This Thanksgiving Fruit Salad is a simple and surprisingly delicious addition to your holiday table. You can prep the ingredients ahead and toss it together when you’re ready to serve.
Brighten up your Thanksgiving menu with this simple and oh-so-delicious fruit salad. It will add a burst of color to your table and serve as a simple and sweet addition to the heaviness of the traditional Thanksgiving meal.
It’s easy to prepare and is a perfect potluck dish. The orange simple syrup adds a layer of sweetness to the fruit, making it versatile enough to serve as a light dessert. Wherever it fits in with your holiday menu, your family and friends will love it. This recipe is a surefire crowd-pleaser!
Ingredients
Sugar and Water – you’ll need equal parts sugar and water to make a simple syrup
Mandarin Orange Peel – the peels from the oranges in the salad will give you enough to flavor your simple syrup
Orange Juice – fresh squeezed is best, but bottled juice will also work
Vanilla – stir the vanilla in once the syrup’s been removed from the heat
Honeycrisp Apples – Granny Smith and Pink Lady apples also work well
Pears – choose firm fruit, soft pears will get soft and mushy when the syrup is added
Mandarin Oranges – remove as much of the white pith as possible
Red Seedless Grapes – cut them in half lengthwise so they’re better able to absorb the simple syrup
Pecans – toast them for a fuller flavor
Optional – Pomegranate Seeds – sprinkle them on just before serving for color and additional crunch
Tools
How to Make Thanksgiving Fruit Salad
Prepare the Orange Simple Syrup: Stir the sugar, water, and mandarin orange peels together in a small pot over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. Remove the simple syrup from heat and stir in orange juice and vanilla extract.
Set aside to cool to room temperature, then strain into a small bowl.
Assemble the Salad: Combine fruit in a large bowl. Pour room temperature Orange Simple Syrup over the fruit and toss until evenly coated. Chill up to overnight until ready to serve. Add toasted pecans just before serving.
Variations on a Delicious Theme
This fruit salad is easy to adapt based on the fruits you have on hand. Kiwi and pineapple are excellent substitutions or additions. I love toasted pecans, but walnuts and almonds will also produce delicious results.
Adding spices like cinnamon and nutmeg to the simple syrup will give the salad even more flavor. Add a pinch of the spices after you take the syrup off the heat.
Thanksgiving Fruit Salad FAQs
How much sodium is in this recipe?
This recipe has about 1 mg of sodium per serving!
Can I make this ahead?
Yes, you can assemble the salad up to one day ahead. Leave the nuts out and add them just before serving. The nuts will soften and lose their crunch the longer they sit in the salad.
How do I keep the apples and pears from turning brown?
The simple syrup will help prevent the fruit from oxidizing or turning brown.
How can I make a smaller batch?
This recipe makes eight 1-cup servings. Prepare a half batch for four servings.
More Thanksgiving Recipes
If you like this recipe, try my Low Sodium Sautéed Green Beans with Cranberries & Almonds, Low Sodium Kale Quinoa Salad, and Cajun Cornbread Dressing. Watch the web story here.
Low Sodium Thanksgiving Fruit Salad
Ingredients
- For Orange Simple Syrup
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ cup water
- 1 cup mandarin orange peel
- 2 tablespoons orange juice
- ½ tsp pure vanilla extract
- For Salad:
- 2 Honeycrisp or Granny Smith Apples, chopped
- 2 pears, chopped
- 8 mandarin oranges, peeled and segmented, reserve peel for syrup
- 2 cups halved red seedless grapes
- ½ cup chopped toasted pecans
Instructions
- Prepare the Orange Simple Syrup: Stir the sugar, water, and the peels from the mandarin oranges together in a small pot over medium high heat. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in orange juice and vanilla extract. Set aside to cool to room temperature then strain into a small bowl.
- Assemble the Salad: Combine fruit in a large bowl. Pour room temperature Orange Simple Syrup over the fruit and toss until evenly coated. Chill up to overnight until ready to serve. Add toasted pecans just before serving.
Notes
Add the toasted nuts just before serving so they maintain their crunch.
You can make this salad the day before you want to serve it without the nuts. The apples and pears will soften the longer they sit in the syrup.
You don’t have to use all of the syrup if you’re worried about the sugar content. Add it to taste.
Nutrition Facts
Low Sodium Thanksgiving Fruit Salad
Serves: Serves 8
|
Amount Per Serving: 1 cup
|
||
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 174 kcal | |
| % Daily Value* | ||
| Total Fat 4 g | 6.2% | |
| Saturated Fat 0 g | 0 | |
| Trans Fat 0.0 g | ||
| Cholesterol 0.0 mg | 0% | |
| Sodium 1 mg | 0% | |
| Total Carbohydrate 36 g | 12% | |
| Dietary Fiber 3 g | 12% | |
| Sugars 30 g | ||
| Protein 1.51 g | ||
| Vitamin A 2% | Vitamin C 26% | |
| Calcium 1% | Iron 2% | |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
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