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Clear a spot on your holiday buffet table for this healthy Christmas fruit salad. Kids love it, and it's a refreshing change from all the sugary treats of the season.
This easy fruit salad recipe is the perfect side dish for a holiday meal, Christmas dinner, or Christmas morning breakfast. And let me tell you something - you don't need fancy skills to create a fun fruit salad with a holiday theme. All you need are fresh, juicy fruits in festive red and green colors, a couple of simple cookie cutters, and less than an hour of your time. Set that beauty in the center of the table for Christmas dinner and bask in the oohs and ahhs coming from family members like the Whos down in Whoville.
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I've been making healthy food more fun and appetizing for decades. My food background in making bento boxes for lunch taught me that presentation really is important. When food looks colorful and fun, people want to eat it. And this festive fruit salad is proof that a healthy treat can be just as fun as a plate full of sugar cookies.
Why You'll Love this Christmas Fruit Salad
🎄Festive Christmas colors - The vibrant reds and greens herald the holiday cheer without any food coloring or artificial ingredients. Mother Nature did all the work for us 🙂
🎄Fun star-shaped fruit - Those little kiwi stars and honeydew trees take this from ordinary fruit salad to Instagram-worthy holiday centerpiece. Your whole family will love it.
🎄A healthy break from sugar overload - Your body will thank you for sneaking in some vitamins, fiber, and natural sweetness amid all those holiday indulgences.
🎄Budget-friendly - Skip the expensive pre-cut fruit trays. I'll show you how to prep whole fruits yourself and save money. Follow my instructions - it's easy when someone shows you how!
Ingredients You Need
Green Fruits
These bright, fresh fruits bring that classic Christmas green to your salad while adding different textures and flavors.
- Kiwi fruit - bright and tangy kiwi are usually in grocery stores during the holidays, so they are perfect for this fruit salad.
- Honeydew melon and green grapes - these might be harder to find and/or more expensive in the winter. Green apples with the peel on could fill in if you can't get melons or grapes.
Red Fruits
The jewel-toned reds are what make this salad really pop on your holiday table.
- Raspberries - even though berries are at their peak in the summertime, you can usually find fresh raspberries during the holiday season in grocery stores (thank you Southern Hemisphere!)
- Whole pomegranate - these are at their best in the winter, so they're the perfect addition to a winter fruit salad.
Other Ingredients
Crumbled goat cheese - adds a tangy contrast, and I absolutely love how it looks like a sprinkle of snow!
Pineapple - adds bright color and sweet flavor. Pineapple is at its peak of sweetness during the holidays.
Tools You Need
The tools are an essential element to making this Christmas salad. You will need:
Sharp knives - a large one to cut the pineapple, pomegranate, and honeydew; and a small sharp knife to help cut the details.
Christmas bento cutters or small cookie cutters - a small star shape is the most versatile. A metal one will be more durable than plastic, but both can work. Here are some links to some little cutters that are just the right size:
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Buy Now → How to Cut Pineapple Without Waste
Don't waste money on pre-cut pineapple that costs three times as much and often sits in sugary juice. Cutting your own pineapple is so simple, and you'll get fresher, juicier fruit.
step 1. Cut off the top and bottom of the pineapple.
step 2. Stand up on a cut end so you have a flat surface. Cut the pineapple rind off from top to bottom with a sharp knife.
step 3. Cut around the core from top to bottom. Discard the core.
step 4. Cut into chunks or pieces.
How to Peel a Pomegranate
Pomegranates have a reputation for being messy and difficult, but I'm going to let you in on a secret - the water method makes it completely foolproof.
step 1. Cut off the crown end and score the peel into quarters.
step 2. Soak in a bowl of cool water for 5 minutes.
step 3. Holding the fruit under water, break each scored section apart, separating the seeds from the skin and membranes.
step 4. Now the pomegranate seeds will pop out much more easily into a bowl.
How to Cut Kiwi Stars and Honeydew Trees
Kiwi Stars: These little kiwi stars are what turn ordinary fruit salad into a little bit of Christmas magic.
step 1. Choose a kiwi that will be big enough that the cutting tool will fit inside the slices.
step 2. Slice off the ends of the kiwi and peel off skin with potato peeler or small knife.
step 3. Use a small star cutter that fits. A star bento cutter is the best shape to use with kiwi slices.
step 4. Cut up the scraps and add to the fruit salad - no waste!
