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This 4th of July fruit salad is a beautiful, refreshing, and delicious summertime salad perfect for a fun family picnic, Memorial Day, or Fourth of July celebration. Served cold on a hot summer day, this red white and blue fruit salad is full of sweet, juicy, fresh fruit that your whole family will love!
The 4th of July is a pretty big deal around here. Whether we’re hosting or we’re headed somewhere, we always know we’re in for some good eats. A 4th of July fruit salad like this one is a great addition to any menu.
It’s light, fresh, healthy, and super easy to make. Best of all, it’s patriotic!
If you’re like me and are always looking for festive and adorable ways to celebrate an occasion, like this Easter egg fruit pizza or Thanksgiving turkey shaped dinner rolls, this patriotic fruit salad is a must.
It’s made with fresh fruit and fresh berries that represent red, white, and blue, and we’re using star cookie cutters to cut out stars.
It can be prepped ahead and the fruit keeps fresh overnight, so you can even whip it up in minutes and take it with you to a potluck!
Why you’ll love 4th of July Fruit Salad
It’s versatile – This delicious salad is also perfect for Labor Day, Memorial Day weekend, summer picnics, and anytime you need a great side dish or the perfect patriotic dessert!
Customizable – Use whatever red, blue, and white fruit you want! You can also play around with the amounts and use more of your favorite fruit in there. I keep it simple with no dressing and just let the fruit juices do their thing, but you can easily add a honey lime drizzle or something like it.
A healthy choice – With all the decadent desserts and heavy grilled meats you’re bound to enjoy, there’s nothing quite like a refreshing simple fruit salad to lighten the load.
So easy to make – If you can cut fruit, you can make this salad. The most time-consuming part is maybe peeling the apples! It’s a breeze!
Equipment you’ll need
Ingredients
Below is a list of the ingredients you’ll need to gather to make this recipe, why you need them, and possible substitutions. Scroll all the way down for the full recipe card with measurements.
- Strawberries: Look for plump, red, strawberries that aren’t mushy, and smell like fresh strawberries. Wash them, hull them, then slice them.
- Blueberries: Wash and pick over the debris and remove any stems from the fresh blueberries. Again, look for plump berries and discard any wrinkled or discolored ones.
- Seedless Watermelon: I use just a small individual watermelon. It makes about 4 cups of stars.
- Large Apples: I recommend Honeycrisp or Cosmic Crisp apples for this festive fruit salad, but use what you’ve got. Peel, slice, and then cut them into star shapes.
- Lemon Juice & Water: You’ll soak the apples in this solution to prevent oxidation. This is so you’re not presenting a fruit salad with brown apples!
How to make a Red White & Blue Fruit Salad
This section shows you how to make this recipe, with process photos showing the steps to help you visualize it. For full instructions, including amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card below.
Wash all your fruit! Then, let it dry before you do anything else.
- Step One: Mix 1 Tablespoon of lemon juice in 1 cup of water and add it to a large shallow bowl. Set it aside for now.
- Step Two: Use a mini star cutter to cut star shapes out of your sliced apples. Start by getting as close to the edges as possible so you get as many stars from each apple slice as you can. Place the stars into the lemon water and allow them to soak for 3-5 minutes before draining.
- Step Three: In the meantime, use the larger cookie cutter to cut out star shapes.
- Step Four: To a large mixing bowl, preferably the one you’ll be serving from, add half of the watermelon stars, then half of the sliced strawberries, followed by half the blueberries, then half of the apple stars. Repeat the layers, ending with apple stars. Serve immediately. Don’t toss the salad until you’ve presented it to your guests!
What to serve with 4th of July Fruit Salad
If you’re serving it as a side dish, it makes an easy side dish to complete your summer meals. Crockpot honey bourbon chicken or slow cooker steak bites with a side of jazzed up baked beans, slow cooker corn on the cob, and a refreshing fruit salad sound good to me!
On its own, as a snack on a hot summer day, I like to make sure it’s nice and chilled in the fridge before I eat it. Then enjoy it with a sip of some patriotic vodka cocktail. It is a celebration after all!
As a dessert, you can go nuts and serve it with all the creamy things! Ice cream, whipped cream, homemade cool whip, yogurt, or even just a drizzle of maple syrup.
Don’t forget to make these patriotic cupcakes and red, white, & blue American flag jello shots to complete your Independence Day celebration!
Variations 🍉🍎🫐
Here are some ways to customize your red white and blue fruit salad with different fruit that will still represent the colors of the American flag:
- Red fruits: Raspberries, cherries, blood orange, and red grapes.
- White fruits: Pear, banana slices, white peaches, or white melon. You could even add in some mini marshmallows, feta cheese, or goat’s cheese in addition to the fruit.
- Blue fruits: Blackberries (may be a bit of a stretch, but the sentiment is there).
How to store 4th of July Fruit Salad
How to store leftovers
Keep leftovers stored in an airtight container in the fridge.
How long will fruit salad last in the fridge?
Up to 5 days. Over time, the fruit juices will gather at the bottom, the berries may start to get soggy and bleed color, and the apples (or bananas) may start to brown. It’s still perfectly edible and delicious, though!
Can I freeze it?
Yes! It keeps frozen for up to 1 year! You can either keep the different fruit types separate in individual freezer bags or combine them later on once thawed. Or you can freeze the salad altogether.
Keep in mind, when you thaw fruit, especially berries, their textures change. Sometimes becoming soggy.
FAQs
How far in advance can I make 4th of July Fruit Salad?
It is best served the day you make it, however, you can make it the day before you serve it. Keep it covered in the fridge overnight and don’t forget to use the lemon water solution for the apples so they don’t brown.
Another idea is to keep the fruit stored separately overnight and toss them together in a serving bowl just before serving.
Can I double this recipe?
You can double it and even triple it if needed! Make as much as you need with the amount of fruit you’ve got.
What kind of dressing can I add to my fruit salad?
I always like to have a balance of sweet flavor and citrus. It adds a zesty vibrant note, but the citrus also helps to prevent the fruit from browning!
A few of my favorite combinations are honey lemon, honey lime, maple syrup, and lime juice. The natural fruit juices will also add flavor to the dressing!
Patriotic Fruit Salad
Need more red, white, & blue dessert recipes? Try these:
Click here for my entire collection of dessert recipes.
4th of July Fruit Salad (Red White and Blue!)
Ingredients
- 1 pound fresh strawberries sliced
- 1 pint fresh blueberries
- 1 small seedless watermelon sliced & cut into star shapes
- 2 large apples peeled, sliced, & cut into star shapes
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 cup water
Instructions
- Wash all the fruit and let it dry.
- Create a water bath for the apples by mixing 1 tablespoon of lemon juice in 1 cup of water in a large shallow bowl and set aside.
- Peel the apples, slice them, and use a mini star cutter to cut star shapes.
- Place the apple stars into the prepared water bath and let soak for 3-5 minutes before draining them.
- Meanwhile, slice the watermelon and then use a larger cookie cutter to cut star shapes.
- To a large serving bowl, add half of the watermelon stars, then half of the strawberries, half of the blueberries, and half of the apple stars.
- Repeat the layers, ending with the apple stars.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.
