Fall Fruit Salad

Juicy grapes, crunchy apples, sweet pears, and crunchy pecans (if you like), all tossed with a creamy, cinnamon-y, slightly tangy dressing … that’s this magical Fall Fruit Salad recipe.

I love this fruit salad any time of year, to be honest, but find it’s the perfect Thanksgiving fruit salad – and I also just like it all Autumn long. The colors of Autumn Fruit Salad with apples, pears, grapes, & pecans are what really draw me in … vibrant, harvest tones.

In this article

• The Story Behind the Recipe
• Fall Fruit Salad Ingredients
• What to Serve with Fall Fruit Salad
• More Fall & Fruit Salad Recipes

The Story Behind the Recipe

It’s fall! I’ve embraced cozy sweaters, the fact that we’ve had to turn our thermostat back on, and fall produce. Pumpkins! Squash! Crisp right-off-the-tree apples! Oh, happy day.

This fall fruit salad came to be a couple of weeks ago when an awesome neighbor bought a couple of 40 pound boxes (!!) of honeycrisp apples and divvied it up amongst several of us.

The next morning, I peered at the happy-making bowl of honeycrisps gracing our kitchen counter and I decided that a reverse of my usual breakfast – yogurt with fruit on top – was in order.

So I made this fruit salad for the first time – with honeycrisps, some ripe pears, and a few plums I had on hand, and a dressing made with Greek yogurt. Yum.

The dressing came together flawlessly the first time I took a stab at it (I love it when that happens!) – a little of this, a little of that, perfect!

Fall Fruit Salad Ingredients

The fruit, I ended up tinkering with a bit to end up with this final result. I decided I favor red grapes over plums; crisp pears work better than softer varieties – and if you can’t find great pears for this salad, you’re better off leaving them out and throwing in extra apples and grapes.

We’ve got:

• Bartlett pears
• Honeycrisp apples
• Red grapes

And then for the Cinnamon Greek Yogurt Dressing (but it’s versatile if you need a dairy-free version – see the recipe for notes!) we have:

• Greek yogurt
• Zest & juice of a lemon
• Pure vanilla extract
• Pure maple syrup or honey
• Cinnamon & nutmeg

And then to top it all, if you like a bit of crunch atop your fall fruit salad, go for some:

• Chopped pecans

(But it’s perfectly delicious without any nuts, too).

What to Serve with Fall Fruit Salad

If you’re looking for a Thanksgiving fruit salad, this would be absolutely perfect. Perhaps the vegan version served up with this Thanksgiving menu?

I love to pass this fall fruit salad along with fat stacks of these pumpkin pancakes for the perfect fall breakfast. Or for a heartier breakfast, perhaps a breakfast casserole + fruit salad situation could be a winner? Here’s a meaty breakfast casserole to check out, or perhaps one with mushrooms and Swiss cheese?

More Fall & Fruit Salad Recipes

• Looking for a green salad instead? This Simple Fall Green Salad with Honeycrisp Apples & Pecans has you covered.
• This Kale Salad with Almonds has an irresistible lemony garlic dressing. A fave all season!
• Here’s a fruit salad for another season – summer! I love the lemon poppyseed dressing.

5 from 9 votes

Fall Fruit Salad

Prep: 15 minutes mins

Total: 15 minutes mins

Author: Kare

Yield: 4

Crisp apples, sweet pears, and juicy grapes combined with a creamy cinnamon Greek yogurt dressing, and then sprinkled with a few chopped pecans for crunch. Oh, happy harvest! There's a delicious dairy-free/vegan option too.

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Ingredients

• 2 medium Bartlett pears (or other ripe but firm pears, diced)
• 2 medium apples (a fresh, crisp variety like honeycrisp, cripps, or pink lady is best, diced)
• 1 cup red grapes (halved)
• 1/3 cup Greek yogurt (can substitute your favorite plain or vanilla non-dairy yogurt – see notes)
• 2 teaspoons freshly grated lemon zest (from 1 medium lemon)
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (from the zested lemon)
• 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup (can substitute honey)
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoons ground nutmeg
• 1/3 cup pecans* (chopped)

Instructions

• Place pears, apples, and grapes in a large bowl. Toss gently to combine. Set aside.
• To a small bowl, add the yogurt, lemon zest, lemon juice, maple syrup, vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Use a wire whisk to blend well.
• Drizzle dressing over the fruit. Toss gently until fruit is coated. Scoop into bowls and sprinkle with pecans. Serve immediately.

Notes

Nutrition information includes pecans.

*If you prefer to make this without the pecans, just leave them off – it’s still plenty delicious without them.

Dairy-free option:

Use your favorite non-dairy yogurt, either plain or vanilla. Depending on how sweet your non-dairy yogurt is, you may want to adjust the sweetener.

Vegan option:

Follow the dairy-free option and choose pure maple syrup for the sweetener.

Make-ahead tips:

The salad tends to get a little watery if it sits for long, so I recommend keeping the dressing and the salad separate until right before serving. Also, if you cut your fruit far ahead of time, try tossing it with a little fresh lemon juice to help keep it from browning.

Nutrition Facts

Calories: 222kcal, Carbohydrates: 42g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 6g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3g, Cholesterol: 1mg, Sodium: 10mg, Potassium: 360mg, Fiber: 6g, Sugar: 31g, Vitamin A: 103IU, Vitamin C: 11mg, Calcium: 56mg, Iron: 1mg