Holiday Fruit Salad
This holiday fruit salad is a vibrant medley of crisp apples, juicy citrus, grapes, and blackberries, tossed together in a homemade honey-citrus and poppy seed dressing. It offers the perfect refreshing balance to rich seasonal feasts and comes together in less than 15 minutes!
The holidays should be about spending as much time with friends and family, not endlessly slaving away in the kitchen. That’s why I love simple recipes like this fruit salad – it’s a stunning salad that can be whipped up with minimal effort, making it a last-minute lifesaver for holiday entertaining.
If you’re still looking for a bit of a head start, simply prepare the zesty dressing ahead of time, giving it a vigorous shake before tossing with the freshly prepped fruit for a burst of bright, festive flavor.
This is our go-to holiday salad for fall and winter months – with delicious juicy pears and apples, and of course, our beloved dates! It learned this tip from my mom who always added dates to her fruit salad (and whipped cream, of course). This salad uses a light dressing (no whipped cream).
What is a holiday fruit salad?
A holiday fruit salad is a festive, often colorful mix of seasonal fresh fruits designed to be a bright and refreshing counterpart to the richer, heavier dishes that are typically enjoyed over Christmas and New Year’s. This fruit salad recipe incorporates winter fruits like citrus, pears, apples, and berries, elevated with a special dressing which makes it feel extra celebratory.
The mix of fresh fruits and homemade dressing also adds a healthier element to the table – great for a little boost of vitamins amidst all the usual indulgent holiday treats. To get the most out of this fruit salad, chop the ingredients into small, uniform pieces – this way, every spoonful is loaded with a little bit of everything!
Enjoy this holiday fruit salad for breakfast, brunch, as an appetizer or a light and refreshing side dish. The options are endless!
Ingredients needed to make fruit salad for the holidays
- Clementine oranges: The juicy citrus segments form the salad’s bright, sweet base.
- Pears: Contributes a soft, buttery texture and mild sweetness.
- Apples: I’ve combined sweet Fuji (or Honeycrisp) and tart Granny Smith for balanced flavor and crunch.
- Grapes: Provides juicy, sweet bursts throughout the salad. Halving them ensures a better bite, but you can leave smaller-sized grapes whole, if you like.
- Blueberries: Offers deep, tangy flavor and a soft texture. Always opt for fresh berries when you can, otherwise frozen and thawed can be used too. TIP: They may need to be drained if using frozen.
- Dates: The dates add concentrated, caramel-like sweetness and chewy bits when finely chopped.
- Salad dressing: A sweet, zingy blend of honey, citrus juices (orange and grapefruit) and zest, poppy seeds, and fresh mint to coat the assembled fruit.
How do you make this holiday fruit salad
Make the dressing:
- Zest and juice the oranges to get 1-2 teaspoons of zest and 4 tablespoons of juice.
- Zest and juice the grapefruit to get 1 teaspoon of zest and 4 tablespoons of juice.
- Add the honey, zest, juice, and poppy seeds to a jar and shake until well mixed.
- Add the finely chopped mint and shake again.
- Make sure to give the dressing a good shake right before pouring over the fruit to toss.
Assemble the salad and serve:
- In a large low-line bowl or platter, add the freshly prepared fruit.
- Shake the dressing and pour just enough over the fruit to coat it.
- Gently toss and add more dressing, if needed.
- Serve this holiday salad right away or within 1–3 hours of assembling.
Serving
Enjoy this holiday fruit salad as a part of your Christmas morning breakfast or brunch spread alongside Christmas Breakfast Casserole, Christmas Banana Bread, or with a serving of Coconut Almond Granola and yogurt.
Consider it as a nutritiously sweet addition to your holiday party appetizers too!
Sandy’s tips and substitutions:
- Storage: This salad should be served immediately for the best texture as leftovers can brown and turn soggy quickly. If you do have to make this salad ahead of time, cover the bowl and store it in the fridge for a maximum of 1-3 hours.
- Reduce browning of fruit: Assemble the pears and apples last or toss them with a little extra citrus juice to prevent browning.
- Shake the dressing: Shake the dressing well just before pouring it over the fruit for tossing. This will ensure maximum flavor distribution.
- Drain well: If using thawed frozen blackberries, pat them dry thoroughly to avoid diluting the salad.
- Double the recipe: Make a double batch of this fruit salad for the holidays when serving a larger crowd – perfect for those larger family gatherings!
