This creamy fruit salad is a fabulous way to enjoy nature’s sweet offerings. It’s perfect for gatherings, barbecues, or Sunday supper! Not only is this salad delicious, but it’s also packed with vitamins, antioxidants, and fiber.
If you want your kids to eat their five servings, this salad will make that objective easy! My family adores fresh fruit and generally eats a few servings every day, but this salad makes them want to eat a bucket of fruit! Skip dessert and eat your fruit instead!
Our recipe is loaded with your favorite vine-ripened fruit and tossed with a homemade lemon cream cheese dressing. We gild the lily a bit by adding tossed coconut and pecans. Both of these additions add great complementary flavor and some crunchy texture. This recipe makes a really substantial amount. Feel free to cut it in half if you’re serving the family or a smaller group.
The dressing will be really thick. When it’s added to the fruit, it will thin out quickly. It’s essential that the fruit is dried thoroughly after washing. Because some of the fruit in this salad is cut, it will naturally release juices, thinning out the dressing.
As the salad sits, more juices will release. This happens with all fruit salad recipes. While the consistency of this luscious dressing is unusual, I promise it will make the most amazing fruit salad you’ve ever had!
With its vibrant colors and creamy texture, this salad is sure to be a crowd-pleaser at any gathering. Give it a try at your next family barbecue or summer potluck, and watch it disappear!
“Love Fruit Salads? I hope you’ll try our reader favorites: grape salad, pineapple fluff, 5-cup salad (my Mama’s favorite, too!), and ambrosia salad next!
Best Fruit For This Fruit Salad?
The best fruits for this salad are those you enjoy the most. I love the combo on the recipe card, obviously! It’s imperative to use ripe but not overripe fruit.
After washing the fruit, lay it out on clean kitchen towels or layers of paper towels to dry it well. After cutting the strawberries and grapes, I lay them out on towels to absorb the excessive fruit juice. After the apples are cut and then soaked, I do the same with them.
The mandarin oranges tend to weep the most, so if the dressing thining out bothers you, you might want to skip them.
One fruit I see in other recipes that I always skip is bananas! I love bananas, but they tend to get mushy in a salad, which kind of grosses me out. Feel free to add them if you don’t have the same problem!
Creamy Fruit Salad Ingredients
- Cream Cheese: Regular, full-fat cream cheese. It’s essential for this to be at room temperature.
- Sugar: Granulated sugar, a.k.a. table sugar.
- Vanilla: Use real vanilla extract, not imitation.
- Lemon: I use fresh lemon juice and zest in our dressing, as well as a quick soak for the apples.
- Cream: Heavy cream.
- Apples: Use your favorite variety. I love Honeycrisp in this salad.
- Strawberries: Cut into bite-sized pieces. I try to cut them the same size as the whole blackberries.
- Grapes: Use either color. I cut them in half. Have you tried Cotton Candy grapes yet?
- Blackberries: I leave these whole, even if they’re large.
- Blueberries: I leave these whole, too.
- Oranges: I use mandarin oranges. You can use fresh oranges that you trim well. Removing the pith from fresh oranges can be a pain, so canned fruit eliminates this process. The pith, the white on the orange, can be bitter and detract from the overall flavor or the salad.
- Nuts: I use pecans. Use your favorite.
- Coconut Flakes: I like the flavor and texture of sweetened flaked coconut. I toast it in a skillet before adding.
- Mint: I love the flavor fresh mint adds when combined with fruit. It grows easily in my backyard, so I use it a lot.
Delightfully Creamy Fruit Salad Tips
- No Chill Time: Another thing I love about this recipe is that it doesn’t require or suggest chilling this salad before serving! It’s best served immediately after tossing. I start with cold food and dressing ingredients (except the cream cheese) so the salad is cool.
- When Choosing Your Fruit: Look for ripe fruit, not overly ripe, and in season for the best flavor.
- Cutting: Cut the fruit uniformly for a more appealing presentation. Bite-sized pieces are best.
- Dry Fruit Well: The dressing will be pretty thick before it’s added to the fruit. When it’s added to the fruit, it will thin out quickly, so it easily coats the fruit. It’s essential to dry the fruit thoroughly after washing to prevent excess moisture, which can dilute the dressing too much.
- Be Gentle: When tossing the dressing with the fruit, use a gentle folding motion to avoid breaking the fruit pieces.
- Fun Mix-Ins: This salad is delicious with mini marshmallows added!
- Switch The Nuts: Pecans are a family favorite, but sliced or slivered almonds, chopped walnuts, pistachios, or macadamia nuts work wonderfully!
- Put A Cherry On Top: I really like maraschino cherries! They’re fabulous in this salad. If I add them, I rinse them a few times, then dry them. With all the info circulating in our country now about food die, I’m shying away from these.
- Canned Fruit: For a shortcut, you can use canned fruit cocktail, pineapple chunks, or pineapple tidbits to replace some of the fresh fruit. Drain it well and dry off excess moisture by laying the fruit out on a thick layer of paper towels.
How to Store and Make Ahead
- How Long Can You Keep This In The Fridge? Fruit salad is best eaten right away. As soon as the fruit is dressed, it begins to release moisture and continues to do so as it sits.
- Can You Freeze This? No, this doesn’t freeze well.
- Make-Ahead Tips: You can wash, dry, and then store the fruit in the fridge
- Food Safety: If you’d like more info on food safety, check out this link.
