Juicy, sweet, healthy and delicious, this tropical Fruit Salad is sure to become part of your regular summer recipe repertoire. Quick to prepare, easy to digest and packed with nutrients, fruit salads are perfect for this warmer weather.
Table of Contents
About This Fruit Salad
Fruit is essentially nature’s candy, but unlike refined sugar products, it is actually good for you! I also love that Mother Nature offers us different bounties throughout the seasons, meaning our fruit salads – and the nutrients associated with different seasonal produce – can change during the year.
This tropical fruit salad happens to be my favorite combination of fruits for the whole year. So this summer, do your best to make use of all the sweet, seasonal fruits like mangoes, jackfruit, chikoo and berries.
Fruit salad is a healthy dish, but one has to be careful to choose the right combination of fruits. The wrong combination of fruits can create discomfort in the stomach or even affect your body’s ability to absorb the nutrients.
To be on the safer side, I have chosen sweet fruits like mango, banana, chikoo (sapota), pomegranate, figs, strawberries and papaya for my fruit salad. That said, feel free to adjust your fruit salad based on what fruits are available to you.
I also love how quickly this recipe comes together. With just about 10 to 15 minutes of active time, you can have a bountiful bowl of deliciousness ready to share.
Optional Add-ins
I like to add just a touch of honey to my fruit salads to enhance the natural sweetness and help the fruits macerate a bit, but this step is optional. You can also feel free to swap in a vegan sweetener if you prefer, like maple syrup or coconut sugar.
As a topping, I added some roasted cashew nuts, almonds and walnuts for some crunch, as well as a bit of flavor contrast. Savory and sweet are such a lovely pairing!
If you love fruit salads, then do check this easy Ice Cream Fruit Salad that has your favorite fresh fruits and vanilla ice cream.
How to Make Fruit Salad
Prep Fruits and Nuts
1. If using pomegranate, remove the arils first. I do this by placing halved pomegranates in a bowl of water and removing the arils in the water.
This will help prevent the pomegranate juice from staining your clothes or the kitchen countertop. Remove the arils, drain all the water and set aside.
2. Chop the nuts like 10 to 12 almonds, 10 to 12 cashews and 12 to 15 pistachios or any nuts that you prefer. (Feel free to lightly roast the nuts prior to chopping them for deeper flavor.)
3. Thoroughly rinse the fruits – 2 mangoes, 1 small papaya, 10 to 12 strawberries, 3 to 4 figs and 2 to 3 chikoo (a.k.a. sapota or sapodilla).
Remove and discard any seeds, stems or peels that are inedible. Chop all fruit into similarly sized pieces.
Peel and chop the 2 bananas when you have completed chopping all the other fruits.
Add Fruits and Nuts
4. Add the chopped fruits to a mixing bowl.
5. Add the pomegranate arils.
6. Now add the chopped or sliced nuts like cashews, pistachios, almonds or walnuts.
Add Sweetener
7. Add honey, if using. (You can also opt to use vegan sweeteners like pomegranate molasses, date syrup, palm sugar, coconut sugar or maple syrup.)
We do not prefer any tangy citrus flavors in our fruit salads. Feel free to include a bit of lemon juice or orange juice if you like.
Toss and Mix
8. Gently mix the fruits very well.
9. Serve fruit salad immediately for best results. I usually like to garnish mine with a few sprigs of mint leaves (when I have a stock) or a few nuts. Enjoy!
Serving Suggestions
My tropical fruit salad is absolutely delicious all by itself, but you can certainly use it to dress up other sweet dishes. It pairs wonderfully with:
- Pancakes, Waffles, or French toast
- Vanilla Custard, Rice Pudding, Panna Cotta or Mousse
- Cheesecake, Pound Cake or Angel food cake
- Whipped cream or Ice Cream
However you opt to eat this yummy tropical delight, I hope you enjoy it!
Expert Tips
- Choice of fruits. Use fruits that are in season. Opt for organically grown fruit whenever possible to avoid pesticides. Wash your produce very well, preferably using a homemade vinegar bath.
- Ripeness. Use fresh, ripe and sweet tasting fruits only. Do not use under-ripe fruits as they can wreak havoc on your gut. Try to include as many different colors of fruits as possible, as each color is associated with different, specific nutrients.
- Fruit Pairings. Avoid mixing acidic or citrus fruits with sweet fruits. Melons should not be mixed with any other kinds of fruits. Avoid mixing citrus fruits with milk based items, as the dairy will curdle.
- When to eat? Fruits should ideally not be eaten after a meal. It is always better to have fruit at least 30 minutes to an hour before the meal.
- Make ahead? Fruits are perishable and don’t have a long shelf life once chopped. It is always better to consume them fresh. NOTE: Bananas are *particularly* short lived due to their tendency to oxidize and brown. I recommend chopping them last.
