Celebrate the summer holidays with this red, white, and blue fruit salad recipe! Made with an assortment of red and blue fresh fruit, white jicama, and a honey, lime, and mint dressing, it’s a delicious side or dessert for cookouts. Add it to your Memorial Day or Fourth of July menu!

red, white, and blue fruit salad on a large serving dish on a counter

This post was originally published in July 2021. It was updated with new tips in July 2026.

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Lizzie’s Notes
Ingredients and Substitutions
How to Make This Fruit Salad Recipe
Serving Ideas
Storage and Make-Ahead
More Summer Salad Recipes
FAQs
📖 Recipe
💬 Comments

Lizzie’s Notes

I’ve experimented with my fair share of dishes using summer fruit, and this is by far my favorite fruit salad recipe! The reason? It includes a vegetable, in true Veg World fashion!

Jicama is the secret ingredient, providing the “white” part of the 4th of July fruit salad color scheme and an added crunch that perfectly complements the juicy fruits. (See also my Jicama Cherry Salsa.) Plus, it doesn’t brown like apples would. To take it up a notch, I sometimes use a star cookie cutter for the jicama or watermelon to add even more patriotic flair!

I’m also in love with the dressing, a simple combo of honey, lime, and mint that I modeled after the most delicious mint simple syrup a friend’s mom once used on her own fruit salad. In my experience, it brings out the natural flavors without going overboard on sweetness and transforms a classic dish into something spectacular! I can’t wait to hear how you like it.

berries, watermelon, lime, jicama, cherries, and mint spread out on a counter

Ingredients and Substitutions

Red fruits: I use strawberries, watermelon, and cherries (Rainier or red) in this fruit salad recipe. Each one provides a distinct texture and flavor. You can sub raspberries and/or pomegranate seeds if needed. Keep in mind that raspberries are fragile and may break when stirring the salad. For best results, gently mix them into the salad just before serving.
White fruits/veggies: I highly recommend jicama since it adds a great crunch and has a fairly neutral taste. Many stores sell jicama already peeled and sliced in the produce or prepared food section. If you buy one that’s not sliced, follow the tips in my How to Cut Jicama tutorial. You can also use white peaches or nectarines and/or white melon instead if you can find them. If you are serving the salad right away, pears or bananas would work in a pinch. I don’t love bananas because of their strong taste, but some people really like them. Remember that they will get brown over time, so add them just before serving and avoid overly ripe ones.
Blue fruits: Blueberries and blackberries are hassle-free choices fro an easy fruit salad. If you don’t necessarily care about the red, white, and blue color palette, you can use other fruits. Seedless grapes (green or purple), canned mandarin oranges, pineapple, mango, cantaloupe, honeydew, and kiwi are best for a colorful fruit salad.
Lime juice: Substitute lemon juice for lime juice in the dressing if that’s what you have. Orange juice also works but will contribute a different flavor. For even more flavor, add lime zest or orange zest in addition to juice.
Honey: Use maple syrup or even granulated sugar if you don’t have honey.
Mint: Mint is a natural companion to fruit, but you can skip it if you don’t have any on hand. If you want to try another herb, basil is probably the best option.

How to Make This Fruit Salad Recipe

The full recipe card is at the bottom of the post. Here’s a preview of the steps with photos to guide you.

Chopped watermelon, berries, and jicama in a mixing bowl with a rubber spatula.

Cut fruit and jicama into bite-sized pieces. As mentioned in my notes, use a star cookie cutter for the watermelon or jicama for a fun touch. Combine the ingredients in a large bowl.

Fruit salad mixed together and drizzled with a mint lime dressing in a bowl.

Whisk the honey-lime dressing in a measuring cup. Pour over the fruit salad. Gently mix until coated.

Serving Ideas

With its red, white, and blue color scheme, this fruit salad recipe is perfect for Fourth of July, Memorial Day, or Labor Day cookouts and Olympics watch parties. It’s also fun for brunches, potlucks, and gatherings at other times of year! Serve as a side dish in a spread with Veggie Chicken Burgers, Grilled Vegetable Skewers with Halloumi, and Dill Pickle Potato Salad.

Storage and Make-Ahead

You can prepare this recipe up to a few hours in advance. I recommend adding the fruit salad dressing before storing it in the fridge in an airtight container so that the fruit can marinate. Then, mix it well before serving. If you have to make it longer than 3 to 4 hours in advance, wait to add the dressing until just before serving.

Leftovers will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 days, but it’s best when eaten within the same day. This is because fruit salad can get soggy the longer it sits in the dressing.

All of the fruits that I used held up very well. If you are using bananas or a delicate fruit like raspberries, it’s best to prepare the fruit salad as close to serving as possible or add them just before serving.

red, white, and blue fruit salad with a honey lime mint dressing on a serving platter

More Summer Salad Recipes

FAQs

Can I use frozen fruit for fruit salad? Yes, as long as you thaw and drain it first to remove excess liquid that may make the final dish soggy. Thaw frozen fruit in a bowl in the refrigerator until no longer frozen but still firm to the touch. Place in a colander in the sink to drain any liquid (there may not be much), then transfer to a bowl and add the dressing. Frozen berries and cherries hold up well when thawed and won’t be too soggy. Frozen watermelon gets too soft, so you can skip it if you want to use all frozen fruit.
What can I use instead of honey in the dressing? Sub the same amount of maple syrup or two tablespoons of granulated sugar. For a sugar-free version, use liquid monk fruit sweetener in the amount recommended on the package. You usually need less of it, since it can be very concentrated.
How do you keep fruit salad fresh and prevent it from turning brown? Coating the fruit in acidic citrus juice (in this instance, lime juice) prevents it from turning brown when exposed to oxygen.

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