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Thanksgiving Fruit Salad

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4 from 83 reviews

Thanksgiving Fruit Salad is a vibrant and refreshing dish featuring a mix of crisp green and red apples, juicy navel oranges, sweet grapes, dried cranberries, and toasted pecans. Tossed in a homemade spiced citrus dressing with hints of apple pie spice and citrus zest, this salad brings a colorful and healthy touch to any holiday table. It is quick to prepare, taking only 15 minutes in total, making it an ideal side dish for Thanksgiving or any festive gathering.

Ingredients

Scale

Fruits

  • 2 medium green apples
  • 2 medium red apples
  • 1 cup grapes
  • 3 medium navel oranges
  • ¾ cup dried cranberries
  • Juice of 1 medium lemon

Nuts

  • 1 cup pecans

Dressing

  • ½ cup orange juice
  • ¼ cup white sugar
  • ¼ tsp apple pie spice
  • Zest of 1 lemon
  • Zest of 1 orange

Instructions

  1. Toast Pecans: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spread pecans evenly on a baking sheet and toast them for about 5 minutes or until fragrant and aromatic. Remove from the oven and let cool completely.
  2. Prepare Dressing: In a small saucepan, combine orange juice, white sugar, apple pie spice, and the zests of lemon and orange. Heat over medium heat until the mixture simmers, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Once simmering, remove from heat and strain the mixture to remove the zest pieces. Allow the dressing to cool.
  3. Prepare Fruit: Core and slice the green and red apples, then immediately toss them with the lemon juice to prevent browning. Peel and chop the navel oranges into bite-sized pieces.
  4. Combine Salad Ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, combine the sliced apples, dried cranberries, toasted and cooled pecans, grapes, and chopped oranges.
  5. Toss with Dressing: Drizzle the cooled spiced dressing over the fruit and nut mixture. Gently toss everything together until the fruit is evenly coated with the dressing.

Notes

  • To prevent the apples from browning, toss them immediately with lemon juice after slicing.
  • Toasting the pecans enhances their flavor and adds a nice crunch to the salad.
  • You can substitute pecans with walnuts or almonds if preferred.
  • For a less sweet dressing, reduce the sugar to 2 tablespoons.
  • This salad is best served fresh but can be prepared a few hours in advance and refrigerated.

Find it online: https://yumfoodusa.com/thanksgiving-fruit-salad/