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Sweets · Global

Classic Fruit Salad

Watermelon, strawberries and blueberries, tossed in a little lime and honey.

Hands-on
20 min
Total
20 min
Makes
4 cups (about 1 litre)
Serves
4

About 20 minutes of washing and cutting. No cooking and no waiting: serve it straight away or keep it cold.

  • easy
  • vegetarian
  • gluten-free
  • dairy-free
  • no-cook
  • kid-friendly
  • brunch
  • summer

Verified against at least two trusted test kitchens or food-safety guides · Last checked · What this means

Illustration of Classic Fruit Salad
Amount
Units

Ingredients

You need: sharp knife · cutting board · serving bowl · small bowl · spoon · clean produce brush · clean towel or paper towels

Contains: none of the 9 major allergens in the listed ingredients

Method

  1. Wash hands and fruit

    Wash your hands with soap and water. Rinse all the fruit under cold running water, including the watermelon you are about to peel. Scrub the watermelon rind with a clean produce brush, then pat everything dry with a clean towel. Use plain water only, no soap.

    Otto tried this firstOtto skips rinsing the watermelon because "nobody eats the rind". But the knife drags whatever is on the outside straight into the fruit, so peel-on fruit gets washed too.

  2. Cut the fruit

    Cut away any bruised or damaged spots. Dice the watermelon until you have 1 cup (240 ml). Hull and slice the strawberries to make 2 cups (480 ml). Dice 1/2 cup (120 ml) of apple, banana or pear.

  3. Mix gently

    Put the watermelon, strawberries, 1 cup (240 ml) blueberries and the diced fruit in a serving bowl and mix gently so the berries don't bruise.

  4. Dress and toss

    In a small bowl, stir together 2 tsp lime juice and 2 tsp honey until the honey dissolves. Pour it over the fruit and toss gently to coat. Tear a few mint leaves over the top just before serving, if you like.

Swaps

  • Instead of honey (2 tsp): brown sugar, 2 tsp Stir until it dissolves in the lime juice. Use this if a baby under 1 will be eating the salad.
  • Instead of fresh blueberries: frozen blueberries, thawed, same amount
  • Instead of lime-honey dressing: a bigger honey-citrus dressing: whisk honey with fresh lime and orange juice and drizzle it over the fruit One party-size version uses 1/4 cup honey with the juice of 1 lime and 1 orange for a large bowl of mixed fruit. Scale it to your bowl and taste as you go.
  • Instead of lime-honey dressing: a little orange juice, poured over and gently folded in Add it a spoonful at a time and taste.

Make ahead, store & reheat

Storage
Cover leftovers and put them in the fridge within 2 hours (1 hour if it is above 32°C / 90°F). It tastes best freshly made.

If something goes wrong

  • Apple or pear pieces turn brown Why: Cut apple browns in the air.
    Toss the diced apple with a little lemon juice as soon as you cut it.

Good to know

  • One cup is a good serving, so this makes about 4.
  • For a party, top with torn mint and a handful of coarsely chopped pistachios just before serving (pistachios are a tree nut).

Safety

  • Wash all fruit under running water before cutting, even fruit you will peel. Don't use soap, detergent or produce wash: fruit is porous and can absorb them.
  • Knives and a slippery watermelon: kids can rinse berries, mix the bowl and stir the dressing, while an adult does the cutting.
  • Honey is not safe for babies under 1 year old because it can carry the bacteria that cause botulism. Use brown sugar instead if a baby will be eating the salad.
  • Keep cut fruit cold and don't leave it out for more than 2 hours.