The Gunny Sack

  • Home
  • Grilling
  • Dinner
  • Recipe Index
    • All Recipes
    • Air Fryer
    • Appetizer
      • Dip
    • Beverages
      • Coffee
      • Smoothie
    • Breakfast
    • Crock Pot
    • Dessert
      • Bars
      • Cake
      • Candy
      • Cheesecake
      • Chocolate
      • Cookies
      • Fruit Desserts
        • Apple
        • Banana
        • Pumpkin
        • Strawberry
      • Fudge
      • Ice Cream
      • No Bake
      • Peanut Butter
      • peppermint
      • Pie
      • Truffles
    • Dinner
      • Beef
      • Bread
      • Casserole
      • Chicken
      • Grilled
      • Pasta
      • Pizza
      • Pork
      • Salad
      • Sauces and Dressing
      • Side
        • Potatoes
        • Vegetables
      • Soup
    • Snack
    • Holiday
      • Easter
      • Christmas
      • Halloween
      • Thanksgiving
      • Valentine’s Day
  • About
    • About The Team
    • Contact
    • Subscribe
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • All Recipes
  • Appetizers
  • Desserts
  • Dinners
  • About
  • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×

    Home » Recipes » Salad » Fruit Salad Recipe Lemon Vanilla Glaze

    Fruit Salad Recipe Lemon Vanilla Glaze

    Published: Mar 17, 2023 · Modified: Apr 3, 2023 by Tonia Larson

    This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

    ↓ JUMP TO RECIPE ↓ JUMP TO VIDEO

    This Fruit Salad Recipe is full of colorful fruit with a lemon vanilla glaze on top. Serve it for Easter brunch, as a side salad, or dessert!

    fruit salad in a bowl with a wooden spoon

    Fruit salad is always a welcome dish at any meal from breakfast to dinner and it can be made year-round! It is great eaten fresh but adding this lemon vanilla glaze brings it to a new level.

    What You’ll Find In This Post

    • Why You’ll Love This Fruit Salad Recipe
    • Fruit Salad Ingredients
      • Additional Fruit Options
    • How To Make Fruit Salad
    • Lemon Vanilla Glaze
    • Variations
      • Fruit Salad with Cool Whip
      • Fruit Salad with Pudding
    • Make Ahead and Storage Instructions
    • Fruit Salad Recipe FAQs
    • You’ll Love These Fruity Recipes Too

    Why You’ll Love This Fruit Salad Recipe

    Everyone loves fruit salad with a bright combination of colors and flavors. Plus, in this recipe, the bite-sized pieces of fruit are coated in a sweet, tangy glaze that enhances the sweetness of the fruit. You can make this recipe year-round but it is especially popular as an Easter fruit salad and as a summer side dish for backyard barbecues and 4th of July celebrations. We love that we can make this fruit salad ahead of time and easily bring it with us to share.

    Sliced grapes, diced melon, pineapple tidbits, strawberries, and blueberries in bowls.

    Fruit Salad Ingredients

    While you can technically use any fruit in this fruit salad recipe, certain ones will hold up better. Below are the ones we like using to make salads. You can swap out these choices with other fruits, but keep in mind that soft fruit such as raspberries or bananas may not hold up well. You can find the ingredients amounts in the recipe card.

    • Grapes: We added both red and green grapes. To make them easier to eat in a salad, we sliced them in half.
    • Berries: Both blueberries and strawberries are great choices. They are flavorful, sturdy berries that color as well!
    • Melon: We love adding both cantaloupe and watermelon for color and flavor.
    • Pineapple: We recommend using fresh pineapple for the best results. If you do choose to use canned pineapple pieces, be sure to drain them first.
    • Glaze: For the glaze, you’ll need granulated sugar, water, lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla extract.

    Additional Fruit Options

    • Melon: Honeydew is another great melon option to add to the salad.
    • Blackberries: If you want to add more berries, blackberries are a great choice since they are sturdier than raspberries.
    • Apples: Choose apples that don’t brown quickly such as ambrosia or gala apples. The vanilla lemon glaze will also help by coating the diced apples.
    • Citrus: For more citrus options, try adding drained mandarin oranges or sliced oranges.
    fruit salad with lemon vanilla glaze

    How To Make Fruit Salad

    Pro Tip: Making this salad is really easy but cutting the fruit takes a bit of extra time. If you are in a hurry, buy pre-sliced fruit from the grocery store!

    • Prep: Cut the various kinds of fruits into bite-sized pieces. Cube the melon and pineapple, slice the grapes in half, and quarter the strawberries.
    • Combine: Put all of the fruit in a large bowl and pour the chilled glaze on top.

    Lemon Vanilla Glaze

    While the lemon vanilla glaze is optional, we suggest giving it a try! It adds to the sweetness of the fruit with a hint of vanilla.

    • Cook: Put granulated sugar, water, lemon juice, and lemon zest in a saucepan. Stir over medium heat. Bring to a rolling boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes until slightly thickened.
    • Cool: Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract. All the lemon vanilla glaze to cool to room temperature and then move it to the fridge to cool completely.
    glazed fruit salad in bowl

    Variations

    Fruit Salad with Cool Whip

    To make a creamy fruit salad with cool whip, skip making the glaze. Instead, fold in 1/2 cup of vanilla yogurt and 2 cups of thawed whipped topping. Another popular addition to a cool whip fruit salad is one cup of mini marshmallows.

