Summer Fruit Salad with Honey Lime Dressing is a colorful, irresistible treat for any summer occasion. Whether a pool party, backyard barbecue, or baby shower, this fruit salad will steal the show with its vibrant, fresh fruit and sweet, zesty dressing!
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Nothing screams summertime quite like a fruit salad. Something about warm weather is perfectly complemented by fresh, flavorful fruit. And that effect is multiplied tenfold when said fruit is drizzled with sweet, zesty, tangy dressing! The dressing pulls the whole salad together and makes it a real WOW dish.
We originally borrowed this recipe from Cooking Classy’s Honey Lime Rainbow Fruit Salad, but we switched out some of the fruits to fit our family’s preferences. The beauty of fruit salad is that practically any fruit will do! We’ve listed our favorites in the recipe along with other substitution options in the Q&A section below.
🍓 Ingredients
Strawberries: Aim for bright red, plump strawberries. Strawberries don’t ripen after they are picked, so choose the ripest ones available. Although I don’t buy all fruit organic, I find that organic strawberries are often more flavorful.
Blueberries: Choose dark, firm berries for the best flavor. Lighter colored blueberries are more tart.
Kiwi: You should use kiwis that are plump, but slightly soft. If they are very firm, they aren’t ripe yet and will be very tart.
Pineapple: The easiest way to check if a pineapple is ripe is to smell it - it should have a distinct, sweet pineapple smell. If it doesn’t or is still very green, let it ripen on the counter for a few days. Pro tip: If you place a pineapple upside down (standing on its leaves) it will ripen more evenly.
Blackberries: Blackberries should be plump, slightly firm and a very dark purple-black color.
Tangerines: Choose tangerines that are firm, yet soft and evenly orange. If they are too firm, they won’t be very juicy or sweet.
Honey: A little goes a long way to sweeten the whole salad.
Lime juice: Freshly squeezed juice is a must! Please don’t use the little store-bought bottle… it doesn’t taste the same, I promise.
Lime zest: Use a microplane like this one to zest just the top, green layer.
🔪 Instructions
Fruit salad is very simple to make, but it does require a bit of time to prep all the fruit. First, make sure to wash all of the berries very well, removing any excess dirt. Second, remove the skin and cores from both the kiwis and the pineapple. Then peel the tangerines and remove any excess white pith.
Once you've prepped the fruit, it's just a matter of chopping it up. I aim to cut the strawberries, pineapple, and kiwis roughly the same size. Then toss the chopped fruit, berries, and tangerines in a big serving bowl.
Last but not least, mix together the three ingredient dressing and drizzle it over the top of the fruit. A quick stir and you’re ready to serve!
👨👩👧👦 For a crowd
This is a great salad for a crowd. Simply double or triple the recipe depending on how many people you need to serve. See "How much fruit salad per person?" below for more specifics.
🙋 Questions & Answers
You can pretty much use any fruit for this recipe, although I recommend sticking to whatever is in season. Some great options in addition to what is listed in the recipe are watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew, grapes, raspberries, and bananas (add these at the very last minute to avoid browning). Whatever you choose, aim for 4 pounds of fruit total.
Fruit salad is an easy way to add a colorful and refreshing side to any number of events. I have served it at birthday parties, baby showers, pool parties, backyard barbecues, Easter, Fourth of July celebrations, camping trips, beach trips, and more.
This really depends on the occasion and how many other sides are being served. I find that at some events (such as Fourth of July) a lot more fruit is eaten than other events (such as a baby shower or simple weeknight meal). In general, 4 pounds of fruit salad serves between 10-12 people. You can half, double, or triple this recipe to fit the number of people you need to serve.
Most of the fruit can be cleaned and cut the day ahead (just wait to cut bananas until right before serving). To keep the salad as fresh and pretty as possible, I store the cut fruit in separate airtight containers in the fridge. On the day of serving, I mix the fruit together, add the dressing, and serve cold.
Once the fruit salad is mixed and dressed, it will stay good in the fridge for 2-3 days in an airtight container. However, some of the fruit starts to “bleed” and stain the other fruit (berries are always the culprit!). Because of this, I recommend mixing and dressing the fruit salad fresh before serving and only storing the leftovers already mixed.
📖 More fruit recipes
- If you’re a fan of fruit salad, you will love this Fruit Pizza Bar dessert! Soft cookies, cream cheese frosting, and beautiful fresh fruit…. what more could you ask for?
- For all the berry lovers out there, Triple Berry Sauce is a must-try! Serve with pancakes, in a cobbler, over ice cream, or on top of pound cake.
👨🏼🍳 Tips & Tricks
- Choose GREAT fruit. You want fruit that is in season and fully ripe so you get the most flavor and color possible.
- Use freshly squeezed lime juice for the dressing. Trust me… it is 1000% better than the store bought juice.
- Mix and dress the fruit salad close to serving time to preserve the color of all the fruit and avoid “soggy” pieces.
📋 Recipe
Summer Fruit Salad with Honey Lime Dressing
Ingredients
Fruit
- 1 lb strawberries
- 1 lb pineapple
- 12 oz blueberries
- 12 oz blackberries
- 4 large kiwis
- 4 tangerines
Honey Lime Dressing
- ¼ cup honey
- 1½ tbsp lime juice about 2 limes
- 2 tsp lime zest
Instructions
- Wash the berries well. Peel the kiwis with a paring knife or spoon. Cut in half horizontally and remove the white cores. Remove the skin from the pineapple. Cut in half horizontally and remove the core. Peel the tangerines and remove extra white pith.
- Chop strawberries, kiwis, and pineapple into equal, bite-sized pieces. Place all prepared fruit into a large bowl.
- Stir together the honey, lime juice, and lime zest in a small bowl. Pour over prepared fruit and stir. Serve cold.
Notes
- Choose GREAT fruit. You want fruit that is in season and fully ripe so you get the most flavor and color possible.
- Use freshly squeezed lime juice for the dressing. Trust me… it is 1000% better than the store bought juice.
- Mix and dress the fruit salad close to serving time to preserve the color of all the fruit and avoid “soggy” pieces.
Alex says
Simply delish
Misty says
Glad you liked it!
Delani says
Wow, so fresh and healthy! I could definitely whip this up for myself, I look forward to trying it!
Misty says
Hope you love it!
Sarah says
I love how healthy this is, but it still tastes like a special treat! I used the freshest fruit I could find and used edgy drip of dressing to top it off. Turned out really good and the family ate it all!
Misty says
The dressing does makes it very special! Glad the family enjoyed it!