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    Home Ā» Ingredient Ā» Fruit

    Published: Feb 19, 2023 Ā· Modified: Dec 15, 2024 by Genevieve Ā· This post may contain affiliate links.

    Thanksgiving Fruit Salad Recipe

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    Closeup of fruit salad with the words Thanksgiving Fruit Salad and the URL www.twocloveskitchen.com.
    Closeup of fruit salad with the words Thanksgiving Fruit Salad and the URL www.twocloveskitchen.com.
    Closeup of fruit salad with the words Thanksgiving Fruit Salad and the URL www.twocloveskitchen.com.
    Closeup of fruit salad with the words Thanksgiving Fruit Salad and the URL www.twocloveskitchen.com.
    Closeup of fruit salad with the words Thanksgiving Fruit Salad and the URL www.twocloveskitchen.com.
    Closeup of fruit salad with the words Thanksgiving Fruit Salad and the URL www.twocloveskitchen.com.
    Closeup of fruit salad with the words Thanksgiving Fruit Salad and the URL www.twocloveskitchen.com.

    This delicious Thanksgiving fruit salad features apples, pears, grapes, oranges, and pecans tossed in a light honey and holiday spice dressing. This sweet and refreshing fall fruit salad is a wonderful side dish for the traditionally heavy Thanksgiving dinner.

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    A bowl of Thanksgiving fruit salad with apples, pears, grapes, oranges and pecans is shown next to gold serving utensils and a red linen.

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    Jump to:
    • Why You'll Love This Dish
    • What You'll Need
    • How to Make Easy Thanksgiving Fruit Salad
    • Variations
    • How to Store
    • FAQ
    • How to Serve
    • Expert Tips
    • Other Recipes You'll Love
    • šŸ“– Recipe
    • šŸ’¬ Comments

    Why You'll Love This Dish

    Most Thanksgiving recipes are fairly rich. While I love turkey and potatoes and rolls, why not add some colorful fruit to your table, too?

    Made with fresh seasonal fall fruits, this Thanksgiving fruit salad recipe with an apple pie spice and honey dressing is a light and healthy addition to your holiday table. 

    You can make this salad in about 10 minutes and it's ready to serve! It can also be made ahead of time so when you're short of time on Thanksgiving day, you won't have to worry about this one. Plus, kids love fruit. Make this one for the kiddos. 

    This dish works as a side dish or dessert. It's my favorite way to add a mix of seasonal fruit to your holiday meal.

    The labeled ingredients for Thanksgiving fruit salad sit on a white marble counter.
    Labeled pecan halves in a measuring cup.

    What You'll Need

    Two Cloves Kitchen, as an Amazon Affiliate, makes a small percentage from qualified sales made through affiliate links at no cost to you.

    • Apples Honeycrisp apples are a personal favorite, but other varieties like Gala, Fuji, Pink Lady, and others great options.
    • Pears I've made this with Bosc and D'Anjou pears, both of which were lovely.
    • Grapes Red and green grapes are both nice.
    • Oranges I used Navel oranges both segmented and as the juice for the dressing.
    • Honey
    • Pecans I like to use pecan halves here.
    • Apple Pie Spice This is also nice with pumpkin pie spice, but my overall preference is apple pie spice.
    • Finishing Salt This is optional but so good. Maldon is my favorite variety of finishing sea salt. 

    How to Make Easy Thanksgiving Fruit Salad

    Sliced pears on a white cutting board.

    Step One Slice the pears.

    Sliced pears are chopped into bite-sized pieces.

    Step Two Cut into bite-sized pieces.

    Sliced apples on a white cutting board.

    Step Three Slice the apples.

    Sliced apples are chopped into bite-sized pieces.

    Step Four: Cut into bite-sized pieces.

    The peel is cut away from an orange.

    Step Five Slice the peel away from the orange.

    Orange segments on a white cutting board.

    Step Six Cut the orange into segments. Cut into smaller bite-sized pieces if needed.

    Honey, orange juice, and apple pie spice are mixed in a measuring cup.

    Step Seven Mix together the dressing.

    A Thanksgiving fruit salad it dressed with honey, apple pie spice, and orange juice.

    Step Eight Add the fruit and pecans to a large bowl, drizzle with dressing, mix, sprinkle with salt, and serve.

    Variations

    • You can try walnuts in place of the pecans here.
    • Try mandarin oranges in place of navel oranges.
    • Add some dried cranberries, pomegranate seeds, or cherry for a pop of flavor and color.
    • Add a squeeze of lemon juice for a more tart citrus dressing.
    • Swap the honey for brown sugar for a sweeter dressing, or top with whipped cream.

    How to Store

    Fridge Fruit salads typically taste best when eaten within 3 days, but will be OK to eat up to 5 days later. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

    Freezer I do not recommend freezing this dish.

    A closeup of Thanksgiving Fruit Salad with grapes, pears, apples, oranges, and pecans.

    FAQ

    What fruit is served at Thanksgiving?

    Fall fruits are wonderful with Thanksgiving dinner - apples, grapes, and pears are great choices. While oranges are more of a winter crop, the citrus note they add to the salad is a welcome addition. 

    How do you keep fruit salad from turning brown?

