With fruit salad being a super popular dish in the country, do we really need a recipe for it? Of course, yes. Here, our simple salad recipe will teach you how to make a delicious dessert without sacrificing everyone’s love of the creamy, delightful flavor.
Plus, we aim to elevate this classic summer salad to new heights. A Filipino Christmas celebration won’t also be complete without the dessert, so you better gear up for the holidays.
In this post, we’ll reveal one of the easiest fruit salad recipes you’ll ever come across. We’ll also give you tips and tricks to make your salad so irresistible.
The Key to Making Simple Fruit Salad
Craving for a healthy dessert? We got you, fam!
Spoiler alert: This is one of the simplest and quickest fruit salad recipes out there. All this takes is a few minutes to put together. Plus, it only calls for three basic, easy-to-find ingredients: fruit cocktail, all-purpose cream, and sweetened condensed milk.
The key to this mouthwatering recipe? You don’t have to follow it. Add as much or as little cream or condensed milk as you want to satisfy your taste buds. But take note that fruit salad is already sweet because of the fruits in it.
Another key to quickly making this dessert is to chill the cream and the condensed milk beforehand. It’s best when these two ingredients completely get chilled, at least overnight. Then, changing the fruit salad with a runny dressing to a super creamy and thick fruit salad takes a few minutes after mixing.
How to Make Fruit Salad
Make this simple fruit salad in four easy steps:
1. Make the fruit salad “dressing”.
You guys, we sort of hate calling it a “dressing” because it really isn’t. However, sometimes things need labels.
In this case, we’re tossing the fruit cocktail with cream and condensed milk “dressing”. Not too much, of course. You don’t want the fruits swimming in juice, so put just enough to coat the fruits.
To do this, simply mix the chilled cream and condensed milk in a bowl. Mix to combine and set aside.
2. Prepare the fruit cocktail.
Prepare the fruit cocktail by opening the can first. Drain the fruit juice properly to avoid making the salad runny.
Pro tip: you can mix the juice with ice and enjoy it as a beverage.
3. Mix the fruits and the “dressing”.
Take the “dressing” out of the freezer and add the fruit cocktail mix. Then, gently toss to combine.
4. Chill and serve.
Put the salad in a tight-fitting lid and store it in the refrigerator until ready to enjoy. Don’t put it inside the freezer, as it will ice overnight. A few hours is enough to make the salad cold enough to serve.
Tips and Tricks
- Clean your hands and sanitize all the kitchen tools you need before starting. You don’t want to cause food poisoning.
- While you can fruits that you like (e.g. apple and coconut), we don’t recommend adding bananas unless you know you will finish your fruit salad that day. Bananas spoil quickly, even if you put them in the fridge.
- If you really want to add bananas to the mix, we suggest keeping them out of the bowl. Instead, slice them right before serving the salad. No matter what technique you use to keep them fresh, the bananas will get mushy when mixed with other fruits in the fridge overnight.
- Pick the most seasonal, fresh fruit and add it into the mix to give your fruit salad a twist. For instance, you can add watermelon to the mix during summer.
- For a sweeter salad, add a few tablespoons of white sugar or honey to the mix. However, I highly recommend holding off and trying it as is first because the fruit cocktail is already sweet as is.
How to Serve Fruit Salad
After mixing all ingredients in a large bowl, you can serve the mixture as soon as it’s prepared. But for best results, chill it for a few hours until firm or cold. Either way, it’s delicious as a midday snack or dessert.
The Best Way to Store Fruit Salad
Store your fruit salad inside an airtight container in the refrigerator. These containers have the perfect level of humidity and moisture for fruits. This helps the salad stay fresh for longer.
You can also use reusable bags to make individual portions that you can easily grab and go for lunch.
How Long Does Fruit Salad Last?
The dessert tastes best when eaten within two days. However, it can last up to five days in the fridge inside an airtight container.
If you want to save leftover fruit salad, transfer the container to the refrigerator as quickly as possible after mixing the fruit. Fruit salad left at room temperature for more than three hours will taste weird.
