Old Fashioned Friendship Fruit Salad

This Old Fashioned Friendship Fruit Salad Recipe is made with a mix of fruit and is a healthy dessert for any gathering.

When you need a dish to pass for any gathering, large or small, give this Old Fashioned Friendship Fruit Salad Recipe a try.

It’s a healthy dessert that’s loaded with lots of flavor and sweetness and worthy of being the centerpiece at any buffet thanks to it’s colorful presentation.

Now you’ve probably seen a variety of combinations of fruit salads on the Internet, but I’m partial to this recipe since this recipe uses easy to find ingredients and has stood the test of time with countless appearances at my family’s table.

As mentioned above, it’s normally served as a dessert salad, although you can certainly begin a meal with it or eat it as a snack.

DID YOU KNOW? This fruit salad is kid-friendly, too! Pack it chilled for cold lunch or spoon it into a bowl as a welcoming snack after a long day at school or playing outdoors.

What you’ll find is that it’s a very versatile salad and perfect for any occasion, informal to formal.

And, you’ll be amazed at how simple it is to change up the ingredients, use various “bowls” for serving this salad, and learn about the little know facts that have shaped this Friendship Fruit Salad into being one that can even bring groups of folks together.

This Old Fashioned Fruit Salad is an oldie but goodie recipe that has been a favorite for hosts for ages. Change it up by asking guests to bring their favorite fruit that has already been chopped into small chunks for an instant dessert on-the-spot.

RELATED: 8 Fruits You Can Actually Eat on the Keto Diet

Friendship Fruit Salad Ingredients

My fruit choices for this recipe usually starts with the old standbys: strawberries, grapes, blueberries and mandarine oranges. All are easily accessible and can be found at your local grocer, most year round, so there’s really no reason why you can’t enjoy this recipe on a regular basis.

But that doesn’t mean that you can’t mix and match at a whim.

In fact, you’ll find it easy-peasy to adjust to your guests’ needs by including (or not) their favorite fruits.

How to Make Old Fashioned Friendship Fruit Salad Recipe

This salad takes the best that nature has to offer with simple ingredients, along with a lemon juice-sugar dressing.

To Make:

Depending upon how many people you are planning on serving, start out with a cup or so of each fruit variety. Place everything in a large bowl.

Then, squeeze one lemon and sprinkle on 1/2 to 1 cup of sugar (use sparingly) as needed.

Finally, toss well. Keep the fruit salad chilled until you are ready to eat. Enjoy!

Recipe Variations

But you don’t have to limit yourself with just these. In fact, how about trying some “other” fun fruit variations:

Tropical Dream Salad

• Bananas
• Coconut
• Pineapple
• Kiwi
• Mango
• Papaya

Midwest Melange Fruit Salad

• Apples
• Pears
• Cherries
• Strawberries
• Grapes
• Blue Berries
• Raspberries
• Watermelon
• Honey Dew
• Cantaloupe 

Cooking Tip: Garnish your fruit salad with colorful marshmallows, whipped cream, fresh mint or basil, or even pieces of chopped dried fruit, if you’d like.

Ways to Serve Your Fruit Salad

In the first image at the top of this post, you’ll see that my Old Fashioned Fruit Salad was served in one of my huge Thatsa Tupperware bowls.

It’s the perfect bowl for large gatherings or for taking to potlucks or picnics.

But you don’t have to limit yourself to this type or size serving dish.

Here are some other fun ways to serve up your Old Fashioned Friendship Fruit Salad:

Watermelon. How about a watermelon in place of your traditional man-made bowl? Not only does this make for a great display, you can also use some of the scooped out fruit for your fruit salad. All you have to do is hollow out a halved watermelon and fill it with your favorite fruit salad mix.

Pineapple. Again, fruit can be served right in the “bowl” if you halve a pineapple lengthwise.

Punch Bowl. An under used punch bowl offers delectable side views of your salad through faceted glass.

Trifle Bowl. I love using a trifle bowl to showcase my fruit salad. It is a standout, literally, and can be used as a table’s centerpiece, it’s that beautiful.

Large Lidded Jars. Lidded jars are great for serving up salads like this one.

Apothecary Jars. Apothecary jars work well, too. Either way, it keeps the fruit protected, especially if you are serving it outdoors.

Mason Jars. Mason jars or Bell Jars, as they are also known, come in a variety of sizes and shapes. These are easily transportable and perfect for picnics, too!

But no matter how you dice or slice the fruit, it’s so deliciously healthy and pretty to look at too.

Fruit Salad Friends Recipe Idea

What you might not know is that this recipe has already been translated into a fun activity for family and friends: Fruit Salad Friends. This concept may not be entirely familiar with most folks, but it has its roots in sharing the abundance of all the good things we experience with one another.

Elementary classrooms, as well as, scouts, church groups, and local communities use this salad as a talking point for how to become the best people we can be. Who knew food could bring us all closer together?

The Fruit Salad Friend – A Children’s Story

This charming story, The Fruit Salad Friend is based off this idea. It’s about a young girl who is trying to find someone she can call a friend. With the help of her father she learns the true meaning of friendship and how to be an even better friend to those kids at school–thanks to a most unlikely source: fruit salad.

The Fruit Salad Friend Read Aloud (Video)

For more delicious fruit desserts and snacks, be sure to check out Wisconsin Homemaker’s Recipe Section.