Bring brightness and sunshine to your plate with this sweet Tropical Fruit Salad that will make you feel like you’re dining in the tropics.
When fresh fruit is in season, it’s time to enjoy fruit-forward recipes. Try variations like Stone Fruit Salad with Fried Goat Cheese, Blueberry Cobbler, Fruit Pizza, or Strawberry Bread for more ways to celebrate seasonal fruit.
This Tropical Fruit Salad has become a favorite at dinnertime—simple, colorful, and full of fresh flavor. A light dressing of honey and lime with a hint of cinnamon lifts the fruit, and sweet shredded coconut finishes the salad with a tropical note. The recipe is flexible: use the fruits you love or whatever you have on hand, whether all fresh or with a few canned items in a pinch.
Serve it as a bright side dish, a light dessert, or a cheerful addition to brunch. It’s easy to assemble in minutes, and the vibrant mix of textures and flavors makes it a crowd-pleaser for warm-weather meals, potlucks, and family dinners.
Ingredients
Dressing: For the dressing you’ll need the juice of one lime, honey, and a pinch of cinnamon. The cinnamon is optional but adds a gentle warmth that complements the fruit. Finish the salad with shredded coconut — sweetened or unsweetened depending on your preference — to reinforce those tropical flavors.
Fruit: A suggested mix includes chopped pineapple, sliced strawberries, clementine segments, peeled and sliced kiwifruit, diced mango, and sliced banana. Aim for roughly 5–6 cups total fruit. Canned mandarins or canned pineapple can be used if fresh fruit is not available, but fresh delivers the best texture and flavor.
How to Make Tropical Fruit Salad
Step 1: In a large bowl, whisk together the lime juice, honey, and cinnamon until smooth. Making the dressing in the serving bowl cuts down on dishes and lets you toss the fruit directly into the dressing.
Step 2: Add the prepared fruit and the shredded coconut to the bowl. Gently fold the ingredients together until everything is lightly coated. Serve immediately for the freshest texture and brightest color.
Tips and Tricks
This salad is best served right away. Bananas and some other fruits will begin to brown and soften over time, which can change the appearance and texture. If you need to prepare parts of the salad ahead of time, chop and refrigerate the firmer fruit (pineapple, mango, kiwi, strawberries) and slice bananas just before serving.
Use about 5–6 cups total fruit for the proportions shown here. Feel free to swap or add fruits: papaya, grapes, blueberries, or peaches are all excellent alternates. If your fruit is very ripe and soft, mix gently and serve quickly to avoid turning the mixture into mush.
For variations, try adding fresh mint leaves for brightness or a splash of orange juice along with the lime for a different citrus balance. To make it more substantial as a breakfast or light meal, stir in a scoop of plain yogurt or a handful of granola just before serving.
More Sweet Salads
Crown Ruby Fruit Salad
Snickers Salad
Cranberry Salad
Apple Pomegranate Salad
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Tropical Fruit Salad
Ingredients
- Juice of 1 lime (about 1 tablespoon)
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
- 1 cup chopped pineapple
- 1 cup sliced strawberries
- 2–3 kiwis, peeled and sliced (about 1 cup)
- 2 clementines, peeled and segmented
- 1 mango, peeled and diced (about 3/4 cup)
- 1 banana, sliced
- 1/4 cup shredded sweetened or unsweetened coconut
Instructions
- Place the lime juice, honey, and cinnamon in a large bowl and whisk until combined.
- Add the pineapple, strawberries, kiwis, clementines, mango, banana, and coconut. Mix gently to combine, taking care not to mash softer fruit.
- Serve right away, or refrigerate until ready to serve. Top with additional coconut if desired.
Recipe Notes
This salad is best served immediately. Bananas will brown over time, so add them just before serving if preparing ahead. Use about 5–6 cups total fruit, and choose fruits that are ripe but still firm for best texture. Nutrition information is an estimate and should be used as a general guide.
Nutrition Information
Serving: 1 serving — Calories: 95 kcal, Carbohydrates: 22 g, Protein: 1 g, Fat: 1 g, Fiber: 3 g, Sugar: 17 g. These values are estimates and can vary by ingredient brands and portion sizes.