How to make delicious tropical fruit cups filled with fresh pineapple, kiwi, mango, strawberries, mandarin oranges, and more. Refreshing and easy to make!
There's nothing quite like a bowl of fresh fruit, especially in the winter months when things are a bit bleaker than the norm. This tropical fruit salad is especially uplifting.
A homemade fruit cup filled with tropical fruit is perfect for a sweet snack; it's also the perfect appetizer or dessert for a baby shower, wedding shower, birthday parties, and even brunch.
Mini tropical fruit salads can be as colorful as you choose to make them, and we'll go over some different ideas for fresh fruit as you read further along.
You can eat it plain without any garnish; or you can top it off with a swirl or dollop of whipped cream.
My “berry monster” of a youngest child loves mixed berry fruit cups too. We just love fruit, period.
WHERE CAN I FIND THE ACTUAL RECIPE CARD?
If you’d rather skip all of my fruit salad recipe making tips, important info for this recipe, and similar recipe ideas – and get straight to the tropical fruit salad recipe – just scroll down to the bottom, where you’ll find a printable recipe card.
INGREDIENTS YOU'LL NEED:
I use all fresh fruit, except for canned mandarin oranges.
- Pineapple
- Strawberries
- Mangoes
- Mandarin oranges, drained well
- Kiwi
- Bananas
- Fresh lime juice
- Sugar (optional) – I like to add about a tablespoon and stir it into the fruit, in order to create a bit of real fruit juice in the fruit cups.
Remember, all of the ingredient amounts you’ll need are in the printable recipe card below.
KITCHEN TOOLS AND EQUIPMENT YOU'LL NEED:
Stackable Bowl Strainer – I like to soak any type of fresh fruit or vegetable in a mixture of vinegar and water for about 10 minutes, then rinse well before preparing or eating.
Mango Slicer or Cutting Board and Chef's Knife
Plastic Cups with Lids OR Clear Plastic Cups OR Reusable Plastic Cups
HOW TO MAKE TROPICAL FRUIT CUPS
Making homemade fruit cups is super easy and mainly requires prepping the fruit. Be sure to wash all the fruit before getting started.
- Core, peel, and chop the pineapple into chunks; then add them to a large mixing bowl.
- Stem, then slice the strawberries into the bowl.
- Peel and slice the mangoes into the mixing bowl, as well.
- Next drain the mandarin oranges, and add them to the mixture.
- Peel and chop the kiwi into chunks; then add the kiwi chunks to the fruit mixture.
- Peel and slice the bananas into chunks, and add them to the mixing bowl.
- Squeeze fresh lime juice into the fruit mixture.
- If desired, add a tablespoon of sugar.
- Give everything a good stir, mixing all the fruit together until you have a hodge podge of colorful fresh fruit all combined together.
- Finally, add the fresh fruit mixture to plastic cups or containers, and serve. You can add a dollop of whipped cream if desired.
BENEFITS OF HOMEMADE FRUIT CUPS
The benefits of homemade fruit cups are endless. For one, they're healthier!
They are filled with fresh fruit and nothing else, except for a pinch of sugar to bring out the juices. There are no “natural flavors,” and there is no high fructose corn syrup; these tropical fruit cups are jam-packed with essential nutrients our bodies use daily.
Tropical fruit cups are also incredibly easy. At most, this recipe takes 30 minutes to prepare, it can be made ahead of time in large batches, it's easy to pack, and you can make it with disposable plastic cups or reusable plastic cups.
WHAT ARE THE BEST TROPICAL FRUITS TO MIX TOGETHER?
There are so many options when deciding what kinds of fruit to use. Here are some ideas:
- Grapes
- Star fruit
- Passion fruit
- Dragon fruit
- Papaya
- Pomegranate
- Watermelon
- Cantaloupe
Some of these fruits can be hard to find depending on your location and even the present season. What it really boils down to is finding what's available in your area and working with what you have.
Be sure to check your local grocery stores and farms to see what's available. Be creative; the sky is the limit!
HOW LONG WILL TROPICAL FRUIT SALAD KEEP IN THE FRIDGE?
These mini tropical fruit salads typically keep in the refrigerator for a couple days, provided that the mixture is stored in an airtight container. After this, the fruit becomes soggy, and it gains an “off” color that may not be all that palatable.
