Description
A vibrant and festive Thanksgiving Fruit Salad featuring a mix of fresh apples, grapes, oranges, toasted pecans, and dried cranberries all tossed in a zesty, spiced citrus dressing. This refreshing salad offers a perfect balance of sweet and tart flavors and a delightful crunch, ideal for holiday gatherings or as a healthy side dish.
Ingredients
Scale
Fruit
- 2 medium green apples
- 2 medium red apples
- 1 cup grapes
- 3 medium navel oranges
- ¾ cup dried cranberries
Dressing
- ½ cup orange juice
- ¼ cup white sugar
- ¼ tsp apple pie spice
- Zest of 1 lemon
- Zest of 1 orange
- 1 medium lemon (juiced)
Nuts
- 1 cup pecans
Instructions
- Toast Pecans: Preheat oven to 350°F. Place pecans on a baking sheet and bake them as the oven heats. Remove pecans when fragrant, about the time the oven reaches temperature. Let them cool.
- Prepare Dressing: In a small saucepan, combine orange juice, sugar, apple pie spice, lemon zest, and orange zest. Whisk ingredients together over medium heat.
- Simmer Dressing: Bring the mixture to a low boil, then reduce heat to simmer for 3-4 minutes to concentrate flavors.
- Cool Dressing: Strain the dressing through a fine mesh strainer to remove zest and spice solids. Let it cool completely.
- Prepare Apples: Core and slice both green and red apples into bite-sized pieces. Toss sliced apples with juice from half a lemon to prevent browning and keep them fresh.
- Prepare Oranges: Peel the oranges completely, removing all white pith, then cut into bite-sized pieces for easy eating.
- Combine Salad Ingredients: In a large bowl, combine apples, dried cranberries, toasted pecans, grapes, and orange pieces.
- Toss with Dressing: Drizzle the cooled citrus dressing over the fruit and nut mixture. Toss gently to coat all ingredients evenly. Serve fresh and enjoy.
Notes
- To prevent apples from browning, make sure to toss them immediately with fresh lemon juice.
- Toast pecans carefully to enhance their flavor, but avoid burning them for the best taste.
- This salad is best served the same day to maintain freshness, but can be refrigerated for up to 24 hours.
- For added texture, you can substitute walnuts for pecans if preferred.
- Adjust sugar in the dressing to taste depending on the sweetness of your fruits.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Salad
- Method: No-cook with toasted nuts and simmered dressing
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 180
- Sugar: 23g
- Sodium: 2mg
- Fat: 9g
- Saturated Fat: 1g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 25g
- Fiber: 4g
- Protein: 3g
- Cholesterol: 0mg
Keywords: Thanksgiving fruit salad, holiday salad, citrus dressing, toasted pecans, fresh fruit salad, autumn salad
