Thanksgiving Fruit Salad
This Thanksgiving Fruit Salad is a vibrant, fresh, and festive side dish perfect for holiday gatherings. Featuring a colorful mix of apples, grapes, oranges, dried cranberries, and toasted pecans, it is dressed with a zesty, spiced citrus dressing that beautifully complements the natural sweetness and tartness of the fruit. The salad is easy to prepare and offers a refreshing alternative to heavier holiday sides.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Salad
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
Scale
Fruits
- 2 medium green apples
- 2 medium red apples
- 1 cup grapes
- 3 medium navel oranges
- ¾ cup dried cranberries
Nuts
- 1 cup pecans
Dressing
- 1 medium lemon (juiced)
- ½ cup orange juice
- ¼ cup white sugar
- ¼ tsp apple pie spice
- Zest of 1 lemon
- Zest of 1 orange
Instructions
- Toast pecans: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place pecans on a baking sheet and put them into the oven while it heats. Remove the pecans as soon as you detect their toasted aroma, roughly when the oven reaches full temperature. Let them cool before using.
- Prepare dressing base: In a small saucepan, combine orange juice, white sugar, apple pie spice, lemon zest, and orange zest. Whisk ingredients together until blended.
- Simmer dressing: Place the saucepan over medium heat, bring the mixture to a low boil, and then reduce to a simmer, cooking for 3-4 minutes to meld flavors and slightly thicken the dressing.
- Strain and cool dressing: Pour the dressing through a fine mesh strainer to remove zest and spice bits. Allow the dressing to cool completely.
- Prepare fruit: Core and slice both green and red apples into bite-sized pieces. Toss them immediately with the juice of half a lemon to prevent browning.
- Segment oranges: Peel the navel oranges, removing all white pith, then cut them into bite-sized pieces.
- Combine salad ingredients: In a large bowl, mix the prepared apples, dried cranberries, toasted pecans, grapes, and orange pieces.
- Dress and toss: Drizzle the cooled dressing over the fruit and nut mixture. Toss gently to coat everything evenly. Serve immediately for a fresh, festive fruit salad.
Notes
- To keep apples from browning, toss them in lemon juice immediately after slicing.
- Toasted pecans add a warm, nutty flavor and crunch, but you can substitute with walnuts or almonds if preferred.
- The dressing can be made a day ahead and refrigerated; just whisk before serving.
- This salad is best served fresh but can be refrigerated for up to 24 hours.
- Adjust sugar in the dressing according to the sweetness of your fruit.
Keywords: Thanksgiving, fruit salad, holiday side dish, apples, pecans, citrus dressing, dried cranberries, festive salad
Find it online: https://deliciousdishspot.com/thanksgiving-fruit-salad/