Fruit Salad Recipe
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Filipino
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Chill Time: 2 hours minutes
Total Time: 2 hrs, 30 minutes
Servings: 6
Ingredients
1 can large fruit cocktail
3/4 cups nata de coco
1 cup of coconut flesh (optional)
1 can of condensed milk
2 cups all-purpose cream
Instructions
- Drain the juice from the cocktail.
- Then, transfer the canned fruits into a bowl.
- Combine the fruit cocktail, buko, and nata de coco, then toss lightly.
- Add the condensed milk and fold in gently. You must be extremely careful so the fruits remain intact and do not become mushy.
- Add the cream and fold in gently again. Make sure that the cream is appropriately distributed throughout the mix.
- Put in an air-tight container and place inside the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
- Serve chilled. Share and enjoy!
Simple Fruit Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 can fruit cocktail large
- 3/4 cups nata de coco
- 1 cup coconut flesh optional
- 1 can condensed milk
- 2 cups all-purpose cream
Instructions
- Drain the juice from the cocktail.1 can fruit cocktail
- Then, transfer the canned fruits into a bowl.
- Combine the fruit cocktail, buko, and nata de coco, then toss lightly.1 cup coconut flesh, 3/4 cups nata de coco
- Add the condensed milk and fold in gently. You must be extremely careful so the fruits remain intact and do not become mushy.1 can condensed milk
- Add the cream and fold in gently again. Make sure that the cream is appropriately distributed throughout the mix.2 cups all-purpose cream
- Put in an air-tight container and place inside the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
- Serve chilled. Share and enjoy!
Notes
Frequently Asked Questions
You can make a simple fruit salad by mixing fresh or frozen fruit. This creates a “perfect” fruit salad for any season. The “cheaper fruit” works best to “bulk up” the final dish, including apples and bananas.
Then, place all of the prepared fruit in a medium bowl. Fold in the cream and condensed milk. Place inside the fridge before serving.
Acidic fruits must not be mixed in fruit salad. Acidic and mildly acidic fruits include oranges, grapefruits, strawberries, pomegranates, and peaches. They should never be combined with sweet fruits such as papaya and cherries.
A fruit salad contains pineapple, honeydew, watermelon, grapes, and kiwifruit. Various recipes may call for adding nuts, fruit juices, cream, yogurt, or other ingredients.
Yes, a fruit salad is healthy. It helps with weight loss, eases digestion, promotes healthy skin and hair, boosts the immune system, and prevents heart diseases. Additionally, fruits contain fiber, antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals.
Keep fruit salad fresh by putting it in an airtight container in the refrigerator. These containers contain the perfect mix of moisture and humidity for cut fruit, helping the salad stay fresh.
Other Recipes by HICAPS
- Yema Cake Recipe
- Red Velvet Cake Recipe
- Basque Burnt Cheesecake Recipe
- Ube Cheese Pandesal Recipe
- Egg Pie Recipe
- Apple Pie Recipe With Crust
- Durian Butter Cake Recipe
- Dream Cake Recipe
Conclusion
Are you looking for the perfect treat this Christmas? Well, you can stop looking now. Follow the simple fruit salad recipe above to complete your Noche Buena feast.
About HICAPS
Over the years, HICAPS has helped bakers and businesses make delicious products by offering ingredients like ChiffonAide Cake Oil, Magic Whizk Whipping Cream, Red Velvet Flavor Emulco, and Instabake Brownie Mix.
HICAPS also provides tools and resources to valued partners such as the free “How to Increase Your Sales Amidst the Pandemic” E-book and free dealer locator that helps look for baking ingredients near me.
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- About the Author
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Lysias (Lysh for short) is a Social Work graduate from the University of the Philippines Diliman. She has over seven years of experience in content marketing.
With a sweet tooth and thirst for mind-blowing content, she is the resident SEO content strategist for HICAPS. Lysias is also the founder of a digital marketing agency called Digifolia. When she’s not in front of the computer, Lysias bakes melt-in-your-mouth donuts and plays with her sweet, adorable dogs.
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