Creamy Thanksgiving Fruit Salad

Every Thanksgiving spread should have some fruit to balance out some of the heavier dishes – but fruit trays can feel overdone (and often, not very good). Our Thanksgiving fruit salad is a great alternative that uses a variety of tangy and delicious fruits and nuts – all tossed together in a creamy fruit salad dressing.

Why I LOVE fruit salad for a Thanksgiving side!

Thanksgiving is truly one of my favorite days of the year. As someone who absolutely loves good food and a big family gathering, what’s not to love? And as much as I look forward to a big plate of turkey, mashed potatoes, rolls, and, of course, gravy, I also appreciate a good fruit side dish to balance the richness of those other foods.

Fruit salads are a great option because you can easily pick in-season fruits, it’s typically quite easy to eat and put together, and it’re always a hit with everyone from toddlers to grandparents.

This recipe takes some of my favorite seasonal fruits, and I kick it up a notch with a delicious cool-whip-based dressing. You can leave that off if you want, but I promise, it really makes it taste amazing. The cinnamon adds in those earthy, warm undertones that can’t help but make you feel all cozy inside.

Ingredients

• 2 cups Red grapes, sliced
• 1 large gala apple, chopped
• Seeds of one pomegranate
• 1 15 oz can mandarin oranges
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans (with some extra for garnishing)
• 2 cups honey vanilla Greek yogurt
• 1 cup cool whip
• 1/2 package vanilla instant pudding mix. (5-ounce box)
• Ground cinnamon

Instructions

In a medium bowl, mix together Greek yogurt, Cool Whip, and vanilla instant pudding mix until well combined. Refrigerate until you’re ready.

Prepare all your fruits right before you are ready to make the salad.

Add the fruits and pecans to a bowl. Drain any excess water.

Gently fold in the dressing until all the fruit is covered.

Refrigerate for 2-3 hours to allow the dressing to set and the flavors to meld together.

Top with extra pecans and ground cinnamon before serving

Tips for Making Thanksgiving Fruit Salad

This recipe is pretty foolproof, but there are a few suggestions for making it even simpler:

Don’t prepare fruit ahead of time

The key to a successful fruit salad is keeping your fruit as fresh as possible. I suggest preparing the fruit immediately before you put all of the ingredients together. Because pomegranate seeds can take longer to get out of the fruit, I would start with that one, and I would end with slicing the apples since they brown easier.

Keep fruits from browning

Apples are the only fruit I use that is brown, but that is still unappealing! You can add something like fruit fresh or spritzing them with lemon or orange juice can help slow that process down.

Refrigerate

I have included instructions to refrigerate this for a few hours because it allows the pudding to set up a little bit better in the dressing. This isn’t 100% necessary, but I do think it makes for a better salad.

Store immediately after eating

This isn’t one of those salads you can let sit out for a while. You need to properly store it in an airtight container in the fridge as soon as you are done eating it. It should be eaten within 2-3 days.

Try different fruits

While I LOVE the fruits I’ve included, you can always try some different ones depending on local availability. Some other options that might be tasty include:

• Different varieties of apples
• Pears
• Bananas
• Pineapple

More Recipes You May Enjoy:

• Creamy Tropical Fruit Salad with Whipped Cream
• Christmas Fruit Salad with Honey Lime Drizzle
• Easy Patriotic Fruit Salad with Red, White, and Blue Fruits