A delicious fruit salad that stays fresh for days is almost unheard of, but this one works so well. Not only does it tastes delicious and full of tropical flavors – oranges, peaches, nectarines, mangos, apples and bananas, but you can prepare a large bowl and enjoy it all week long.

Fruit salad is perfect for breakfast or as a dessert or snack any time of day. This is one of my favorite combination – oranges, nectarines, mangos, apples and bananas. The flavors marry with each other perfectly and the textures complement each other perfectly too – soft, crunchy and in between.

Why Does This Recipe Work?

I love fruit salad, but most of them need to be tossed if not finished in a few hours. A lot of fruit oxidizes and disintegrates very quickly, such as berries, apples, bananas, etc. In this salad, I used mostly fruit that can be stored well for days, but adding an Orange Lemon Syrup not only adds a terrific citrus flavor to the fruit salad, but it also prolongs the life of the fruit, keeping it fresh and not oxidize at all, even the apples.

Video of How To Make Fruit Salad That Stays Fresh For Days

Which Fruit Works Best For This Fruit Salad

I use oranges, mangos, peaches or nectarines in the fruit salad. All of these can be stored very well just by cutting them up and storing in the refrigerator. Apples can also be stored well in the refrigerator, but only if you use something citrusy to preserve them.

I think all these fruit variations complement each other perfectly, as well as have a good combination of textures, both crunchy, soft, juicy and smooth. The bananas are the only ones that do NOT store well, but I add those right before serving. since it’s only one, it’s easy to slice it up and I love the addition to the other fruit.

Other Fruit That You Can Use that Will Stay Fresh For Days: 

• pineapple, kiwi, blueberries, pears

Fruit to Avoid, which will become watery, mushy and spoil quickly:

• Most berries – strawberries, raspberries, blackberries,

Cutting the Peel Off the Oranges

Oranges are so much more pleasant to eat without the peel. You can skip this step and just peel the oranges and chop them, but I think it’s more juicy and delicious if you cut off the peel.

Cut the ends off the oranges.

Place the orange upright on one of the flat ends and use your knife to cut slices from the top to the bottom, removing all the white pith.  Save all the orange scraps, because you will use it later to squeeze out all the juice and make the syrup.

Cut the oranges into cubes.

If you’re using peaches, peel them first. If you’re using nectarines, you can keep the skin on and chop.

Peel the mango and chop.

Place all the fruit in a large bowl.

How To Make the Lemon Orange Syrup and Why Is It Important To Use

Fruit also has a ton of juice accumulate as you’re chopping it up and when stored in the bowl.

Place the fruit in a colander and collect the excess juice. We will use it to make a syrup, which will add a delightful citrus flavor to the salad and preserve the freshness, since lemon juice does a great job of this. The acidity in the lemon and the orange will keep the fruit from turning brown and keep it crisp and refreshing.

This will also concentrate the juice and give it a thicker, syrupy consistency, instead of a thin, watery consistency.

Squeeze out all the juice from the ends and slices of the oranges that you used. (You can also use bottled orange juice instead.) You can even place the fruit over a colander while you are chopping all the fruit and use the juice that you get from the fruit for the glaze. (If you have more than 1/3 cup, discard the rest – or drink it.)

Place the fruit juice, lemon juice and sugar into a small saucepan and bring to a boil on high heat. Reduce to a simmer and cook until the glaze thickens, about 5 minutes.  Cool.

Adding Sugar and Other Sweetening Options

If you’re making this fruit salad in the summer, when fruit is at its peak ripeness, the fruit should be really juicy and sweet. When that is the case and you are serving the fruit salad right away and don’t care if it will last for a few days, you can omit the syrup completely. However, sometimes, when fruit isn’t very sweet or juicy, the syrup, with the additional sugar will really help. The lemon juice is important for the freshness of the salad, but if the fruit isn’t very sweet, the additional tart lemon juice will make the fruit salad even more tart. Instead of sugar, you can sweetened the fruit salad with honey, maple syrup or agave syrup.

Adding the Apples and Bananas

Chop the apples (you can leave the skin on or off, it’s up to you). (If you’re serving the fruit salad immediately, add the bananas too. Otherwise, don’t add the bananas at this point.)

Add to the rest of the chopped fruit.

Storing the Fruit Salad

Pour the cooled Orange Lemon Glaze over the chopped fruit and mix to combine. You can store the fruit salad in the refrigerator for 3-5 days and it will stay fresh.

Serving the Fruit Salad

Mix the fruit salad before serving and add the sliced bananas.

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