    Fruit Salad with Pudding

    Vanilla pudding adds a sweet touch to fruit salad instead of the glaze. For this version, whisk together one box of instant vanilla pudding and 1/2 cup of milk. Allow the pudding to set and then stir in 2 cups of thawed cool whip. Fold the mixture into the fruit until evenly coated.

    Make Ahead and Storage Instructions

    If you mix the glaze into the salad, it will last 1-2 days in the fridge. The cut-up fruit will last 2-3 days in the fridge without the glaze.

    fruit salad

    Fruit Salad Recipe FAQs

    What is the purpose of the lemon vanilla glaze?

    The glaze adds flavor and sweetness to the fruit salad. You can just combine the fruit if you prefer.

    Are there other flavors I can make of this glaze?

    Yes, try using orange juice and orange zest, lime juice, and lime zest, or pineapple juice.

    Can you make fruit salad ahead of time?

    Yes, you can make this fruit salad ahead of time. For best results, keep the cut fruit and lemon-vanilla glaze separate until closer to serving time.

    You’ll Love These Fruity Recipes Too

    Fruit Salsa with Cinnamon Chips is the sweet version of chips and salsa. The salsa is made with diced fruit and the tortilla chips are sweetened with cinnamon sugar.

    This Pineapple Salsa recipe is a popular appetizer! The pineapple bits add a little sweetness to the spicy salsa.

    This Watermelon Pizza has a watermelon “crust” with cream cheese frosting for the sauce and pieces of fruit as toppings.

    This Fruit Dip Recipe is a light, fluffy combination of cream cheese and marshmallow cream! Serve it with cubed fresh fruits or apple slices.

    Fruit salad in a glass bowl with a wooden spoon.

    Fruit Salad Recipe

    This Fruit Salad Recipe is full of colorful fruit with a lemon vanilla glaze on top. Serve it for Easter brunch, as a side salad, or dessert!
    4.30 from 24 votes
    ↑ Click stars to rate!
    Print Review SaveSaved! Add to Shopping ListGo to Shopping List
    Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes
    Cooling Time: 4 hours hours
    Total Time: 4 hours hours 35 minutes minutes
    Servings: 14
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Equipment

    Glass Mixing Bowl Set
    Vanilla Extract, 16 Fl Oz
    White Sugar, 4 lb. Pack of 2

    Ingredients

    Lemon Vanilla Glaze

    • 1 cup granulated sugar
    • 1 cup water
    • 4 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
    • 1 tablespoon lemon zest
    • 2 teaspoon vanilla extract

    Fruit Salad

    • 1 cup sliced red grapes
    • 1 cup sliced green grapes
    • 1 cup blueberries
    • 1 cup sliced strawberries
    • 1 cup cubed cantaloupe
    • 1 cup cubed pineapple
    • 1 cup cubed watermelon

    Instructions

    Lemon Vanilla Glaze

    • Stir the sugar, water, lemon juice, and lemon zest in a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat.
      Lemon vanilla glaze ingredients in a saucepan with a wooden spoon.
    • Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15-20 minutes until slightly thickened. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract.
      boiling lemon glaze in a saucepan with a wooden spoon.
    • Cool to room temperature and then cool completely in the fridge.
      Cooling lemon glaze in a saucepan.

    Fruit Salad

    • Put all of the fruit in a large bowl, pour the chilled glaze over it, and stir to combine. Cover an store in the fridge.
      add lemon glaze to fruit salad.

    Video

    Notes

    Storage: If you mix the glaze into the salad, it will last 1-2 days in the fridge. The cut-up fruit will last 2-3 days in the fridge without the glaze.
    Recipe adapted from Pioneer Woman.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1/2 cup | Calories: 95kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 0.2g | Saturated Fat: 0.03g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.02g | Sodium: 5mg | Potassium: 114mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 22g | Vitamin A: 477IU | Vitamin C: 18mg | Calcium: 9mg | Iron: 0.3mg
    Course: Salad
    Cuisine: America
    Author: Tonia Larson

    More Salad

    • a bowl of brocolli salad on a counter
      Broccoli Salad
    • a bowl of Italian salad.
      Italian Salad
    • Italian dressing in a small pitcher.
      Italian Dressing
    • 7 layer salad in a trifle dish.
      7 Layer Salad Recipe

    About Tonia Larson

    Hi! I’m Tonia, the owner and recipe creator at The Gunny Sack, where I’ve shared easy recipes for busy people for 12+ years! My family-friendly meals, easy side dishes, and delicious desserts include mouthwatering photos, dynamic videos, and step-by-step instructions to help you cook at home.

    « Italian Salad
    Chocolate Cake Mix Cookies »

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Tonia Larson and Brian LarsonHi, We are Brian and Tonia Larson! We hope you enjoy our family-friendly meals, easy side dishes, and tasty desserts!
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    sign up for emails button
    Disclosure | Privacy Policy | Nutrition Disclaimer

    Copyright © 2023 · Genesis Framework by StudioPress · WordPress · Log in