Fruit Salad

Taste the dressing before tossing it with the fruit, and adjust the maple syrup up or down — how much sweetness you need depends entirely on how ripe and sweet your fruit already is.

Notes: The lime juice and zest are the secret to a fruit salad that tastes like more than just a bowl of cut fruit. Acid brightens every flavor and the zest adds a fragrant citrus note that lifts the whole thing. The maple syrup is optional — if your fruit is very ripe and sweet, you may not need any at all. Add it gradually and taste as you go. Use the ripest fruit you can find — a fruit salad made with underripe fruit is deeply disappointing. The softest, most fragrant fruit will always win over the firmer, prettier-looking kind.

Tips: Cut denser fruits (mango, pineapple, kiwi) into slightly smaller pieces than softer fruits (berries, grapes) so everything eats at roughly the same rate and texture. Add the most delicate fruits — raspberries, blackberries — last and fold in gently. The 5–10 minute resting time is worth it — the lime and maple draw out the natural juices and create a light, fragrant dressing at the bottom of the bowl that gets better with every spoonful. Add the mint at the very last moment — it wilts and blackens quickly once dressed.

Make Ahead: Prep all fruit and store undressed in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 24 hours. Make the dressing separately. Combine and dress within 30 minutes of serving for the best texture. Dressed fruit salad is best eaten within 2–3 hours — after that, the softer fruits break down and release too much liquid.

Storage: Store undressed fruit in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. Once dressed, best eaten within 3–4 hours. The salad will become increasingly juicy and the softer fruits will soften further — this isn’t unpleasant, just different in texture. Not suitable for freezing.

Swaps: Use any seasonal fruit combination — peaches, nectarines, cherries, watermelon, papaya, dragon fruit, or pomegranate seeds all work beautifully. Swap lime for lemon or orange juice for a different citrus note. Replace maple syrup with date syrup, agave, or a little orange juice concentrate. Add 1 tbsp of fresh ginger, finely grated, to the dressing for a warming spiced version. Swap mint for fresh basil for a more unusual, aromatic finish. For a tropical version, use mango, pineapple, papaya, passionfruit, and coconut flakes with a lime-coconut dressing.

Strawberries are the anchor of the salad — sweet, bright red, and visually striking. They also release the most juice once dressed, contributing to the natural syrup that forms at the bottom of the bowl.

Mango adds tropical sweetness and a buttery, dense texture that contrasts beautifully with the lighter berries. Use a ripe mango — an underripe one will be sour and fibrous.

Kiwi brings a tart, refreshing bite and a pop of bright green color. It also contains actinidin, an enzyme that tenderizes surrounding fruit slightly — another reason not to dress the salad too far ahead.

Pineapple provides juicy, fibrous chunks that hold their shape well and add a tropical note. Fresh pineapple is best; canned in juice (not syrup) works fine.

Blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries add color contrast, antioxidants, and a balance of sweetness and tartness. Add them last and fold gently — they crush easily and will bleed color into the whole salad if overhandled.

Lime juice and zest are the secret to a fruit salad that tastes like more than just a bowl of cut fruit. Acid brightens every flavor and the zest adds a fragrant citrus note that lifts the whole thing.

Maple syrup or agave is optional — if your fruit is very ripe and sweet you may not need any at all. Add it gradually and taste as you go.

Fresh mint added at the very last moment gives a cooling, aromatic finish. It wilts and blackens quickly once dressed, so never add it early.