Fruit Salad Recipe – With A Delicious Vanilla Honey Dressing

Last week I was asked to bring a side dish to a family gathering. An event that was sure to have many other side dishes brought to it as well.

A serving of fruit salad with a honey vanilla dressing

So when I began to go through my list of side dishes that I often bring: scalloped potatoes, corn casserole, green bean casserole, chicken and noodles, etc. I realized that I needed to make something different.

At most large family gatherings and at the pot luck at work, there are so many wonderful dishes that cause me to go into a food coma shortly after eating them.

I knew that I needed to come up with something light and refreshing, yet still delicious.

The easiest way to ‘peel’ a kiwi – cut it in half and scoop it out with a spoon.

That is when I decided to bring something a little on the healthier side, fruit salad.

Of course, I could have made a beautiful fruit tray with honey vanilla fruit dip. But that is more of an appetizer rather than a side dish.

Plus, I think that takes a lot more time and creativity!

So I gathered an assortment of easy to eat fruit and began to assemble a healthy fruit salad bowl. However, if we were celebrating Memorial Day or Independence Day I would have made my Red, White & Blue Fruit Salad.

What is in a Fruit Salad?

With any fruit salad, you can add whatever fruit that you and your family enjoy. However, there are some things you need to keep in mind.

Mandarin orange juice mixed with honey and vanilla.

There are many types of fruits that brown when exposed to the open air. If you aren’t serving this dish right away, I would stay away those that brown quickly, such as apples.

Bananas are also a fruit that I stay away from if the dish is not going to be served right away. They tend to get overripe and mushy with the exposure of natural sugars that are expelled from the fruit in the bowl.

Fruit that is somewhat firm when cutting tend to hold up best in a fruit salad. Blueberries, strawberries and blackberries work better than their softer counterpart, raspberries.

Pour the dressing over top of the cut fruit and mix gently. Refrigerate for best results.

But most of all, make sure that all the fruit is in bite size pieces. There is nothing worse than getting a huge chunk of fruit that you have to cut when eating a serving of fruit salad.

Check out the recipe below and all of our recipes and let me know what you think!

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Yield: 10 people

Fruit Salad Recipe - With A Delicious Vanilla Honey Dressing

A delicious and healthy fruit salad that is easy to prepare and perfect for a pot luck or family gathering.

Ingredients

1 pound strawberries, hulled and cut into quarters
1/2 whole pineapple, cut in small bite sized pieces
1 package fresh blueberries
4 kiwi, peeled and cut into slices
1 can mandarin oranges, and juice
1/4 cup honey
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Instructions

In a large bowl, add the strawberries, pineapple, blueberries, and kiwi.
Drain the juice from the mandarin oranges into a small bowl for later use. Add the mandarin oranges to the fruit bowl.
In a small bowl, whisk together ¼ cup of the reserved mandarin juice with the honey and vanilla.
Pour the sauce over the fruit. Gently stir to coat the fruit with the sauce.
Refrigerate for at least an hour for best results.

Notes

Recipe provided by Make Your Meals

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

Serving Size:

1 grams
Amount Per Serving: Unsaturated Fat: 0g

Linda

Monday 19th of March 2018

Using some ascorbic acid such as Fruit Fresh sprinkled in or stirred into the fruit juice helps keep fruits fresh and from darkening. A sprig of fresh mint on top is pretty.

makeyourmeals

Thank you Linda for the additional tips! I love mint with fresh fruit!

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