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Home » Recipes » Desserts

Italian Fruit Salad (Macedonia Di Frutta)

Jun 4, 2017 · Modified: Dec 8, 2024 by Svitlana · This post may contain affiliate links · 3 Comments

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Italian fruit salad or Macedonia di Frutta is an Italian way to serve fresh fruit all year round. It's simple, it's easy and it's absolutely delicious.

Italian fruit salad in a bowl with a blue lining.
Table Of Contents
  • Italian Fruit Salad - What's So Special?
  • Ingredients
  • Top Tip!
  • How To Make - Step By Step Pictures
  • Tips for Success
  • Ways to Serve
  • More Fruity Desserts
  • Full Recipe

Italian Fruit Salad - What's So Special?

  1. Only 3 main ingredients. Technically you can make Italian fruit salad using only 3 base ingredients: banana, lemon juice, and sugar. It's a delicious fruit salad in and of itself. Of course, use an opportunity to make it with variety of seasonal fruits.
  2. No Bake. It's a perfect no bake dessert, ready in 10 minutes flat.
  3. All year round. Depending on the time of the year or your personal taste you can use different types of fruit. You'll find ideas and examples below.
  4. The sauce. What makes Italian fruit salad special is the sauce. It doesn't contain yogurt or cream of any kind, instead fresh fruits are seasoned with fresh lemon juice and a dash of sugar. This makes all the fruit flavors come together in a delicious fruity sauce that enhances but doesn't overpower flavor of the fruits.
  5. The best way to eat fresh fruit. After eating plain fresh fruit, of course.
  6. Many ways to use it. Besides enjoying it as a salad, you can also use it to top your favorite ice-cream, panna cotta, oatmeal or simply blend it into a smoothie (perfect for leftovers).

Ingredients

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

Italian fruit salad ingredients laid on a flat surface.

Base Ingredients

Bananas, lemon juice and sugar are the only base ingredients you'll use all year round. You can even make Italian fruit salad using ONLY these 3 ingredients or add more fresh fruit depending on the season.

I also like to add gently rubbed mint leaves for extra flavor.

Variations

Ideas to add to the base ingredients:

  • Summer Version: strawberries, pitted cherries, blueberries, blackberries, peach, apricot, melon.
  • Winter Version: pear, apple, canned pineapple, pomegranate seeds, kiwi, oranges, mandarins/tangerines.
  • Spring Version: apple, orange, grapefruit.
  • Fall Version: grapes, apple, kiwi.
  • Mix and match as you like!

Top Tip!

Apples, oranges and canned pineapple are available all year round to add to your Italian fruit salad. If using canned pineapples, don't throw its juice away, add it to the salad and reduce or omit sugar since pineapple syrup is already sweet.

How To Make - Step By Step Pictures

Prepare fruit

  • Wash and pat-dry all the fruit except for the bananas.
  • Peel, core/hull the fruit if needed and cut in cubes.
  • Slice bananas ⅓ inch (a little less than 1 cm) slices. Thinner slices will break when mixing the salad.
  • Lastly, cut/slice fruit that oxides fast, like bananas and apples, to prevent oxidation.

Put everything together

Steps of the process showing to assemble fruit salad.
  • Squeeze lemon juice (you should have about ¼ cup or so) - photo 1.
  • Add all the fruit in a bowl together with lemon juice, sugar and mint leaves gently rubbed between your fingers - photo 2, 3.
  • Mix gently. Let rest in the fridge before serving - photo 4.
Italian fruit salad in a bowl with a blue lining.

Tips for Success

  • Choose fruits that are ripe but firm to touch, otherwise, your fruit salad will turn into a mush. For the best result, bananas should be slightly under-ripe.
  • If you have any leftover macerated strawberries, add them to the salad.
  • Cut/slice fruit like bananas and apples last and top with lemon juice right after to prevent oxidation (turning brown).
  • Let Italian Fruit Salad sit in the fridge for 20-30 minutes before serving. During this time lemon juice will macerate the fruit letting it release some of its juices, creating a delicious sweet and sour sauce.
  • Add a splash of Limoncello or Orangecello for a little booze and delicious fresh citrus flavor.

