Fall Fruit Salad
This Fall Fruit Salad is a mix of the season’s best fruits and nuts, perfect for the holiday table including Thanksgiving. It’s sweet, crunchy, with vibrant colors. This could be a palate cleanser or light dessert after the heavy holiday staples.
The first time I made this Fall Fruit Salad, it was an instant hit at a family gathering! Even people who usually skip fruit couldn’t resist going for seconds. And me? I was just thrilled to see everyone enjoy something I’d made. Plus, it was a welcome relief amidst all the heavy, traditional dishes we usually have.
Honestly, this easy fruit salad recipe is now my go-to whenever I want to whip up something quick, healthy, and colorful. This winter fruit salad is perfect for Thanksgiving dinner but also when you need a last-minute showstopper on your dining table.
Ingredients
*Scroll below for the printable recipe card and ingredient measurements.
- Apples: For this recipe, I opted for red gala apples, but feel free to use any crunchy apples like Pink Lady or Honeycrisp, as they will all work well.
- Pears: Bartlett pears or Anjum pears can be used.
- Red Grapes: You may use any variety of seedless grapes that you prefer. These particular ones are called Coronation grapes and are known for their smaller size.
- Berries: Blackberries for color or any berries you have.
- Clementines
- Pecans
- Maple syrup
- Ground cinnamon: or any fall spices like apple pie spice, or pumpkin spices will work here.
- Lemon juice: this is to prevent the browning of apples and pears.
- Pomegranate arils and mint leaves for garnish
How to Make The Fall Fruit Salad
*Scroll below for the printable recipe card and ingredient measurements.
Cut and prep the fruits: First, let’s get all our fruits ready. Carefully wash your apples and pears under cool water. Once they’re clean, use a sharp knife to cut them into bite-sized pieces. In a small bowl, mix the apples and pears with lemon juice to prevent browning.
Next up are the clementines. Peel the skin and separate them into segments.
Mix: Take a large bowl and toss in your chopped apples, pears, clementine segments, blackberries, and pecans. Sprinkle ground cinnamon or your preferred spices over the top, and then drizzle maple syrup. Make sure everything is well mixed so each piece of fruit gets a bit of the cinnamon and syrup.
Serve: For the final touch, sprinkle a handful of pomegranate seeds over the top of your fruit mixture. And voila! Your fruit salad is all ready to be enjoyed! Isn’t that easy? Now, go ahead and impress your guests!
Recipe Tips
- Choose the right fruits: Make sure you’re selecting ripe, sweet, and firm fruits for your salad. Using smaller fruits can often provide better flavors.
- Cut the same size: Cutting them all in the same size not only helps in even mixing, but it also improves the overall presentation.
- Prevent browning: As soon as you’ve cut your apples and pears, mix them with lemon juice. It prevents them from turning brown and keeps them fresh.
How Do You Keep Fruit Fresh After Cutting?
Keeping your cut fruit fresh can be a bit of a challenge, but with a few tips, you can extend their freshness.
First off, refrigerate your cut fruits as soon as possible, ideally within two hours of cutting. However, different fruits require different treatments. For example, citrus fruits like mandarin oranges and grapefruits can be stored in airtight containers without any extra steps.
For fruits that tend to brown, like apples and pears, squeeze a bit of lemon juice over them before storing. This will slow down the oxidation process and keep your fruit looking fresh! It’s always best to enjoy cut fruits as soon as possible for the best results.
What Fruits Can You Not Put in a Fruit Salad?
While most fruits can make a delicious addition to a salad, there are a few you might want to avoid.
Bananas can become mushy and brown quite quickly, so they’re not the best choice unless you’re serving the salad immediately. Additionally, fruits that brown quickly, like apples and pears, should be added close to serving time or tossed with a little lemon juice to prevent discoloration. You may also want to avoid tart apples like Granny Smith for the best taste.
Lastly, avoid very juicy fruits like watermelon and oranges if you’re not serving them right away, as they can make the salad too watery.
Storage
This winter fruit salad is best enjoyed when it’s fresh!
If you happen to have any leftovers, transfer them to an airtight container and keep them in the fridge for a day or two. Apples and pears will discolor a bit. Remember, though, they might lose a bit of their crispness as they sit in the fridge.
Frequently Asked Questions
To make this salad ahead of time, you can chop all your fruits and store them separately in airtight containers in the fridge. When it’s time to serve, mix them together with the cinnamon, maple syrup, and pomegranate seeds.
Absolutely! A dollop of whipped cream, a scoop of vanilla ice cream or some vanilla yogurt would be divine. You can serve them alongside the salad as a dessert option.
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Recipe
Fall Fruit Salad (Thanksgiving Fruit Salad)
Ingredients
- 2 apples
- 2 pears
- 3 clementines
- 1 cup blackberries
- 1 cup grapes
- ½ cup pecans
- ½ to 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- ½ cup pomegranate seeds
- mint leaves
Instructions
- Wash your apples and pears under cool water. Once they're clean, use a sharp knife to cut them into bite-sized pieces. To keep them from going brown, squeeze some lemon juice all over them and stir them well.Peel the skin off of clementines and separate them into segments.
- In a large bowl, combine apples, pears, clementines, grapes, blackberries, and pecans.
- Sprinkle cinnamon and drizzle the maple syrup. Make sure everything is well mixed, so each piece of fruit gets a bit of the cinnamon and syrup.
- Keep it in the fridge until ready to serve. Top your salad with pomegranate seeds and mint leaves when serving.
Notes
- Choose sweet, ripe, but also firm fruits.
- Cut all the fruit to a similar size.
- Mix diced apples and pears with lemon juice to prevent browning.
- Substitute maple syrup with honey, brown sugar or a sugar substitute.
- Add different nuts like almonds, cashews, walnuts or seeds.
- Use apple pie or pumpkin pie spice with or instead of ground cinnamon.
Nutrition
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