15 Fresh Fruit Salads
When the weather is hot and sunny, a big bowl of fruit is the perfect way to cool down. Fruit also pairs well with basically any meal, making it an easy side dish option.
And while a bowl of fresh fruit on its own is pretty great, what about taking it to the next level by throwing together a fruit salad?
Swing by our produce department to see what fresh fruit is arriving at the Co-op (it changes all the time in the summer!) and try out one of these delicious and refreshing summer fruit salads.
Photo Courtesy of Co+op
Grilled Peach and Prosciutto Salad
Sweet grilled peaches and salty prosciutto come together in this summer fruit salad that would be a perfect complement to grilled chicken or steak.
Top it off with some arugula for a peppery, bitter flavor to finish it all off.
Ingredients
2 large ripe peaches, sliced into 8 wedges each
4 cups mixed greens, packed
1/2 pound thin-sliced Prosciutto (or thinly sliced ham)
4 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
1/4 cup pistachios, shelled (or pine nuts)
For the Dressing
1 clove shallot, peeled
1 clove garlic, peeled
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 1/2 tablespoon fresh mint, roughly chopped
1 teaspoon honey
1/4 cup orange juice
Zest from 1 orange
1/3 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
In a blender or food processor, combine the shallot, garlic, mustard, orange juice and zest, honey and red wine vinegar. Blend until smooth. With the blender on low speed, slowly add the olive oil until it is incorporated into the dressing. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set dressing aside.
Preheat the grill or a grill pan over medium-high heat. Lightly brush the peach slices with a little of the prepared dressing. Grill peaches on each side 2-3 minutes.
On four dinner plates, arrange 1 cup of greens on each plate. Place 2 ounces of prosciutto or ham decoratively around each plate along with 4 slices of grilled peaches. Sprinkle each salad with 1 tablespoon pistachios or pine nuts and 1 ounce of goat cheese crumbles. Drizzle each salad with about 2 tablespoons of the remaining dressing.
Photo Courtesy of Co+op
Brown Bag Apple Salad
Here's a fruit salad that's full of fresh in-season fruit flavor and is reminiscent of ambrosia that you grew up eating at BBQs.
It keeps well, making it a good choice for picnics, hiking, and more. Just wait to top it off with granola until you're ready to eat it so it maintains that crunchy texture.
Ingredients
1 apple, cored and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 cup fresh pineapple, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 cup seedless grapes, halved
1 small orange, peeled and segmented
1 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoons apple juice
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 cup granola
Pinch of cinnamon
3 tablespoons plain Greek yogurt (optional)
Directions
In a large bowl, mix together all of the ingredients and serve immediately. If making the salad a day ahead, add the granola just before serving.
Photo Courtesy of Co+op
Summer Melon Salad with Mint and Prosciutto
What's better than a big bowl of melon on a hot summer day? A big bowl of melon with salty feta and prosciutto to balance out all that juicy sweetness.
And fresh mint adds a nice refreshing element, too!
Ingredients
1 small seedless watermelon, between 3-4 pounds
1 pound cantaloupe (about 1/2 medium-sized melon)
1/4 cup loosely packed fresh mint leaves, minced
6 ounces feta cheese, crumbled or cut in 1/2-inch cubes
6-8 ounces prosciutto or ham, thinly sliced
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and ground black pepper, to taste
Directions
Cut each of the melons in half. Scoop the seeds out of the cantaloupe. Using a sharp knife, trim the rind off the melons and cut the flesh into 1-inch cubes. Gently mix all ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Serve on crisp lettuce leaves and garnish with the prosciutto.
Purple Fruit Salad
If having all the fruits in your salad match is your thing, here's a recipe for you.
Featuring purple and blue fruits like blueberries, grapes, plums, and purple basil, this salad is full of delicious fruit flavor and antioxidants.
A piece of fresh-caught salmon would work beautifully on this salad!
