Colorful Mexican fruit salad recipe featuring a vibrant bounty of fruit with a sweet and spicy lime and Tajín dressing. Serve in a carved out watermelon or simply in a bowl!
There’s just something so springy about a fruit salad. Maybe it’s the bright, glossy colors, or the freshness of in-season fruits and berries, or the fact that it reminds me of the lazy days of summer ahead. Out of our entire list of Easter recipes and Cinco de Mayo recipes, this delicious Mexican fruit salad is usually the first one I recommend.
The combination of juicy, ripe fruits with a sweet and spicy lime and Tajín chile dressing is truly irresistible. Serving it in a carved out watermelon is also pretty irresistible but you can totally serve this simple Mexican fruit salad in a big serving bowl if you don’t want to go that route.
My inspiration for this fresh fruit salad is straight from the street vendors who sell individual bowls of ripe fruit at nearly every park, street corner, and soccer field from California to Texas to Mexico. Hot summer days are made much more bearable with refreshing flavorful fruits.
The Mexican fruit bowl you get from the street vendor usually has fresh coconut, melon, and vegetables like jicama and cucumber. It can be customized to have lots of different toppings from chamoy to Tajín to just lime juice. I took all those ingredients and combined them to make a perfect summer salad.
Here’s Why You Need To Try This Mexican Fruit Salad Recipe
- Flavor Explosion: Sweet, tart, spicy, crunchy – this tropical fruit salad hits every tastebud and texture, ensuring you’ll never be bored.
- Vibrant & Refreshing: Full of tropical fruits!
- Vitamin Powerhouse: Packed with summer fruit, it balances indulgence with a nutritious kick – feel good about dessert!
- Customizable Feast: The base recipe is a canvas – add a variety of fruits or toppings for a completely personalized experience.
- Surprisingly Easy: Perfect for beginner cooks; the prep is simple slicing of sweet fruits, no fancy techniques required. Ready in a few simple steps.
- Festive Fiesta Food: The vibrant colors, variety of fresh fruits and fun flavors scream “party”!
Ingredients
See recipe card for complete list of ingredients.
- Watermelon. Look for a medium-sized, seedless watermelon at your local grocery store.
- Honeydew melon or any melon that is ripe during the time of year you are making this.
- Pineapple. For best results, choose a pineapple that is fragrant and a tiny bit soft on the bottom.
- Blackberries. A good fruit salad has lots of different colors and textures. That’s what ripe blackberries add.
- Blueberries. Not traditional in a Mexican fruit cup but I love the pops of color and flavor.
- Jicama. If you love Mexican food, then you’ll be familiar with this crunchy root vegetable. Here’s a quick video on how to peel and slice it.
- Cucumbers. Super crunchy and add a nice contrast to balance out the sweet fruit.
- Tajín. This is a chili lime seasoning. Substitute ancho chile powder or another chile powder that has more spice. If you are going to use something other than Tajin seasoning, season the salad with sea salt to bring out the flavors.
- Fresh lime juice. Serve with extra lime wedges for everyone to add more lime if they’d like.
- Granulated sugar. Just a little to balance out the sour and spicy notes and bring out the fruits natural sweetness.
- Chia seeds. For added texture and nutrition. These are optional.
- Coconut. I like to use sweetened coconut flakes for chewiness and bright white color. Toast them if you’d like.
- Fresh mint leaves. Optional for garnish and added fragrance.
How To Make This Recipe (Step-by-Step Instructions)
Step one
Carve out the watermelon. If serving in a watermelon bowl, make slices in the watermelon with a sharp knife, then scoop out the slices. Use a large spoon to get the rest of the watermelon out of the bottom. It doesn’t need to be perfect, you’ll only use 3 cups of cubed watermelon. Cut the watermelon slices into bite-sized cubes.
Step two
Toss everything together. Combine the fruit, lime juice, Tajín, sugar, and chia seeds in a large bowl and gently stir. Taste and add more lime juice, Tajin or sugar to suit your tastes.
Step three
Serve. Spoon the salad into the watermelon, sprinkle with the coconut and place a few mint sprigs here and there for garnish. Serve immediately or cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 4 hours. Any leftovers can be stored in the fridge covered with a lid for up to 3 days.
Can I substitute Any Fruits?
Absolutely! This sweet fruit salad is a great base, but feel free to get creative. Here are some ideas:
- Stone fruits: Peaches, nectarines, or plums add a juicy sweetness.
