This gorgeous summer fruit salad is made with stone fruit like peaches, nectarines and cherries, fresh berries and a delicious lemon maple thyme dressing. The dressing elevates everything to a whole new level for a salad you won't be able to stop eating! Perfect as a light side dish, snack or even healthy dessert.
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🍑 Why We Love This Recipe
- Great use of seasonal fruit: Have a lot of various leftover fresh stone fruit and berries? This is the perfect way to use everything up in one recipe!
- Endless combinations: you can go crazy with every stone fruit out there (like we did!), or stick to just one or two of your favorites. This would be delicious with just cherries and peaches, or any combination of your favorite summer stone fruit and berries!
- Fruit salad, elevated! You might think perfectly ripe summer fruit is perfect as is, but the maple lemon thyme dressing in this salad truly elevates everything and brings out even more intense flavor. Seriously, it's SO good. I couldn't stop eating this – so much more interesting than plain fruit!
🍒 Ingredients
Here are the key ingredients you'll need for this summer fruit salad:
📋 Ingredient Notes
- Stone fruit: Again, feel free to pick and choose your favorites here, or use a wide variety like we did. Any of the following are great options: peaches, nectarines, plums, apricots, pluots and cherries. We definitely suggest keeping cherries in the mix – they can be a pain to pit, but they're especially good with the dressing.
- Berries: we stick to blueberries and blackberries in our version, but you could definitely use another berry (strawberries, raspberries, etc.) if preferred.
- Maple syrup: make sure to use the good stuff here. Pure maple syrup adds a wonderful pop of flavor and brings out the natural sweetness of the fruit even more. If you don't have any, you can sub with another liquid sweetener like honey or agave.
- Thyme: fresh thyme has a delicate herbal flavor that takes this summer fruit salad to the next level. You can also use basil, mint, tarragon, or another summer herb of choice. We don't suggest subbing with dried – this salad is really best with a fresh herb.
- Vanilla extract: It may seem like an unusual ingredient for a dressing, but wow, it packs a huge punch! It also makes this summer fruit salad lean more towards the dessert side, which we love. If you have any, vanilla bean paste would be excellent here.
🔪 Step-by-step Instructions
(1) Prepare all stone fruit by slicing thinly. If using cherries, be sure to remove pits.
Add all fruit to a large mixing bowl.
(2) In a separate small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, maple syrup, vanilla, cinnamon, salt and thyme until well combined.
(3) Pour dressing over fruit.
(4) Toss gently to coat. Enjoy right away or chill for 1 hour in the refrigerator before enjoying.
💭 Expert Tips and FAQs
- Stone fruit yield: One large peach or nectarine will yield about 1 cup of sliced fruit. For smaller stone fruit like apricots or plums, you'll need about 3-4 to equal 1 cup sliced.
- Serving suggestions: this summer fruit salad is absolutely delicious plain as a snack or side dish. It's also fantastic over ice cream or with whipped cream for a light dessert. It's a great unique fruit salad to bring to a summer bbq or special event!
- Change it up: don't feel pressured to stick exactly to the recipe. Give it a try with various combinations of fruit or a different herb like basil or mint.
- Storage: this summer fruit salad is best enjoyed within about 2 days. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator and stir well again before serving.
- Make ahead: this salad actually tastes even better when it has a chance to sit and soak up the dressing. We suggest making this salad no more than 24 hours before serving. Stir well before serving!
- Make it more savory: serve over a bed of lettuce like baby kale or arugula and add in a cup of cooked quinoa or wild rice. You'll also want to double the dressing.
If you don't have an actual cherry pitter, you can use a chopstick or stainless steel straw to remove the pit. Insert through the stem hole and push all the way through. Check to make sure the pit has been removed, then slice in half.
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Print📖 Recipe
Summer Fruit Salad
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This gorgeous summer fruit salad is made with stone fruit like peaches, nectarines and cherries, fresh berries and a delicious lemon maple thyme dressing. The dressing elevates everything to a whole new level for a salad you won't be able to stop eating!
Ingredients
- 4-6 cups sliced stone fruit of choice* (cherries, peaches, plums, apricots, nectarines, etc)
- 2 cups blueberries
- 2 cups blackberries
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp cinnamon
- Pinch of salt
- 1 tsp fresh thyme, finely chopped
Instructions
- Prepare all stone fruit by slicing thinly. If using cherries, be sure to remove pits.
- Add all fruit to a large mixing bowl.
- In a separate small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, maple syrup, vanilla, cinnamon, salt and thyme until well combined.
- Pour dressing over fruit and toss gently to coat. Enjoy right away or chill for 1 hour in the refrigerator before enjoying.
Notes
*Generally one large peach or nectarine will yield about 1 cup of sliced fruit, whereas you'll need about 3-4 apricots or plums for 1 cup.
Feel free to use any combination of fresh fruit – you can keep it super simple with just one or two, or use a few different types.
If you don't like (or don't have) any fresh thyme, feel free to sub with mint or basil.
Serving suggestions: this salad is absolutely delicious plain as a snack or side dish. It's also fantastic over ice cream or with whipped cream for a light dessert.
Storage: this salad is best enjoyed within about 2 days. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator and stir well again before serving.
Make ahead: this salad actually tastes even better when it has a chance to sit and soak up the dressing. We suggest making this salad no more than 24 hours before serving. Stir well before serving!
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Category: Salads
- Method: No Cook
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 82
- Sugar: 15.1 g
- Sodium: 292.1 mg
- Fat: 0.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 19.9 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Protein: 1.5 g
Karen Pratt says
Looks great
Joyce Lind says
Can't wait to try these new to me salads.
Carol says
This sounds delicious and iI Would like to take this to a family reunion. If I mix it up the day before will the peaches and or nectarines turn brown?
Lexi says
Hi Carol, I'm so sorry I missed your question. The lemon juice should help keep them from turning brown, but I always find it's best to cut them up the day of. Hope you enjoy!
Katie says
This was incredible - brought to a bbq and received a lot of compliments. Thank you!
Joan says
Fantastic. Nice change of taste an a real arty look.
Jeanne shaw says
Affordable, colorful, seasonal
Betsy says
This has become one of my favorite go-to recipes! I love the flexibility of mixing and matching fruits, and I can even sub in frozen fruit in a pinch. The dressing adds a rich, delicious flavor. Love it!!
Lexi says
Thank you so much, Betsy! I am so glad you love this recipe.
Kat says
Would goat cheese be good in this?
Lexi says
For sure!
Alison Richman says
Simply delicious!
Amy says
This was delightful! Will make again for sure!