Ways to Serve

  1. Serve in mini round dessert bowls as a light after-meal dessert.
  2. Add a splash of red wine to individual servings that will make it taste like Sangria.
  3. Add splash of Limoncello for a little booze and extra lemony flavor. Use my easy Limoncello recipe to make it at home.
  4. Use as a topping for ice-cream, panna cotta, yogurt and even add to your morning oatmeal.
  5. Blended into a smoothie - perfect way to use leftover fruit salad.

More Fruity Desserts

If you love Italian Fruit Salad, try also:

  • Macerated Strawberries in individual serving bowls.
    Macerated Strawberries (Recipe and Ways To Use Them)
  • Strawberry Tiramisu.
    Strawberry Tiramisu (Eggless and Without Coffee)
  • Sweet ricotta crostini on a platter.
    Sweet Ricotta Crostini (With 4 Different Toppings)
  • Blackberry Crostata Pie
    Blackberry Crostata - Delicious Shortcrust Summer Pie

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Full Recipe

Italian fruit salad in a bowl garnished with mint leaves.

Italian Fruit Salad (Recipe and Ways to Use It)

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Try this Italian Fruit Salad made with fresh fruit and delicious lemon dressing. It's perfect to bring to picnics, outdoor gatherings and more!
Recipe authorAuthor: Svi
PREP TIME:10 minutes mins
TOTAL TIME:10 minutes mins
SERVINGS: 4
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Ingredients
 

  • 2 bananas
  • 10 strawberries
  • 1 orange
  • 1 apple
  • 2 peaches
  • 1 lemon ,juice only
  • 2 tablespoon Sugar ,more or less to taste
  • Fresh mint leaves , optional

Instructions
 

Prepare fruit

  • Wash and pat-dry all the fruit except for the bananas.
  • Peel, core/hull the fruit if needed and cut in cubes.
  • Slice bananas ⅓ inch (a little less than 1 cm) slices. Thinner slices will break when mixing the salad.
  • Lastly, cut/slice fruit that oxides fast, like bananas and apples, to prevent oxidation.

Put everything together

  • Squeeze lemon juice (you should have about ¼ cup or so).
  • Add all the fruit in a bowl together with lemon juice, sugar, and mint leaves gently rubbed between your fingers.
  • Mix gently. Let rest in the fridge before serving.

Notes

See the Step By Step Pictures for a visual walk-through of the recipe.
  • Choose fruits that are ripe but firm to touch.
  • Bananas are best used slightly under-ripe, ripe bananas will  turn a mushy but some prefer it this way. The choice is yours.
  • If you have any leftover macerated strawberries, add them to the salad.
  • Cut/slice fruit like bananas and apples last and top with lemon juice right after to prevent oxidation (turning brown).
  • Let Italian Fruit Salad sit in the fridge for 20-30 minutes before serving. During this time lemon juice will macerate the fruit letting it release some of its juices, creating a delicious sweet and sour sauce.
  • Add a splash of Limoncello for a little booze and extra lemon flavor.

Nutrition

Calories: 131kcalCarbohydrates: 34gProtein: 2gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0.1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.2gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.1gSodium: 11mgPotassium: 448mgFiber: 5gSugar: 22gVitamin A: 386IUVitamin C: 42mgCalcium: 29mgIron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Have a question or want to let me know you loved the recipe?Leave a comment below! I love hearing from you!

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  1. Karly says

    June 05, 2017 at 6:09 pm

    Love. This. Post. One, I just straight up love the fruit salad. But I adore all of the tips and tricks to use it in other ways! Delish!

    Reply
    • SV says

      June 05, 2017 at 7:51 pm

      Oh, thank you so much for the kind words, Karly ❤
      Happy you enjoyed the Italian fruit salad and my little tricks!

      Reply

Buongiorno e benvenuti! In my small Italian kitchen I use simple, mostly seasonal ingredients and turn them into mouth-watering meals. Join me as I share the magic of Italian home cooking and teach you how you can do it in your own kitchen.

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