This Fruit Salad recipe includes four different types of fresh fruit that compliment each other perfectly, coated in a simple poppy seed and honey-lime dressing. It’s easy to make, refreshing, delicious, and great for backyard BBQ’s and summer potlucks!
Fruit Salad Recipe with Poppy Seeds
We love a simple, colorful, and lightly dressed fruit salad, especially in the summer when we’re craving something healthy and refreshing to serve with all of our grilled favorites. This fruit salad recipe is coated in a sweet, bright dressing including honey, lime, and poppy seeds – no cream cheese, yogurt, marshmallows, or nuts. Just gorgeous fresh fruit that really shines.
It’s great to pair with baby back ribs, burgers, grilled chicken, kabobs, and so much more, and a wonderful side dish to bring to a potluck.
Ingredients Needed
This fruit salad includes a terrific blend of summer favorites and a simple but wonderful dressing.
(Scroll below to the printable recipe card for details and measurements.)
- Strawberries – Choose strawberries that are a beautiful red color, without any dark spots or blemishes, no mold, and fresh green leafy tops. They should be washed, dried, hulled, and quartered
- Seedless Green grapes – Gently squeeze a couple! They should be firm and tight with the stem intact.
- Kiwi – Ripe kiwis should be solid, but have a decent amount of give when pressed gently. If they’re too firm, they’ll be sour.
- Banana – Choose bananas that are perfectly yellow – no green peel and no brown spots. They should be sliced like thick coins and added in just before serving.
- Dressing – This salad includes a simple dressing made up of honey, lime juice and zest, poppy seeds, and a pinch of salt. It’s simplicity allows the fruit itself to shine, while still lending that extra something. The acidity from the lime juice also helps prevent the fruit from browning too quickly.
Recipe Variations
This fruit salad is extremely versatile using whatever is ripe and in season and depending on your personal tastes, just take note that some fruit is more finicky (like raspberries – we avoid those since they break down so easily.)
- Pineapple. Good pineapple should have a bright, healthy green stem and golden exterior, with a sweet aromatic smell at the base, and a firm shell that has a little give when squeezed.
- Mandarin oranges. These little gems should feel heavy for their size, without blemishes or soft spots, and have skin that is somewhat loose.
- Mangoes. We love mangoes! They are a great addition or replacement for the Mandarin oranges, if you prefer.
- Blueberries. We love big, plump blueberries if you can find them, but small ones are perfectly fine. They should be firm, not mushy.
- Apples. Can’t go wrong with apples. Choose a variety that is sweet like Honeycrisp or Pink Lady and avoid Granny Smith, which are sour. You can peel them or not.
Can I Use Frozen Fruit?
Fresh fruit is a must for this salad. Once thawed, frozen fruit is mushy and has a less than desirable texture in this recipe. The good news is, you can use other fruits that are in season, so there are many options and ways to keep the salad different and interesting. See suggestions above.
How to Make Honey-Lime Fruit Salad
Fruit salad is very easy to make and always a hit at gatherings.
(Scroll below to the printable recipe card for details and measurements.)
- Prepare the fruit. Peel (if necessary) and slice or chop all the fruits (except the bananas) and add to a large mixing bowl.
- Make the dressing. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the ingredients for the dressing.
- Combine. Pour dressing over fruit and toss to evenly coat.
- Add bananas. Just before serving, slice the bananas and gently stir in.
- Serve. This should be kept covered and chilled if not serving right way. Give the salad a gentle mix right before serving to redistribute the accumulated juices at the bottom of the bowl.
Make Ahead and Storing Leftovers
You can peel and cut the fruits and prepare the dressing up to 1 day in advance, keep them separate and then a few hours before serving, mix everything together. This salad is best after chilling and soaking in the juices for a couple hours. As mentioned above, I recommend adding the banana right before serving to prevent it from breaking down and getting mushy.
Acidity from the lime juice does help prevent the fruit from browning too quickly, but fresh fruit has a short lifespan, so it’s best to eat this salad soon after assembly. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator and consume within 2 days.
More Fruit Salad Recipes
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Honey-Lime Fruit Salad
Ingredients
For the Fruit
- 1 cup strawberries , washed and dried, hulled and quartered
- 1 cup seedless green grapes , washed and dried, halved crosswise
- 1 large kiwi , peeled, quartered lengthwise then cut into 1/2-inch thick pieces
- 1 medium banana , sliced into 1/2-inch thick coins
For the Dressing
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 1/2 teaspoon lime zest
- 1 teaspoon poppy seeds
- 1/8 teaspoon coarse salt
Instructions
- Place all the fruit in a large mixing bowl.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the ingredients for the dressing.
- Drizzle dressing over the fruit; gently toss to combine and coat.
- Serve right away or cover and chill for later. NOTE: This salad is best after chilling and soaking in the juices for a couple hours. (If not enjoying immediately, wait to add the banana slices so they don’t break down and get mushy, and give the salad a gentle mix right before serving to redistribute the accumulated juices at the bottom of the bowl.)