This Honey Lime Fruit Salad for a Crowd with bright, citrus dressing has been my go-to brunch side for years. It's perfect for a large group, and a great choice to balance out the richness of a heavy brunch special occasion menu.
The perfect make-ahead fruit salad for any occasion. Christmas breakfast, Easter brunch and all year round. This honey lime fruit salad will have everyone coming back for seconds and begging you for your recipe.
Ingredients to make this recipe:
Before we get to the step by step directions, a few notes about the ingredients:
Melon: making this fruit salad is an exercise in flexibility. I use 2-3 melons, depending on what's available and in season. Watermelon, honeydew and white melon are my favorites in Portugal. In the US, I will grab a cantaloupe. Use what looks good!
Apples: Pink Ladies are consistently sweet, tart and crisp. But again, use what you love.
Grapes: seedless green grapes are ideal, but substitute your favorites.
Dressing: lime juice and zest, honey and vanilla are the perfect combination to make a rockstar fruit salad dressing. Substitute lemon, orange or even grapefruit juice, if you'd like.
Mint: it's optional! Adds a warm freshness to the salad, but omit if you don't have it.
Full ingredient list and measurements included in the printable recipe card below.
Step by step instructions:
1. Prep fruit
Cut melons and apples into a small dice - about ½ inch. Cut grapes into halves or quarters, depending on size. Add all of the fruit to a large bowl or serving dish.
The finer dice of the fruit is part of the appeal of this salad. The honey lime dressing is magic, but grabbing a bite of the dressed fruit salad with a piece of grape, apple, watermelon and pink lady apple all in one bite? Transcendent.
2. Prep honey lime dressing
Zest limes, then juice, aiming for ¼ cup fresh juice. Add honey to lime juice and microwave for 1 minute, stir to ensure honey is dissolved. Add vanilla and pinch of salt. Pour cooled dressing over fruit bowl and toss.
3. Chill before serving
Garnish with fresh mint leaves. Refrigerate for 20 minutes before serving.
Looking for more brunch recipes?
FAQs and Serving Suggestions:
Those plastic buckets of cut fruit (usually mostly melon) in the produce section of your grocery store are a great starting point and make this one of the best easy fruit salad recipes you'll find. I still encourage you to dice the prepared fruit chunks into finer pieces - around ½ inch. Throw in some red grapes and a few diced pink lady apples (the undisputed most delicious apples of all time) and you'll have a huge hit on your hands.
This recipe makes 12-14 servings with a ¾ cup serving size. It is easily doubled (just hit the 2x button in the recipe card below).
This is one of the best fresh fruit salads precisely because it is so adaptable and the honey lime dressing can take on various types of fruits and make them all even more delicious. A few different fruits and combinations I've tried and enjoyed include mandarin oranges, bananas, fresh pineapple chunks and kiwi; and fresh strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, apples, red seedless grapes and cantaloupe. Almost any type of fruit you love can work in this salad.
Lemon zest and fresh lemon juice would be the most direct substitute, but orange zest and orange juice would work beautifully, and even pineapple juice. Choose the fruit juice that works best with your favorite fruits and it is sure to work in this fresh fruit salad recipe.
Pure maple syrup would work well as a substitute for honey in this recipe. Sugar or stevia could also be used to make a lime simple syrup for dressing the salad. Start with a tablespoon of the alternate sweetener and taste and adjust from there. The kind of fruit you choose for your rainbow fruit salad will also drive how much sweetener you need. Sweet fruits like green grapes and ripe melons may require less sweetener, so you will always get best results if you taste and adjust as you go.
I've never made this recipe using frozen fruit, but would recommend allowing the fruit to thaw in a sieve to remove as much excess water as possible before dressing the fruit. With frozen fruit, I would also recommend making just enough for your crowd to eat the day of the making.
It is one of the best fruit salads to bring to a wedding or baby shower, brunch with friends or family holiday morning breakfast. It's delicious as a counterpoint to a savory Smoked Salmon Quiche, Lox and Bagel Charcuterie Board or Latke Brunch Board. And it checks the vegetarian recipe and healthy recipes boxes when you're serving something rich and decadent (hello, Stuffed French Toast).
To store leftovers, wrap tightly with plastic wrap or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Fresh fruit salad isn't something you want to leave outside during the summer months or at your Labor Day BBQ. Keep it refrigerated until it's time to serve, then back into the fridge within 30 minutes to keep it fresh for when the crowd goes home and you can polish it off while standing alone in the kitchen and straight out of the mixing bowl.
Honey Lime Fruit Salad for a Crowd
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 12-14 1x
Description
Perfectly sweet and tart fruit salad, ideal for a brunch menu or potluck.
Ingredients
10 cups fruit (watermelon, honeydew, pink lady apples and green seedless grapes)
Zest of 1 lime
¼ cup fresh squeezed lime juice
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
2 tablespoons fresh mint, (optional) for garnish
Instructions
- Prepare fruit: cut melons and apples into a small dice - about ½ inch. Cut grapes into halves or quarters, depending on size.
- Prepare honey lime dressing: Zest limes, then juice, aiming for ¼ cup fresh juice. Add honey to lime juice and microwave for 1 minute, stir to ensure honey is dissolved. Add vanilla and pinch of salt. Taste the dressing and adjust seasoning.
- Make the salad: pour cooled dressing over fruit salad and toss. Refrigerate for 20 minutes before serving. Garnish with torn mint leaves, if using.
Notes
Use your favorite combination of fruits to customize this salad for your family and friends!
Pure maple syrup would work well as a substitute for honey in this recipe. Sugar or stevia could also be used to make a lime simple syrup for dressing the salad.
- Prep Time: 20
- Category: Salads, Brunch, Dessert
- Method: No cook
- Cuisine: American
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