Fresh Fall Fruit Salad
This colorful fall fruit salad is full of fresh flavors and seasonal favorites like apples, grapes, blueberries, and pomegranate seeds. Tossed in a light cinnamon-orange dressing and topped with maple pecans, it’s the perfect festive side dish for Thanksgiving, holiday parties, or cozy autumn dinners.
If you need more fall salad ideas, try this easy, crowd-pleasing autumn salad, this spinach salad with beets and feta, this fall salad with apple cider vinaigrette, and this fall harvest salad with sweet potatoes.
Recipe Ingredients: Autumn Fruit Salad
For the dressing:
For the salad:
Ingredient Notes & Substitutions
Apples: I like to go for the sweet and savory balance, so I use one sweet apple and one tart apple such as Granny Smith.
Candied nuts: The sweet nuts are key and just make this salad so festive! Candied pecans and walnuts are my favorites, but any candied nuts are fine!
Orange juice: Freshly squeezed or store-bought. Either works just fine for the light “dressing” on this fresh autumn salad.
Seasonal fruit: This recipe is flexible! Swap in pears, persimmons, different types of apples, or dried cranberries depending on what looks good at the grocery store or what you have on hand. You can also try this winter fruit salad!
Expert Tips
- Cutting the orange: I typically just peel the orange, divide it into sections and cut into small piece. However, you can slice it and cut it into pretty segments, too. Check this out for 4 ways to cut an orange.
- Make it ahead (with a tweak): You can prep everything except the apples and pecans a few hours in advance. Add those just before serving for the best texture.
- Storage: You can store leftovers in an airtight container for about 2-3 days. Add a bit more orange juice or a squeeze of lemon to keep the apples from browning.
How to serve
Holiday side dish: This colorful fruit salad makes a light and refreshing contrast to heavier holiday dishes.
Individual parfaits: Layer the fruit salad with vanilla yogurt or homemade cinnamon whipped cream in small cups or jars for a pretty, single-serve dessert. Sprinkle extra maple pecans on top for crunch.
Brunch platter: Serve this fruit salad on a festive platter for a beautiful centerpiece at a fall or holiday brunch. It pairs well with pastries, muffins, and yogurt.
Did you try this recipe?
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Thank you! ~ Casey
Fresh Fall Fruit Salad
Ingredients
For the dressing
- 1/2 cup orange juice freshly squeezed or store bought are both fine
- 2 tbsp. honey
- 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
For the fall fruit salad
- 2 cups red grapes, halved
- 1 orange, peeled, sectioned, and cut into 1" pieces tips for cutting an orange
- 1 cup blueberries
- 1 red apple
- 1 green apple (Granny Smith)
- 1/2 cup pomegranate seeds
- 1 cup candied pecans
Instructions
- Make the dressing: In a large bowl mix the orange juice, honey, and cinnamon until combined.
- Add fruit and finish: To the same bowl, add the remainder of the ingredients. Use a spatula to toss the fruit salad. Scrape the bowl to get all the juices throughout the salad. Chill for an hour or serve right away!
Notes
Expert tips
- Cutting the orange: I typically just peel the orange, divide it into sections and cut into small piece. However, you can slice it and cut it into pretty segments, too. Check this out for 4 ways to cut an orange.
- Make it ahead (with a tweak): You can prep everything except the apples and pecans a few hours in advance. Add those just before serving for the best texture.
- Storage: You can store leftovers in an airtight container for about 2-3 days. Add a bit more orange juice or a squeeze of lemon to keep the apples from browning.
If you need a lighter side dish for the holidays, this is it!! I hope you love it– it’s super easy to make, too! XO ~ Casey