This zesty Fruit Salad with Coconut Milk Dressing features a variety of fresh fruit in addition to fresh basil, lime zest, and a touch of pure maple syrup or honey. It is the for ultimate creamy, dairy-free, mayo-free fruit salad recipe!
Welcome to the wildest, most unique fruit salad recipe you’ll ever stumble upon!
I first shared this recipe in 2015, after bringing it to a friend’s barbecue. Everyone loved it so much that I continued making it for all food gatherings for the rest of the summer.
It has been a cornerstone in my summer eating ever since!
Fresh fruit is tossed in a creamy dressing made up of coconut milk, plain yogurt, honey, lemon zest and fresh basil. I know…bonkers!
The end result is a refreshing side dish that’s packed with all the sweet, tangy, zesty, creamy flavors to really please the palate.
Customize it to your heart’s delight and put it on repeat throughout the entire year!
Fruit Salad Ingredients:
Fresh Fruit: Choose your favorite fruit for fruit salad! I selected red grapes, apple, orange, kiwi, blueberries, and banana.
I love the way all of the sweet and tangy flavors come together in addition to the snappy textures paired with some creamy texture.
Dressing Ingredients: Full-fat canned coconut milk, Greek yogurt, fresh lime zest, Greek yogurt, honey, and fresh basil.
This combination of ingredients brings sweet, tangy zesty flavor with a little herby vibe and some creaminess to the salad, enhancing the experience to a whole new level.
Recipe Customizations:
- Pick any of your favorite fresh fruit you love. Any kind of apple, clementines, pears, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, cherries are all good options.
- Swap out the fresh basil with fresh mint, or skip the fresh herbs.
- Use any kind of sweetener in the dressing, or skip the sweetener.
- Make it dairy-free by skipping the Greek yogurt. Or, for creamier texture, add more Greek yogurt.
How to Make Fruit Salad with Coconut Milk Dressing:
- Step 1: Thoroughly rinse all of the fruit. Peel and/or chop all of the fruit accordingly. Place the fruit in a large bowl.
- Step 2: Stir together the ingredients for the coconut milk dressing in a small bowl or a measuring cup.
- Step 3: Pour the dressing over the fruit and toss until everything is well combined.
- Step 4: Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Note: decrease the amount of time to 1 day if you have included sliced bananas.
My favorite part about this amazing fruit salad recipe is how incredible the flavors are without the need for any processed ingredients. No cool-whip, no mayonnaise, and no added sugar.
I also love that it can be made no matter the time of year using any seasonal fruit.
Whip it up and let me know in the comments what you think!
Looking for more healthy side dishes? Try out these favorites.
More Healthy Side Dishes:
- Avocado Salad
- The Best Broccoli Salad
- German-Style Potato Salad
- Italian Pasta Salad
- Sweet Potato Black Bean Salad
I am complete.
Fruit Salad with Coconut Milk Dressing
Ingredients
- 1 large fugi apple cored and chopped
- 1 navel orange peeled and chopped
- 2 kiwifruit peeled and chopped
- 1 large ripe banana peeled and chopped
- 1 cup blueberries
- 1 cup red grapes halved
Lime Coconut Basil Dressing:
- 1/3 cup full-fat canned coconut milk
- 3 Tbsp Greek yogurt*
- 6 leaves basil finely chopped
- 1 lime zested
- 1 Tbsp pure maple syrup or honey
Instructions
- Add all of the fruit to a large serving bowl. In a small bowl, whisk together the coconut milk, yogurt, basil, and lime zest. Pour the coconut milk mixture over the fruit and toss everything together. Drizzle the honey over the fruit salad and serve.
Love how quick and simple this salad is. A great idea for a healthy breakfast. Go healthy go smarxy girls!
I throw coconut milk on everything and somehow fruit salad hasn’t crossed my mind until now!! Looks and sounds DELIGHTFUL. So light, refreshing and a little creamy action too?? Perfect!
So glad you like it, Alison! Coconut milk really is a winner in the versatility and flavor realm!
I often feel like, if I exercise and don’t post it on Insta, do the calories burned even REGISTER. I hope so, because I really don’t post the majority of my workouts. Yikes.
I want to fill my life with ALL THE FRUIT SALAD at the moment. THIS DRESSING. Hubba hubba.
Happy belated birthday, girl!! I feel like we have similar fridge situations right now. Odd fruits and a tiny bit of coconut milk and a sliced lime. Love these dee-licious things that are going on in this salad!
Also, I’m going to turn 29 later this year, and I’m going to write a 29 things to do before I turn 30 list!!!! Just kidding, I know I won’t.
Touring a hummus factory sounds like the most amazing way ever to spend your birthday!! I would have demanded a cake made out of hummus 🙂 Happy Birthday! I’ll be turning 29 this summer too and I’m not super thrilled about it but I guess it had to happen sooner or later!
I was just thinking the other day how I don’t think I’ve ever made a fruit salad before! Crazy, I know! This looks like the perfect one to start with because I love me some coconut milk!
I love basil with fruit and love the complementary sweetness of the coconut milk 🙂
Sounds like you had fun at your trip to Sabra!! I can’t wait to hear more about this trip.
Ju, are you 29??!! So young. I’ll be 34 this year 😉 Happy belated birthday, friend!
This fruit salad looks absolutely delicious. I love that you used coconut milk in place of that marshmallow. Pinned!
i dont make fruit salad as much but in Nepal, it is often served as a dessert. it is sweetened with honey and yogurt. i love your version with basil and coconut milk.
ps. happy belated birthday
Happy belated birthday! Why wait for your birthday to drink milkshakes and eat cake when you can do it every day? Ya only live once, right? Well, at least that’s my theory. This fruit salad is proof that not all fruit salads are alike. Did you know that the Interweb loves fruit salad… Love it! I must say, this is the best one I’ve seen by far.
Bahaha – we’re soul sisters – we BOTH talked about cool whip in fruit salads this week;) This coconut milk + BASIL fruit salad looks amazing and totally puts any cool whip salad to shame. Bring this to a potluck and you’ll find me with a fork over the bowl.