What To Serve This With
This is wonderful served with anything off the grill or BBQ. We love it with our beer brats, grilled flank steak, Greek chicken, or cilantro lime chicken.
What side dishes should you serve alongside this dish? KFC coleslaw, Paula Deen corn casserole, skillet corn, southern style green beans, three bean salad, BBQ baked beans, crockpot baked beans, sweet cornbread, or Southern cornbread!
How To Make Creamy Fruit Salad Recipe
- In a large bowl, add cream cheese and sugar;
- Add sugar, vanilla, and lemon zest.
- Beat it until light and smooth.
- In a large bowl, beat the cream, and lemon juice until the mixture is frothy.
- Fold half of the whipped cream mixture into the cream cheese mixture until just incorporated. Fold in the rest of the whipped cream mixture.
- Fill a bowl with water then add lemon juice and mix. Add apples and let it sit for 10 minutes. Drain.
- Add the fruits, toasted coconuts, and pecans. Pour the dressing over and gently toss until the fruits are evenly coated. Serve.
*** See Full Instructions On Recipe Card Below
More Fruity Sides And Salads
- Cherry Fluff
- Strawberry Fluff
- Cranberry Jello Salad
- Strawberry Pretzel Salad
- Strawberry Salad
- Strawberry Spinach Salad
- Frescas Con Crema
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Creamy Fruit Salad
Ingredients
Dressing:
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Salad
- 4 apples, cut into 3/8 inch cubes
- water
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 4 cups strawberries, cut in half or quartered depending on the size
- 4 cups grapes, cut in half
- 2 cups blackberries left whole
- 2 cups blueberries left whole
- 1 (10-ounce) can mandarin oranges, left whole, very well drained
- 1 cup pecans toasted and chopped
- 1 cup shredded coconut toasted
- 2 tablespoons fresh mint, slivered
Instructions
- In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese (8 ounces), sugar (2/3 cup), vanilla (2 teaspoons), and lemon zest (1 tablespoon) until the mixture is light and smooth, about 1-2 minutes.
- In a large bowl, beat the cream (1 1/2 cups) and lemon juice (3 tablespoons) until the mixture is frothy. Continue beating on medium-high speed until the mixture forms stiff peaks. Fold half of the whipped cream mixture into the cream cheese mixture until just incorporated. Fold in the rest of the whipped cream mixture. The dressing will be pretty thick.
- Fill a bowl of water large enough to accommodate the chopped apples. Add 2 tablespoons lemon juice and stir to combine. Add apples then, continue to prep the rest of the fruit, letting the apples sit for about 10 minutes. Drain well! (excess moisture can dilute the dressing too much.
- Add fruit, toasted coconut (1 cup), and pecans (1 cup) to a large bowl. Pour dressing over top. Gently toss until the fruit is evenly coated. Sprinkle the slivered mint (2 tablespoons) over the salad. Serve immediately.
Fans Also Made:
Notes
- No Chill Time: Another thing I love about this recipe is that it doesn't require or suggest chilling this salad before serving! It's best served immediately after tossing. I start with cold food and dressing ingredients (except the cream cheese) so the salad is cool.
- When Choosing Your Fruit: Look for ripe fruit, not overly ripe, and in season for the best flavor.
- Cutting: Cut the fruit uniformly for a more appealing presentation. Bite-sized pieces are best.
- Dry Fruit Well: The dressing will be pretty thick before it's added to the fruit. When it's added to the fruit, it will thin out quickly, so it easily coats the fruit. It's essential to dry the fruit thoroughly after washing to prevent excess moisture, which can dilute the dressing too much.
- Be Gentle: When tossing the dressing with the fruit, use a gentle folding motion to avoid breaking the fruit pieces.
- Fun Mix-Ins: This salad is delicious with mini marshmallows added!
- Switch The Nuts: Pecans are a family favorite, but sliced or slivered almonds, chopped walnuts, pistachios, or macadamia nuts work wonderfully!
- Put A Cherry On Top: I really like maraschino cherries! They're fabulous in this salad. If I add them, I rinse them a few times, then dry them. With all the info circulating in our country now about food die, I'm shying away from these.
- Canned Fruit: For a shortcut, you can use canned fruit cocktail, pineapple chunks, or pineapple tidbits to replace some of the fresh fruit. Drain it well and dry off excess moisture by laying the fruit out on a thick layer of paper towels.
Kathleen can I make the dressing the day before and put in fridge or best tio make dressing day of?
Hi, Travis. I advise to make the dressing the day of. Thank you! Enjoy
I grew up making fruit salad from canned fruits, I must say, fresh ones are the best!
Hey, Janice! I agree, big difference. We’re glad you tried this version. Thanks for the positive feedback and 5-star rating!!
I was wondering if I could substitute Greek yogurt for the cream cheese. Please advise.
Thank you,
Jan Matsumoto
Hi Jan! Well, sure you can. It will produce a thinner dressing. You may need to experiment a little. I’d start with less heavy cream, and add it slowly to create your desired consistency. Maybe start with half. Remember, as you working with the dressing, as soon as the salad is dressed and sits just a little, it will thin out because of the fruit. I’d love to hear back from you, and I know our little community would as well, when you give it a try and how it works out! 🙂
All look so wonderful. Cant wait to try them all
Hey Kathy! I hope you try it soon! Please let us know when you do, and how you liked it!