Honeydew trees: Honeydew is the perfect fruit for those fun embossed shapes because it's firm enough to stamp the design but soft enough to cut easily.
step 1. Cut a wide slab off the side of the melon so you have a large, flat surface. Keep it thin so the cutter cut all the way through.
step 2. Use a small cutter that fits: a 1-2 inch size is ideal. Embossed, plunger style cutters are perfect for honeydew.
step 3. Cut the shape, then press down with the plunger to emboss the design. A simple shape is best like a star or Christmas tree (snowflakes are a little tricky).
step 4. Use the plunger to pop the shape out. Save the scraps and add to the fruit salad along with extra melon cut into chunks.
Now Let's Make That Fruit Salad
step 1. Add washed grapes to a large bowl along with the pineapple chunks, pomegranate arils, and the kiwi and honeydew scraps. Toss to combine.
step 2. Add washed raspberries and be gentle - they are fragile. It's probably best to place the raspberries by hand rather than toss them.
step 3. Add this mixture to a serving dish. Top with the stars and other cut shapes, scattering them around the top.
step 4. Serve with a light sprinkle of crumbled goat cheese to look like snow and add some tangy contrast.
Red and Green Christmas Fruit Salad - Easy & Healthy
This bright, mouth-watering fruit salad is my answer to the endless parade of cookies and carb-heavy treats that show up at every holiday gathering. Believe me, I love a good Christmas cookie as much as anyone - but it's always good to have something fresh and healthy to balance out all that sweetness. Plus, when you cut the fruit into fun shapes, even the pickiest eaters will be reaching for seconds.
Ingredients
- 2 cups pineapple chunks
- 3 cups green grapes
- 1 cup pomegranate arils/seeds (about 1 large pomegranate)
- 3 cups honeydew, cubed and cut into shapes
- 1 ½ cup fresh raspberries
- 2-3 kiwi fruit, peeled and cut into shapes
- 2 tablespoons finely crumbled goat cheese
Instructions
- Add washed grapes to a large bowl along with the pineapple chunks, pomegranate arils, honeydew cubes, and the kiwi and honeydew scraps. Toss to combine.
- Add washed raspberries and be gentle - they are fragile. It's probably best to place the raspberries by hand rather than toss them.
- Add this mixture to a serving dish. Top with the stars and other cut shapes, scattering them around the top.
- Serve with a light sprinkle of crumbled goat cheese to look like snow and add some delicious tangy contrast.
Tips & Tricks for Success
⭐️ Prep ahead - You can cut all the fruit the night before and store the components separately in airtight containers in the fridge. Don't add the goat cheese until right before serving, and save assembling the final dish until about an hour before your party. This keeps the raspberries from getting mushy and the cut shapes looking crisp and fresh.
⭐️ Add it to a buffet - Set out the fruit salad alongside your other holiday dishes and watch it disappear. People love having a fresh, healthy option when they're surrounded by rich, heavy foods.
⭐️ Get the kids involved - Let them help wash grapes, press out star shapes, or arrange the final design on top. When kids help make the food, they're way more excited to eat it.
⭐️ Save those scraps - Remember, every bit of fruit that doesn't look perfect for the top display goes right into the bowl. Nothing gets wasted, and it all tastes just as delicious.
FAQs About Storing Fruit
This fruit salad will keep for 2-3 days in an airtight container in the fridge. The raspberries are the most delicate component and will start to break down first. For the best texture and flavor, try to serve this within a few hours of making it. If you need to prep further ahead, keep the raspberries and goat cheese separate and add them just before serving.
Cut pineapple chunks will stay fresh in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Make sure the container is sealed well to prevent the pineapple from drying out or absorbing odors from other foods. You can also freeze cut pineapple for up to 6 months, though it's best used in smoothies after freezing since the texture changes.
Pomegranate arils keep beautifully in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Fresh raspberries are delicate and typically last 2-3 days in the refrigerator. To extend their life, don't wash them until right before you're ready to use them. Moisture makes them deteriorate faster. Store them in a container lined with paper towels to absorb any excess moisture.
What to Eat with This Recipe
For a memorable Christmas morning breakfast, serve this fruit salad along with my Slow Cooker Breakfast Frittata or Jalapeno Popper Breakfast casserole.
For a lovely Christmas dinner buffet, consider adding my Fork Tender Pot Roast. It's made in an instant pot so it's easy to transport to a party. And my Cinnamon Spice cranberry sauce goes as well with dinner as on a charcuterie board with crackers and cheese - try it with extra sharp white cheddar, it is to die for!
More Fun Food for Christmas
Recipe creator: Kristie Winget, who loves making food fun and healthy for holidays. Here's a little more about me.