• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Summer Recipes
  • Recipe Index
  • Sweets
  • About
  • How To's

Where Is My Spoon

menu icon
go to homepage
  • Summer Recipes
  • Recipe Index
  • Sweets
  • About
  • How To's
    • Facebook
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • search icon
    Homepage link
    • Summer Recipes
    • Recipe Index
    • Sweets
    • About
    • How To's
    • Facebook
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • ร—
    Where Is My Spoon > Recipes > Christmas Recipes

    Christmas Fruit Salad

    Last modified: Jan 18, 2024 ยท Published by Adina, Jan 19, 2019 ยท 2 Comments

    Jump to Recipe
    pinterest image with title for christmas fruit salad.

    A vibrant and wonderfully aromatic Christmas fruit salad with exotic fruit like persimmons, pineapple, and mandarins.

    Winter Fruit Salad with Cinnamon Star Anise Dressing

    An aromatic winter or Christmas fruit salad full of flavorful fruit like persimmons, papaya or apples, clementines, grapes or kiwis, lychees, or whatever other fruit you choose to have.

    An easy Christmas dessert, light and delicious, perfect after a heavier Christmas lunch or dinner. You could also make Cotttage Cheese with Pineapple, Stewed Plums, or Roasted Pears.

    Jump to recipe
    • What fruit to use?
    • Fruit salad dressing
    • More winter desserts
    • Recipe
    • Christmas Fruit Salad

    What fruit to use?

    • Ideally, any kind of winter fruit.
    • What I always use are persimmons - I actually never make this salad if I cannot find any persimmons, I adore them.
    • I also use clementines or mandarins, one or two kiwis, and some lychees (either fresh or canned is fine).
    • The rest changes according to what I find or what I feel like eating. If I can get papaya, then I buy papaya; if I cannot find it, I take apples instead.
    • Physalis is always great, but not always available. I add them when I have them. If not, I make this Christmas fruit salad using more grapes or more clementines.
    • Or pineapple; if you can get a nice and sweet one, then pineapple is always a great choice!
    Winter Fruit Salad with Cinnamon Star Anise Dressing

    Fruit salad dressing

    The dressing I used was some leftover from the Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Pomelo and Cinnamon that I had made the day before, one of Yotam Ottolenghi's wonderful recipes from Plenty More. (the Amazon affiliate link opens in a new tab).

    He suggested using the leftover marinade for a fruit salad, and obediently, I did. And it was absolutely fantastic.

    Making dressing for a fruit salad might sound like too much work. After all, the fruit is always sweet and aromatic, and a simple fruit salad doesn't necessarily require any kind of dressing. Most of the time, I can get away with just sprinkling a little sugar on top or adding a little elderflower or mint syrup to the salad.

    But do take the extra 3 or 4 minutes to make this special dressing; you will love it! It is so spicy and aromatic and fits everything so perfectly.

    It really takes only minutes to make: just bring a tiny amount of sugar, water, cinnamon stick, and star anise (the Amazon links open in new tabs) to a boil (1-2 minutes), dissolve the sugar for 1 minute, and add the lemon juice. That's it! And it is perfect!

    More winter desserts

    • raffaello balls on a small white plate with almonds around it.
      Homemade Raffaello Balls (3 Ingredients)
    • six cake balls coated in dessicated coconut on a silver platter.
      Cake Balls Recipe
    • condensed milk cookies with chocolate chips on a wire rack
      Condensed Milk Cookies
    • small piece of creamy apple tiramisu with mascarpone and lady fingers.
      Apple Tiramisu (Applesauce Dessert Recipe)

    Do you like this recipe?

    Please leave a good rating in the recipe card below. Stay in touch through social media: Pinterest, Facebook, and Instagram. Donโ€™t forget to tag #whereismyspoon when you try a recipe!

    Recipe

    christmas fruit salad in a bowl with lemon pieces and spices around it.

