Make this super refreshing Fresh Fruit Salad with sweet pineapple and berries in 15 minutes! It's naturally sweet, full of nutrients, and high in fiber. Perfect for school lunches, snacks, and as a side dish! I'll even show you how to cut a pineapple without waste!

This healthy homemade fruit salad is one of my favorite recipes that I've been making for years. It's an easy recipe made with a variety of fruit that can be served on busy weeknights, at a summer BBQ, and even at Easter brunch.
In fact, it's so pretty that I've even served it in a glass trifle bowl and used it as the centerpiece. I'm all about keeping things simple. 🙂
And don't let the thought of cutting your own pineapple intimidate you. I have step-by step instructions down below showing you just how easy it is to do. Besides, buying a whole pineapple is much less expensive than buying it pre-cut. 🤩
If you are looking for more fruit-based recipes that everyone loves, check out my mango avocado toast, tropical blue smoothie bowl, and strawberry goat cheese salad recipes!
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😍Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Simple Recipe This simple fruit salad recipe is made with fresh fruit and that's it! No dressing, no maple syrup, and no cool whip added. 😅
- Meal Prep This is the best fruit salad for meal prepping because it makes a lot and still tastes amazing even when served the next day.
- Quick and Healthy Eat it by itself, with plain Greek yogurt, or make a fruit and yogurt parfait. It's such an easy snack or side dish that can be served with everything from a breakfast sandwich on busy mornings to veggie wraps for lunch, to grilled chicken or quesadillas on busy weeknights.
- Naturally Sweetened Thankfully, there is no need to add juice, maple syrup, or make a sweet dressing to make a good fruit salad. The juice from a ripe pineapple creates a natural dressing all on its own.
- Kid-Approved Perfect for school lunches! Just be sure to pack it in an airtight container with a leak-proof lid.
💁♀️Dietitian Tip
Make this fruit salad in a large bowl. Serve it as a side with dinner, then divide what's left into several small lunch containers. This way, you'll have a delicious side to serve with dinner and fruit for school lunches set for days.
Kids can eat it as is or sprinkle homemade granola on top. Yum!
🥭Recipe Variations
- Use red grapes or green seedless grapes instead of berries. Red grapes add more color, but either can be used.
- To make more of a tropical fruit salad, use mango and kiwi fruit in place of berries. Cutting mango and kiwi will take longer than washing berries but it will still taste delicious.
🍓Ingredient Notes

- Pineapple For best results, use a good pineapple that is nice and sweet. You can use pre-cut fresh pineapple to save time. Pineapple contains manganese, copper, vitamins (including vitamin C), and fiber.
- Fresh Berries Use a variety of fresh berries to make a delicious fruit salad. I almost always use fresh strawberries and then change up the other berries. Blackberries, blueberries, and (or) raspberries. Berries are an excellent source of anthocyanins, fiber, and vitamins.
👩🍳How to Make Fresh Fruit Salad

Here's a quick overview of the steps to make this fruit salad. For the full list of ingredients and instructions, scroll down to the recipe card.
- Place pineapple pieces in a large bowl. For specific instructions on how I cut up a pineapple, scroll down to the section titled How to Cut a Pineapple Without Waste.
- Use a fine mesh colander to rinse and drain the berries.
- If using strawberries, slice or quarter them. Set aside.
- Put berries on top of pineapple pieces and carefully mix berries in with the pineapple.
💡Helpful Tips
- I have found Aldi to have the best prices on pineapple and organic berries.
- To save time, buy pre-cut pineapple pieces.
- The juice from freshly cut pineapple adds enough liquid and sweetness to this fruit salad There's no need to add a dressing or syrup.
- Pineapple does take a little work to cut. Consider this as a way to increase your level of N.E.A.T (non-exercise activity thermogenesis), lol!
- Do not use moldy berries. In fact, moldy berries should not be eaten by anyone.
- I often soak berries in a baking soda or vinegar water bath (baking soda or vinegar mixed with water) for about two minutes before I rinse them because it helps remove any potential mold and bacteria. Either way, rinse fresh berries well with cold water.
🍍How to Cut a Pineapple Without Waste
Using a sharp knife is key to making this and easy and quick process. I like to use my bread knife for cutting pineapple. Otherwise, a sharp chef's knife will do the trick.

- Place the pineapple on it's side and slice off the top and bottom inch of the pineapple.

- Turn the pineapple so that it is sitting upright, with the bottom side down.
- Cut off the outer skin of the pineapple from top to bottom in strips, working your way around the entire pineapple.

- Next, cut the pineapple into four sections, cutting lengthwise along each side of the core.

- Lay each section on its side and slice, again lengthwise, into smaller sections.
- Then, cut into smaller pieces by slicing the other direction.
- Set the core aside and store it to be used in a smoothie another time.
More Side Dish Recipes
- Green Goddess Salad with Green Goddess Dressing (Homemade)
- Green Goddess Salad Dressing (No Oil, No Mayo)
- Green Bean Casserole with Fresh Green Beans
- Top 9 Holiday Side Dishes (30 Minutes or Less!)
Did your kids love this Fresh Fruit Salad? Please leave a 5-star rating below or a review in the comments section!
Don't forget to snap a pic of their beautiful bowl of fresh fruit and tag @carrots.and.cookies on Instagram so I can see it. Enjoy!
📖 Recipe

Easy Fresh Fruit Salad
Ingredients
- 1 pineapple
- 3-4 cups berries 18-24 ounces of fresh berries (blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, and/or strawberries)
Instructions
- Cut up pineapple into small pieces.
- Place pineapple pieces in the bottom of a large serving bowl.
- Soak berries in a vinegar-water bath for two minutes, and rinse with water. Drain.
- Slice, halve, or quarter strawberries.
- Add berries to the pineapple and carefully mix through.
- Serve and enjoy!









Lindsi Marsh says
Perfect for AZ summers!
Kristi Ruth RD says
Absolutely! 😎
Laura says
Perfect combination of fruit, thanks for taking the guessing work out of the delicious salad.