A holiday fruit salad so beautiful, it must be fit for a special occasion table. With a few simple steps, you can elevate your usual fruit spread from boring to showstopper!
I’m just going to come right out and say it: if you’re bringing fruit to a special occasion it better be damn good. Get those apple chunks and brown banana slices out of here.
It really is amazing how beautiful fruit is, and it doesn’t require any special ingredients or fancy cooking gadgets. This is something you would be proud to contribute to any spread and even the most inexperienced of cooks can be successful.
Add this holiday fruit salad to your arsenal immediately. It’ll come in handy for a last minute dish when you’re short on time, but I promise it will be just as big a hit as any more time-intensive side dish.
Here’s what you need to make it:
What to Put in a Holiday Fruit Salad
- grapefruit (ruby red)
- oranges (cara cara is my favorite)
- kiwifruit, perhaps the most underrated fruit of the bunch?
- berries, whatever looks the best at the moment
- pomegranate arils for that bold color and crunch
- fennel – a surprising addition that adds “wow” factor
- lime & flaky salt to finish and really bring out the flavors
This is not a hard and fast ingredients list and you can certainly switch things up as you see fit. I just love the contrasting colors and find that all of these are readily available (even in colder months).
If you’re tempted to skip the fennel, don’t do it! This is such a wonderful way to try it out if you’re a fennel newbie. It brings a beautiful (yet subtle) licorice flavor. Use the fronds (the part that looks kind of like fresh dill) as a garnish too.
How to Prep Fennel
Wondering how to actually turn this thing into something edible? Follow these three steps for prepping fennel.
Step 1: Cut the hard stems off the bulb.
It seems wasteful but you actually don’t use the long stems. You can however keep them to make a homemade vegetable stock for soups at a later time. Put them in a gallon size zip top bag and throw them in the freezer.
Step 2: Remove the core by cutting a triangle into the end.
Now you’re working with just the white bulb part of the fennel. You’ll want to remove the core, so cut a triangle from the tough end (opposite of where the stems were attached).
Step 3: Thinly slice widthwise.
Thinly slice the bulb (widthwise). I find this to be the best way to get pieces that work well in salads. It almost resembles thin-sliced onions, but you’ll find the flavor to be much more mild and pleasant. You can also use a mandoline to shave it really thin if you have one.
How should I chop the rest of the fruit?
My favorite way to prep citrus for a fruit platter is peeling and slicing it into rounds. I think it’s really pretty when you arrange it this way. Simply take the top and bottom off each piece of fruit, then cut down the peel before slicing.
I always like to finish fruit with a little something extra. Sometimes that means a drizzle of honey or jalapeño simple syrup. A sprinkle of red chile flakes for heat is also delicious!
For this one I wanted to keep things fresh since it will presumably be served alongside some heavier items. A squeeze of fresh lime juice and a big pinch of flaky salt is all you need to really take it over the top.
More tips for making a better fruit salad
- Use seasonal fruits and choose a variety of colors. This will ensure the freshest, tastiest final product.
- Chop it in small, thin, easy to eat pieces and avoid large chunks that might overpower the other ingredients. Like I said above, I prefer rounds.
- Serve it on a platter instead of bowl for a show-stopping presentation. There’s so much more space to work with this way and you can show off the beauty of the fruit. I love this platter from Crate and Barrel. It’s the one I used for these photos!
- Think outside the box with garnishes. Fresh herbs like mint or thinly sliced jalapeño bring such a uniqueness to a fruit platter. A savory element is always unexpected and fun.
- Add a finishing touch. Fresh, perfectly ripe fruit doesn’t typically need anything to jazz it up – it’s fabulous on it’s own. But a honey lime yogurt sure does make it feel more fancy.
Fruit is always such a welcome side dish at just about every occasion because it’s fresh, bright and a nice complement to heavier mains. Elevate your usual blend with this perfect combination!
More vegan holiday sides:
- Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad with Maple Mustard Dressing
- Kale Crunch Salad
- Sweet and Spicy Turmeric Roasted Carrots
Holiday Fruit Salad
A holiday fruit salad so beautiful, it must be fit for a special occasion table. With a few simple steps, you can elevate your usual fruit spread from boring to showstopper!
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Sides
- Method: No-Cook
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
- 1 ruby red grapefruit, peeled and sliced
- 2 cara cara oranges, peeled and sliced
- 2 kiwifruit, peeled and sliced
- 1 cup fresh berries
- 1/4 cup pomegranate arils
- 1/2 bulb of fennel, sliced very thin (save some of the fronds for garnish too!)
- 1 lime
- flaky salt
Instructions
- Arrange all fruit on a large serving platter and scatter the fennel over the top.
- Squeeze the juice of the lime over the top and sprinkle with flaky salt. Finish with fennel fronds.
Notes
- The equipment section above includes affiliate links to things I use often in my kitchen and recommend.
- Try subbing other types of citrus based on what’s in season at the moment when you make this. Blood oranges, Sumo citrus and mandarins are other great options.
- If you can’t find fennel, you can leave it out or sub very thinly sliced red onion for a kick. Just soak it in ice cold water for about 15 minutes to take away some of the harshness.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/2 cup
- Calories: 55 calories
- Fat: 0 grams
- Carbohydrates: 12 grams
- Fiber: 3 grams
- Protein: 1 gram
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