- Add-ins. You can use mint leaves for garnishing as well for digestive properties. You can also add your choice of plain or toasted/roasted nuts or dried berries and edible seeds (sesame, sunflower, pumpkin) for additional flavor.
FAQs
Unfortunately, I don’t recommend it. Fruits that have been frozen tend to have a mushier texture when they defrost and release quite a bit of liquid. I’d recommend using fresh, in season fruits for the best results.
While you can pre-seed your pomegranate a day ahead of time, most fruits are best right after cutting. I recommend eating the fruit salad immediately after tossing. Any leftovers may be kept in the refrigerator for up to a day, or frozen to use as future smoothie packs. Please note that the banana will change color over the course of just a few hours due to oxidation.
When fruits like apples or bananas turn brown, it is due to something called oxidation. Exposing the fruit to air allows the compounds in the fruit to react to oxygen, which then changes their molecular structure.
While acid from citrus can prevent this from happening for a time, it is not recommended to mix sweet and acidic fruits. For this reason, I recommend eating your fruit salad as soon as the fruits are cut for the best results. The longer your fruit is exposed to air, the more opportunity it has to oxidize.
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Fruit Salad
Ingredients
- 2 mangoes (ripe and sweet) – medium to large
- 2 bananas – medium sized
- 2 to 3 chikoo (sapodilla) – medium sized, optional
- 1 papaya – small sized or ½ portion of one large papaya
- ⅓ cup chopped strawberries or 10 to 12 strawberries
- 3 to 4 figs (fresh)
- ⅓ cup pomegranate arils or 1 small pomegranate
- 2 tablespoon chopped cashews or 10 to 12, optional
- 2 tablespoon chopped almonds or walnuts, or 10 to 12 almonds, optional
- 2 tablespoon chopped pistachios or 12 to 15, optional
- 1 tablespoon honey or preferred sweetener – optional
- 5 to 6 mint leaves – (optional), for garnish
Instructions
Preparation
- If using pomegranate, first rinse it very well. Pat dry with a kitchen towel. Chop into halve or quarters and remove the arils first. Place the arils in a small bowl and set it aside.
- Thoroughly rinse the fruits. Drain all the water. Remove and discard any seeds, stems or peels that are inedible. Chop all fruit into similarly sized pieces.
- Chop the nuts like almonds, cashews, pistachios or any nuts that you prefer. Feel free to lightly roast the nuts prior to chopping them for deeper flavor.
- When you have completed chopping all the fruits and nuts, peel and chop bananas.
Making fruit salad
- Add the chopped fruits, pomegranate arils and chopped nuts in a salad bowl or any large bowl.
- Add honey or any preferred sweetener.
- I do not prefer any tangy citrus flavors in a fruit salad. Feel free to add a bit of lemon juice or orange juice if you like to your fruit salad.
- Gently mix the fruits very well.
- Serve fruit salad immediately for best results. I usually like to garnish mine with a few sprigs of mint leaves or some chopped nuts.
Serving suggestions
- It pairs wonderfully with Pancakes, Waffles, or French toast.
- Top your Vanilla Custard, Rice Pudding, Panna Cotta or Mousse with it.
- Garnish a Cheesecake, Pound Cake or Angel food cake with the salad or simply serve it with a side of Whipped cream or Ice Cream.
Notes
- Choice of fruits: Use fruits that are in season. Opt for organically grown fruit whenever possible to avoid pesticides. Wash your produce very well, preferably using a homemade vinegar bath.
- Ripeness: Use fresh, ripe and sweet tasting fruits only. Do not use under-ripe fruits as they can wreak havoc on your gut. Try to include as many different colors of fruits as possible, as each color is associated with different, specific nutrients.
- Fruit Pairings: Avoid mixing acidic or citrus fruits with sweet fruits. Melons should not be mixed with any other kinds of fruits. Avoid mixing citrus fruits with milk based items, as the dairy will curdle.
- When to eat? Fruits should ideally not be eaten after a meal. Its always better to have fruit at least 30 minutes to an hour before the meal.
- Make ahead? Fruits are perishable and don’t have a long shelf life once chopped. It is always better to consume them fresh. Any leftovers may be kept in the refrigerator for up to a day, or frozen to use as future smoothie packs. Please note that the banana will change color over the course of just a few hours due to oxidation.
- Add-ins: Include your preferred sweetener or add your choice of plain or roasted nuts for additional flavor. You can use mint leaves for garnishing as well for digestive properties.
- Frozen fruits: I don’t recommend making fruit salad with frozen fruits as they tend to have a mushier texture when they defrost and release quite a bit of liquid. I recommend using fresh, in season fruits for the best results.
Nutrition Info (Approximate values)
This fruit salad post from the blog archives (April 2013) has been republished and updated on 27 April 2021.
This looks completely awesome!! I am going to try that this weekend for my guest, thanks for sharing!
Can this get any more colorful – Love the blend of assorted fruits and nuts.
Very healthy, rich and a show stopper for sure.
Very innovative mix!