Can fruit salad be made ahead of time? This is a question that many homemakers ask. The answer, as with most things in life, is…it depends. There are a few factors to consider when trying to answer this question. In this blog post, we’ll discuss those factors and give you some tips on how to make your fruit salad ahead of time. So, let’s get started!
Have you ever wondered whether you can make a fruit salad and then put it in the fridge and store it until you are ready to eat it?
Fruit salad is delicious and healthy, but many people find they don’t want to eat lots at once – and yet you have to cut a lot of fruit open to make a varied fruit salad, which tends to result in large quantities being created.
Fruit tends to go brown when it is left for too long, but you can make a fruit salad in advance if you take steps to minimize the oxidization process. This will mean making a syrup or juice that you can pour over the fruit to protect it from oxidizing.
Can You Make a Fruit Salad in Advance?
You can make a fruit salad in advance, but you will need to protect the fruit from browning, or your fruit salad will quickly become mushy and unappetizing. You probably know from experience that if you leave fruit after cutting it, it turns brown and soft very quickly.
This is because an enzyme within the fruit reacts when it is exposed to oxygen, and starts breaking the fruit cells down. It pulls oxygen into the fruit, and this makes the tissues turn mushy and change color.
To keep fruit fresh, you need to protect it from oxygen. It is initially protected by its skin, but this will obviously disappear when you cut the piece of fruit open, so you need to take other steps to protect it. You can sometimes wrap the fruit up, but this may not be practical for fruit salad.
Most fruit can be protected by covering it in a substance that will absorb the oxygen instead – such as citric acid. If you dip fruit slices in lemon juice, vinegar, or other substances that will soak up the oxygen, the fruit will last for much longer before it starts to turn brown.
You can also sprinkle the fruit with “Fruit Fresh“, which helps prevent premature browning as well.
Therefore, if you are making fruit salad in advance, you will usually need to pour some sort of liquid (usually a fruit juice of some kind) over it. This will slow down the oxidization process and keep your fruit fresh.
Does All Fruit Work When Making a Fruit Salad in Advance?
If you are going to make fruit salad in advance, it’s best to avoid certain fruits because they will not keep well. Things like:
- Blackberries
- Raspberries
- Strawberries (plus many other berries)
are examples of fruits that will quickly turn mushy and go moldy if they are left in a fruit salad. Bananas should also be saved for the end.
Most fruits will be fine if they are covered in liquid, so your fruit salad can still have a great deal of variety. Oranges, apples, pears, kiwis, pineapples, mangoes, and many other fruits will be completely fine to use, and will retain their texture, flavor, and color for at least a day.
If you want to include the softer fruits like berries, consider keeping them separately in your fridge and then adding them to the bowl when you are ready to eat the fruit salad. This will keep them fresh and crispy for as long as possible. Another example of a fruit that can be left in the fridge is bananas.
Most people also recommend leaving melons out until you are serving the salad because melons have a strong flavor that will affect the other fruits if they are left combined for too long. Slice melon and add it last so that your other fruits retain their taste.
How Do You Make a Syrup for Fruit Salad?
You can make a fruit salad syrup using commercial fruit juice, or the juices from the fruits as you cut them up.
- Simply put the fruit into a colander and stand this in a larger bowl to collect the juices as they trickle out of the fruits.
- Add some orange juice and simmer it with some lemon juice and sugar in a small pan.
- Cook on a low heat until the juice thickens into a syrup, and then allow it to cool completely.
- Pour it over the fruit and stir it so that all the fruit is coated.
- Stir gently if you have delicate fruits in the bowl; you don’t want to damage them.
- The quantities of lemon and sugar will vary depending on your personal tastes and the other components of your fruit salad.
If you are making a fruit salad with lots of sweet fruits, you might prefer to add a little more lemon and a little less sugar. However, if your fruits are very tart, you should add a bit more sugar to help counteract this and ensure that the fruit salad tastes amazing.
You can make other versions of this syrup, too; some people mix orange juice with honey, and then pour this across. If you are using tinned fruit, add some of the juice from this to the syrup. The syrup doesn’t need to be thick in order to work; as long as it coats the fruit, it will help.
How Else Can You Ensure Fruit Salad Keeps Well?
There are two other keys to keeping fruit salad fresh: firstly, put it in the fridge, and secondly, cover the container. Cold, covered fruit will not oxidize nearly as quickly as warm, exposed fruit.
You can add a lid, a plate, or some plastic wrap to the top of your fruit salad bowl. This will minimize the oxygen that touches the fruit and keep the ingredients fresher.
Don’t leave fruit salad at room temperature, even if it is covered; it will quickly start to go off.
How Long Will Fruit Salad keep?
