This fall fruit salad is filled with fresh apples, blackberries, grapes, and pecans. Drizzled with a homemade cinnamon orange dressing that packs tons of fall flavor!
Oh MY Word!!!! If I could give this fruit salad 10 stars I would. The most amazing and flavorful fruit salad that I have ever tasted. Testing out salads for my daughters Baby Shower Brunch next month and this is definitely a winner. The maple syrup with the orange and the zest. I cannot quit eating it. My guests are going to be raving! ★★★★★ - Lisa
Why this recipe works
Flavor/texture: Fruity, citrusy, cozy, warm. Crunchy pecans contrast nicely with the crisp apples, juicy grapes, and tender blackberries.
The dressing is the star: It packs tons of cozy fall flavor! Made with fresh orange juice, orange zest, maple syrup, and cinnamon.
Easy to assemble: Have a fruit salad for a crowd ready in about 15 minutes!
More fruit salads: Spring Fruit Salad, Summer Fruit Salad, and Winter Fruit Salad
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Ingredients and substitutions
- Apples - I used two large, sweet apples for this fruit salad. Honeycrisp, fuji, gala, and red delicious are all great choices.
- Blackberries - Can be substituted with other berries you have on hand, like sliced strawberries, raspberries, or blueberries.
- Red seedless grapes - Can be substituted with any color grapes you have on hand.
- Chopped pecans - Can be substituted with walnuts.
- Maple syrup - Can be substituted with honey (however, your salad will no longer be vegan). Readers have also had success using maple flavored pancake syrup.
- Cinnamon - Adds flavor to your fruit salad. Can be substituted with pumpkin pie spice or chai spice for a slightly different flavor.
- Orange - We're using the zest and juice of one orange to make the dressing. Don't omit the orange, it adds a significant amount of flavor to the recipe!
How to make fall fruit salad
- Zest your orange, then juice it into a bowl.
- Add cinnamon and maple syrup and whisk until incorporated.
- Add apples, grapes, blackberries, and pecans to a bowl and drizzle dressing on top.
- Toss until evenly coated and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Tips and tricks
Zest, then juice - Zest your orange, then slice it in half and juice it. It's much easier to zest a whole orange than two halves.
Slice apples last - As instructed in the recipe card, we're slicing the apples last. This ensures that your apples don't turn brown before they're dressed. The dressing seals the apples, which prevents them from oxidizing.
For crunchy pecans, add them last - Want to keep your pecans crunchy? Add them last and toss to combine just before serving.
Make ahead
Prepare according to the directions below, cover, and store in the refrigerator overnight. Before serving, give your salad a quick toss to incorporate any dressing that may have settled at the bottom of the bowl.
No, your apples will not turn brown during this time. The salad dressing coats the apples and prevents oxidation.
Frequently asked questions
Sweet apples taste best in a fruit salad. I recommend honeycrisp, fuji, gala, or red delicious.
The dressing coats the fruits and prevents oxidation. Prepare the fruit salad as directed below, cubing your apples last. Once the apples are cubed, assemble the salad. Immediately toss fruits in the dressing until evenly coated.
The most common fruits for a fall fruit salad include: apples, orange slices, kiwi, grapes, pears, pomegranate arils, blackberries, figs, and persimmons. Make it according to your tastes and preferences - make it something you'll truly enjoy!
Your fruit salad will keep, once dressed, in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days but is best served with in 1 day for a party.
I like to serve fall fruit salad with a stack of applesauce pancakes. Readers have also tossed it with homemade granola or yogurt to enjoy for breakfast.
Recommended
📖 Recipe
Fall Fruit Salad
Ingredients
Dressing
- 1 orange
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Fruit salad
- 16 ounces red seedless grapes
- 12 ounces blackberries
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 2 large sweet apples
Instructions
- In a large bowl, add the zest and juice of one orange. Add maple syrup and cinnamon, whisking to combine.
- Then, add grapes, blackberries, and pecans. Cube apples into bite size pieces and add to the bowl. Immediately toss fruit to coat.
- Serve immediately or store covered in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Equipment Recommendations
Notes
- Make ahead: Salad can be prepared up to one day ahead and stored, covered, in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Give your salad a toss just before serving to incorporate any dressing that may have settled in the bottom of the bowl.
