Who said fruit salads are only for summer? This festive Christmas fruit salad combines popular winter fruit with 2-ingredient lightly sweet and tart syrup. It’s perfect for holidays and potlucks.

christmas fruit salad

Christmas fruit salad is a well-loved, familiar crowd-pleaser at potlucks, parties, and brunch. Just like our summer fruit platter, it combines some of the best seasonal winter fruit with sweet and tart syrup. You taste both the unique flavors of the fruit with hints of honey and lemon from the syrup.

What Fruit is Ripe in December?

The secret to a delicious-tasting fruit salad recipe is to use a combination of sweet and tart in-season winter fruit.

Fruits such as apples and bananas are seemingly always in season and easy to find at just about any grocery store. So feel free to combine them with any of the following fruit:

  • Clementines: sweeter than tangerines and easy to peel.
  • Grapefruit: flavor can range from bittersweet to sour taste.
  • Kiwifruit: the riper the fruit, the sweeter and less tart it is.
  • Pears: different varieties of pears ranging from mild to sweet tasting.
  • Persimmon: known for its sugary sweet taste. Let them ripen at room temperature until they are soft.
  • Pomegranates: sweet and tart, and very festive looking.
  • Satsuma oranges: sweet, juicy, seedless, and the easiest variety to peel.
  • Tangerines: a variety of mandarins, known for their sweet flavor and soft, easy-to-peel skins.
ingredients for winter fruit salad

How to Make Christmas Fruit Salad

Instructions for making this winter fruit salad are almost too easy!

Prep the fruit: First, wash the fruit. If necessary, remove stems, and pits, and peel the skin. Chop the fruit into bite-size pieces and add to a large bowl.

Make the honey lemon syrup: In a separate bowl, whisk together the honey and lemon juice.

Toss the salad: Pour the syrup over the salad and toss it all together. Serve immediately. If desired, garnish with fresh mint leaves.

winter fruit in a bowl

Tips for Making Fruit Salad Better

  • Always seasonal. Use seasonal ripe fresh fruit. It will taste the best.
  • No pre-chopped fruit. Avoid using pre-chopped fruit from the supermarket. It’s not always fresh!
  • Variety of color and texture. Mix fruit of different colors and textures.
  • Sweet and tart. Use a variety of sweet and tart fruit.
  • Chop the same. Chop the fruit into similar size pieces.
  • Clean the fruit. Remove stems, pits, and skin when necessary.
  • Avoid frozen fruit. Do not use frozen fruit as it will turn mushy as soon as it thaws.
honey lemon syrup with fruit

How Long Will Fruit Salad Last in the Fridge?

Fruit salad is best enjoyed immediately or on the same day that it is made.

If you plan to save leftover fruit salad, transfer the fruit salad to the refrigerator as quickly as possible after cutting and mixing the fruit. It will last for 3-4 days before becoming too soft.

christmas fruit salad recipe
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Winter Fruit Salad with Honey Lemon Syrup - healthy, festive and vibrant winter fruit salad with simple 2 ingredient honey syrup. Healthy Thanksgiving fruit | littlebroken.com @littlebroken

Christmas Fruit Salad

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  • Author: Katya
  • Prep Time: 15 mins
  • Total Time: 15 mins
  • Yield: 1012 1x
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Chop
  • Cuisine: American

Description

Who said fruit salads are only for summer? This festive Christmas fruit salad combines popular winter fruit with 2-ingredient lightly sweet and tart syrup. It’s perfect for holidays and potlucks.


Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 1 1/2 cup pomegranate arils (from about 1 large pomegranate)
  • 2 Asian pears, seeded and chopped
  • 3 persimmons, chopped
  • 4 mandarin oranges, peeled and segmented
  • 1 large Honeycrisp apple, seeded and chopped

Syrup

  • 1 Tbsp. liquid honey, plus extra for drizzling
  • 12 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

To Serve, optional


Instructions

  1. In a large bowl, combine all the fruit together.
  2. Whisk together the honey and lemon juice and pour the syrup over the fruit salad. Gently toss to combine. This salad is meant to be lightly sweet and tart. If desired, drizzle with additional honey and garnish with fresh mint leaves. Serve immediately.

Notes

  • Leftovers: Fruit salad is best served immediately. Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for a few days in a sealed container. Or transfer the fruit into single-serving Ziploc bags and freeze for later to use in smoothies.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size:
  • Calories: 101
  • Sugar: 17.6 g
  • Sodium: 2.7 mg
  • Fat: 0.7 g
  • Carbohydrates: 25.3 g
  • Protein: 1.3 g
  • Cholesterol: 0 mg