In general, fruit salad will start to go mushy after about 24 hours. You can still eat it safely after this time, but it won’t taste as good or have such a crispy texture.
More Fruit Salad Resources:
Fruit salad can be made ahead of time as long as you make a syrup to ensure that the fruit stays fresh and does not oxidize. Cover the fruit in this syrup and then put a lid on and store it in the fridge for up to 24 hours.
For a fruit salad that keeps well, give this meal prep fruit salad a try! Learn how to keep fruit salad fresh for a week with a homemade citrus syrup and a few simple tips.
Typically, fruit salad is NOT ideal for meal prep. After sitting for a day or two, the fruit starts to brown, get soggy, or become sour. But, fruit is one of my favorite healthy snacks, and I’m more likely to eat it if it’s ready and waiting for me in the fridge.
That’s why I wanted to make a meal prep fruit salad that can last all week—but how? With this apple and orange fruit salad recipe, I’ll show you how to keep fruit salad fresh with 3 basic strategies:
- choose your fruits wisely
- chop your fruits properly
- add some sugar to preserve
Some fruits spoil faster than others, and some are more delicate than others. So, when making fruit salad in advance, it’s important to choose fruits that will last well without becoming soggy or sour.
Generally, most berries aren’t a great choice because they tend to fall apart and get soggy. But, some whole fruits with a skin—like blueberries and grapes—will hold up well in a meal prep fruit salad like this.
In terms of fruits that you have to cut, wetter, juicier, or softer fruits can be a risky choice. Fruits like watermelon can leak its juices throughout the week, and sliced banana will brown quickly in a fruit salad that’s made in advance.
My best recommendation for how to keep fruit salad fresh all week is to stick with simple apples and oranges. Or, add some heartier sliced fruits like mango and peach. Apples tend to brown over time, but the acid from the citrus will help to preserve them. And, both apples and oranges stay nice and sweet even after slicing!
How you chop fruits for a meal prep fruit salad can make a huge difference. If you have the option to not chop some fruits (i.e. blueberries and grapes), just leave them whole! The fewer the juices in your fruit salad, the better.
For this apple and orange fruit salad recipe, I recommend first chopping your oranges. Wait to chop the apples until your citrus syrup is ready, so they don’t begin to brown.
When chopping oranges, the best way to minimize the juices is to start by slicing off the top and bottom of each orange, then slice along the edge of the orange to remove the rind. Then, slice and cube the peeled orange.
After making your citrus syrup, chop your apples into cubes as well. In terms of how to keep fruit salad fresh all week, it’s best to leave the skin on your apples. You can peel your apples if preferred, but they’ll hold up a bit better with the skin intact. That goes for other fruits with an edible skin, like peaches or pears.
Finally, the most important tip for how to keep fruit salad fresh for a week: add a bit of sugar to help preserve the fruit. You don’t need much sugar, but by tossing this meal prep fruit salad in just a bit of citrus syrup, you can keep it fresh and tasty for days!
In this apple and orange salad recipe, I made a simple citrus syrup using freshly-squeezed orange juice, lemon juice, and a bit of honey. You can also use regular refined sugar if you prefer.
Simply add all of those syrup ingredients into a saucepan, bring to a boil, and reduce to a simmer for about 5 minutes. (Now’s a good time to chop those apples!) Once the citrus syrup has thickened up, pour it over your chopped apples and toss to coat, followed by your chopped oranges.
It’s a simple addition, but this citrus syrup can make a huge difference in making fruit salad that keeps well. Typically, the fruits in a meal prep fruit salad undergo oxidation the longer they sit, which is why they turn brown and soggy. But, just the small bit of sugar in this syrup helps to prevent oxidization and keep your fruit salad fresh!
Once your meal prep fruit salad is all tossed together, cover the bowl or transfer everything into airtight containers. The more airtight the seal is, the longer your fruit salad will last.
Then, store your apple and orange fruit salad in the fridge and it should last for up to 5 days. Portion it out as desired throughout the week and enjoy!
Print Recipe Rate Recipe Pin Recipe
Chop oranges by first slicing off the top and bottom, the slicing along edges to remove rind. Cut into cubes and set aside.
To make citrus syrup, add orange juice, lemon juice, and honey to a saucepan over high heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes or so, until thick.
Cube apples as desired—with skin off or peeled, whichever you prefer. Add to a large bowl, pour citrus syrup on top, and toss to coat. Add chopped oranges and mix well to combine.
Cover bowl or transfer meal prep fruit salad to airtight containers. Store in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Yields 8 cups meal prep fruit salad.
Calories: 72kcal, Carbohydrates: 19g, Protein: 1g, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 14g
Share a photo and tag us @mindovermunch — we can’t wait to see what you’ve made!