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Brighten up your holiday table with this festive winter fruit salad! Made with fresh, vibrant fruits and a sweet citrus vanilla glaze, it’s the perfect side dish for dinners, parties, or brunches.
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This winter fruit salad is a colorful and refreshing addition to any holiday meal. Packed with winter fruits like mandarins, kiwis, apples, and pomegranates, it’s light and flavorful.
The sweet citrus vanilla glaze ties everything together, making it a crowd favorite. It’s easy to make and perfect for your holiday dinners and parties!
Ingredient Notes
Here are the simple ingredients you’ll need. Read on for a few notes.
Fruit Salad
- Mandarin oranges – use fresh or canned mandarins. For fresh ones, peel, segment, and soak in water for 5 minutes before removing the pith. If using canned mandarins, drain them thoroughly. (We’ve used both and it’s delicious either way!)
- Kiwi – peeled, sliced, and each slice cut into four pieces.
- Blueberries – jumbo blueberries look the best in this salad, but you can use regular blueberries in a pinch.
- Apples – honey crisp or red apples.
- Pears – Bartlett pears.
- Pomegranate – you can use pre-packaged arils for convenience or remove them from a whole pomegranate.
Note on the apples and pears: The orange juice in the glaze will help prevent browning in the apples and pears. But if you’d like a little extra insurance, add the diced apples and pears to a bowl of lemon juice and water (2 – 3 tablespoons in a cup of water) before mixing with the other fruits.
Citrus Vanilla Glaze
- Vanilla pudding mix – instant vanilla pudding mix.
- Orange juice -pulp-free orange juice. You could fresh squeeze if you’d like. You can easily use apple juice instead, but we like the citrus flavor.
Supplies
Here’s what you’ll need to make this recipe:
- Cutting board and knives
- Small mixing bowl and whisk for glaze
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Medium serving bowl and spoon
Let’s Make This Winter Fruit Salad
Follow the simple steps below to make this delicious fruit salad.
1
Wash Produce.
Rinse the blueberries, apple, and pear.
2
prep the fruits.
- Mandarins: For fresh mandarins, peel, segment, and soak in water for 5 minutes to loosen the pith, then remove it with your hands or a knife. If using canned mandarins, drain them well.
- Kiwis: Peel and slice kiwis, then cut each slice into 4. Drain any juice.
- Apple and pear: Dice the apple and the pear into bite-size pieces.
- Pomegranate: Remove the arils from the pomegranate (unless you bought ready to eat arils).
3
Mix Fruits.
Add all the fruit to a medium mixing bowl (reserving 1/4 cup pomegranate for the top) and mix gently with a spoon.
4
Make glaze.
In a small bowl, whisk together the pudding mix and orange juice until smooth and lump-free.
5
Add glaze. Top with pomegranate.
Right before serving, top the fruit with the glaze and gently mix until the fruit is covered. Top with 1/4 cup pomegranate arils.
6
Serve & Enjoy!
Serve and enjoy this delicious, colorful fruit salad.
Make-ahead tip: For the freshest salad, prep the mandarins and kiwi and store them separately in the fridge. Hold off on dicing the apples and pears. Mix the glaze ahead of time and chill it in the fridge. When ready to serve, combine all the fruits, add the freshly diced apples and pears, and top with the glaze and 1/4 cup of pomegranate arils.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Fresh and colorful – A vibrant mix of seasonal fruits that brighten up any holiday table.
- Easy to make – Simple ingredients and quick prep make it a stress-free dish for busy holiday meals.
- Sweet and creamy – The citrus vanilla glaze adds a delicious touch of sweetness without being overpowering.
- Very customizable – Swap in other winter fruits like pineapple or grapes, or add dried cranberries, walnuts, or pecans for a festive touch.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are answers to commonly asked questions about making this winter fruit salad.
Can I use canned fruit instead of fresh?
Yes, canned mandarin oranges work great. Just make sure to drain them thoroughly so they don’t add extra liquid to the salad.
What other fruits can I add?
Mix things up with fruits like sliced grapes, fresh pineapple chunks, or dried cranberries for a pop of color and flavor.
How long will leftovers last?
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 1-2 days. The fruit may release extra juice after sitting.
Winter Fruit Salad
A festive and colorful fruit salad with delicious winter fruits and a sweet citrus vanilla glaze. The perfect side dish for holiday dinners and parties.
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 12 servings 1x
Ingredients
Fruit Salad
- 2 cups mandarin oranges (2 – 15 oz. cans or 4-5 fresh mandarin oranges, peeled and segmented)
- 2 cups kiwi, peeled, sliced (6 to 8 kiwis)
- 2 cups jumbo blueberries (about 9.8 oz package)
- 1 medium apple, diced
- 1 medium pear, diced
- 1/2 cup pomegranate arils (1/4 cup in salad, 1/4 cup on top)
Glaze
- 3 tbsp cup instant vanilla pudding mix
- 1/3 cup orange juice
Instructions
- Wash produce: Rinse blueberries, apple, and pear.
- Prep fruit:
- Mandarin oranges: For fresh mandarin oranges, peel, segment, and remove pith (soak for 5 minutes and then remove knife or hands). For canned—drain well.
- Kiwis: Peel and slice kiwis, then cut each slice into 4. Drain any juice.
- Apples and pears: Dice into bite-size pieces.
- Pomegranate: Remove arils, if needed.
- Mix fruit: Add all the fruit to a medium mixing bowl (reserving 1/4 cup pomegranate for the top) and mix gently with a spoon.
- Make glaze: In a small bowl, add the pudding mix and juice. Whisk until combined.
- Add glaze: Top the fruit with the glaze. Mix until fruit is covered.
- Add toppings: Top with 1/4 cup pomegranate arils.
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- Make-ahead tip: For the freshest salad, prep the mandarins and kiwi and store them separately in the fridge. Hold off on dicing the apples and pears. Mix the glaze ahead of time and chill it in the fridge. When ready to serve, combine all the fruits, add the freshly diced apples and pears, and top with the glaze and 1/4 cup of pomegranate arils.
- Mandarin oranges: If you are using fresh mandarins, plan for extra time to peel, segment, and soak for 5 minutes before removing the pith with your hands or a knife.
- Apples and pears: The orange juice in the glaze will help prevent browning in the apples and pears. But if you’d like a little extra insurance, add the diced apples and pears to a bowl of lemon juice and water (2 – 3 tablespoons per cup of water) before mixing with the other fruits. Drain well.
- Time saving tips: Use canned mandarin oranges and ready-to-eat pomegranate arils.
- Storage: Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 1 to 2 days. After sitting in the fridge, the fruit salad will produce extra juice.
- Variations: Add your favorite fruits, dried cranberries, or nuts.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Mix
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: approx 1/2 cup
- Calories: 85
- Sugar: 15.5 g
- Sodium: 38 mg
- Fat: 0.5 g
- Saturated Fat: 0.1 g
- Carbohydrates: 21 g
- Protein: 1.1 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
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Have You Tried This Recipe? Please rate it in the comments and let us know your thoughts!
