Best Fruit Salad Recipe Served In Glasses Perfect For Summer

Impress your guests with the best summer fruit salad recipe that's easy, healthy, colorful, and packed with juicy fruit. Fresh fruit is one of the best things to enjoy, especially on hot summer days! For a unique twist, I served the fruit in glasses, offering guests the option to add dressing or extra toppings.

Plus it looked fabulous!

And no, the glasses don't have to be all the same! Keep it stress-free, use what you have and then get creative with ...... see below this post for more tips!

Easy Fruit Salad Recipe

A summer fruit salad recipe is made up of all your favorite fruits that you can find. Green grapes, red grapes, mandarin, oranges, spanspek (also known as sweet melon, cantaloupe) and fresh berries are just a few.

It makes the perfect side dish for your next summer bbq, dessert or Easter brunch.

Keep it simple with a bright honey lime dressing or make my orange and lemon vinaigrette with a little zest and a whole lot of vintamin C!

I was making up my Christmas menu and after having appetizers, charcuterie boards, mains, sides and dessert I thought what else?

Where's the dish that showcases the current season and occassion that's also light, colorful and refreshing. Then I remembered my fruit platter from 2 years ago!

Full disclosure: Kiwi fruit was not in-season at the time of this recipe. (I know, my worst really) but when you have them, you use them. Let me re-empahsize that the benefits of seasonal fruit can never be argued. These kiwi were alright but nothing as vibrant and juicy as they could've been. 

Ingredients For Homemade Fruit Salad

For best results buy ripe fruit on the day or closer to when you're going to use them to ensure ingredient freshness. 

Fresh strawberries:  Bright red and no soft or black spots

Blueberries:  Make sure they are firm and fresh

Grapes: My suggestion is to remove the grapes from the vine (stem) and slice them. Seedless grapes are always best for a fruit salad.

Oranges:  I used blood oranges but any oranges work. 

Pomegranate arils: If you can't find pomegranate or they out of season, try dried cranberries or raisins. If you want to keep it fresh then raspberries but I would suggest only as a topping as they are rather delicate. 

Kiwi: Should be ripe but also firm.

Cherries: Love cherries in anything including ham roast! 

Fresh mint leaves: As garnish only. 

How to Make A Classic Fruit Salad

• Fruit Prep: Wash and peel (if needed) all the fruits. Then, chop or slice them into bite-sized pieces. Segment one of the oranges and juice the others.
• Layer the Fruit: Don’t overthink it! Simply add a little bit of fruit as you slice it into the glasses, alternating colors and fruit types. Pour a small amount of squeezed juice into the bottom of each glass—just enough to add color and a touch of flavor.
• Garnish: Optionally, add a few mint leaves for freshness and extra color. You can also top each glass with a cherry or two.
• Serve: Serve immediately or chill in the fridge until serving. See storage below.
  
  Optional Dressing: If you'd like to add a little sweetness or tang, whisk together orange juice, lemon juice and sugar then drizzle over the fruit salad glasses individually. Or add the fruit in to a large bowl, mix the dressing and toss gently to coat and then fill the glasses. 

A little honey or maple syrup with lemon or lime juice will also give you a tasty simple syrup. 

Simple Fruit Salad Dressing

I've used the same salad dressing that I used in this Fresh Fruit Summer Salad With A Mint Vinaigrette which we love. It's refreshing especially when chilled on hot days, just make sure to use fresh oranges for the best result. 

Fresh orange juice, fresh lemon juice and touch of sweetness seems to create it's own magic with summer fruits. 

My secret ingredient for the dressing is a combination of fresh lemon, fresh orange, and a touch of sweetness, like sugar.

Start with a tablespoon each of orange juice, lemon juice, and sugar, then taste and adjust as needed. You may require less sugar depending on the sweetness of the orange and your personal preference.

My favorite combination of fruit is grapes and a mix of berries. I tried red grapes but for some reason, it just didn't work. Even the fresh lime juice made it bitter and if you add more sugar it gets too sweet then very quickly you lose the essence of how it should taste!

We are keeping this fruit salad light and healthy so no mayo, cool whip, canned cream or creamy dressings. The great thing about juicy and sweet in-season fruit is that it doesn't need much to be delicious!

Variations

Here are a few ideas to help you customize this recipe to your own taste and style preferences.

Serving bowl:  You can easily serve this fruit salad in a big bowl, small bowl or any sized glasses as I've done here. 

Fruit:  There's fresh pineapple, mango, dragon fruit and different melon varities and even stone fruit to use. 

How to Serve Fruit Salad

Sometimes, all a fruit salad needs is a sprinkle of sugar and a dash of fruit juice. This helps draw out the natural juices, making the fruit salad even more delicious!

Serve your fruit as a Charcuterie Fruit Platter.

Leftover fruit salad: You can use any leftover fruit salad for breakfast with yogurt and granola or pop into a blender and make a smoothie.

How to Store Fruit Salad

If your fruit salad doesn’t contain dressing, you can cover it with cling wrap or store it in an airtight container to keep it fresh. It will stay fresh for about 3-4 days, depending on the temperature. Store it in the coldest part of your fridge. I’ve found that the top shelf, right-hand corner, is a great spot if you want it a bit colder.

Recipe Notes

Fresh juice:  The blood oranges gave a pretty pinkish color juice to the bottom of the glass which means it needs less or no dressing except a little sugar, honey or maple syrup. You can use any other juice for this - pomegraate, cranberry, pineapple and so forth.

Pomegranate substitute: raspberries, cherries, dried cranberries and red currants. 

Raspberries: If using, I would suggest as a topping not mixed because they're quite delicate. 

Cherries:  If you pit them and add them they can stain the overall color so I used them as a topping. 

More Summer Recipes? 

You are gong to love these!

Pair This Fruit Salad With;

Fruit salad pairs well with a variety of meals, adding freshness and color. Here are some great pairing ideas:

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And no, the glasses don't have to be all the same. Keep it stress-free, use what you have and then get creative with:

Herbs: Herbs are wonderful on fruit and we don't stop with fresh mint and fresh basil. I love adding a fresh rosemary sprig to summer drinks and fruit. Think fresh oregano hanging out the glass, small bunch of petite edible herbs and a mix of herbes de provence.

Teaspooons: Add teaspoons into the glasses to make it even easier for everyone.

Bonus Tip: Leave the simple syrup and fruit dressing out and pour about ¼ cup of juice into each glass so it's even more impressive and draws out the natural sugars from the fruit. Forget fresh orange juice! Go with pomegranate, cranberry, ginger beer, there are many. Enjoy!

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