    Christmas Fruit Salad

    A vibrant and aromatic winter fruit salad perfect for Christmas. Full of exotic fruit like persimmons, lychees, and clementines and dressed in spicy sugar syrup and cinnamon dressing.
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Pin Share GrowSaved! Rate
    Course: Desserts
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 3 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 13 minutes minutes
    Servings: 4 -6 servings
    Calories: 98kcal
    Author: Adina
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Ingredients 

    • ยผ cup granulated sugar 50 g
    • ยผ cup water 50 ml
    • 1 cinnamon sticks
    • 2 star anise pods
    • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
    • 1 medium papaya or 1-2 apples Note
    • 1 persimmon
    • 1 bunch of small seedless grapes or 2 kiwis
    • about 10 lychees
    • about 10 physalis
    • 2-3 small clementines

    Instructions

    • Syrup: Bring the sugar, water, cinnamon, and star anise to a simmer and cook for 1 minute, until the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat and add 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Let cool down while preparing the fruit. When cool, remove the cinnamon stick and the star anise.
      ยผ cup granulated sugar/ 50 g + ยผ cup water/ 50 ml + 1 cinnamon sticks +2 star anise pods + 1 tablespoon lemon juice
    • Chop fruit: Peel, when necessary, and chop the fruit into bite-size pieces. Cut the clementine segments into 2 or 3 smaller pieces, depending on size. Everything should be roughly the same size.
      1 medium papaya or 1-2 apples + 1 persimmon + 1 bunch of small seedless grapes or 2 kiwis + about 10 lychees + about 10 physalis + 2-3 small clementines
    • Combine: Place everything into a nice glass bowl and mix gently with the cold dressing. Let the salad sit for about half an hour before serving.
    • Adjust taste: Mix again and adjust the taste with some more lemon juice if necessary.

    Notes

    Fruit: You can make this fruit salad with any other fruit you like.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1/6 of the salad | Calories: 98kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 1g | Sodium: 4mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 21g
    Tried this Recipe? Pin it for Later!Mention @adinabeck or tag #WhereIsMySpoon!

    More Christmas Culinary Delights

    • romanian saratele sprinkled with caraways seeds and cheese.
      Romanian Saratele - Cheese Caraway Crackers
    • sliced venison roast served with potato dumpling, brussels sprouts and gravy.
      Venison Roast
    • many butterhorn cookies and walnuts halves on a wire rack.
      Butterhorn Cookies
    • original linzer torte with redcurrant jam and pastry.
      Linzer Torte Recipe

    Sharing is caring!

    128 shares
    • Share
    • Reddit
    • X

    web banner representing all the websites logos that featured our food blog.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. jenny says

      May 07, 2018 at 6:30 am

      ahhh! I love all the fruits in this salad! Especially lychees and persimmon.

      Reply
    2. Angie@Angie's Recipes says

      February 15, 2018 at 7:43 am

      Fresh and good for you!

      Reply
    5 from 1 vote (1 rating without comment)

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating





    Primary Sidebar

    Hello! Where Is My Spoon is a blog where you will find delicious and family friendly recipes, all made from scratch. From simple healthy soups to sumptuous cakes for special occasions, all our recipes have been tried and loved by our family and our friends.

    More about me โ†’

    Elderflower Recipes

    • elderflower jelly with apple juice in a small jar.
      Elderflower Jelly (or Jam) Recipe
    • a small bottle of elderflower syrup, half a lemon and a bunch of elderflowers in a vase.
      Elderflower Syrup Recipe
    • elderflower gin cocktail in a long glass, lemon and flowers around it.
      Elderflower Gin Cocktail
    • elderflower champagne in a glass with lemon slices and flowers around it.
      Non-Alcoholic Elderflower Champagne (Elderflower Juice)

    Popular Recipes

    • air fryer frozen chicken breast after cooking, one whole and one sliced piece.
      Frozen Chicken Breast in the Air Fryer
    • juicy, golden brown brats cooked on the stove in a skillet.
      How to Cook Brats on the Stove
    • lifting one piece of baked chicken breast with a spoon.
      How to Bake Frozen Chicken Breast
    • stapled sliced pork belly slices sprinkled with parsley, pool of fat in the back.
      How to Cook Pork Belly Strips

    Footer

    โ†‘ back to top

    Info

    • Privacy Policy
    • Accessibility Statement

    Contact

    If you have any questions or want to work with me, please email me @ contact@whereismyspoon.co

    As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright ยฉ 2025 - Where Is My Spoon. All rights reserved.

    Rate This Recipe

    Your vote:




    A rating is required
    A name is required
    An email is required

    Recipe Ratings without Comment

    Something went wrong. Please try again.