Fruit salad doesn’t need to be complicated. Here’s an easy combination of strawberries, mangoes, and pineapple.
Fruit salad is one of the easiest to make and one that serves as a family favorite. I rarely have to say, “Finish your fruit salad.” Kids like it; adults do, too.
I’ve had many of a fruit salad in my time. Over the years I’ve developed some decided preferences. For instance, no slimy bananas. If a fruit salad has bananas, I am likely to pass. Bananas just by themselves can get a little sticky. Add them to other fruits and you get a mess. Not to mention that they can turn brown.
One of the distinctives of Monkey Salad is that the other ingredients are dry, keeping the wet factor to a very minimum.
Another thing I’ve learned is that you don’t need a dozen different fruits to make it tasty. I usually shoot for three that have varying textures and flavors. Strawberries, kiwi, and oranges are fabulous together and pack a huge Vita C punch.
Blueberries, cherries, and strawberries go well together, too. Layer them for a pretty presentation as well as a way to reduce the juicy, wet factor. No soggy fruit, please.
Don’t stir until right before serving. And don’t add sugar or honey; that only draws out more juice, making for a very soggy salad. In season fruit should be plenty sweet.
This fruit salad, composed of strawberries, pineapple, and mango is a tasty and cheerful salad to serve for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. It works well for BBQs and potlucks. Any leftovers? Blend them together in a smoothie!
Need help knowing how to handle berries or pineapple? I got you covered. Here’s how to store berries so they don’t turn into fuzz while your back is turned. Check out my tutorial for how to cut a pineapple here. Need the 411 on how to cut a mango? Simply Recipes has that for you.
Recipe: Easy Fruit Salad
Ingredients
- 1 large pineapple, peeled, cored, and cut into chunks
- 2 large red mangoes, cut into small chunks
- 1/2 to 1 pound strawberries, halved
Instructions
- Layer the fruits in the order listed in a large glass bowl or dish.
- Chill, covered, until ready to serve.
- Stir gently right before serving.
Preparation time: 15 minute(s)
Number of servings (yield): 8
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It is nearly impossible to make a tossed or fruit salad around here. One child doesn’t like carrots another won’t eat kiwi, etc. My solution has been to take a cue from restaurants and have a salad or fruit bar. I think the kids eat more fruits and vegetable when they get to make their own selections. Up side for me, any leftovers are easy to deal with since they are single ingredients. My favorite fruit salad combination is grapefruit slices, oranges, and grapes.
@Janet, that’s a great strategy. Do you have a special container with dividers or do you do separate bowls?
@Jessica, We use separate bowls. We have a lazy susan on the table, which is our “salad or fruit bar.” We have one or the other will nearly every dinner. We use the same strategy for loaded baked potatoes
Not a fan of bananas or apples in my fruit salads, though my MIL makes a delicious apple, pineapple and cherry salad that I do eat. Clearly she has come to know my issues, so she dices the apples very small :)…my favorite is strawberry, pineapple, orange and grapes…though almost any combination I will eat!