I have a cousin, Ryan, who is at least a decade and a half younger than me but who has managed to grow near and dear to my heart by a) having the patience to teach me to text faster – or at all, for that matter (I’m soooo behind the times, people) and b) sending his mother (my trusty Aunt Marilyn) this fruit salad recipe who then passed it along to me. I mean, how can you not love a nearly 19-year old kid who can text one-handed behind his back accurately and who has the culinary intuition to recognize a great fruit salad when he tastes one?
You may be in that camp of people who insist you don’t need a recipe for fruit salad. If that is the case, then pretend this isn’t a recipe and make it anyway.
A perfect fruit salad for spring when not every variety of fruit is yet in it’s peak of perfection, this combination is delightful and light and a perfect side dish for a myriad of dishes (we’ve enjoyed it lately with this and this and this to name a few). What takes this fruit salad to the next level is the three secret ingredients: tart lime zest, sweet honey and the slight crunch of poppy seeds.
I’ve made this simple and tasty fruit salad at least five times in the last two weeks and have loved every bite of it. The icing on the cake is that it takes no more than ten minutes to throw together (possibly even less if you have some wicked can-draining and knife-wielding skills!).
Honey Lime Fruit Salad
Printable Version
Printable Version with Picture
*Note: This fruit salad is best served right away (or at least within an hour of making) because the strawberries tend to stain the light colored fruit. It doesn’t affect the taste at all but is a slight bummer for presentation.
*Serves 4
INGREDIENTS:
1 (20 oz.) can pineapple chunks, drained well
1 can mandarin oranges, drained well
2-3 ripe kiwi, peeled and sliced into thick half moons
1 cup green grapes, halved
1 cup strawberries, quartered
Zest from one lime, about 1 tablespoon
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon poppy seeds (optional)
DIRECTIONS:
Combine the fruit in a medium-large serving bowl. Add the lime zest and poppy seeds, if using, and gently toss. Drizzle the honey over the fruit and again, gently mix until the fruit is evenly coated with the honey. Serve.
Recipe Source: adapted from my cousin Ryan
{ 33 comments… read them below or add one }
This looks so refreshing! I really like that you use some canned ingredients (for, like you said, times when fresh is just not that great), along with fresh! I am going to make this for company this weekend…thanks for sharing, Mel!
YUM!!! oh my goodness, this looks so good! I am seriously addicted to fruit! When I was pregnant it was ALL I wanted to eat… and it has kinda stuck with me, even though my baby is almost 8 months!!
So pretty and sounds delicious!!
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I sampled a fruit salad with honey and lime juice in the grocery store last year and it was amazing! However, it also had some chopped fresh mint in it. I tried to make it at home, and it didn’t work out so well… I don’t know if the mint was just not good or something, but it kind of had a dirty taste to it, as if I hadn’t washed the mint and it was really dusty (it wasn’t and I did wash it!). Anyway, thanks for this – I think maybe I’ll try it again without the mint and see if it’s better! If you’re braver than me you could try it with mint though and tell us all if it’s good
Yum! I usually just use bananas mashed with honey or cover the berries in sugar and use that juice, but this looks Way better! Does it keep well in the fridge or should I add the dressing only just before serving?
Mandy – I would add the lime and honey right before serving – this isn’t one of those salads that keep terribly well, sadly.
Ooooohh Yummy! This might just have to grace our table (sometimes) instead of the baby spinach, mandrin orange, strawberry salad that I make MANY times during the summer months! Thanks for sharing.
This fruit salad is so gorgeous and looks delicious!
I have to tell you that last night I made your sweet and sour chicken recipe from Tasty Kitchen. Ohmigosh was it fantastic!! My hubby thought it was one of the best meals he has ever had! Thanks!
I love the simplicity of this. Nothing better on a spring or summer day than a bowl of freshfruit! Looks awesome.
I’m one of those people who says that you don’t need a recipe for fruit salad…but this sounds wonderful. Honey and lime? Yum! As soon as I get some more fruit, I’m making this.
