Creamy Fruit Salad Recipe

When most people hear the word "salad," the first thing that comes to mind is a combination of fresh vegetables tossed together and mixed with oil, vinaigrette, or dressing. Understandable, of course, but we shouldn't overlook those nutritious, refreshing salads made entirely of fruit. And thanks to recipe developer Susan Olayinka, you now can have a creamy version of this classic dish.

With just 15 minutes of prep, you can make the perfect sweet treat for summer picnics and barbeques. And as Olayinka points out, this versatile dish can be served as "a dessert that could be kept in the fridge after a hot summer day, or it will be fine for children's packed lunches or to take as a snack to work." It's a tasty and versatile treat either way!

To make your creamy fruit salad, you'll need the following ingredients: yogurt, honey, pineapple, grapes, strawberries, kiwis, and blueberries, as well as a red apple and a tangerine. Keep in mind that you'll want to remove the core from both the pineapple and the red apple. While this can be a little tricky, Olayinka will be giving you some tips during this recipe to help your core your fruits without ruining their appearances.

If you want to add some additional fruits to this tasty dish, Olayinka recommends mango, grapefruit, pears, blackberries, raspberries, and watermelon can all be perfect for this recipe. But there is one fruit she advises against using despite its popularity. "I think the only other fruit that I wouldn't add is banana because it will go brown and mushy so quickly!"

To start your creamy fruit salad, mix the yogurt and honey in a large mixing bowl. And if you're not sure what type of yogurt to use, Olayinka has a couple of suggestions. "Greek yogurt would work well or plain yogurt," Olayinka tells us, adding, "either are okay because you're adding honey to it, which will add such a beautiful taste."

And don't forget, honey is great if you want to add a little sweetness to a variety of foods, including barbecue sauce and cocktails.

Although you can get pineapple with the core already removed, Olayinka recommends buying the fruit whole. "I always find it tastes better when you cut pineapple up yourself," she says.

Using a cutting board, Olayinka recommends first peeling the pineapple and then cutting it vertically around the fruit, so eventually the core will be cut away from the rest of the pineapple. You can then easily discard the core and cut the slices of pineapple into cubes. When you're done, transfer the cubes into a separate mixing bowl.

Peel the tangerines, ensuring all the white pith parts are taken out, and transfer them to the same mixing bowl as the pineapple cubes.

Next, slice the grapes in half with a sharp knife and transfer them to the mixing bowl as well. Although you can use any type of grape you want for this recipe, Olayinka recommends sweet red grapes over their sour green cousins. And if you're a little uncomfortable using a sharp knife on such a small fruit, she says you could "pierce the grape with a fork and then through the holes of the fork, you can insert a sharp knife."

While apple corers are very convenient kitchen tools, you're not out of luck if you don't have one. As Olayinka explains, "simply slice the apple in half and then try and score [the core] out with a sharp knife."

Once you've removed the core, slice the apple into quarters and then slice those quarters into thirds, ensuring that they are all bite-size pieces. When you're finished, transfer your apple pieces to the mixing bowl with the pineapple, tangerines, and grapes.

By now, you've almost finished preparing all the fruits for your creamy salad. To finish up, slice the stems off your strawberries and then slice them in half before transferring them to the mixing bowl.

Next, peel the fuzzy skin from the kiwis and slice the green fruit into quarters. Transfer them to the mixing bowl with the rest of your fruit. And fun fact: while Olayinka used green kiwis for this recipe, there is also a gold variety of this popular fruit.

Finally, you can add your blueberries to the bowl.

Transfer all of your cut fruit to the mixing bowl with the honey and the yogurt. Carefully mix the contents of the bowl together until all the fruit is covered in the creamy yogurt mixture. Finally, transfer your fruit salad to a serving bowl.

Although Olayinka recommends serving your creamy fruit salad immediately, she says you can also refrigerate it. Whichever choice you make, you'll have enough for four servings of this delicious delight.