Signature Fruit Salad With Mint

Fruit salad does not always equal fruit salad. The key is combining the right flavors and textures. My signature fruit salad features 6 different fruits and fresh orange juice. A touch of mint adds a refreshing twist that elevates the flavors and turns it into something truly special.

Fruit salads are my favorite way to eat more fruits throughout the week. It's such an easy way to add a larger variety of plants to our diet.

You can make it as a dessert for parties or as a simple snack during the week. Enjoy with banana oat cookies, applesauce cookies, or a stack of pancakes.

Fruit salad formula

What makes this particular fruit salad so incredibly good is the balance of flavor and texture. The secret to making any fruit salad taste amazing is using a combination of sweet, tart, juicy, and crunchy fruits.

• Crunchy fruits: firm apples, firm pears, firm grapes, pomegranate seeds, passion fruit, watermelon, and firm persimmons.
• Soft fruits: peaches, nectarines, plums kiwi, figs, cantaloupe, banana, and any type of berries (strawberries, raspberries, blueberries).
• Tangy fruits: oranges, grapefruit, tangerines, kiwi, pineapple, and tart green apples.

Mix and match them according to the seasons.

Fruit salad ingredients

• Strawberries for sweetness and a bold strawberry flavor. Raspberries are a great alternative.
• Yellow peaches add a soft and juicy texture. Mango is a great alternative.
• Gold kiwifruits (Kiwi Gold) are sweeter and less tart than regular kiwis and meld better with the rest of the fruits.
• Crispy apple for some crunch. I prefer Pink Lady apples over Granny Smith in this recipe.
• Orange both for the segments and the juice.
• Grapefruit for a tangy, slightly bitter touch to prevent the salad from being overly sweet.
• Mint for its cooling menthol component that pairs so well with the sweet flavors of the fruit salad.

Elo's tips

• Choose at least 5 different fruits for lots of variety.
• Cut the fruits very finely to get a bit of every fruit at once.
• Always add citrus juice as a "dressing". Alternatively, add the juice of a passion fruit. Simply run the flesh through a fine mesh sieve to remove the seeds.
• Use chilled fruits or chill the fruit salad before serving. Fruit salads always taste best cold–especially on hot summer days.
• Optionally add crunchy toppings such as granola, roasted nuts, or toasted coconut.

Step-by-step instructions

1. STEP 1: Dice the apple. Cut the apple into quarters and remove the core. Slice each quarter through the thick edge. Then, cut the slices into strips and finally into dice. Dice the peaches and strawberries, too.

2. STEP 2: Cut the orange and grapefruit into wedges. Start by slicing off the top and bottom of the grapefruit to create flat surfaces. Stand it on one of the flat edges and run a paring knife along the peel (be sure to remove the white parts as well). Holding the grapefruit in your hand, make cuts as close to the white membranes as possible to release the segments. Cut the segments into 3 or 4 pieces. Squeeze the rest of the orange into a bowl and use the juice as a dressing for the fruit salad.