SWEETHEART FRUIT SALAD

Sweetheart Fruit Salad requires just a little effort, but makes this lovely take on a classic side dish perfect for Valentine’s Day! Put your heart into this simple-to-make delicious fresh fruit salad, a great treat for your special Valentine!

This fruit salad recipe is a labor of love, but love is what this heart-filled holiday is all bout right? So why not enjoy a tasty bowl of heart shaped fruit to help remind you of that in every refreshing bite.

What is Sweetheart Fruit Salad?

This valentines day fruit salad is a simple fruit salad combining multiple types of fruit both in their original form as well as in heart shaped form. The heart shaped fruit salad is also given a very simple and easy honey and vanilla citrus glaze to help bring all of the flavors of the fruits and berries together for a more cohesive finish. If you’re looking for Valentine salad ideas, look no further. This dish is sure to have you swooning because it is truly love at first sight.

Why you’ll LOVE this Fresh Fruit Salad Recipe

• It’s healthy! This is one dish that you can really feel good about feeding to your family or guests. This fruit salad is full of great nutrition such as vitamin A and C, also a great source of fiber.
• Simple ingredients. What I love about this recipe is that all the ingredients are simple fruits you can find in your local grocery store or Farmers Market! And the simple glaze calls for very basic ingredients that are not hard to locate in any grocery store.
• Refreshing taste. My favorite part of this salad is the many different fresh diced fruits, I could eat fruit all day and never get enough! I typically go with the fruit that are in season, or whatever I happen to have on hand.

Fruit Salad Ingredients

Vanilla extract: Use 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract to help give the glaze great flavor.

Honey: Adding 2 tablespoons of honey to the glaze will naturally sweeten it to help offset any tart fruits in the bowl.

Lemon juice: Use 2 teaspoons of lemon juice to help keep the fruit from turning brown.

Orange juice: 3 tablespoons of orange juice will help to make the glaze thin enough to coat all of the fruit well.

Fruit: You will need about 8 cups worth of washed fruit including mandarin oranges, blueberries, strawberries, apple, cantaloupe, watermelon, and pineapple. You could also add in kiwi as I did.

Cookie cutters: To help make this dish come to full fruition, you will need various sized heart shaped cookie cutters.

How to make Sweetheart Fruit Salad

Prep fruit

Slice the apples, cantaloupe, watermelon, and pineapple into ½ inch thick pieces.

Use small heart shaped cookie cutters to make hearts out of the fruit and then set them aside in a large bowl.

Then wash and core the strawberries, if desired, dice them into half size pieces. You can also leave them whole, depending on their size. Proceed to add them to the large bowl of fruit.

Next, add in the washed blueberries, mandarin oranges, or any other fruits and berries you are using. Just make sure to wash and de-stem any that need to be.

Make glaze

In a small bowl, combine the vanilla extract, honey, lemon juice, and orange juice, whisk until combined.

Proceed to pour the glaze over the top of the fruit in the bowl. Then toss gently to coat all of the fruit well.

Serve immediately and enjoy!

How far in advance can fruit salad be made?

You can make the salad up to a day in advance of when you want to serve it but keep in mind that it only a shelf life of about 3 days in the fridge when kept in a well covered or airtight container.

How long can fruit salad sit out?

I do not recommend letting the fruit salad sit out for more than 2 hours at a time for food safety reasons. When being served, leaving it out for 2 hours is more than plenty. When not being served, keep it well covered and stored in the fridge.

WHAT OTHER FRUITS CAN I ADD TO THIS FRUIT SALAD?

If you are looking for more seasonal ideas or suggestions for some great-tasting fruits to add to this salad here are a few: oranges, bananas, blackberries, grapes, cantaloupe balls, and even small diced apples (sweet or sour varieties). Really, any type of fruit that you enjoy would work well with this fruit salad recipe.

WHAT CAN I USE INSTEAD OF HONEY?

If you are not a fan of honey or even have an allergy to it there are alternates you can use. Some alternate suggestions are: Agave, regular granulated sugar or brown sugar (just needs to let sit and stir a few times over the course of an hour, to make sure the sugar granules dissolve) or even sugar substitute packets like Splenda.

Check out these other lovely Valentine’s day recipes to try:

• EASY SWOON-WORTHY VALENTINE’S DAY DESSERTS
• VALENTINES SUGAR COOKIES
• RED VELVET VALENTINE COOKIES
• VALENTINE CREAM PUFFS
• VALENTINES CREAM CHEESE BUTTER MINTS
• VALENTINES CHOCOLATE LATTICE SUGAR COOKIES
• VALENTINES MARSHMALLOW POPS
• LAYERED VALENTINES JELLO CUPS
• EASY VALENTINES DONUTS
• VALENTINE CANDY BARK
• STRAWBERRY VALENTINE CHEX MIX

Sweetheart Fruit Salad takes a little effort, but it is well worth it for a Valentine’s Day dish! With this simple-to-make fresh fruit salad, your Valentine is sure to feel extra special.