Fruit salad is a staple during summer. One bite and your mouth is bursting with sweet flavors and juices. How long does fruit salad last? Unfortunately, fruit salad isn’t something that lasts for weeks in the refrigerator. A big bowl of fruit might sound like a good idea, but there are a lot of factors that cause your favorite fruits to turn mushy.
Summer fruit salad is a side dish that is perfect for bringing to a pool party. Fresh fruit rehydrates you when there are days of high heat, and it’s something that everybody loves to snack on. This quick bite is also one of the healthiest options to eat.
Fruit salad is packed with vitamin A, vitamin C, potassium, calcium, and healthy carbohydrates. But how long does fruit salad stay fresh after you cut into everything? Keep reading if you’re interested in learning how to tell if a fruit salad is fresh, as well as learning a tasty recipe along the way.
How Long Does Fruit Salad Stay Fresh?
A crucial thing to keep in mind when storing fruit salad or to make tomatoes last longer is that there are so many different variables that play a role.
If you’re willing to use some experimentation and want to eat lots of yummy fruit, don’t be afraid to try a few different recipes and make a mental note of which fruits stay firm longer than others.
There are so many unique fruits to choose from. Grapefruit, kiwi fruit, nectarines, watermelon, red grapes, berries, cantaloupe, honeydew, and apples are all common fruits used to make a fruit salad.
There are endless combinations, and some taste better together than others. Although we will teach you how to tell if a fruit salad is fresh, figuring out your favorite fruits to use might be a wise place to start.
How Long does Fruit Salad Last?
As a general rule of thumb, most generic fruit salads only last one to five days when you refrigerate them in an airtight container. The same situation applies to when potato salad goes bad. Keeping fruit salad fresh for three days only requires a few tricks, so all that tasty fruit juice doesn’t go to waste.
Choose Fruits Wisely
One of the biggest life hacks for making fruit salad last longer is choosing fruits that don’t brown quickly or become soggy. Fruits like watermelon have a lot of moisture and turn to mush.
How long do apples stay good if they have been cut? Lemon juice or another acidic liquid like orange juice helps apples last longer.
On the other hand, the best fruit is one with a skin, like whole blueberries or grapes, that hold up far longer than those without skin. Having a healthy mix of skin-protected fruits and cut fruits is a simple trick to keep the salad fresh.
How to Chop Fruits the Right Way
Like the way to keep regular salad fresh, believe it or not, the way you cut your fruit plays a role in how long they last. As soon as you cut into a piece of fruit, the oxidation process speeds up significantly.
Don’t use a serrated knife because it causes more damage than a smooth knife that performs one clean cut. Try to avoid removing the skin or peels whenever possible.
You may want to remove the peels from an orange when you slice into it, but the skin on a peach or tangerine should stay intact. As mentioned before, keep fruits like grapes whole, so they last as long as possible with minimal exposure to air.
Add Citrus to the Salad
Adding a hefty squeeze of citrus juice like lemon juice, lime juice, or orange juice is a tasty way to keep your salad from rotting and the best way to keep fruit salad fresh. The citrus slows the oxidation process, so the cut fruit doesn’t brown so fast.
How long is lemon juice good for, and other citrus juices? When added to your salad, they increase the shelf life for a couple of days.
Wait to Add Sugar
Many people add a pinch of brown sugar or maple syrup to their fruit salad recipe because it gives it an added layer of flavor.
If possible, only add sugars and syrups at the last minute before serving. These extra ingredients draw out more moisture and make the fruit rot faster than usual.
Storing Fruit Salad
The most common way to store fruit salad is in an airtight container in the refrigerator. This method is excellent if you plan to eat the remaining salad over the next two days.
If you’d like to add a few extra days to the timeline, vacuum sealing the salad is an incredible idea. The vacuum sealer machine removes all the air from the bag.
Less air means less oxidation occurs, helps the fruit last for a few extra days, and prevents browning. Freezing fruit salad is another option, but the fruit’s consistency won’t remain the same after thawing it.
If you freeze it, thawed fruit salad is quickly turned into a garnish for desserts when you stir a little sugar into it. It is also good to turn into ambrosia salad with whipped cream and marshmallows.
A Long-Lasting Fruit Salad Recipe
If you’re looking for a fruit salad recipe that lasts as long as possible, this is one of our favorites. When you avoid using berries and melons, the salad ends up staying fresh for up to a week.
Wash and chop all your fruits and place them into a large bowl. Set the bowl aside. Bring the orange juice, lemon juice, and sugar to a boil in a saucepan over high heat.
Reduce the stove’s heat to a gentle simmer and allow it to cook for five minutes until it thickens into a loose syrup. Allow the fruit syrup to cool in the fridge until it is about room temperature.
Pour the syrup over the mixed fruits. Garnish the salad with poppy seeds and orange zest and serve right away. Store this fruit salad in an airtight container and refrigerate it for up to one week.
How to Tell if a Fruit Salad is Fresh
One of the biggest questions is how long does fruit salad stay fresh? The first thing to remember when you’re unsure about food is to use your senses. Fresh fruit salad is free from strange odors.
The fruit has no signs of mold and shouldn’t appear to be disintegrating into their own liquids. If you’re brave, take a small nibble to see if it tastes off. If anything seems strange, err on the side of caution and throw the salad in the trash.
It’s hard to imagine going an entire summer without savoring the deliciousness of a fresh fruit salad. There are so many different fruit combinations to choose from that it’s hard to decide what kind you’re going to make.
If you find yourself stuck about what fruits to use, refer to this article and make your decision based on how quickly you want to devour it.
If you no longer have to ask how long does fruit salad last because of this article, share these tips for making fruit salad stay fresh on Facebook and Pinterest.