Put a delicious twist on your next summer gathering by serving fruit salad with lemon pudding mix. Guests will rave, as they wonder what is making the fresh fruit taste so uniquely delicious!
Original post: June 2014 | Updated: August 2024
Why This Recipe Works
Having a giant bowl of ready-to-eat fruit at my fingertips in the summer months makes me happy. This family favorite recipes makes me especially happy and here’s why:
- When my kids start to reach for an unhealthy snack, I love being able to put a bowl of fruit in front of them that they’ll gobble down.
- This is not your traditional fruit salad recipe! A yummy secret ingredient is hiding inside!
- Use different types of fruit for this delicious recipe, depending on what your family and guests enjoy most.
- This easy fruit salad recipe can be enjoyed as a solo snack, side dish or dessert for the entire family.
- Great for family gatherings, family dinner or hot days spent bbq-ing with friends.
Recipe Ingredients
Watermelon – Grab a seeded variety and purchase half, if you can. Otherwise, just reserve the remaining half for snacking.
Cantaloupe – Same as the watermelon, reserve half of the cantaloupe for salads or for snacking.
Pineapple – Don’t be intimidated by fresh pineapple! Its bumpy exterior is actually easy to cut through. Read our tutorial about cutting a pineapple without waste. To make things easier, replace fresh pineapple with canned pineapple tidbits if desired.
Strawberries – Use a paring knife to easily hull and chop fresh strawberries.
Grapes – Green grapes or red grapes can be used interchangeably. I like halving grapes for fruit salad to make it easier to get onto a fork.
Blueberries – Add blueberries last, as they are the most likely ingredient to get mushed.
Lemon – Freshly squeeze lemon juice adds such a nice fresh flavor!
Lemon pudding mix – Use dry pudding mix (instant variety) and if you’d like to cut back on the sugar but still taste the magic of this ingredient you can cut the amount used in the recipe by half.
How to Make Fruit Salad with Lemon Pudding Mix
Step 1
Cut the fruit as desired.
Throw it all in a large mixing bowl, folding in the blueberries last to avoid mashing them.
Step 2
Add juice from 1 lemon, along with the instant lemon pudding mix.
Step 3
Mix it all together and chill until ready to serve. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
- Replace the lemon juice with lime juice for an added boost of citrus flavor.
- Make it a juicier recipe by adding up to 1/2 cup pineapple juice. This will turn it into a delicious tropical fruit salad.
- Top each serving with cool whip or a scoop of ice cream if serving as a dessert.
- To achieve less of a lemon flavor, replace lemon instant pudding with instant vanilla pudding mix to create more of a vanilla pudding fruit salad.
- Mini marshmallows add a nice touch!
- Coconut flakes add flavor and create a fun tropical vibe.
How To Cut Pineapple
If you are using pineapple in this fruit salad (and I highly recommend that you do!) and wish to avoid paying a million dollars to buy pre-cut fruit, learn How to Cut Pineapple yourself quickly and easily.
Best Fruits for Fruit Salad
Feel free to swap out the suggested types of fruits in this recipe for other varieties. Here are some suggestions:
- Sliced bananas (add these just before serving and be sure to sprinkle with lemon juice)
- Maraschino cherries
- Fruit cocktail salad from a can
- Canned fruit such as mandarin oranges or pears – drain fruits first
- Chopped mangoes or papaya
- Orange slices
- Kiwi fruit
- Pomegranate seeds
- Apples (squirt with lemon juice first)
- Peaches
- Berries such as blackberries, mulberries, strawberries, raspberries or blueberries
Can You Make Fruit Salad With Frozen Fruit
Fruit salad can be made using frozen fruit. Thaw the fruit before adding. Use a paper towel to remove excess moisture if needed!
How To Serve Fruit Salad
When serving this dish as a side dish, serve it in a large bowl with a big serving spoon and allow people to grab the amount of food they prefer.
If serving as a dessert, assemble in individual bowls before handing them to guests.
How To Store Fruit Salad
Store fruit salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days, or until the fruit gets mushy.
More Delicious Fruit Recipes
Homemade Fruit Rollups
No Bake Strawberry Pie
Baked Cinnamon Apple Slices
Kale Superfood Salad
Will you help add value to Pip and Ebby?
If you make this recipe and love it, stop back and give it a 5-star rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and leave a comment. THANK YOU!
Fruit Salad With Lemon Pudding Mix Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/2 watermelon seeded and chopped
- 1/2 cantaloupe chopped
- 1 pineapple chopped
- 16 oz strawberries hulled and chopped
- 2 cups grapes halved
- 1 pint blueberries
- 1 lemon juiced
- 1/4 cup lemon pudding mix dry, instant version
Instructions
- Combine all fruit in a large bowl. Squirt the lemon juice over the top and carefully mix in the pudding mix. Chill until ready to serve.
Notes
- Replace the lemon juice with lime juice for an added boost of citrus flavor.
- Make it a juicier recipe by adding up to 1/2 cup pineapple juice. This will turn it into a delicious tropical fruit salad.
- Top each serving with cool whip or a scoop of ice cream if serving as a dessert.
- To achieve less of a lemon flavor, replace lemon instant pudding with instant vanilla pudding mix to create more of a vanilla pudding fruit salad.
- Mini marshmallows add a nice touch!
- Coconut flakes add flavor and create a fun tropical vibe.
I made a big bowl of this delicious fruit salad for my granddaughter’s 18th birthday party last night. It all disappeared – everyone enjoyed it. Thanks for a great and simple recipe that I’ll use often!
Disappearing is a good sign! So happy everyone enjoyed it so much!!