- Best apples to use: Any apples can be used in this recipe, but I recommend sweet apples like honeycrisp, fuji, or gala apples.
- Storage: Prepared fruit salad will keep for 3 to 4 days in a sealed container in the refrigerator.
- Substituting with prepared orange juice: Juice of one orange = about ¼ cup
This fruit salad is excellent! I made it for a fall lunch and had numerous requests for the recipe.
Very good salad we had it with Thanksgiving meal complimented other foods well;I am huge fan of Waldorf salad and this was nice change
OMG! Love this. I was skeptical, but wanted another side dish for Thanksgiving. I made a half batch and ended up making another. It is so good - and other than the pure maple syrup, there is no added sugar - something I really appreciate.
So good! Added pomegranate seeds, but even better was adding pineapple. This is a keeper!
Super delicious and easy recipe! I make my lunches everyday and will be adding this to my rotation
SO SO GOOD - Followed recipe - so easy - pretty and Delicious - definitely will make it again TY
SO SO GOOD - made it - followed recipe - so easy - Delicious!
Is there another fruit I can add for the dressing besides orange? I’m allergic to citrus fruits. But I really want to try this recipe! TIA
Other readers have had success with pineapple juice or apple juice instead of orange juice! Keep in mind that the orange zest adds a significant amount of flavor, so omitting it entirely will result in a less flavorful salad overall.
Very yummy! Left out the pecans so it would appeal to more people, including kids. Fruit doesn’t generally need to be sweetened, but adding a dressing like this definitely makes it special and a treat! I tried it with half the maple syrup and then ended up adding it all. The orange, maple and cinnamon are lovely together. Would make again!
Delicious! I added about 2 TBS of Greek yogurt to the dressing and whisked it before adding the apples and remaining ingredients.
This salad is refreshing and a great Thanksgiving side!
I rarely take the time to review, but just had to say I made this for the first time about a month ago and have made it every week since! I've used grapes and apples as the consistent base (as blackberries are super expensive right now), and whatever fruit is on sale (blueberries, pineapple, and oranges so far). It makes a lot, but keeps really well, and goes into every lunch. Best fruit salad ever!
Will the apple go brown if it's made hours early or does the dressing preserve it?
Hi Samantha, the dressing preserves the apples. This can be made the day beforehand if needed.
This is delicious. I just made it for our church breakfast. Such a refreshing salad for fall.
Love it. Have made several times this summer with different mixes of fruits. Left out pecans as tree nut allergy but we didn't miss them. Two thumbs from teen son.
Would honey be a decent sub for real maple syrup? Don’t have any on hand.
Yes, honey can work as a substitute.
I just decided to try this as a nice light autumnal desert and now it’s a firm family favourite which will be made year round!
So glad to hear you enjoyed the recipe!
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Not sure what else to say except still trying to print this recipe?
I'm trying to print this recipe. I have a Mac computer and first time ever was unable to print recipe. It comes up as if to print and printer puts a sheet of paper thru; however it's blank. Any ideas on how to print the recipe? Thanks for any help.
Hi Jean, when you hit the 'print recipe' button can you see the print-friendly page that's in black and white? If the page is appearing correctly on your screen, it sounds like there's an issue with the printer itself. Here are a few ways to troubleshoot a printer printing blank pages: https://www.makeuseof.com/troubleshoot-printer-printing-blank-pages/
I just made this for my families Thanksgiving and oooooo my is it delicious. I'm trying not to eat it all before I get there! Love this!
I love this salad! It was a great addition to our thanksgiving meal. Had many requests for the recipe. Will be making again and again, thank you!
Delicious! We added 3 Tbsp Roasted Walnut Oil. It was a nice flavor addition.
Thank you very much for this wonderful recipe. It was a big hit at our Thanksgiving Breakfast this year.
Tonya
Yum!!! This is the perfect fall salad. The orange juice dressing is perfection. I added pomegranate for a little more color and crunch.
Great combination and my friends loved it.
This was so easy t make; i did add pomegranate poms, and the taste test..oh my gosh, delish!! Cant wait to serve at our son's tonight after the ingredients have had a chance to meld!! definitely a keeper!
How big of a serving did this make? I’m wondering if doubling it would still be enough for Thanksgiving?
