Harvest Fruit Salad With Citrus Dressing

This Harvest Fruit Salad with Citrus Dressing made with fall fruits like crisp apples, tender pears, clementine’s, and juicy grapes. Tossed with a citrusy orange scented dressing, poppy seeds, and toasted pecans. A festive and fresh addition to any table.

What You’ll Love About Harvest Fruit Salad With Citrus Dressing:

One of the things I look forward to most during the Thanksgiving and Christmas season is indulging in all the rich delicious foods- potatoes, stuffing, gravy, and corn casserole, give me all of it!

It’s nice, however, to have a light and fresh option to help balance out all the decadent dishes.

This Harvest Fruit Salad with Citrus Dressing will be a fun addition to any festive holiday party or gathering. Everyone will enjoy having something fresh on their plate.

My favorite part about this fruit salad is the citrusy orange dressing. The flavor will pair well with any type of fruit so feel free to customize this salad to your liking or what is in-season. I also love the toasted pecan flavor. It definitely feels like the taste of fall.

During the warmer months when berries are likely to be available, try my Fruit Salad with Honey Lime Mint Dressing. Although, often times you can find these berries and fruits at a Trader Joe’s or specialty grocery stores anytime during the year.

Simple Ingredients:

• Fresh fruit- Apples, pears, clementine’s, and grapes.
• Dried cranberries- This gives the fruit salad a chewy tart bite.
• Pecans- Adds a nice toasty crunch.
• Lemon juice- This will help keep your fruit from turning brown.
• Poppy seeds- Offer color and a light crunch.
• Citrus Dressing- Orange juice, honey, apple pie spice (or pumpkin pie spice) orange and lemon zest.

Add Your Favorite Fresh Fruit And Nuts:

How To Make Harvest Fruit Salad With Citrus Dressing:

See full instructions in recipe card below

Step One. Toast pecans in a dry skillet over medium heat until golden and fragrant. Transfer to a paper towel to cool.

Step Two. To a small saucepan add orange juice, honey, apple pie spice, orange and lemon zest. Stir together and bring to a low simmer over medium heat. Cook 3-4 minutes stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and strain liquid in a heat proof bowl and allow to cool.

Step Three. To a large serving bowl toss the apples and pears with lemon juice, then add clementine segments, halved grapes, dried cranberries, pecans, and poppy seeds. Pour cooled dressing over the top, toss gently and it’s ready to serve.

Important Tips:

Common Questions:

Other Holiday Recipes You Might Enjoy:

• Harvest Green Salad with Honey Apple Cider Dressing
• Roasted Veggie Couscous with Spiced Pecans
• French Onion Potatoes
• Cheesy Broccoli Casserole
• Confetti Wild Rice Pilaf

Harvest Fruit Salad with Citrus Dressing

This Harvest Fruit Salad with Citrus Dressing made with fall fruits like crisp apples, tender pears, clementine's, and juicy grapes. Tossed with a citrusy orange scented dressing, poppy seeds, and toasted pecans. A festive and fresh addition to any table.

Print Pin Rate

Course: Breakfast, Brunch, Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes minutes

Servings: 8 servings

Calories: 226kcal

Equipment

• 1 small sauce pan
• 1 small skillet

Ingredients

For the Fruit Salad:

• 2 red apples, such as red delicious
• 2 under ripe bartlett pears
• 1 cup red or green seedless grapes, sliced in half
• 2 cups of clementine or cutie segments, from 6-7 whole cuties
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 2 tsp poppy seeds

Citrus Dressing:

• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 1/4 tsp apple pie or pumpkin pie spice
• 1 lemon zested
• 3 clementine's zested
• 3 tbsp honey

Instructions

For the Dressing:

• To a small saucepan add orange juice, honey, apple pie spice, orange and lemon zest. Stir together and bring to a low simmer over medium heat. Cook 3-4 minutes stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and strain liquid in a heat proof bowl and allow to cool while you get the rest of the ingredients together.

For the pecans:

• Add chopped pecans to a small dry skillet and toast over medium heat until golden and fragrant, about 5-minutes. I usually do this step while the dressing is simmering. Transfer pecans to a paper towel to cool.

Prepare the Fruit and Assemble:

• Dice apples and pears in 1/2 inch bite size pieces. No need to peel them. Add the pieces to a large serving bowl and toss with juice from 1 lemon. Then add clementine's, grapes, dried cranberries, pecans, and poppy seeds. Pour cooled dressing over the top and toss gently.

Notes

Important Tips:

 

• Prepare apples and pears right before assembling. You’ll want to dice apples and pears just before pulling the salad together so they stay nice and crisp and don’t turn brown quickly. The lemon juice will also help with that.
• Picking out pears for this recipe. If your pear is too ripe it will turn into mush. Make sure to use an under ripe pear that is still on the firmer side. It will soften a bit once mixed with the dressing.
• Leftover fruit salad. Use up leftover fruit by adding it to your favorite yogurt.

 

Substitutions or Add-Ins:

 

• This Harvest Fruit Salad is best with fresh fruit. Autumn favorites include kiwi, oranges, blackberries, figs, Persimmons or you can throw in pomegranate seeds for a pop of color. This salad is also great with toasted walnuts or slivered almonds.

 

Common Questions:

 

What kind of apples are best for fruit salad?

You’ll want to make sure you use a crisp apple. Granny smith, honey crisp, red delicious, Fuji, and McIntosh.

Can I use sugar instead of honey for the dressing?

Yes! If you don’t have honey or prefer granulated sugar use the same amount per the recipe instructions.

Can I make this ahead of time?

Harvest fruit salad is best served as fresh as possible. However, leftovers will keep 2-3 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Does this fruit salad travel well?

Yes! Make the salad as close as possible to your leaving time, cover tightly, and it will be perfect when you arrive. You can also bring the dressing separately and dress the salad when you get to your gathering. 

 

Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy only and should be understood as an estimate rather than a guarantee. The Menu Maid makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information.

Nutrition

Calories: 226kcal | Carbohydrates: 35g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Sodium: 3mg | Potassium: 262mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 28g | Vitamin A: 88IU | Vitamin C: 22mg | Calcium: 37mg | Iron: 1mg

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