All of your recipes I opened today (you’ve been busy!) look so tasty! I could live off fruit, I’m sure I won’t have to worry about this not keeping well because I’ll eat it all in one sitting!
I was just asked to bring fruit salad to a Mother’s Day brunch, this will be a hit! Looks so good!
My Mom found this recipe years ago (like 30)! It is the best. It really perks up fruit that is not as flavorful as you would like it to be.
Thanks, Jessica! Glad your husband went nuts for the sweet and sour – my husband has a similar reaction every time.
I love fruit salad and this one looks divine. I will definitely be trying it this week.
This sounds like a wonderful breakfast!
the poppy seeds combined with the kiwi seeds would definitely satisfy my need for crunch. great salad, melanie!
I need a recipe for everything. This looks so fresh and yummy…thanks Ryan!
Made this on Saturday for the Kentucky Derby party and it was so yummy. I loved the hint of lime and honey. It is not overpowering at all but adds so much to the fruit. Thanks for sharing.
Janeil – I am thrilled you liked the subtle goodness of this salad. Thanks for letting me know!
WoW!! Looks so scrumptious!! I am going to a cookout this weekend…think I’ll be bringing this as my dish to pass!!
My family loved this salad. I think I would like it better with fresh pineapple, since the canned ends up making the salad soggy in a hurry. Unfortunately I read the part about not preparing more than an hour before you serve it after I had prepared the salad at around 2 for a 7 o’clock dinner. Next time I will read all the instructions before I start. LOL! The flavors of the lime zest and honey give the salad such a tasty kick! Thanks for posting this one. It’s a new fave!
Amy – I agree with you – I think fresh pineapple would make this salad even better. Thanks for checking in with your review!
Excellent excellent. Had this with mashed potatoes and your Honey Roasted Chicken tonight. This was SO good. The lime and honey addition is what I have been missing my whole fruit-salad-making life and didn’t know it. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to go back to just a bunch of fruit thrown together without the lime and honey. Yay for another winner!
Hey, we are going to make a fruit pizza, and mix the poppy seeds, lime zest, and honey into the cream cheese, and put it all on top of a giant snickerdoodle cookie. Dessert heaven. Thanks for the inspiration!
Loralee – what a great idea!! Sounds so delicious.
Julianne – thanks for weighing in. Please plan on making this for me in MT. And the chicken, too. I’ll put my feet up and watch the kids and you can cook. Deal?
What a lovely tropical fruit salad! It makes me want to be in summer
This is my favorite way to serve fresh fruit in the summer. But instead of poppy seeds, I add finely diced, fresh mint. It is AMAZING! You should try it with the mint!
OH MY…another winner! I just had to comment and let you know that this is by far the best fruit salad I’ve EVER had, hands down…simply no comparison! I also love how simple it is to throw together! Since my first sampling of it (and the portion was much bigger than a sample size) one week ago, I crave it constantly and have made it almost every day this past week! Thank you so much Mel for another keeper!!! I get excited with each new recipe that you post because I know you’ll never let me down! THANK YOU!!!
I made this yesterday for an Easter dinner with friends. It was great! The lime zest and honey made it special. Thanks for sharing.
I have made your yummy fruit salad at least a dozen times. Every time I have served it to guests I get asked for the recipe. This is the best fruit salad ever!!
This was so tasty! I usually don’t like fruit salad but tried this with Thanksgiving dinner and it was a big hit. Both my 1 and 3 year old inhaled it which is always a bonus. The honey lime dressing is so simple and would be yummy on almost any fruit combination. This is a great potluck dish. Also, the leftovers don’t look pretty but they still taste great. I’m eating 3 day old leftovers as I type this and am enjoying every bite.
I changed this recipe a bit and used raspberries in place of the strawberries but I think I would have liked the strawberries better. I also think it could have benefitted from sitting for awhile before eating so the flavors could meld. But, it was a nice sweet and fruity accompaniment to a savory meal. Thanks!
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