As written this recipe serves eight medium servings. If people are taking small scoops, it could feed more. The scalloped bowl in the process photos is about 3-quarts and could hold a doubled recipe.
I was looking for a nice fall fruit salad to add to our Thanksgiving menu, and this is it! It's so yummy and has a good balance of flavors. I may just do one tablespoon of maple syrup instead of two, but it's still good as is, just a personal preference.
10-out-of-5 stars! This recipe is so simple, yet so elegant and flavorful! Hits all the happy-signals on the tongue! Thank you! (Didn’t have enough pecans, so I used a mix of both pecans and walnuts, toasted them, and they did beautifully). Will be using this for holidays & get-togethers now! 🙂
SO very good! I did substitute regular pancake syrup for real maple syrup (only because I was out of it, unfortunately) and it worked just fine. So, that works in a pinch, if needed.
Thanks for the tip!
Do you use juice from orange as well?
Yes, in step one you'll add the zest and juice of one orange.
Excellent fall salad! I used candied pecans-so good!
Glad you enjoyed the fruit salad, Becky! Candied pecans sound like a great addition.
Very tasty and refreshing! I used raspberries because blackberries weren’t available. I think next time I’ll skip the berries if I can’t get blackberries. One thing to note: if you want the nuts crunchy don’t add them till just before serving.
Made this to go along with dinner last night & it was so good! I took another readers advice and toasted the pecans. I also added a tbsp of brown sugar. This morning i added granola to the leftovers and ate it for breakfast!! Awesome fruit salad. I will definitely make this again. Thank u for the recipe!
This is so delicious!
Oh MY Word!!!! If I could give this fruit salad 10 stars I would. The most amazing and flavorful fruit salad that I have ever tasted. Testing out salads for my daughters Baby Shower Brunch next month and this is definitely a winner. The maple syrup with the orange and the zest. I cannot quit eating it. My guests are going to be raving!
I usually have a nice fruit salad most days but I normally put yogurt on it. This is a brilliant alternative and I just love the idea of putting orange zest in the dressing. Fruit can be adjusted according to what you have but apples, oranges and grapes are pretty well a must.So good.
This recipe was amazing! Will make it again. Delicious!
I'm really not a fan of fruit salad. . .too sweet for my palate, plus I believe consuming fruits in season is optimal for flavor and nutrition. Still, I had to bring a dish to an early December event; others had already covered the savory offerings so I was left contemplating what to offset and balance the other foods. This recipe caught my attention because although apples, blackberries, and red grapes had just passed their peak, they would still taste fresh plus, pecans are also at their peak in late fall. The dressing is what really knocks this assembly out of the park! The orange zest and fresh orange juice pair beautifully with the maple syrup and the ground cinnamon adds a lovely overall finish. The salad is simple to assemble, pleasing to the eye, and was a hit with the guests! Several inquired about the dressing in particular and a few insisted I bring the written recipe to our next event. I'm delighted to have had such a positive reaction. Thank you for sharing such a winning recipe and helping me shine among my new friends!
How much orange zest did you use?
Hi Lynn, this recipe calls for the zest of one orange, which can vary between 1-2 tablespoons.
This was excellent! The only thing I did differently was to toast the pecans. It was easy and a little different from the usual fruit salad
This was fantastic! It was a big hit at the fall party that I took it too. The only change that I made was adding pomegranate to it. Nice extra pop of flavor.
Absolutely delicious!
do the apples brown?
The apples do not brown as long as you toss them in the dressing quickly after they've been sliced.
how many servings does it make? making this today for a potluck.
This recipe makes about eight big servings - it can definitely be stretched further if people are taking small spoonfuls (like at a potluck with lots of other dishes).
I’m allergic to Orange - what substitute can I use?
To prevent the apples from turning brown, they'll need to be coated in an acidic juice, so pineapple juice or lemon juice would work. Apple juice is also quite acidic and could be worth a try, although I haven't tested this one myself. As for the zest I'd recommend omitting it entirely (lemon or lime would be too tart).
Excellent salad. Had people asking me for the recipe. Nice to have a different kind of fruit salad.
Decided to branch out and try something new for Thanksgiving today. This was a hit. I 3x the recipe and came home with an empty bowl as any leftovers were swiped and taken home. Perfect the way its written but easily customizable! Thanks for the recipe!!