Fall Fruit Salad

Fall fruit salad is crisp and juicy, sweet yet tangy, and spiced to suit the season! Serve with breakfast or to wrap up a flawless Thanksgiving meal. 

The cool, crisp breeze and warm, comforting colors are the best parts of the fall season… Other than the food, of course!

If you love warm spices and filling feasts, then September, October, and November are no doubt your favorite months of the year.

And dessert isn’t left out – not even the fruit salad! Pears and apples are orchards’ highlights this time of year.

Blackberries fall off the bushes, bursting with juice, and a couple of firm grapes pull it all together with their sweetness.

With a helping of crunchy pecans, you won’t be able to stop until the bowl is empty!

You don’t need to feel guilty about this dessert. No processed ingredients, no added sugars.

Aside from the orange juice we use to keep things fresh, we’re working with all natural nuts and produce.

Perfect for families old and young, plus everyone in between!

Here’s what I’m going to teach you in this post: 

• How to prepare a deliciously sweet and tart fruit salad for fall!
• Some other great fruits that you can add to the mix for extra flavor.
• The best ways to keep your autumn fruit salad fresh and delicious in the fridge before serving.

A refreshing fall fruit salad isn’t just sweet! It’s a little sweet, with some sour and tang mixed in.

Not only does it highlight those fruity flavors, but it stimulates your appetite and keeps you coming back for more!

How to Make Fall Fruit Salad

A full printable version of this recipe with ingredient measurements is available at the bottom of this post.

STEP ONE: Dice the apple and pear and transfer them to a small bowl. I like to use an apple slicer to get perfectly even slices with no hassle before I dice.

STEP TWO: Sprinkle the cinnamon and pour orange juice into the bowl, then stir until the diced fruit is completely coated.

STEP THREE: Transfer the seasoned fruit mixture to a larger bowl and add the grapes, blackberries, and pecans. Toss everything together. 

STEP FOUR: Cover and place in the refrigerator for at least two hours. (You can serve immediately, but I find the flavor is better after a couple of hours marinating together.)

STEP FIVE: Serve chilled, and enjoy! 

Can You Cut Fruit Salad The Day Before?

You can absolutely prep this fall fruit salad the day before. The orange juice in the mix will preserve and prevent the apples and pears from turning brown once tossed. 

To keep the fruit as fresh as possible, be sure to store in an airtight container.

The less air that the apples and pears are exposed to, the less they’ll brown in the meantime. But the orange juice will go a long way in preventing it!

And if you’re waiting to combine all of the ingredients until serving, then you can try tossing the apples and pears in some lemon juice (or the orange juice) to help keep them fresh.

Lime juice works, too – anything acidic!

How Do You Keep Fruit Salad From Getting Soggy?

Again, a good airtight container is your best friend in the kitchen! It maintains the right moisture without the fruit getting absolutely soaked.

Stored properly, an autumn fruit salad will last for up to 3 days in the fridge.

What Kind of Fruit Is For Thanksgiving?

Two of the most popular autumn fruit salad ingredients are apples and pears. Blackberries are another great fall and winter fruit, but are especially delicious in the fall!

Some other really popular Thanksgiving fruits are raspberries, mandarin oranges, or clementines.

What Fruits Can You Not Put In A Fruit Salad? 

Anything that’s especially mushy isn’t fit for a fruit salad – particularly if you’re going to chill the mixture for a couple of hours ahead of time like we do with this fall fruit salad.

Bananas are a good example of a mushy fruit that browns a bit too easily. 

I also wouldn’t recommend peaches. They’re a bit too slippery to enjoy alongside others, and they will easily overtake the flavor of the mixture.

And they certainly aren’t seasonal in a fruit salad for fall!

Substitutions for Fall Fruit Salad

Any apple will work – I use Honeycrisp, but that’s just my preference. Use Gala for sweetness or Granny Smith for extra tart flavor.

The same goes for pears! I like Bartlett, but Asian, Bosc, or Anjou pears add plenty of juice and flavor.

Prefer less sweetness? Swap out the orange juice with lemon juice, and replace the pecans with walnuts.

I find that this really helps you appreciate the natural sweetness found in the fruit.

Other Fall Recipes You’ll Love:

• Yogurt Fruit Dip
• Thanksgiving Fruit Salad
• Grape Salad
• Air Fryer Apples
• Sauteed Butternut Squash
• Fluff Salad
• Candied Yams
• 3 Ingredient Pumpkin Muffins
• Pumpkin Snickerdoodles
• Air Fryer Apple Fritters
• Cinnamon Roll Apple Pie