    Adding citrus juice to fruits will prevent them from browning, Just a bit of lemon juice on the cut portions of apples and pears will keep them from turning brown.

    Can you make this fruit salad for a crowd?

    Of course! Just double (or triple, or more!) your fruit and dressing ingredients to make this recipe for more guests. Likewise, you can make a smaller batch by only using half of the fruit and dressing recommended.

    How to Serve

    This fruit salad is great with traditional Thanksgiving dishes. 

    Try a roast turkey or Christmas Roast Chicken, with delicious mashed potatoes, a helping of Garlicky Sautéed Cruciferous Crunch, and some sage and bacon stuffing with a side of fluffy biscuits!

    You can also serve this up as a side for breakfast. Try it alongside a Turkey Egg and Cheese Sandwich, Eggs Florentine, or some spicy Chili Eggs.

    Expert Tips

    • You can make this salad a few hours ahead of time. To prevent the apples and pears from browning, you can brush them with a bit of lemon juice. 
    • If you're not sure your oranges have enough juice to produce a ½ cup, have extra oranges or a carton of orange juice on hand.
    • This salad is best kept refrigerated prior to serving. 

    Other Recipes You'll Love

    In the mood for more fruit? Try these!

    Breakfast Fruit Salad

    Air Fryer Baked Apples

    Air Fryer Pears

    Peach Cobbler Nachos

    šŸ“– Recipe

    A closeup of Thanksgiving Fruit Salad with grapes, pears, apples, oranges, and pecans.

    Thanksgiving Fruit Salad Recipe

    This delicious Thanksgiving Fruit Salad features apples, pears, grapes, oranges, and pecans tossed in a light honey and holiday spice dressing. This sweet and refreshing fall fruit salad is a perfect side dish for the traditionally heavy Thanksgiving dinner.
    5 from 50 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Dessert, Fruit, Side Dish
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Servings: 8 servings
    Calories: 166kcal
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Equipment

    • Large Bowl
    • Kitchen Knife

    Ingredients

    Fruit Salad

    • 2 medium apples Honeycrisp, Pink Lady, or other sweet and tart variety
    • 2 medium pears Bosc or D'Anjou
    • 1 navel orange
    • ½ bunch grapes
    • 1 cup pecan halves
    • finishing salt like Maldon sea salt flakes, to taste

    Dressing

    • ½ cup orange juice from 1 navel orange
    • 1 teaspoon apple pie spice
    • 1 tablespoon honey

    Instructions

    • Chop the fruit into bite-sized pieces. Add the fresh fruit to a large bowl. Grapes can be left whole or sliced in half.
    • Create the dressing, Add the orange juice, apple pie seasoning, and honey to a container and thoroughly combine.
    • Drizzle the dressing over the fruit salad, mix well, sprinkle with finishing salt, and serve.

    Notes

    General
    1. You can make this salad a few hours ahead of time. To prevent the apples and pears from browning, you can brush them with a bit of lemon juice. 
    2. If you're not sure your oranges have enough juice to produce a ½ cup, have extra oranges or a carton of orange juice on hand.
    3. This salad is best kept refrigerated prior to serving. 
    Storage
    1. Fridge This salad is best when eaten within 3 days, but will be OK to eat up to 5 days later. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
    2. Freezer I do not recommend freezing this dish.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 166kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Sodium: 2mg | Potassium: 232mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 16g | Vitamin A: 124IU | Vitamin C: 23mg | Calcium: 31mg | Iron: 1mg

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Delia says

      November 14, 2024 at 1:41 pm

      5 stars
      I brought this to a TG potluck and got many compliments.
      Delicious!!!

      Reply
    2. Jenn says

      March 01, 2023 at 5:11 am

      5 stars
      Loved this! Forget Thanksgiving, I want this salad all year long! I loved the toasted pecans in it. Yum!

      Reply
      • Genevieve says

        March 05, 2023 at 5:11 pm

        Haha, me too! Thanks so much, Jenn!

        Reply
    3. Kris says

      February 23, 2023 at 4:40 pm

      5 stars
      This was truly the best fruit salad we've ever had! The spices and honey really made it for us. Already can't wait to make it again!

      Reply
      • Genevieve says

        March 05, 2023 at 5:14 pm

        That's so good to hear! Thank you, Kris!

        Reply
    4. Ksenia says

      February 23, 2023 at 10:54 am

      5 stars
      The bursts of flavor from the grapes were lovely, and I appreciated how they went with the pecans. A very unique and delicious salad.

      Reply
      • Genevieve says

        March 05, 2023 at 5:15 pm

        Thanks so much, Ksenia!

        Reply
    5. Shilpa says

      February 22, 2023 at 10:20 pm

      5 stars
      This is a lovely fruit salad and is so good.

      Reply
      • Genevieve says

        March 05, 2023 at 5:15 pm

        I'm glad you enjoyed it! Thank you.

        Reply
    6. Sue says

      February 22, 2023 at 11:24 am

      5 stars
      This fruit salad really is the perfect way to lighten up the Thanksgiving menu. Delicious!

      Reply
      • Genevieve says

        March 05, 2023 at 5:15 pm

        Thanks Sue!

        Reply
    5 from 50 votes (44 ratings without comment)

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