Easy fruit salad with orange honey dressing is an amazingly refreshing and satisfying dessert. A variety of fruit flavors and textures with loads of orange juice is an experience you are sure to love.

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Delicious and Easy Fruit Salad

This delightful fruit salad recipe draws inspiration from a fantastic treat I had at a Moroccan family's home. A blend of various fruits is generously bathed in orange juice sweetened with sugar – and I mean lots of orange juice, just like you see in the pictures.

What sets this salad apart is the abundance of orange juice. There's something incredibly refreshing about enjoying the crisp and tender fruit bites, all spooned with a generous amount of orange juice sauce. It's a departure from the usual plain fruit or lightly dressed options.

This salad is not only satisfying but also offers a delightful dessert experience, all while remaining relatively light. The mix of fruits, the flavorful dressing, and the infusion over several hours create an easy dessert that's sure to please your family and friends.

Moroccans have a genuine love for oranges, featuring fresh orange juice as a breakfast staple and the fragrance of orange blossom permeating the air everywhere. If you're in the mood for a savory salad, consider this Moroccan-style orange salad recipe – a perfect choice!

Variety of fruits with a citrus honey dressing.

Recipe Ingredients and Substitutes

You only need a few easily available ingredients to make this refreshingly dessert.

Orange Juice: Use fresh squeezed juice if you can. I use juice with the pulp. You need to use plenty of orange juice. That is the key to this fruit salad’s taste. You can try pineapple or apple juice, if you don’t like orange juice, but add a dash of lime or lemon juice with it.
Orange Zest: Be sure to use the zest from organic oranges. Add a small amount and scale it up if you need more.
Honey: This makes the dressing a bit thicker and adds a floral flavor. You may try maple syrup too, for a vegan version.
Fresh Fruit:
- Use seasonal fruit with a variety of colors, textures and flavors. Try to use at least 6 kinds of fruit or more.
- Choose fresh and firm berries, crisp apples, bananas that aren’t overripe, ripe but firm kiwis and cantaloupe, firm and sweet grapes and mangoes. Make sure there are no soft or dark spots and mold on the fruit.
- I mostly prefer fresh fruit. Pineapple and mandarin oranges are exceptions; they can be canned, but be sure to thoroughly drain them before adding to the salad.
- Pomegranate arils add a nice crunch and pop of color.
- Check the following article for more on how to select fruit.

Fruits cut in bite size and served with dressing.

How To Make Easy Fruit Salad

**Here's an overview of the step-by-step process. For the complete recipe, please refer to the end of this blog post.

Make Dressing: Zest an orange, mix with orange juice and honey. For a thicker sauce, combine the ingredients and simmer on medium heat for 2-3 minutes. Cool before use.
Prep Fruit: Peel and cut all fruit into bite-sized pieces, ensuring uniform size. Halve large grapes. Drain juice from canned pineapple. Cut bananas and apples just before adding to the salad, or they may discolor. Avoid frozen fruit, as it may be too soft for this recipe.
Make Salad: Add fruits like cantaloupe, pineapple, kiwis and apples to the dressing, tossing them. Then add soft fruits like bananas gently, or they may become mushy. If using watery fruits like watermelon, add them towards the end. Before serving, top the salad with color-releasing fruits like raspberries and incorporate carefully.
Refrigerate and Serve: This salad tastes best after letting the flavors meld together. So let it rest overnight (or at least 2 to 3 hours) in the refrigerator before serving. But don’t let it go beyond that or it will lose its beautiful appearance. Top with mint leaves if you like.

How To Meal Prep and Store

Make Ahead: Purchase fresh fruit for the salad and select them at their optimal ripeness. Rinse, drain, and refrigerate the fruits the day before preparing the salad. While cutting fruit is quick, for larger quantities, you can prep firm fruits in advance as they do not discolor.
Storage: This fruit dessert keeps well in an airtight container in the refrigerator for a couple of days. Be aware that over time, some fruits may soften, and colors may seep into the sauce, potentially affecting its appearance. Leftovers can be frozen and used only for other recipes. Because, frozen fruit will lose their texture while freezing.

Assorted fruits with honey citrus dressing.

Is Fruit Salad Healthy?

This is a gluten free, vegetarian, egg free, dairy free, soy free, nut free and grain free dessert. And is a pretty nutritious and healthy dessert.
Fruits are a great source of vitamins, minerals, fiber and phytochemicals. They provide a variety of powerful antioxidants. Regular consumption of fruits has been associated with a lower risk of heart disease, inflammation, cancer, diabetes and such.
Be sure to choose a variety of colors when it comes to fruit. Eating plenty of fruit is a delicious way to improve and maintain good health. It is always good to have some light choices such as this salad and our dark chocolate orange slices.

More Fruit Based Treats

Mango Gelato
Peach Smoothie Recipes (4 Ways)
Melon Popsicles With Rose Water
Mango Popsicle (With Creamy Filling)

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