HOW TO KEEP FRUIT SALAD FROM GETTING SOGGY
Surprisingly, there is a lot that you can do to avoid soggy fruit salad.
- The acidity of the lime juice in the recipe will keep the fruit fresh for longer without much hassle. On that note, some people use ascorbic acid instead of lime juice, which is basically a cheap vitamin C supplement used to preserve most store-bought fruit cups.
- You can gain some storage time by mixing everything but the sugar together, leaving the sugar out until it is actually time to eat. Over time, the sugar draws the juices out of the fruit, leaving the fruit somewhat dehydrated and prone to sogginess.
- The most overlooked factor is often the sharpness of your knife; a clean cut is essential. A dull knife can bruise and/or tear at the fruit, creating unneeded opportunity for future rot. So use a knife sharpener!
CAN YOU FREEZE FRUIT CUPS?
Yes, the fruit mixture can be frozen for up to 8 weeks, so long as it is stored in an airtight container; but it will somewhat change the texture of the fruit, leaving it mushy once thawed. As mentioned above, leaving out the sugar until it is time to eat helps.
That being said, my boys actually prefer and enjoy the refreshening taste of frozen fruit salad when summer is at its peak.
MORE DELICIOUS WAYS TO EAT FRUIT
GET THE PRINTABLE RECIPE
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Simple and Easy Homemade Tropical Fruit Salad
Equipment
- Stackable Large Kitchen Colander Deep Bowl Strainer for Kitchen with Handles, White & Green
- Zulay Premium Quality Metal Lemon Lime Squeezer – Manual Citrus Press Juicer
- Stainless Steel Pineapple Core Remover Tool for Home & Kitchen with Sharp Blade for Diced Fruit Rings
- 3-in-1 Mango Slicer, Peeler and Pit Remover Tool
- Stainless Steel Mixing Bowls (Set of 6) Easy To Clean, Nesting Bowls for Space Saving Storage, Great for Cooking, Baking, Prepping
- Mindable Small Lunch Box Plastic Food Containers for Kids, 12-pack 6 ounces, BPA-Free, with Lids – Stackable Freezer Safe
- 200 Clear Plastic Cups – 9 Ounce | Hard Disposable Cups
- Mercer Culinary Millennia 3.5-Inch Paring Knife, Black
- 2-in-1 3-Stage Knife Sharpener Helps Repair, Restore and Polish Blades and Cut-Resistant Glove
Ingredients
- 1 pineapple
- 2 quarts strawberries
- 2 mangoes
- 30 ounces mandarin oranges drained
- 5 kiwi
- 3 bananas
- 1 teaspoon lime juice
- 1 tablespoon sugar optional
Instructions
- Wash all the fruit before getting started with prep. I like to soak any type of fresh fruit or vegetable in a mixture of vinegar and water for about 10 minutes, then rinse well before preparing or eating.
- Core, peel, and chop the pineapple into chunks; then add them to a large mixing bowl.
- Stem, then slice the strawberries into the bowl.
- Peel and slice the mangoes into the mixing bowl, as well.
- Next drain the mandarin oranges, and add them to the mixture.
- Peel and chop the kiwi into chunks; then add the kiwi chunks to the fruit mixture.
- Peel and slice the bananas into chunks, and add them to the mixing bowl.
- Squeeze fresh lime juice into the fruit mixture.
- If desired, add a tablespoon of sugar.
- Give everything a good stir, mixing all the fruit together until you have a hodge podge of colorful fresh fruit all combined together.
- Finally, add the fresh fruit mixture to plastic cups or containers, and serve.
Notes
- The acidity of the lime juice in the recipe will keep the fruit fresh for longer without much hassle. On that note, some people use ascorbic acid instead of lime juice, which is basically a cheap vitamin C supplement used to preserve most store-bought fruit cups.
- You can gain some storage time by mixing everything but the sugar together, leaving the sugar out until it is actually time to eat. Over time, the sugar draws the juices out of the fruit, leaving the fruit somewhat dehydrated and prone to sogginess.
- The most overlooked factor is often the sharpness of your knife; a clean cut is essential. A dull knife can bruise and/or tear at the fruit, creating unneeded opportunity for future rot, so use a knife sharpener!
