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!
Fruit salad isn't only for summer. Add this flavorful, sweet salad to your next Halloween, Thanksgiving, or fall party food table!
Made with cubed apples, red grapes, blackberries, and pecans, this fall fruit salad is easy to assemble in only a few minutes. The best part is the simple dressing that's made with orange juice, orange zest, maple syrup, and cinnamon. It adds tons of cozy fall flavor with a handful of ingredients!
Serve this fall fruit salad at your next fall party, for Halloween, or even for Thanksgiving. Have leftovers? It's the perfect accompaniment to a stack of applesauce pancakes!
Ingredients and substitutions
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).
What kinds of fruits can I use?
The most common fruits for a fall fruit salad include: apples, orange slices, kiwi, grapes, pears, pomegranate arils, blackberries, figs, and persimmons.
In short, any of these fruits you have on hand can be added to your fruit salad. Make it according to your tastes and preferences - make it something you'll truly enjoy!
Can fruit salad be made ahead?
This prepared fruit salad keeps well in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days, but is best served within a day of preparing.
Want to make your salad a day ahead of time? 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.
How to keep fruit salad from turning brown
- Prepare your fruit salad as directed below, cubing your apples last. Once your apples are cubed, immediately assembly the salad.
- Once the dressing is added to your salad, this will coat and seal your fruit. The dressing prevents your apples from turning brown.
- Your fruit salad will keep, once dressed, in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days.
Fall Fruit Salad
Ingredients
- 16 ounces red seedless grapes
- 12 ounces blackberries
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 2 large sweet apples
Dressing
- 1 orange
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- In a bowl, add the zest and juice of one orange. Then, add maple syrup and cinnamon, whisking to combine. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, add grapes, blackberries, and pecans. Cube apples into bite size pieces and add to the bowl. Immediately pour dressing over fruits and toss until evenly coated.
- Serve immediately or store covered in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Equipment Recommendations
Notes
- 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.
- Any apples can be used in this recipe - I recommend sweet apples like honeycrisp, fuji, or gala apples.
- Prepared fruit salad will keep for 3 to 4 days in a sealed container in the refrigerator.
- Juice of one orange = about ¼ cup
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!
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!!