Easy Tropical Fruit Salad (with the Perfect Salad Dressing)

This Tropical Fruit Salad recipe is a delicious and colorful mix of pineapples, mandarin oranges, kiwis, mangoes, and strawberries for the perfect salad!

It features a delicious salad dressing that includes two special ingredients for an undeniably tasty salad. Have it as a side dish, or a tasty summer dessert.

The fruits with the salad dressing make for a fruit salad that’s not only healthy and delicious but packed with flavor in every single bite.

Try this recipe once, and you’ll keep coming back to it again and again!

Want to learn how to make this delicious Tropical Fruit Salad recipe? Then keep on reading!

What is a Tropical Fruit Salad?

You can't go wrong with a Tropical Fruit Salad, which features chopped tropical fruits and a fruit salad dressing.

It makes the ideal summer side dish, snack, dessert, or even breakfast food! This tasty salad is ideal for a potluck since you can prepare it in advance.

It's a really light and refreshing salad, and my recipe takes it to the next level! This recipe does not use the typical heavy salad dressing seen in other fruit salads.

This recipe calls for two secret ingredients in the salad dressing, which not only improves the flavor of everything but also complements virtually every fruit.

It's what makes this the most delicious one you'll ever have. Read on to learn more about the most delicious tropical fruit salad recipe ever.

What Makes This Summer Fruit Salad the Best One You’ll Ever Have

This truly is the best tropical fruit salad you’ll ever make! Here’s why:

Easy to make: This tropical fruit salad is ridiculously easy to make! All you need to do is chop some fruits and make a quick and delicious salad dressing! Pour it on the fruits, and you have the tastiest fresh fruit salad ever!

Super refreshing: The fruit combination in this salad is incredibly refreshing and is the perfect combo for all seasons, especially if you love tropical fruits!

Light and delicious: No need to make and add any thick dressing to this salad. This is a super light and delicious salad, and the dressing fits it perfectly with ingredients that enhance the flavor in every single bite.

Tons of Combinations: There can be as many combinations as you can come up with! Mix in your favorite tropical fruits such as mandarin oranges, cantaloupes, papayas, raspberries, etc.

Delicious fruit salad, with the perfect dressing: You might think that some delicious, chopped fruits are perfect as is, but with a drizzle of my special salad dressing on top you’re seriously going to take your fruit salad to the next level! It just elevates the flavors and brings them out even more. Trust me, there’s science backing the delicious flavors in this recipe. Want to learn what I mean? Then keep reading!

What are the Key Ingredients to a Delicious Tropical Salad Dressing?

Although the mix of tropical fruits is great on its own, adding two basic pantry ingredients enhances the flavor.

The first is honey. Honey has naturally occurring glucose and fructose, both of which are types of sugar that boost sweetness and can make your tropical fruit salad taste even better. 

The juices are drawn out of the fruit through osmosis when the honey comes into contact with the cut pieces of fruit. It results in a light syrup that infuses more flavor into the inside of each fruit for better flavor in every bite.

The other ingredient is freshly squeezed lemon juice. It includes both citric and malic acids, which impart a tart flavor. Lime and orange juice work well as alternatives as well.

What You Need to Make Tropical Fruit Salad at Home

This is a delicious salad recipe that you’re going to absolutely love! Here’s what you’ll need to make it at home:

Fruits for Tropical Fruit Salad:

You can use any combination of tropical fruits you love best. But here’s a combination that will give you undeniably amazing flavors every time:

• Pineapple: Pineapples add a delicious fruity, tropical flavor that has slight acidity and vanilla-like flavor to it.
• Mandarin oranges: These are fresh and have a delicious flavor to them with vanilla and spicy component to them. It makes for the perfect addition to this salad!
• Kiwis: Nothing says tropical like some kiwis! They will take your salad to the next level.
• Mangoes: Mangoes are the classic tropical fruit and bring it them a delicious sweetness that’s absolutely perfect for this salad.
• Strawberries: These will add the perfect sweetness to your salad and will make it taste even better!

