This refreshing Thanksgiving fruit salad is a colorful and easy side dish or dessert that balances out the richness of a heavy Thanksgiving meal. Made with seasonal fresh fruit like crisp apples, juicy clementines, pears, kiwi and pomegranate arils tossed in a light citrus honey dressing. This salad is a welcomed palate cleanser and bound to be a holiday favorite!
I love Thanksgiving, a time of celebrating harvest and the blessings for the year, not to mention all the amazing food like a perfectly baked brie in pie crust, and spatchcocked turkey to share together with family and friends.
With all the delicious hearty entrees on Thanksgiving, this light and refreshing rainbow fruit salad brings a welcomed bit of freshness to the table. It’s easy to assemble and makes for a beautiful centerpiece. It’s a make-ahead friendly dish that can be prepped in advance and tossed with a dressing before serving. Best of all it is mother nature’s candy, served with a healthy and naturally sweetened dressing.
Customize it to your favorite fall fruit and spices as well!
Jump to:
Ingredients
Clementine oranges - Cuties or mandarin oranges, these are juicy, sweet and easy to peel.
Apples - Fall varieties such as Honey Crisp, Gala and Red Golden and a light crispness with a pop of color.
Golden Kiwi - These have a wonderful floral, sweet and tropical taste. Green kiwi work nicely as well.
Pomegranate - The sweet and tart arils add a juicy and festive vibrance to the salad.
Pear - Bartlett and Anjou work well as they are firm. Use pears that are not overly ripe, for a firm bite.
Lemon - The juice is added to the dressing to enhance the fruit flavors and also to prevent them from browning.
Honey - Adds a hint of sweetness and helps meld the flavors together.
Instructions
Make the dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together the honey and lemon juice until combined.
Prep the fruit: Wash and cut the fruit. Chop the apples and pears into bite size pieces. (No need to peel them, leaving the skin adds festive color and fiber!). Peel and section the clementines. Slice kiwi and remove the skin.
Assemble the fruit salad: Add all the fruit to a large bowl. Drizzle the dressing over the fruit evenly. Toss the fruit gently. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving.
Serve this refreshing salad as an appetizer or for dessert to clean your palate after your meal!
Fall Fruit Variations
This salad is customizable to your own liking. Mix and match with your favorite fall fruit and add the dressing to taste. Not only is it fresh and delicious, it’s super healthy too!
Spiced dressing - add a pinch of holiday spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, or pumpkin pie spice to the dressing.
Nuts-for extra texture and crunch top the fruit salad with toasted pecans, walnuts or pumpkin seeds.
Dried fruit mix - add some additional texture and flavors with Fall dried fruits like cranberries, figs, and persimmons.
Fall Fruit variations - easily swap out the fruit for other fall favorites like grapes, blackberries, figs, pomegranate and persimmons.
Dressing variations - Try mixing maple syrup and orange juice for deeper Fall flavors.
Tips for the Best Thanksgiving Fruit Salad
- Choose fresh seasonal Fall fruit for the best flavor, texture and quality.
- For a nice presentation, cut the kiwi last and add them at the top to prevent them from crushing.
- Let the salad dressing chill for at least 30 minutes to allow flavors to combine.
- Fruits to avoid: bananas and delicate berries as they become mushy quickly and don’t keep well once cut.
- Add texture - The perfect fruit salad will have a combination of textures. Have a balanced mixture of soft fruit like kiwi and oranges contrasted with crunchy and crisp fruit like apple, pear and grapes. Seeds and nuts are also great to incorporate for a bit more crunch.
- Make it colorful - A colorful mixture of fruit will make the salad more appetizing and appealing.
Make Ahead & Storage
Make ahead: For best freshness and presentation, prep the salad the same day you plan to serve it. Chop the fruit in advance and store them in separate airtight containers. Make the dressing ahead and set aside until ready to use.
Storage: Keeps in the fridge for 2 days. Apples and pears may soften, but flavor remains fresh.
What to serve with a Holiday fruit salad
Any delicious appetizers or dessert will go well. Here are some of my favorites!
Frequently Asked Questions
Using overripe fruit - overly ripe fruit is too mushy and may fall apart in a tossed fruit salad. Use fresh and crisp fruit.
Prepping too early - cutting fruit like apples and pears too early can make them brown quickly and be less appetizing. Opt for same day prep.
Not chilling the fruit - make sure to chill the fruit for a refreshing taste.
Using soft fruit - soft berries and bananas will not work well in a fruit salad, it will break down quickly with the dressing.
Too much dressing - adding too much liquid can cause the fruit to become soggy.
A fruit salad keeps well overnight in an airtight container.
Coating the fruit salad with lemon orange or lime juice, which has citric acid helps prevent fruit like apples and pear from browning and to stay fresh.
More holiday recipes to enjoy
Love a recipe you've tried? Please leave a 5-star 🌟rating in the recipe card and a comment below! That'll make my day!
Let's be friends! Follow me on social media @ Instagram, Pinterest. Give me a tag @apeachyplate when you try out a recipe!
Easy Thanksgiving Fruit Salad
Ingredients
For the fruit salad
- 4 clementine oranges, peeled and separated Cuties or Halos
- 2 pears, cut into bite size pieces
- 2 apples, cut into bite size pieces
- 1 cup pomegranate arils
- 2 kiwis, cut into bite size pieces
For the dressing
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
Instructions
- Make the dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together the honey and lemon juice until combined. Set aside
- Prep the fruit: Wash and cut the fruit. Chop the apples and pears into bite size pieces. (No need to peel them, leaving the skin adds festive color and fiber!). Peel and section the clementines. Remove pomegranate arils. Place fruit in a large serving bowl.Slice kiwi and remove the skin, cut into bite size pieces. Place in a separate bowl and chill in the fridge.
- Pour the dressing over the large fruit bowl and with a large spoon gently combine together.
- Cover and let it chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
- Add the kiwi on top of the salad right before serving.
Notes
- For a nice presentation, cut the kiwi last and add them at the top to prevent them from crushing, then add the pomegranate as a garnish to prevent bleeding onto the other fruit.
- You can make this salad in advance, chop the fruit and keep them in separate containers, when ready to serve, assemble it and add the dressing.
- Use seasonal fall fruit like honey crisp, gala and red golden apples and firm Bartlett or Anjou pears.
- Lemon juice is added to the dressing to enhance the fruit flavors and also to prevent them from browning.
- The salad with dressing keeps well overnight in an airtight container.
Leave a Reply