Tropical Fruit Salad

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Looking for a simple but delicious tropical fruit salad? This easy fruit salad is perfect for summer entertaining including picnics, cookouts and potlucks! While this salad features mango, kiwi and strawberries, use your favorite fruits or what you have available. This recipe is very versatile. Everyone will love this quick and refreshing side dish!

I love offering fresh fruit for any meal. I often have a fruit bowl at breakfast or dinner, regardless of whether it is a special celebration. This beautiful fruit salad is so simple but the burst of flavor in the juicy mangoes, sweet strawberries and tangy kiwi makes this combination of fruits really stand out! This recipe does feature a simple glaze but you can skip it and just enjoy the cut fresh fruit in a bowl.

Tropical Fruit Salad Ingredients

One of my favorite features of fruit salads is just how easy it is to swap out ingredients. For the recipe as shown you’ll need the following ingredients:

• strawberries
• mango (i used champagne mango)
• kiwi
• lemon juice (fresh squeezed is best)
• pineapple juice (orange juice can be substituted)
• light brown sugar
• fresh mint (garnish, optional)

Lime juice can be substituted but I recommend this fruit salad with simple honey lime dressing instead. It features lime zest and some of my favorite summer fruits in an under the sea theme! If you don’t have fresh fruit available, try this recipe for orange fluff featuring canned fruit.

What Goes in a Fruit Salad?

The only requirement for any fruit salad is fruit. For this fruit salad recipe I used strawberry, mango and kiwi. There are so many other great fruits you can replace these with or include for a wider variety of fruit. I recommend using your favorite tropical fruits or what you can find available at your local grocery store. Some great options include:

• Pineapple is a popular tropical fruit because of its sweet and sour taste. Fresh pineapple offers a crisp flavor and juicy texture.   
• Mango is another favorite because of its attractive hue and exotic flavor and aroma. Ripe mangos enhance the salad with a sweet and sour flavor.   
• Papaya has a singular flavor that manages to be both sweet and musky. Fresh papaya offers a silky, buttery texture that pairs nicely with other fruits.
• Kiwi adds a pleasant sourness and tang to the fruit platter. Ripe kiwi has an eye-catching hue of green as an added bonus.   
• Bananas add a silky texture to the fruit salad. Pick bananas that are ripe but still have some firmness to them.   
• Guava has a fragrant, tropical aroma and a sweet, tart flavor. Its unusual taste is a welcome addition to the standard fruit salad.   
• Passion fruit, offers a tangy, exotic flavor that is reminiscent of the tropics. Who doesn’t want to be transported to a tropical island?   
• Dragon fruit is striking in any fruit salad with its bright white flesh and tiny black seeds. It tastes subtly sweet and pleasant.   
• Star fruit (also known as a carambola) takes on a distinctive star form when cut in half. It’s a perfect complement to a tropical fruit salad because of its refreshing and slightly acidic flavor.

Other fruits which are great additions and work well for flavor and color include:

• grapes
• melons (cantaloupe, honeydew, watermelon, etc. A melon baller works great for this)
• strawberries
• blueberries
• cherries 

While not technically tropical, these sweet fruits compliment the variety of tropical fruit and are sure to tempt your taste buds.

How to Make Summer Fruit Salad

To make this tropical fruit salad, start by cutting your fruits. I like to break mine down into bite sized pieces. Take your cut pieces of fruit and transfer them to a serving dish. I like to use a wider bowl so it is easier for all the fruits to sit in the dressing and the flavors to meld.

Next, create the fruit salad dressing. A fruit salad with a glaze is delicious but I wanted something that didn’t require cooking. I opted to create a simple dressing, much like a light syrup.

In a small bowl, whisk together fresh lemon juice, brown sugar and pineapple juice or orange juice. Drizzle over the fresh fruit, gently toss and chill until serving. I recommend giving your fruit at least 30 minutes for the flavors to come together. Cover with plastic wrap or store in an airtight container. Best to consume within two to three days.

Garnish with fresh mint, if desired. I chopped some mint and added a sprig. This is really such an easy side dish recipe featuring delicious favors for a perfect salad! What is better than a bowl of fresh fruit at your backyard bbq or brunch table?

How to Serve Fruit Salad

There are so many delicious ways to serve a fresh fruit salad! One of my favorites is to use a colorful fruit salad as a topping. This includes for ice cream or breakfast foods like waffles, yogurt or pancakes like these lemon pancakes featuring Greek yogurt and white whole wheat flour.

Add some whipped cream and you’ve really elevated Belgian waffles to something extra special. This also makes a great filling for homemade chocolate crepes or as a side dish for any holiday breakfast or brunch! Serve it alongside your favorite breakfast foods like Rotel breakfast casserole, strawberry muffins, a bagel breakfast sandwich or homemade apple fritters.

I also love fruit salad in waffle bowls. The variety of colors makes for such a pretty presentation. I filled mini waffle bowls with the tropical fruit salad and then topped each fresh mint.

Serving with waffle bowls is not only extra tasty, but it also makes it easy for guests to grab and go. This is the perfect way to serve in a buffet line. Use it for a brunch, afternoon snack or a healthy dessert option.

Fruit salad is also a wonderful ice cream topping. Pair it with your favorite homemade vanilla ice cream and garnish with fresh mint, chopped nuts or toasted coconut. It is such a colorful and easy dessert in the summer months! Serve it in waffle bowls as shown, or small ice cream dishes.

However you serve it, it is sure to be a hit! This summer fruit salad is so simple and refreshing.

If you want the finest possible flavor, make sure you choose ripe, high-quality fruits. Feel free to play around with other fruit combinations and use what you have on hand.

If you are looking for more light and colorful summer dishes, try this watermelon salad or these shrimp poke bowls.

Additional Toppings:

Top your fruit salad with toasted coconut, chopped roasted nuts, poppy seeds or even mini marshmallows.