- Tropical fruits: Mango, papaya, or starfruit provide a unique flavor.
- Berries: Strawberries or raspberries add a touch of tartness.
- Melon variations: Cantaloupe or Galia melon all work well.
Mexican Fruit Salad Recipe FAQ’s
- Can I make this salad ahead of time? If you’d like to serve it chilled, prep it up to 2 hours in advance. Mix the fruit salad and either keep in an airtight container or go ahead and spoon into the watermelon, wrap in plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator. Just add coconut and mint leaves before serving for maximum freshness and crunch.
- What can I serve this salad with? This salad is versatile! Enjoy it on its own as a refreshing dessert, or pair it with grilled chicken or fish tacos for a light and healthy meal. It’s also a fantastic side dish for a potluck or bbq during the summer months.
Top 5 Most Popular Delicious Desserts
- Our Favorite Molasses Banana Bread
- Strawberry Tamales with Horchata Sauce
- Chocoflan {Impossible Cake}
- Conchas {Mexican Pan Dulce}
- Authentic Tres Leches Cake
Could This Possibly Be Your New Favorite Fruit Salad?
From Easter to all your summer gatherings, the next time you make it, snap me a pic and tag me @holajalapeno and #holajalapeno on Instagram so I can see or leave me a comment below (don’t forget to leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating)! Also, make sure to sign up for my weekly newsletter, lots of good stuff there too!
Mexican Fruit Salad
Colorful Mexican fruit salad recipe featuring a vibrant bounty of fruit with a sweet and spicy lime and Tajín dressing. Serve in a carved out watermelon or simply in a bowl!
Ingredients
- 1 medium seedless watermelon, about 8-10 pounds
- 3 cups diced honeydew melon (about 1 small melon)
- 3 cups diced pineapple (about 1 small pineapple)
- 2 small Persian cucumbers, peeled and diced
- 1 cup blackberries
- 1 cup blueberries
- 1 cup diced jicama (1 small jicama)
- 7 tablespoons fresh lime juice (from about 3 limes)
- 3 tablespoons Tajin or ancho chile powder
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds
- 1/4 cup sweetened coconut flakes
- 1/2 cup fresh mint leaves
Instructions
- Using a sharp knife cut the watermelon in half. Slice a small slice off the bottom of one half of watermelon so it sits up straight without tipping over if necessary. Cut sections of the watermelon out and then dice 3 cups. Place diced watermelon in a large bowl. Scoop out remaining watermelon flesh with a spoon or a melon baller and reserve for another use.
- Add 3 cups diced honeydew, 3 cups pineapple, 2 peeled and diced Persian cucumbers, 1 cup blackberries, 1 cup blueberries, and 1 cup diced jicamam to the bowl with the watermelon. Add the 7 tablespoons lime juice, 3 tablespoons Tajín, 1 tablespoon sugar, and 1 tablespoon chia seeds. Gently stir to combine everything well, being careful not to break up the blackberries.
- Scoop fruit back into halved watermelon. Top with coconut and mint leaves and serve. Or cover and chill for up to 4 hours in the fridge. If making in advance, wait to add the coconut and mint until right before serving.
Notes
- Wash: Make sure you wash the melons and pineapple before slicing. The outer skin of these fruits can be really dirty and that transfers to the fruit when you slice them.
- Watermelon bowl: If the watermelon half doesn't sit straight without falling over, slice a small slice of the green skin off the bottom to create a flat surface.
- Make-ahead/Storage: If you'd like to make this in advance, combine everything (except the coconut and mint), spoon back into the watermelon bowl, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 4 hours. Add coconut and mint right before serving.
- Watermelon: Look for a seedles watermelon that feels heavy for its size. You don't need a huge one, an 8-10 pound watermelon is a good size to make a serving bowl out of.
Recommended Products
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 135Total Fat: 2gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 862mgCarbohydrates: 31gFiber: 6gSugar: 20gProtein: 3g
In support of this small business, ¡Hola! Jalapeño earns revenue in a few different ways. Several sponsored posts are published each month. I also earn an affiliate commission on the sales of products I link to— there are a few of those links in this post. I only feature items I genuinely love and personally use on a regular basis. This commission is an arrangement between the retailer and ¡Hola! Jalapeño (readers never pay more for products). This income allows me to run the site. Thank you for reading!
leave a reply