For the Salad Dressing:

• Lemon: Freshly squeezed lemon juice adds a delicious level of tartness that elevates the salad flavors in every single bite.
• Mandarin oranges: Adding a little orange juice is going to make it taste even better. Combined with the lemon juice, it makes for the perfect salad dressing base.
• Honey: Honey has naturally occurring glucose and fructose, both of which are types of sugar that boost sweetness and can make your tropical fruit salad taste even better. 
• Chia seeds (or poppy seeds): This makes your salad even healthier and more delicious while simultaneously adding more fiber to the dish.

How to Make Tropical Fruit Salad Step by Step

Making this delicious Tropical Fruit Salad is super simple. Here’s what you’ll need to do step by step:

Rinse, pat dry, peel, and cut/slice all the fruits. Place them into a large bowl.

How to Make Fruit Salad Dressing

Time to make our delicious salad dressing! Into a small bowl squeeze lemon and mandarin oranges using a lemon squeezer. Then whisk in honey and add chia seeds (or poppy seeds). Stir well to combine.

Pour the dressing over the fruit salad.

Mix well and let the salad stand for 20 – 30 minutes before serving to soak up the flavors. Leftovers taste even better hours later as the fruit soaks in the dressing.

Can You Make Tropical Fruit Salad Ahead of Time?

Yes, this delicious tropical fruit salad can be made ahead of time!

Yes, this delicious tropical fruit salad can be made ahead of time! It really gives the fruits a chance to marinade together in the honey lemon dressing. The next day, it tastes even better!

Fruit Variations for the Perfect Tropical Fruit Salad

Even though I showed you my favorite mix of fruits for a tropical fruit salad above, you can use any tropical fruits you love the most.

Personally, I make an effort to consider color and incorporate as many different colors, flavors, and textures as I can!

Fruits such as raspberries, cantaloupes, melon, papayas, shredded coconut, star fruit, and grapes are all excellent additions to your salad.

No matter which ones you add, the salad will always be the best tropical fruit salad ever.

How to Make Tropical Fruit Salad Ahead of Time

You can prepare this salad ahead of time, just store each fruit separately in a bowl covered with plastic wrap in the fridge for up to 24 hrs. It just takes five minutes to make the dressing and your Tropical Fruit Salad will be ready!

How to Store Leftover Tropical Fruit Salad

If you have leftover summer fruit salad, store it in the fridge for up to 2 days. Have the leftovers with some Greek yogurt and granola. Trust me, you’ll love it and it’ll be all gone in no time!

More Fruit Salad Recipes

• Summer Fruit Salad Recipe
• Healthy Winter Fruit Salad
• Melon Fruit Salad with Honey Lime and Watermelon Juice Dressing
• Best Creamy Grape Salad

Recipe Card

Easy Tropical Fruit Salad (with the Perfect Salad Dressing)

This Tropical Fruit Salad Recipe is an excellent addition to your meal as a dessert or it can be a perfect snack any time of the year, especially during hot summer days.

4.28 from 18 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Fruit Salad

Cuisine: American

Keyword: crowd pleaser, fruit salad, kid friendly, tropical fruit salad

Prep Time: 45 minutes

30 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Servings: 12

Author: Valya's Taste of Home

Ingredients

Tropical Fruit Salad Ingredients

• 1 – medium pineapple
• 12 – mandarins
• 5 – kiwis
• 3 – mangos
• 2 – cups strawberries

Salad Dressing Ingredients

• 2 – mandarins
• 1 large – lemon
• ¼ cup – raw honey
• ½ tsp. – chia seeds (or poppy seeds)

Instructions

How to Make Tropical Fruit Salad (Step-by-Step)

• Making this delicious Tropical Fruit Salad is super simple. Here’s what you’ll need to do step by step:
• Rinse, pat dry, peel, and cut/slice all the fruits. Place them into a large bowl.

How to Make Fruit Salad Dressing

• Time to make our delicious salad dressing! Into a small bowl squeeze lemon and mandarin oranges using a lemon squeezer. Then whisk in honey and add chia seeds (or poppy seeds). Stir well to combine.
• Pour the dressing over the fruit salad.
• Mix well and let the salad stand for 20 – 30 minutes before serving to soak up the flavors. Leftovers taste even better hours later as the fruit soaks in the dressing.

Notes

• Leftovers taste even better hours later as the fruit soaks in the dressing.

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This recipe was originally posted on June 11, 2015, and updated on May 21, 2021. Enjoy!

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