A fruit salad can make a perfect end to a meal and this Green Fresh Fruit Salad is visually so much more refined than a "chuck it all in" kinda fruit salad.
To bring this recipe bang up to date, I've tossed the green fruit salad with a chilli, ginger syrup that really makes the flavour zing out.
Chilli, ginger syrup
This is an old favourite of mine and like all fruit salads, it is really easy to make. Sometimes I just toss all the prepared fruit in a little apple juice but, to give this recipe a little bit more of a kick, I have tossed the fruit in a chilli ginger syrup.
The hint of heat from the chilli and the ginger compliment the cool fruit and excite the tastes buds - lifting this humble fruit salad to make it a really tasty dessert, fit for the end of any meal.
Ingredients
Fruit
- Green apple - Granny smiths are perfect
- Pear
- Kiwi fruit - to select kiwi look for some that are just soft when pressed. Firm kiwis are sour and unripe.
- Honeydew melon
- Green grapes
- Lemon balm or mint ,chopped (optional)
For the Syrup
- Sugar - granulated or caster ( I use golden granulated)
- Lime - zest only adds a little extra citrus zing to the flavour
- Stem ginger in syrup - The recipes uses one piece plus a little of the syrup from the jar.
- Green chilli - Avoid very hot varieties and remove all the seeds you just want a hint of chilli warmth
Scroll down for quantities and full printable recipe at the bottom of this post.
How to make this easy fruit salad
- Make the chilli ginger syrup - Allow to cool.
- Prepare fruit
- Combine - Toss the fruit until mixed and coated with the syrup
- Serve - and enjoy. Easy!
Serving suggestion
If I'm serving a fruit salad as part of an everyday meal, I serve it on its own. Not that we eat dessert every day, but you know what I mean.
At the end of a special meal, I am tempted to serve it alongside a scoop of good vanilla ice cream or a dollop of lightly whipped double cream or crème fraîche.
You could also serve it with a sweet biscuit such as Brandy snaps, Langue du Chat or Orange and Almond Shortbread
I also often like to eat fruit for breakfast, and somehow a bowl of fruit salad seems so much more substantial than a single piece of fruit. Add a bit of natural yoghurt and it sets you up for the day.
Can I prepare ahead?
The syrup can be made a few days ahead of time and kept in a sealed container in the fridge until required.
The fruit salad tastes freshest when served on the day it's made. After that the fruits tend to soften and the flavours meld together. Still good to eat just different. Left overs never need to go to waste.
Other fruit desserts you might like to try
📖 Recipe
Green Fruit Salad with Chilli Ginger Syrup
Equipment
- saucepan
- vegetable peeler
- sieve
- sharp paring knife
- serving bowl
Ingredients
Chilli, ginger syrup
- 100 g sugar (3½oz)
- 150 ml water (¼pt)
- 2 thinly pared strips of lime
- 1 piece stem ginger in syrup sliced into sticks
- 1 tablespoon syrup from the jar
- ½ fresh green chilli seeded and chopped
Fruit
- 1 green apple cored and sliced
- 1 pear cored and sliced
- 2 kiwi fruit peeled and sliced
- 1 small honeydew melon seeded, halved and cut into cubes
- 150 g green grapes (5oz)
- lemon balm or mint ,chopped (optional)
Instructions
To make the syrup
- Place 100g (3½oz) sugar and 150ml (¼pt) water in a pan and heat gently while stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Add 2 strips of thinly pared lime zest, 1 piece stem ginger,sliced 1 tablespoon ginger syrup from the jar and ½ green chilli, seeded and chopped to the pan and bring to the boil. Boil for about for 5 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and allow to cool. Once cold, strain through a sieve into a large serving bowl.
Prepare the fruit
- Core and slice 1 green apple and 1 pear. Add to the syrup in the serving bowl. Peel and slice 1 kiwi fruit add to the bowl along with 1 small honey dew melon, seeded, peeled and cut into cubes.
To Complete
- Add 150g (5oz) green grapes and add the bowl. Toss so that all the fruit is mixed and coated in the syrup. Chill until require.
- Serve sprinkled with lemon balm or mint, if desired. Enjoy!
Have you made this recipe? I would love to hear from you. Did you enjoy it, did you change anything? Leave a comment and rate the recipe. Comments may be held for moderation before publishing.