Thanksgiving Fruit Salad Recipe
This Thanksgiving Fruit Salad combines a vibrant mix of fresh apples, oranges, grapes, dried cranberries, and toasted pecans, all tossed in a warm, spiced citrus dressing. The fruit is fresh and crisp, balanced with the nutty crunch of toasted pecans and a sweet, tangy dressing infused with orange juice, lemon, and apple pie spice. A perfect and refreshing side dish to complement your Thanksgiving meal.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Salad
- Method: Roasting
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
Scale
Fruit
- 2 medium green apples
- 2 medium red apples
- 1 cup grapes
- 3 medium navel oranges
Additional Ingredients
- ¾ cup dried cranberries
- 1 cup pecans
- 1 medium lemon (juiced)
Dressing
- ½ cup orange juice
- ¼ cup white sugar
- ¼ tsp apple pie spice
- zest of 1 lemon
- zest of 1 orange
Instructions
- Toast Pecans: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Place pecans on a baking sheet and toast them in the oven as it heats. Remove the pecans once you smell their aroma, approximately when the oven reaches temperature. Let them cool completely.
- Prepare Citrus Dressing: In a small saucepan, combine orange juice, white sugar, apple pie spice, lemon zest, and orange zest. Place over medium heat and whisk the mixture together, bringing it to a low boil. Allow it to simmer gently for 3-4 minutes to meld the flavors.
- Strain and Cool Dressing: Strain the spiced citrus mixture through a fine mesh strainer to remove zest and spice bits. Set the dressing aside to cool completely before using.
- Prepare Apples: Core and slice green and red apples into bite-sized pieces. To prevent browning, toss the apple slices with the juice of half a lemon immediately after cutting.
- Prepare Oranges: Peel the navel oranges completely, removing all white pith, and cut into bite-sized segments.
- Combine Ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, add the prepared apples, dried cranberries, toasted pecans, grapes, and orange segments.
- Toss with Dressing: Drizzle the cooled citrus dressing over the fruit and gently toss everything together to combine thoroughly but without bruising the fruit.
- Serve: Serve the Thanksgiving Fruit Salad fresh as a colorful, delicious side dish for your holiday meal.
Notes
- To toast pecans evenly, spread them in a single layer on the baking sheet.
- Tossing apple slices in lemon juice helps maintain their bright color and prevents oxidation.
- Allow the dressing to cool completely before adding to the fruit to avoid warming or wilting the salad.
- This fruit salad can be prepared a few hours in advance and refrigerated for optimal flavor melding.
- For extra crunch, consider adding chopped celery or fresh chopped mint leaves.
Keywords: Thanksgiving fruit salad, holiday fruit salad, pecan fruit salad, citrus dressing, apple pie spice fruit salad, fresh fruit side dish
Find it online: https://chefmilacook.com/thanksgiving-fruit-salad-recipe/
