Fresh Fruit Salad with Creamy Poppy Seed Dressing

A colorful fruit salad is tossed with a lightly creamy poppy seed dressing made with lemon, cider vinegar, yogurt, and a touch of dijon. The dressing is sweet-tart and silky, making it ideal for brunch, dessert, or a make-ahead side for warm-weather meals.
Prep: 20 min · Total: 20 min · Serves: 8
Ingredients
- 0.25 tsp kosher salt
- 0.25 cup plain greek yogurt
- 2 cups strawberries (hulled and halved)
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp red onion (finely grated)
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1.5 tbsp poppy seeds
- 2 cups fresh pineapple (diced)
- 1.5 cups blueberries (rinsed and dried)
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
- 0.333 cup granulated sugar
- 3 medium kiwi (peeled and sliced)
- 0.5 cup canola oil
- 2 cups seedless red grapes (halved)
Instructions
- Wash your hands, then set a cutting board, chef's knife, measuring cups, measuring spoons, a 2-cup liquid measuring cup, a whisk, and a large serving bowl on the counter; no heat is needed for this no-cook recipe.
- Rinse the strawberries, seedless red grapes, blueberries, and kiwi under cool running water in a colander for 1 minute, then spread them on a clean kitchen towel and pat them dry for 2-3 minutes so the dressing will cling instead of becoming watery.
- Prepare the fruit on the cutting board with the chef's knife: hull and halve 2 cups strawberries, halve 2 cups seedless red grapes, dice 2 cups fresh pineapple, and peel and slice 3 medium kiwi; the pieces should be bite-size and roughly even.
- Place the prepared strawberries, grapes, pineapple, blueberries, and kiwi in the large serving bowl, then refrigerate the bowl while you make the dressing so the fruit stays chilled and firm.
- In the 2-cup liquid measuring cup, combine 0.333 cup granulated sugar, 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar, 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice, 1 tsp Dijon mustard, and 0.25 tsp kosher salt with the whisk for 45-60 seconds, until the sugar begins to dissolve and the mixture looks glossy.
- Slowly drizzle in 0.5 cup canola oil while whisking constantly for 1-2 minutes, keeping the measuring cup steady on the counter, until the dressing thickens slightly and looks smooth rather than separated.
- Whisk in 0.25 cup plain Greek yogurt for 30-45 seconds, then stir in 1.5 tbsp poppy seeds and 1 tbsp finely grated red onion until evenly distributed throughout the creamy dressing.
- Taste the dressing with a clean spoon and let it stand at room temperature for 5 minutes with no heat so the poppy seeds hydrate slightly and the onion flavor mellows; the finished dressing should taste balanced, sweet-tart, and lightly creamy.
- Pour about two-thirds of the dressing over the chilled fruit in the large serving bowl, then use a flexible spatula to fold gently for 30-60 seconds, just until the fruit is lightly coated without crushing the berries.
- Add more dressing 1 tbsp at a time only if needed, then serve the fruit salad immediately in chilled bowls or cover and refrigerate for up to 2 hours; the fruit should look glossy, colorful, and fresh, with no excess dressing pooling heavily at the bottom.
Nutrition (per serving)
- Calories: 258
- Protein: 2 g
- Fat: 15 g
- Carbohydrates: 32 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Sugar: 26 g
- Sodium: 100 mg
More Recipes
- Almond Bear Claw French Toast
- Almond Puff Pastry Loaf
- American Creamed Spinach
- Anise-scented Yeast Bread
- Apple Cider Braised Pork Chops with Onions
- Apple Cranberry Galette
- Apple Cream Scones
- Apple Crisp with Macadamia Oat Topping
- Apple Waldorf Salad with Walnuts and Grapes
- Arugula, Caramelized Onion, and Goat Cheese Pizza
- Avocado Cups with Crunchy Lime Slaw
- Avocado, Shrimp, and Hearts of Palm Salad