This Halloween fruit salad is a fun and festive healthy treat! It always disappears quickly at Halloween parties!
This salad features orange and “black” fruit tossed in an easy honey-orange dressing.The mini cantaloupe pumpkins are my favorite!
Fresh fruit is such an easy, healthy snack that everyone in my whole family loves. It’s a great way to clean out the fridge and enjoy a sweet treat, without added sugar.
So in my quest for healthy Halloween snacks, I thought it would be fun to create a festive, Halloween-themed fruit salad! This spooky side dish is sure to be a hit at school parties, a special Halloween dinner, or Halloween parties with friends.
Best of all, you can use any ripe fruit within the orange and black(ish) color scheme. I like using orange segments, cantaloupe, apricots, golden berries, blackberries, and red grapes. But you could also use peaches, papaya, persimmons, mango, tangerines, dark red cherries, figs, and more!
I used a mini pumpkin-shaped cookie cutter (I use the second smallest size from this pumpkin cookie cutter set) to transform the cantaloupe into mini pumpkins. I think it adds such a fun festive twist to this Halloween party recipe!
The honey-orange dressing really elevates this beyond a basic fruit salad. It enhances the natural sweetness of the fruit, and the citric acid helps everything stay fresh.
Move over candy corn and caramel popcorn balls — this is one of those easy Halloween treats that will disappear quickly!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Festive Halloween color scheme
- Healthy side dish
- Easy-to-make
- Great for parties
- Delicious honey-orange dressing!
For more Halloween recipes, try these healthy Halloween snacks, Halloween snack mix, gluten-free Halloween cookies and caramel corn.
You also might like these homemade caramels!
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Cantaloupe: You can chop the cantaloupe into pieces if you don’t have a pumpkin cookie cutter, but I think it definitely makes this fruit salad more festive! I use the second smallest size from this pumpkin cookie cutter set.
- Grapes and blackberries: Since no fruit is truly black in color, I used the darkest fruit I could find — red grapes and blackberries! Dark red cherries could also work.
- Golden berries, apricots, and oranges: Any orange fruit will work for this salad, but I love the combination of textures and sweet flavors that these provide. I like to remove the skin and membrane from the orange for better flavor and texture.
- Orange zest and orange juice: Orange zest and juice add a delicious acidity that really brightens up the flavor of the fruit. I used a Navel orange, but Cara Cara or Blood orange would also be delicious!
- Honey: Honey adds a bit of sweetness to enhance the natural sweetness of the fruit.
You also might like this Scarecrow Fall Cheese Ball.
Fruit Salad Tip
When making a fruit salad, I like to make sure I have at least one melon (cantaloupe, honeydew, watermelon), one citrus (navel orange, mandarin orange, blood orange, grapefruit, etc.), and one berry (blackberries, raspberries, strawberries). Anything else is optional!
For more fruit salad recipes, try this Easter fruit salad, 4th of July fruit salad and Thanksgiving fruit salad.
You also might like this Thanksgiving green salad or pear arugula salad.
How to Make Halloween Fruit Salad
- Cut the cantaloupe into 1-inch slices. Use a small pumpkin cookie cutter to cut out pumpkin shapes.
- Add the cantaloupe pumpkins, blackberries, mandarin oranges, cherries, golden berries, and apricots to a large bowl.
- Whisk together the orange zest, orange juice, and honey.
- Drizzle the dressing over the fruit and very gently stir to combine.
- Enjoy immediately.
Storage Instructions
This Halloween fruit salad tastes best when right after preparation. If you want to save leftovers, store it in the fridge in an airtight container or covered in plastic wrap. The fruit salad will keep for about three days.
FAQs
There are many fruits that can be used as a festive side dish for Halloween. If you want to make a Halloween fruit salad, opt for orange-colored fruits like cantaloupe, apricots, peaches, and oranges. Combine them with dark fruits like blackberries and red grapes for a Halloween-themed color scheme. You can also use clementines to make mini “pumpkins,” or turn bananas and chocolate chips into spooky ghosts.
Lemon juice, lime juice, or orange juice can be used to keep fruit salad from turning brown. The acidity of the juice acts as a natural antioxidant and prevents the activation of an enzyme called polyphenol oxidase.
Fruit salad and fruit cocktail are very similar, but have a few key differences. Fruit cocktail is usually diced fruit that is sold in a can or a jar. Fruit salad is typically fresh and contains larger pieces of fruit.
Expert Tips & Tricks
- The mini pumpkin cookie cutter isn’t necessary, but it definitely makes this fruit salad more festive! I use the second smallest size from this pumpkin cookie cutter set.
- Fruit salad is completely customizable. I like using a mix of orange and black fruits to make this recipe festive for Halloween, but you can add anything else (or leave out anything) that you like!
- Orange zest and juice add a delicious acidity that really brightens up the flavor of the fruit. I used a Navel orange, but Cara Cara or Blood orange would also be delicious!
MORE HALLOWEEN RECIPES
I hope you love this recipe as much as we do! If you try this Halloween fruit salad, be sure to leave me a comment/rating below. I’d love to hear from you!
Halloween Fruit Salad (Honey-Orange Dressing!)
Ingredients
- 1 ripe cantaloupe melon
- 16 ounces blackberries
- 15 ounces canned mandarin oranges drained
- 8 ounces dark cherries or grapes pitted
- 6 ounces golden berries halved
- 4 ripe apricots pitted and sliced
- 1 small orange juiced and zested (about 1 tablespoon zest and 3 tablespoons juice)
- 2 tablespoons honey
Instructions
- Cut the cantaloupe into 1-inch slices. Use a small pumpkin cookie cutter to cut out pumpkin shapes.
- Add the cantaloupe pumpkins, blackberries, mandarin oranges, cherries, golden berries, and apricots to a large bowl.
- Whisk together the orange zest, orange juice, and honey. Drizzle the dressing over the fruit and very gently stir to combine.
- Enjoy immediately.
Notes
- The mini pumpkin cookie cutter isn’t necessary, but it definitely makes this fruit salad more festive! I use the second smallest size from this pumpkin cookie cutter set.
- Fruit salad is completely customizable. I like using a mix of orange and black fruits to make this recipe festive for Halloween, but you can add anything else (or leave out anything) that you like!
- Orange zest and juice add a delicious acidity that really brightens up the flavor of the fruit. I used a Navel orange, but Cara Cara or Blood orange would also be delicious!
- When making a fruit salad, I like to make sure I have at least one melon (cantaloupe, honeydew, watermelon), one citrus (navel orange, mandarin orange, blood orange, grapefruit, etc.), and one berry (blackberries, raspberries, strawberries). Anything else is optional!