Jicama Salad with Mango, Cucumber, Avocado, Lime, and Aleppo
Here's a fruit salad that's definitely a little more tropical and incorporates a variety of textures and flavors for a unique culinary experience.
Sweet mango is paired with refreshing cucumber and zippy lime, while Aleppo chilis add a spicy kick.
Jicama adds a crunchy texture that's balanced out well by smooth, creamy avocado. Overall, this fruit salad is incredibly well-rounded!
Tiger Fruit Salad
Based on the Chinese dish lao hu cai, this salad calls for underripe stone fruit that is marinated and mixed in with a variety of greens.
Sesame oil, rice vinegar, and soy sauce come together to create a marinade that is very much Asian-inspired and packed full of flavor.
Serve tiger fruit salad with stir-fried meat or buttery PNW cod.
Watermelon Salad with Mint and Lime
Sometimes fruit salad is best when it's simple and easy to toss together on a hot day.
For this salad, all you'll need is watermelon, mint, lime, and cayenne pepper.
This salad will be a total crowd-pleaser at your next BBQ or picnic.
Blood Orange, Beet, and Fennel Salad
Zesty and sweet navel and blood oranges are sliced up with beets and onion to craft this Moroccan-inspired salad.
Fennel adds a unique herby flavor that freshens up the overall dish.
Not only is this salad super flavorful, but the colors are bright and beautiful, making this a highly-presentable salad for your next fancy dinner.
Cantaloupe Salad with Mint, Lime, and Pepitas
Though watermelon gets a lot of well-deserved hype in the summer, that doesn't mean that cantaloupe doesn't deserve a little attention too!
This sweet and juicy melon is paired with mint and lime and topped off with crunchy pepitas.
To make sure your cantaloupe is perfectly ripe, check for a creamy beige color underneath the "netting"— this is a good indicator that is perfectly juicy for this salad.
Green Mango Salad
Here's another super simple and refreshing fruit salad recipe that can be tossed together easily on a hot summer day.
All you'll need are mangos, onion, jalapeno, lime juice, and salt and pepper.
Food & Wine recommends using slightly underripe mangoes because not only do they add a firm texture to the salad, but they offer a bit of tang that's key to the recipe.
Blueberry, Melon, Feta, Fruit Salad Stacks
If you want to have fun with your kids in the kitchen, here's an awesome fruit salad just for them!
Have your kids cut out the star shapes with a butter knife, or go with whatever shapes they want. Use your favorite melons and accompany them with slices of feta.
This salad would be a fun appetizer to serve at a Labor Day get together!
Mexican Papaya Salad
Here's a subtly sweet fruit salad that features a zesty dressing and cooling cucumbers to balance all the flavors out.
The reviews on this recipe mention that the lime is what really makes papaya flavorful, so if you're skeptical about the fruit, you still might want to give this salad a shot.
Arugula and cabbage work as the base of this salad, offering a much needed crunchy texture.
Photo Courtesy of Bon Appetit
Burrata, Strawberry, and Basil Salad
Here's the fruit salad all you burrata fans have been waiting for.
Serving burrata with fresh fruit isn't a new concept, but here, strawberries, basil, crunchy walnuts, and basil are combined to create a texturally-interesting dish.
Drizzle your salad with balsamic syrup for that finishing touch of acid flavor to round the dish out.
Photo Courtesy of Half Baked Harvest
Melon Caprese Salad
Though this is more of a fancy appetizer than a fruit salad, it looks absolutely delicious and does feature melon, so we're adding it!
In this recipe, melon balls are paired with burrata, basil, mint, prosciutto, and are topped off with a homemade honey herb vinaigrette.
Serve these salads in your favorite fancy dishes and serve them at your next socially-distanced get together.
Photo Courtesy of EatingWell
Tropical Cucumber Salad
Mango, avocado, and cucumber come together in this tropical salad that's a little salty and a little sweet.
Fish sauce and rice vinegar adds a depth of flavor to this dish that helps round out all the tropical elements.
Add a squeeze of lime for a zesty finish.