- Uniform size matters: This salad is best when the fruit is diced and chopped into uniform-sized pieces, except for the dates which should be chopped into very small pieces. It makes the salad look more appealing and ensures every bite includes a perfect mix of flavors and textures.
- Squeeze enough juice: You want at least 8 tablespoons of citrus juice for the dressing. In fact, it’s always good to make a little more in case you feel that the assembled salad needs additional coating. If you don’t have enough oranges or grapefruit, feel free to mix in some freshly squeezed lemon juice.
- Toss gently: Gently toss the fruit with the dressing to avoid breaking delicate pieces of fruit.
Variations:
- Vegan-friendly: Use maple syrup instead of honey for the dressing.
- Other mix-ins: Fruit salads are incredibly versatile, allowing you to mix and swap an array of delicious add-ins. Feel free to get creative and experiment with chopped nuts for added crunch or pomegranate arils for festive color.
- Creamy dressing: Fold in ½ cup of vanilla yogurt or coconut cream after tossing with the dressing for a creamier texture.
- Citrus swap: Replace clementines with mandarin oranges without drastically altering the flavor profile of the salad and dressing.
- Berry alternatives: Use raspberries, blackberries, or halved strawberries instead of blueberries.
Have leftover fruit and stuck for ideas of how to use it? Combine them with other delicious finger foods to make a variety of Holiday Charcuterie Board Appetizers. Your guests will love you for it!
More holiday-inspired salads you may want to try:
- Poached Pear Salad
- Cranberry Salad with Grapes and Walnuts
- Apple and Blue Cheese Salad
- Asian Chicken Cranberry Salad
- Layered Holiday Kale Berry Salad
Get the Recipe:
Holiday Fruit Salad
Ingredients
For the Salad
- 4 cups clementine oranges, peeled and segmented
- 4 pears, diced
- 2 Fuji or Honeycrisp apples, cut in small pieces
- 2 Granny Smith apples, cut in small pieces
- 2 cups grapes, halved
- 2 cups blueberries
- 1 cup chopped dates, chopped very small
For the Dressing
- ½ cup honey
- 1 large grapefruit, juiced
- 2 large oranges, juiced
- 2 tsp poppy seeds
- 1-2 tsp orange zest
- Chopped fresh mint, about ⅓ cup
Equipment
- Large Serving Bowl
Instructions
Make the citrus dressing:
- Zest and juice the oranges to get 1-2 teaspoons of zest and 4 tablespoons of juice.
- Zest and juice the grapefruit to get 1 teaspoon of zest and 4 tablespoons of juice.
- Add the honey, zest, juice, and poppy seeds to a jar and shake until well mixed.
- Add the finely chopped mint and shake again.
- Make sure to give the dressing a good shake right before pouring over the fruit to toss.
Make the Fruit Salad:
- In a large low-line bowl or platter, add the freshly prepared fruit.
- Shake the dressing and pour just enough over the fruit to coat it.
- Gently toss and add more dressing, if needed.
- Serve this holiday salad right away or within 1–3 hours of assembling.
Notes
Sandy’s tips and substitutions:
- Storage: This salad should be served immediately for the best texture as leftovers can brown and turn soggy quickly. If you do have to make this salad ahead of time, cover the bowl and store it in the fridge for a maximum of 1-3 hours.
- Reduce browning of fruit: Assemble the pears and apples last or toss them with a little extra citrus juice to prevent browning.
- Shake the dressing: Shake the dressing well just before pouring it over the fruit for tossing. This will ensure maximum flavor distribution.
- Drain well: If using thawed frozen berries, pat them dry thoroughly to avoid diluting the salad.
- Vegan-friendly: Use maple syrup instead of honey for the dressing.
- Berry alternatives: Use raspberries, blackberries, or halved strawberries instead of blueberries.
- Citrus swap: Replace clementines with mandarin oranges without drastically altering the flavor profile of the salad and dressing.
- Creamy dressing: Fold in ½ cup of vanilla yogurt or coconut cream after tossing with the dressing for a creamier texture.
- Other mix-ins: Fruit salads are incredibly versatile, allowing you to mix and swap an array of delicious add-ins. Feel free to get creative and experiment with chopped nuts for added crunch or pomegranate arils for festive color.
Hello and welcome to my home and table!
I’m Sandy—lover of food, family, cooking, THE BIG BOARD, travel, and bringing people together. Through great recipes and connection around the table, we become better, stronger, and more courageous people. Feasting on Life is real, and every time we do it, we grow a little more. Read more...
