This This Summer Fruit Salad with Lemon Dressing is super healthy, delicious, refreshing and perfect for a hot summer day. It’s absolutely jammed pack full of fresh fruit that is paired with a fabulous sweet tangy dressing, and best of all, this salad really is as good as it looks!
Easy Fruit Salad Recipe
A great refreshing fruit salad is all you need on a hot summer day. This delicious fresh fruit salad features different grapes and berries with a sweet and tangy lemon dressing. I love this lemon dressing, it’s like a very strong lemonade poured over my favorite fruits.
For the dressing, I used a lemon, both juice and zest, some sugar and water, boiled it all together until it thickens up a bit and let it cool. Then you pour it over your fruits and it turns into this amazing salad. But the secret here is the mint, you must add the mint to this salad, it just wouldn’t be the same without it.
Why We Love This Summer Fruit Salad
- Quick and easy to make
- Simple ingredients that look and taste amazing
- Refreshing and lemony flavours
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Sugar – I used plain white granulated sugar. You can also use about half honey and half sugar if you wish.
- Lemon Zest and Juice – Use fresh lemons for the best flavor. Lime zest would also be great added to the salad.
- Grapes – I used red and green seedless grapes, sliced in half. Other fruits you can use are kiwi, oranges, or pineapple.
- Berries – I used fresh blueberries and strawberries. Feel free to use other berries such as blackberries.
- Mint Leaves – Fresh mint leaves provide great colour and fresh flavor.
How To Make Fruit Salad With Lemon Dressing
- Make the citrus dressing. In a small saucepan, bring to a boil the sugar, water, lemon zest and lemon juice. Continue cooking for a few more minutes, about 10-15 minutes, until the sauce begins to thicken a bit. Cool, then refrigerate. The dressing needs to be completely cool before pouring it on the fruits.
- Make the salad. In a large bowl, toss all the fruit together including the mint. When ready to serve pour the lemon dressing over and toss well.
What Other Fruits Can I Add To My Fruit Salad?
Use your favorite fruits, especially ones that are in season. Some great options are blackberries, peaches, nectarines, mango, kiwi, oranges, melons, cantaloupes, watermelons, etc.
Can I Use Frozen Fruit?
I don’t recommend using frozen fruit. As the fruit thaws they will get quite soft and will not hold up well in fruit salad. Use your favorite fresh fruits for this salad for best results.
Expert Tips
- Fruit such as bananas and apples are prone to browning quickly once cut. I don’t recommend bananas unless you eat the salad immediately after assembling. The apples may brown a bit, but will still be good, and the lemon juice will help to prevent discolouration.
- If you use softer fruits, they tend to not last that long. It is best to eat them the same day.
- Although fruit can be frozen, it will change the texture of this salad, so I don’t recommend using frozen fruit. Fresh is always best!
Storing Leftovers
Fridge
If making this fruit salad ahead, don’t add the lemon dressing until ready to serve. Store the tossed fruit in an airtight container and lemon dressing in a jar for up to 3 days. If you have leftover fruit salad with the dressing on, you can store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for no more than a day.
Freezer
I don’t recommend freezing this salad, as the fruit will get soft after thawing, changing the texture of this salad completely.
Other Delicious Dessert Recipes To Try
- Ambrosia Salad
- Mixed Fruit with Lemon-Basil Dressing
- Sex in a Pan
- Fruit Pizza
- Blueberry Cobbler
- Strawberry Rhubarb Bars
- Chia Pudding
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Summer Fruit Salad with Lemon Dressing
Ingredients
- ¼ cup sugar
- ¾ cup water
- 2 tablespoons lemon zest from 1 lemon
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice from 1 lemon
- 2 cups red grapes sliced in half
- 2 cups green grapes sliced in half
- 2 cups blueberries
- 2 cups strawberries
- fresh mint leaves
Instructions
- Make the dressing. In a small saucepan, bring to a boil the sugar, water, lemon zest and lemon juice. Continue cooking for a few more minutes, about 10-15 minutes, until the sauce begins to thicken a bit. Cool, then refrigerate. The dressing needs to be completely cool before pouring it on the fruits.
- Make the salad. In a large bowl, toss all the fruit together including the mint. When ready to serve pour the lemon dressing over and toss well.
Recipe Notes
- Fruit such as bananas and apples are prone to browning quickly once cut. I don’t recommend bananas unless you eat the salad immediately after assembling. The apples may brown a bit, but will still be good, and the lemon juice will help to prevent discolouration.
- If you use softer fruits, they tend to not last that long. It is best to eat them the same day.
- Although fruit can be frozen, it will change the texture of this salad, so I don’t recommend using frozen fruit. Fresh is always best!
- If making this fruit salad ahead, don’t add the lemon dressing until ready to serve. Store the tossed fruit in an airtight container and lemon dressing in a jar for up to 3 days. If you have leftover fruit salad with the dressing on, you can store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for no more than a day.
Tried this a couple years back and LOVE IT! Can this be made two nights before? Do the cut fruits hold up well?
I think this salad is best served fresh. If you need it in advance I’d keep the dressing off it until ready to serve. Most fruits would cut well, except maybe the strawberries.
Would the dressing go well with peaches and nectarines?
Absolutely!
Can you make this the night before?
absolutely!
Gorgeous fruit salad! I bet it tastes amazing with that Lemon Dressing. Pinning & Have a great week 🙂
Thanks Nicole. 🙂