A Must-try Fruit Salad Recipe with Creamy Coconut Dressing

Fruit salads are one of the simplest dishes that can gas up your day. While it used to be your grandma’s potluck classic, now, you can make it into an epic salad. Trust me, a vegan coconut lime dressing can be a game-changer, and you won’t miss your grandma’s version of marshmallows, instant pudding, and sweetened condensed milk.
You can easily make a vegan fruit salad with a few berries, a handful of grapes, half a pineapple, a piece of orange, and kiwi. If you ask us about the best fruits that can go into salads, well, it should have a variety. You can mix four kinds of berries (raspberries, strawberries, blackberries, blueberries), two types of grapes (red and black), three varieties of melon (cantaloupe, watermelon, and honeydew), two citrus fruits (grapefruit and orange), mango, kiwi, passion fruit, apples, plums, peaches, pineapple, and more.
We also like to try to keep the berries whole while the rest of the fruits are chopped or halved in the same size. Not only does it make the fruit salad look harmonious to a certain degree, but it also makes it easier to eat.

1. Why choose a non-dairy coconut fruit salad dressing?

In case you’re wondering why we opt for a non-dairy coconut fruit salad dressing, it’s because it has tons of advantages. For one, your vegan and lactose intolerant friends can dig in. You can also use any kind of fruits, such as tropical fruits, like kiwi, papaya, and pineapple, as they contain an enzyme called bromelain, which is perfect with a non-dairy dressing. It is known that bromelain interacts with dairy ingredients, so it results in a bitter taste. With that said, you can’t combine them with yogurt, milk, or condensed milk. A non-dairy coconut fruit salad dressing is healthier than the classic creamy dressings made with artificial ingredients, including instant pudding and whipped topping. When grocery shopping using your credit cards, make sure to get a can of coconut milk or cream.

2. What are your tips for making fruit salad with creamy coconut dressing?

While fruit salad is a delectable dish, it doesn’t keep well. You can make your fruit salad dressing ahead of time but assemble your fruit salad only during the time you want to serve it. If you want to transport your salad, keep it chilled and dress it on-site just before serving; otherwise, the dressing will water down. You can also make extra dressing to serve with the salad. It is also important to note that bananas don’t keep well with fruit salad to a huge degree, so avoid adding it to the bowl.

3. What are the ingredients?

A. 6 cups total:
-berries: blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries
-cantaloupe, melon, watermelon, and honeydew; peeled and chopped
-kiwi; sliced and cut into wedges
passionfruit; peeled and chopped
grapes: red and black; whole or sliced in half
orange and grapefruit; supreme
pineapple; peeled and chopped
mango; peeled and chopped
B. Dressing
-1 can full-fat coconut milk. You can also opt for coconut cream, which is credited to be richer and thicker.
-juice of 1 lime
-1 Tbsp honey or sugar or to taste
-2 Tbsp poppy seeds
C. Instructions
In a large mixing bowl, mix all the fruit.
Open one can of coconut milk and slowly drain off 1/4 cup of the clear liquid on top. Put the remaining coconut milk in another bowl and mix with the poppy seeds, lime juice, and sugar. Blend well using an immersion or hand blender. If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can also make use of a whisk. However, I like the texture of the coconut milk you can get from blending. You may want to consider getting a hand blender as an investment.
The next step is to taste the mixture. You may also want to add lime as needed or adjust the sweetener.
If using coconut cream, measure about 2/3 cup and proceed with the instructions written above.
Gently toss the fruits with plenty of dressing and serve fresh as soon as possible.
Enjoy!