Fresh, tangy and loaded with tons of fruit, this patriotic-themed fruit salad will be the ultimate side dish at your 4th of July picnic this year! No one can resist it’s bright colors and fresh, summery flavors.
Boring fruit is a BIG no-no in this household. For the very best of reasons—-fruit should be fun. Case closed.
I like my fruit salads absolutely LOADED with fresh fruit and lots of flavor. I’m one of those SUPA’-picky people who just can’t stand fruit-from-a-can salads. No, no, no. That’s just not right. — Everything in my salad has gotta be fresh, or it’s just not worth the calories.
This salad just screams FRESH. It’s chock-fulla’ lots of fresh fruit, covered with a tangy lime glaze, and topped with lots of poppyseeds and a touch of fresh basil.
Summer in a bowl, I call it.
Fresh fruit salad is a an absolute MUST on the 4th of July and I would definitely be in deep trouble if I didn’t make this salad every year for this event. It’s always amusing watching people piling half their plate with this fruit salad and not having room for anything else.
Boo-ya! Health food all the way. 😀
The fruit I used for this salad was just a simple combination of diced watermelon, strawberries, and blueberries. So simple, but seriously yum!
If you’re sticking to the patriotic theme, I’d suggest just leaving it at those 3 ingredients, but if you wanna shake things up a bit, feel free to throw in your favs! I so want to try this salad with some fresh ripe mango and/or juicy peaches. Um, yum.
The addition of fresh chopped basil to this salad brightens up the flavors of the fruit and adds a nice little POP of herby flavor that really can’t be beat.
I wouldn’t suggest leaving the basil outta this salad—the flavors won’t be the same without it. In a pinch, you could always sub mint too! YEE-UM.
Plus, it looks totally gorg against the bright, luscious fruit along with the blue poppyseeds. We’re eatin’ pretty here guys. 🙂
Cause that’s just how I roll…
The glaze for this salad is just a simple lime/poppyseed glaze that cooks right on the stove in literally about 3 minutes. It is then poured over your bee-yoo-tiful fruit.
Nom, nom, nom. That’s me chomping away on fruity perfection. Fruit has never been so dang tasty.
This salad is perfectly sweet and tangy, but it’s overly sweet either. —The lime glaze really does balance out the flavors of this salad and brings out the fruits natural sweetness.
Fresh, light, tasty and loaded with all your fav fruits, you’re definitely gonna want seconds of this “berry-good” fruit salad.
You know it. 😉 Gosh, I’m so corny….
This salad makes an IDEAL side dish for any 4th of July gathering! It’s so easy you can whip it up in literally seconds AND it easily doubles or triples for a crowd. Your guests will adore how patriotic it is.
They’ll probably adore even more how amazing it tastes. 😉
Patriotic Chopped Fruit Salad
Ingredients
- 6 cups diced watermelon
- 2 cups sliced fresh strawberries
- 1 cup fresh blueberries
- 2 tablespoons water
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 2 tablespoons xylitol or sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon poppyseeds
- 1/4 cup fresh basil coarsely chopped
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine watermelon, strawberries, and blueberries, Set aside.
- In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, whisk water, lime juice, xylitol (or sugar) and cornstarch until smooth. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly until mixture is slightly thickened. Remove from heat and cool slightly.
- Pour lime dressing over fresh fruit and gently stir to coat. Stir in poppyseeds and fresh basil. Refrigerate salad until ready to serve.
Notes
Recipe slightly adapted from Spicy Southern Kitchen
Try my other fresh 4th of July sides next!
BLT Pasta Salad with Herb Ranch Dressing
Summer Rice Salad with Grilled Veggies + Feta
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