Vanilla Berry Fruit Salad
Vanilla Berry Fruit Salad
Yield: 8 servings
Equipment: large bowl, small bowl, whisk
Time and setting: 20 minutes plus 1 hour chilling
Ingredients
- 2 cups strawberries, quartered
- 1 1/2 cups blueberries
- 1 1/2 cups seedless grapes, halved
- 2 cups pineapple chunks, drained
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1 package (3.4 ounces) instant vanilla pudding mix
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
Method
- Wash and dry fresh fruit thoroughly. Combine fruit in large bowl.
- Whisk yogurt, pudding mix, milk, and zest for 1 minute until smooth.
- Fold dressing gently into fruit.
- Cover and chill 1 hour. Stir gently and divide eight portions.
Substitutions
Raspberries may replace blueberries. Use gluten-free pudding mix if required after checking label.
Storage and safety
Refrigerate promptly up to 2 days. Keep cold and discard after 2 hours warm. Do not freeze.
Keeping the salad from becoming watery
Dry strawberries and blueberries completely after washing. Drain pineapple for at least 10 minutes and blot it before measuring. Halve grapes so the dressing can coat them, but cut strawberries only shortly before mixing. Water left on fruit dilutes instant pudding and causes liquid to collect at the bottom.
Mixing the vanilla dressing
Whisk yogurt and milk smooth before adding pudding powder. Sprinkle the powder gradually while whisking to prevent lumps. The dressing begins thickening immediately; fold it into fruit as soon as it is smooth. If it becomes too thick before mixing, loosen it with milk 1 tablespoon at a time. Do not add dry pudding directly to wet fruit.
Serving variations
Lemon zest supplies aroma without extra liquid. For crunch, offer 1/2 cup toasted sliced almonds separately so they remain crisp and diners can avoid nuts. Keep bananas and apples out of make-ahead batches because they brown and soften; add either immediately before serving. This vanilla-dressed mixed-fruit salad is distinct from orange gelatin fluff.
Additional recipe guidance
Use fruit that is ripe but still firm. Soft strawberries break during folding, and overripe pineapple releases extra juice. Cut pieces close to bite size so each of eight portions includes several fruits. A broad silicone spatula is gentler than a spoon. The instant pudding package must be 3.4 ounces as listed; cook-and-serve pudding will not thicken in this cold method. After one hour, dressing should cling in a thin layer rather than pool. If it seems loose, first drain collected liquid from the fruit instead of adding more pudding powder, which can make the flavor chalky. Serve with a slotted spoon only if unexpected juice accumulates. Prepare no more than a day ahead for the brightest fruit texture.
For a potluck, nest the serving bowl over ice and replace the ice as it melts so the dairy dressing stays cold.
