This Simple Summer Time Fruit Salad is fresh, tangy, and vibrant. I love this as a side or dessert to any meal or a fresh snack on it’s own.

Fresh fruit salad is a sign that seasons are changing and summer is on it’s way. I love how juicy and sweet the strawberries are and the blueberries actually taste like blueberries! That’s one reason I love to make this quick and easy fruit salad.
Because of the red, white, and blue-ness of this salad, it makes a great patriot meal to bring to your Memorial Day or 4th of July celebrations. It’s always a crowd pleaser, takes no time at all to whip up, and is a pretty healthy option among all the bags of chips and charred weenies.
What does fruit salad contain?
Really, you can choose any combination of your favorite fruits, but I love to use berries and bananas the most. Eating seasonally is a “thing” for a reason – it’s because produce is at it’s best flavor when it’s in season. The strawberries are going to be sweet and red all the way through, the blueberries will pop when you bite down on them, but won’t be sour or squishy. For this reason, check out which fruits are in season and mix and match until you find what works for you.
Sometimes I like to add kiwis to my fruit salad. The green ones are nice and give a great pop of color, but have you ever tried golden kiwis?? Game changer! If you ever see these bad boys, scoop up a couple packages and be sure to come back here and thank me. They’re a little sweeter than their green counterpart and so, so good! (I usually find the golden kiwis at WalMart of all places, so check next time you’re there.)
Grapes are also a nice choice, especially if you’re making this ahead of time because they keep their shape and don’t get mushy. Anytime I use grapes in my fruit salad, I cut them in half, that way they’re easier to eat and they get to soak up some of the tangy dressing.
Is mixed fruit salad healthy?
Yes and yes! Not only is this entire recipe (minus the honey and marshmallows) made completely with just fresh produce, it’s a great way to get more servings of fruits in your diet. I mix up this simple and easy fruit salad all the time as a bedtime snack for my daughter and she always asks for seconds. And I don’t blame her!
Sometimes I know I should eat more fruit, but I just don’t feel like eating a handful of blueberries or a plain banana. But make it into a healthy fruit salad and I’ll ask for seconds too! There’s something about the sweet and tangy dressing (and probably the pops of marshmallows) that make eating more fruit very appealing, to kids and adults too!
I love to serve this at breakfast time with My Favorite Banana Bread, some Cinnamon Chip Sourdough toast, or even my Gluten Free Apple Fritters.




What is fruit salad dressing made of?
Here’s my super simple secret for making the best fruit salad dressing, you ready?
– Fresh squeezed lime juice
– Fresh squeezed mandarin orange juice
– Honey
That’s it! I’ll put my go-to ratio in the recipe card, but feel free to play around with the sweet and tart levels depending on your fruit flavor and preferences. I like mine with a little bite to it, so I’m generous with the lime.
The key here is to use fresh fruit. Don’t use the little squeezy green bottle or a splash of OJ from the fridge, pick up some of the fresh stuff and listen to your tastebuds sing.
Why does fresh fruit matter?
Can we pause the program for a quick sec and talk about why ingredients matter? Yes? Ok thanks. Here we go!
My general rule of thumb is to buy the highest quality produce and protein that you can comfortably afford and here’s why. When you take the time to pick out the best looking apples with few to no bruises, or the blackberries with the largest drupelets (yes, I Googled what they’re called), the result is a better tasting individual component to your dish. Just like when you pay attention to the marbling in your ribeye or select grass fed/organic over conventional, the individual ingredients just taste better.
As a natural result to those intentional selections, as you build up your dish with these delicious ingredients, of course your dish is going to taste delicious as well. So really, making a good-tasting dish starts way before you open the fridge and pull out your produce. It starts at the supermarket, farmer’s market, deli, butcher, or wherever else you make your selections.
In my opinion, the best dishes are the simple ones, with high quality, fresh ingredients that are prepared with respect and gratitude for the creation they are. (End scene.)
How do you make simple fruit salad?
- Like I mentioned above, produce selection matters in such a simple salad as this. So start by carefully selecting the berries, citrus, and bananas. Look for fresh produce with few blemishes. Smell the produce. Do the strawberries actually smell like strawberries? Or do they more resemble a dirt-like smell. Grab the limes that aren’t hard as a rock and have a pleasant lime-y fragrance when you squeeze them.
- Wash and dry all the produce. I like to give everything a nice bath in cool water with vinegar and a splash of Branch Basics concentrate as soon as I bring everything home from the store. I soak them for about 20 minutes or so, rinse and let dry.
- Slice up the strawberries and bananas and add them to a bowl along with the blueberries and mini marshmallows.
- In a separate bowl, combine the honey and juice from the limes and mandarin oranges.
- Add the dressing to the fruit and stir to combine.
FAQ
Can I make this recipe ahead of time?
– Yes! You can make this salad up to a day ahead of time, but I would wait to add the bananas until you’re ready to serve.
Can I use different fruit in my salad?
– Please do! I love this quick and easy combination of berries and bananas, but half the fun of being in the kitchen is experimenting with new foods and tweaking a recipe to make it your own. So go ahead, try adding a pear or blackberries and see what works for you!
Why marshmallows?
– Short answer, because my mama did.
If you make this recipe and love it, I would love if you gave it 5 stars! Tag me on Instagram
@leedsstreetcollective with your delicious creation.
Thanks so much for checking out the Collective!
– Sarah


Simple Summer Time Fruit Salad
This Simple Summer Time Fruit Salad is fresh, tangy, and vibrant. I love this as a side or dessert to any meal or a fresh snack on it's own.
Ingredients
- 2 cups strawberries
- 1 cup blueberries
- 2 bananas
- 3/4 cup mini marshmallows
- 1 lime, juiced
- 2 mandarin oranges, juiced
- 2 tablespoons honey
Instructions
- Wash and dry all the produce.
- Slice up the strawberries and bananas and add them to a bowl along with the blueberries and mini marshmallows.
- In a separate bowl, combine the honey and juice from the limes and mandarin oranges.
- Add the dressing to the fruit and stir to combine.
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