Simple Fruit Salad With Honey-Lime Dressing Recipe

Nothing tops off a meal better than a refreshing bowl of fruit. In this simple recipe, the beautiful colors of vibrant strawberries, juicy mango, tart kiwi, sweet grapes, and succulent blueberries come together in a delicious honey-lime dressing featuring lime zest, creating nature's best side dish or dessert. By adding fresh mint or basil to this simple salad, an additional layer of fresh garden earthiness complements this naturally sweet dish and gives it that special something. This salad is perfect for a fancy dinner party, a casual brunch, a festive baby shower, or a simple weeknight dinner. 

"This salad is truly eating the rainbow at its finest," wellness coach and recipe developer Miriam Hahn tells us. "You can find all of the fruit year-round and throw this together at a moment's notice." Plus, even if you don't have access to all of the fruits listed in this recipe, we'll cover ways that you can customize the dish, incorporate other fruits, and transform the salad depending on taste and what you have on hand.

To make this recipe we'll start by selecting the fruit. Pick up strawberries, kiwi, red grapes, green grapes, mango, blueberries, and limes, along with some fresh herbs: either basil or mint.

Our simple vinaigrette uses the juice and zest of limes, which you'll already have from the produce aisle, along with honey. Maple syrup is a good substitute for the honey in case you want to make the salad vegan or it's what you have available.

Prepare the fruit: Slice the strawberries, peel and slice the kiwis, halve the grapes, and chop the mango.

Add the cut fruit and blueberries to a large bowl.

Zest the limes.

Juice the limes.

In a small bowl combine the honey, lime juice, and zest.

Add the honey-lime dressing to the bowl of fruit and toss

Garnish with fresh mint and serve.

Yes, there are many fruit options that can be added to the salad. You can include other berries like raspberries and blackberries, especially if it's summertime and stores are overflowing with in-season berries. Cherries are delicious in this salad but it does involve pitting them first.

Peaches and nectarines are a nice addition. When selecting these fruits make sure they yield slightly when you squeeze them so they will be juicy and sweet inside. If they are hard when you buy them, leave them on the counter for a few days until they soften up.

Melons like cantaloupe and honeydew are great in this salad either chopped or scooped with a melon baller tool. Much like the peaches and nectarines, make sure the fruit slightly gives when squeezed so it is at the peak of ripeness. Watermelon will add a refreshing and hydrating element. It's best to use seedless so it's easy to eat. For a tropical feel, chopped pineapple will add a tangy flavor and lots of juicy sweetness.

There are a couple of fruits that won't work well in this salad. It's best to avoid fruits like apples, pears, and bananas as they will oxidize quickly and look unappealing in the salad.

The fruit salad is best made right before serving, but if you won't have time to make it right before serving, there are a few ways to at least do some of the steps to make assembly as quick as possible. First off, you can make sure all of the fruit is washed and prepped. Cut the stems off of the strawberries and pull the grapes from the stems. Lay a paper towel in containers with lids and store them in the fridge separately. If needed, you can slice the strawberries and grapes and store with the blueberries in an airtight container in the fridge using a paper towel at the bottom to absorb moisture. 

Another time saver is to zest and juice the lime juice and store them together in one bowl. The honey will harden in the fridge so it's best to mix those together right before serving.

A few hours before serving, you can cut up the mango and kiwi and keep them in separate containers. Then, assembling the salad is quick. Combine all of the fruit, mix up the honey-lime dressing and add the fresh herbs at the very end.