Thanksgiving Fruit Salad

An apple and pear fruit salad in a bowl with a serving spoon, surrounded by an apple, a pear, and orange half and a bowl of pomegranate seeds.

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This Thanksgiving Fruit Salad is an easy, festive side dish!. Apples, pears, persimmons, grapes and pomegranate seeds are tossed in a simple maple orange dressing. Kids and adults both love it!

Prep Time10

Cook Time0

Total Time10

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Servings: servings

Calories: 175kcal

Author: Don Baiocchi

Ingredients

2 tablespoons orange juice
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
½ teaspoon cinnamon optional
2 apples your choice
2 pears D'anjou or Anjou are recommended
2 Fuyu persimmons
4 cups red grapes
3 tablespoons pomegranate seeds plus more if needed (see notes)

Instructions

In a large mixing bowl, whisk the orange juice and maple syrup together (and the cinnamon, if using) until combined.
Core the apples and chop into bite-sized chunks. Toss in the dressing -this will prevent them from browning as you prepare the rest of the fruit.
Repeat with the pears.
Trim off the stems and leaves of the persimmons, then chop into bite-sized pieces and add to the bowl.
Use a paring knife to cut the red grapes in half (keep very small ones whole) and add to the bowl.
Add the 3 tablespoons of pomegranate seeds to the bowl and toss everything together.
Pour into a serving bowl, sprinkle more pomegranate seeds over the top if you like, and serve.

Notes

For the pomegranate seeds: I buy the seeds in the produce section, but you can also buy a whole, fresh pomegranate and cut it open to get the seeds out.

Substitutions

You can add any fruit you like. Some other good ideas include:
1. orange slices
2. fresh figs cut in half
3. peeled and chopped kiwi
4. peeled and chopped pineapple
5. green grapes instead of red
6. blueberries

You can also add nuts for crunch, such as almonds, pecans, walnuts or pistachios.

You can use honey instead of maple syrup.

Make ahead

The acid from the orange juice in the dressing will prevent the fruit from browning. You can make the salad up to 24 hours in advance (although really, even 48 hours works fine). Keep in the fridge and give everything a good toss before serving.

Freezer storage

I do not recommend freezing this salad.

Leftovers

If you have any leftovers, they're fantastic over vanilla ice cream or plain yogurt.
They also make a great topping for pancakes, waffles, French toast and pound cake.
You can also add them to a pitcher of red wine and then store in the fridge until chilled for a quick sangria.

Nutrition