26g (9%), Protein: 1g (2%), Fat: 1g (2%), Saturated Fat: 1g (6%), Sodium: 14mg (1%), Potassium: 249mg (7%), Fiber: 3g (13%), Sugar: 20g (22%), Vitamin A: 255IU (5%), Vitamin C: 54.1mg (66%), Calcium: 27mg (3%), Iron: 0.5mg (3%)

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We are not dietitians and recommend you seek a nutritionist for exact nutritional information. The information in the nutrition box is calculated through a program and there is room for error. If you need an accurate count, I recommend running the ingredients through your favorite nutrition calculator.