This easy Fruit Salad Dressing recipe is addictively good! It's a sweet and tangy recipe that truly takes even the simplest fruit salad to the next level. The best part? You only need 4 ingredients and 3 minutes to mix it up. Get ready to be the star of your next potluck or party!
What can you put on fruit to make it taste better? Fruit salad dressing! A tangy, creamy sauce is the easiest way to take your fresh fruit salad from yummy to YUMMY.
This recipe is made with orange, lime, honey, and poppy seeds. If you like extra lime, you could also try this Homemade Fruit Salad Recipe with Bright Honey Lime Dressing. Take your pick… both are delicious!
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Why it's great!
- Only 4 ingredients
- Sweet and tangy
- Great for entertaining. Add it to your Game Day Recipes list for an amazing party side!
- Can be made ahead
- Healthy side dish (or healthy dessert!)
What readers are saying
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"This is the 3rd time I've used this dressing. It's so delicious! Thanks!" - Barbara
Ingredients for fruit salad dressing
A full list of the ingredients is in the recipe card below, but here are a few noteworthy tips:
- Orange: You will need both fresh zest and orange juice.
- Lime: You will use both fresh lime zest and lime juice. You can also substitute lemon juice and lemon zest, but I much prefer lime.
- Honey: Just a hint of honey to add sweetness. You could also try maple syrup.
- Poppy seed dressing: This makes the dressing a bit creamy and adds an extra layer of flavor. Any brand from the grocery store will do. Use up the leftovers in this addictive Autumn Chopped Salad recipe!
- Fruit: There is a whole list of fruit suggestions below, but feel free to vary it up with your personal favorites.
Helpful kitchen tools
How to make fruit salad dressing
- Zest the citrus: For easy zesting, use a microplane (affiliate).
- Juice the citrus: You can juice by hand since you only need a few tablespoons, or use a citrus juicer (affiliate).
- Combine ingredients: Combine the citrus zest, fresh juice, honey, and poppy seed dressing in a small bowl.
- Add to fruit: Pour over 8-10 cups of your favorite fruits and stir gently, then serve immediately.
What's the best fruit for fruit salad?
You can pretty much use any combination of fruit for this recipe - summer fruits, tropical fruits, you name it. This dressing will cover 8-10 cups of washed, dried, and cut fruit.
- Fresh pineapple: Small pieces is best.
- Strawberries: Cut in half or fourths depending on how large they are.
- Blackberries: Toss in as is.
- Raspberries: This particular fruit is a little more fussy that the rest. It is best to add these at the last minute and stir in gently to keep them from smashing.
- Blueberries: Just add in as is.
- Kiwi: Peel the outer fuzzy layer then dice.
- Mandarin oranges: Peel and then gently pul-apart the segments.
- Oranges: Same as the mandarin oranges, but if they are large cut each segment in half.
- Honeydew: Either cut into cubes or use a melon baller for something a little fun.
- Cantaloupe: Same as the honeydew melon.
- Red grapes: Remove from stems and toss in as is unless they are large then cut in half.
- Green grapes: Same as the purple grapes.
Storage
Fresh fruit salad is best, but leftover fruit salad can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 1-2 days. Just know that as the fruit sits it will release it's juice and get a little bit softer, but will still taste delicious the next day.
FAQs
You can make this simple dressing ahead and store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week. It will be cloudy because of the poppy seed dressing. Don't worry, just give it a good stir. Add to fruit right before serving for best results.
In general you should plan for about 1 cup of fruit salad per person. However, depending on the occasion and how many other sides are being served, you may opt for more or less. I find that at some events (such as Fourth of July or Easter) a lot more fruit is eaten than other events (such as a baby shower or simple weeknight meal).
This fruit salad dressing recipe is a great way to elevate a simple fruit salad for Easter, Fourth of July, backyard barbecues, Mother's day, baby showers, birthday parties, camping trips, potlucks, summer outings, or even as a part of a brunch spread.
No, don't use frozen fruit in this easy fruit salad recipe since it gets smushy as it thaws. Fresh, ripe in-season fruit is best.
Tips and tricks
- Use fresh oranges and limes - no bottled juice! I promise it makes all the difference.
- Choose great fruit! Ripe fruits that are in season will be the most flavorful.
- Cut the fruit so it is relatively the same size. Easier to eat, and pretty to look at!
- Add the dressing right before serving to avoid soggy fruit.
- Toss together in a really big bowl to distribute the dressing evenly.
- Use up the leftover poppy seed dressing in this delicious Autumn Chopped Salad recipe!
More summer side dishes
- Easy Baked Beans (using canned beans)
- Pan Roasted Frozen Corn
- Honey Lime Fruit Salad (summer fruit salad)
- Moist Cast Iron Skillet Cornbread
- Frozen Lemonade (I know... not a side dish. But so worth it!)
Recipe
Zesty Fruit Salad Dressing (w/ Honey and Poppy Seeds)
Equipment
- Microplane zester (affiliate)
- Hand juicer (affiliate)
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon orange zest from 1 large orange
- 3 tablespoon fresh orange juice from 1 large orange
- 1 teaspoon lime zest from 1 lime
- 2 tablespoon fresh lime juice from 1-2 limes
- 2 tablespoon honey
- 2 tablespoon poppy seed dressing any brand
Instructions
- Zest orange and lime. Squeeze juice, being careful to strain out seeds.
- Whisk all ingredients in a small bowl.1 tablespoon orange zest, 3 tablespoon fresh orange juice, 1 teaspoon lime zest, 2 tablespoon fresh lime juice, 2 tablespoon honey, 2 tablespoon poppy seed dressing
- Pour over 8-10 cups of fresh fruit and stir gently. Serve immediately.
Notes
Tips & Tricks
- Use fresh oranges and limes - no bottled juice! I promise it makes all the difference.
- Choose great fruit! Ripe fruits that are in season will be the most flavorful.
- Cut the fruit so it is relatively the same size. Easier to eat, and pretty to look at!
- Add the dressing right before serving to avoid soggy fruit.
- Toss together in a really big bowl to distribute the dressing evenly.
- Use up the leftover poppy seed dressing in this delicious Autumn Chopped Salad recipe!
Make Ahead Instructions
Make the dressing as instructed, then store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week. It will be cloudy because of the poppy seed dressing. Don’t worry, just give it a good stir. Add to fresh fruit right before serving for best results.Best Fruit For Fruit Salad
- Fresh pineapple: Small pieces is best.
- Strawberries: Cut in half or fourths depending on how large they are.
- Blackberries: Toss in as is.
- Raspberries: This particular fruit is a little more fussy that the rest. It is best to add these at the last minute and stir in gently to keep them from smashing.
- Blueberries: Just pop in as is.
- Kiwi: Peel the outer fuzzy layer then dice.
- Mandarin oranges: Peel and then gently pul-apart the segments.
- Oranges: Same as the mandarin oranges, but if they are large cut each segment in half.
- Honeydew: Either cut into cubes or use a melon baller for something a little fun.
- Cantaloupe: Same as the honeydew melon.
- Red Grapes: Remove from stems and toss in as is unless they are large then cut in half.
- Green Grapes: Same as the purple grapes.
Add Your Own Notes
Nutrition
All nutrition information is provided by a third party and is an estimate only. Use your own nutritional calculator for more specific measurements.
Barbara Gardner says
This is the 3rd time I’ve used this dressing. It’s so delicious! Thanks!
Danielle says
So happy you love it, and thank you so much for letting us know! It makes our day!