There are so many ways to dress a fruit salad! You can simply marinade it in its own juices or add other additional juices, use a whipped topping, yogurt whether plain or fruity, Greek yogurt (which has higher protein content), use the same dressings as you would for a garden veggie salad, and others. You can also simply top individual servings with ice cream, sorbet, or sherbet. Fruits may be fresh or drained cans or thawed frozen ones.
There are also many creams and sauces which require a bit of cooking but for this I am only going to focus only those which can be prepared without any cooking involved.
Here is a list of a dozen or so of the dressings I have used and that will be followed by a list of ideas for fruits and other ingredients you can pick and choose from to create your own unique fruit salad:
(Unless otherwise indicated simply stir or whisk together)
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4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayo
1/4 cup sugar or sucralose
1 Tbsp pineapple juice
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4 Tbsp maraschino cherry juice
3 to 3-1/2 cups whipping cream
1 Tbsp vanilla
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If using juicy fruits allow to sit and once the juices have formed can sprinkle with a little bit of vanilla instant pudding mix … about 1 to 2 tablespoons for a 4 to 6 cup fruit salad. You can use more if you prefer. And gently toss or fold until a creamy sauce has formed.
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Whisk citrus juices (i.e. orange, lemon, lime, or those released by the fruits in the salad — may be fresh squeezed, bottled, or unmixed thawed concentrate) in the amount of 1/4 cup along with 1/4 teaspoon cornstarch.
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2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons fresh-squeezed orange juice or unmixed thawed concentrate
1 tsp lime or lemon juice (again this may be fresh squeezed, bottled, or unmixed thawed concentrate)
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1/4 cup each mayo and plain Greek yogurt mixed with 2 to 4 Tbsp unmixed thawed juice concentrate (orange, lemon, lime, apple). May add honey, maple syrup, molasses, sugar, or sucralose to taste if desired but not required.
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Unsweetened applesauce with or without spices added to taste such as cinnamon, clove, allspice, nutmeg, thyme, rosemary
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Puree 1 Tbsp cream cheese, 1/4 cup drained mandarin oranges, 2 pineapple rings and 2 cherries in food processor or blender until smooth — OR (optional: instead of cream cheese –after fruit has been pureed, stir in whipped cream, Greek yogurt, or fruit yogurt)
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Simply toss with Apple Butter or any fruit or berry jam. Or drizzle with a tiny bit of honey or maple syrup with or without any spices or herbs of your choosing.
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Toss sliced apples and/or pears (any amount up to 6 cups) with 1/4 tsp salt and 1 Tbsp honey or brown sugar (or maple syrup, or molasses, or sucralose) and allow to sit for two or more hours; a syrup/sauce will form. Toss or fold in the remaining fruits of choice.
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Puree an avocado with lime juice. Next add and blend in a choice of yogurt, mayo, poppy seed dressing, melted cream cheese, or sour cream until smooth and creamy but thin enough to pour to toss with a fruit salad.
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Salad dressings normally used for a garden salad. My favorite for fruit salads is poppy seed dressing but you can use any others as desired. Or you can make your own from mayo, sour cream, honey mustard, spicy brown mustard, vinegar of choice, canola or olive oils, and you can even add a splash of a favorite liquor.
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Choices/Options for fruit salads, include but are certainly not limited to:
apples, diced (may use with or without peels although recommend keeping the peels on for both color as well as nutrients and fiber)
mandarin oranges
orange slices cut into bite sized pieces
pears
peaches
cherries
berries
mango
watermelon, seedless or seeds removed
honeydew melon
cantaloupe
Christmas melon
grapes
raisins
cranberries or cranberry raisins
kiwi
pineapple
chopped dates
bananas (pre-soak in lemon juice to preventing turning brown; can do this also with pears and apples)
shredded coconut
passion fruit
nuts and seeds (i.e. almond, pecan, walnut, flax, chia, sunflower)
mini marshmallows
bacon bits
celery or caraway seeds
ground black or white pepper or red pepper flakes
sugar or brown sugar, sucralose, maple syrup, honey, molasses (small amounts)
finely chopped celery
finely shredded carrots or zucchini
mayo, salad dressings, yogurt, cream cheese, whipped cream (there are many other creams and sauces which require cooking)
lemon, lime, apple, orange juices or thawed concentrates
applesauce, apple butter, fruit and berry jams
crumbled or shredded cheese (blue cheese, brie, Gouda, Chevre, sharp aged cheddar, goat)
Note: You can also sear some fruits such as pineapple or melons if desired on the BBQ grill before using make fruit salad. If it is a firm enough type of fruit you may be able to sear directly on the grill or you may need to put onto a water soaked wooden skewer first. Don’t over cook but simply get a nice sear and perhaps a little canalization going on the outside which is best accomplished by having the grill or coals really hot before grilling.
Have fun experimenting and building various signature fruit salads to call your own!
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