This Red, White, and Blue Fruit Salsa is the perfect patriotic treat for hot summer days, like the 4th of July! It's festive, easy to make, and the perfect pair for your favorite Nilla wafers and sweet graham crackers.
Serve alongside your favorite summer BBQ foods or on top of ice cream for dessert.
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📋 About the Recipe
- Perfect for the holiday weekend! If you're looking for the perfect side dish or dessert to make for a summer BBQ, Memorial Day, Independence day, or Labor day, look no further than this patriotic fruit salsa. It's festive, easy to make, and guaranteed to be a hit with adults and kids.
- Ready in minutes. Creating festive appetizers and desserts for your family and friends to enjoy during your favorite holidays doesn't have to be time consuming or stressful. Have this fun red, white, and blue salsa on the table in 15 minutes or less.
- Can be served as an appetizer, side dish, or dessert. Replace the fruit salad at your next party with this fun twist or serve it as a sweet, fresh summer dessert! I promise it will be a big hit.
🛒 Ingredients
A few notes about the ingredients:
- Strawberries - Fresh strawberries are best. Save frozen fruit for making Strawberry Smoothie Bowls instead.
- Blueberries - Again, juicy, fresh berries are best here. If you only have frozen, use them to make my Blueberry Simple Syrup and make festive cocktails such as a Blueberry Vodka Lemonade.
- Apples - The apple flesh is what adds white color to this red, white, and blue salsa. I recommend using tart Granny Smith apples to balance the sweetness in the ripe summer berries, but use any apple you'd like.
- Mint - Fresh mint makes this delicious fruit salsa refreshing, aromatic, and gives it a subtle sweetness.
- Lime - I recommend using both fresh lime juice and lime zest for the best flavor. Do not use pre-bottled lime juice. It won't taste as sour and fresh.
⁉️ Substitutions and Alterations
- Strawberry substitute: Fresh strawberries are the best red fruit in terms of color, but if you don't like strawberries, try another red fruit such as fresh raspberries, pitted cherries, or cubed watermelon.
- Blueberry substitute: If you're out of fresh blueberries, try fresh blackberries or use a mix of both. The blue color will be darker and slightly more purple, but it will still work well.
- Apple substitutes: Replace the tart apple with crunchy jicama or sweet dragonfruit. The flavor profile with jicama will be more mild, but it will add a white color to the salad without overtaking the flavor. Learn How to Cut Dragon Fruit in your home kitchen for fruit salsas, smoothies, and smoothie bowls!
- Mint substitutes: Try another fresh herb such as basil, or even cilantro.
- Lime juice substitute: I prefer the bright, sour flavor of fresh lime, but if you only have fresh lemon juice, it will work!
📓 Instructions
- Add all salsa ingredients to a large bowl. Gently stir until well combined. Adjust the sweetness to taste.
- Serve. Spoon the salsa into your desired serving bowl. Serve with graham crackers, Nilla wafers, or other sweet crackers.
❄️ How to Store
To store: Fresh fruit salsa is best enjoyed immediately, but if you have leftovers, the salsa can be stored, tightly sealed, in an airtight container for 1 to 2 days in the refrigerator.
To freeze: Freezing this easy fruit salsa recipe is not recommended.
🔍 Recipe FAQs
Once apples are cut, the flesh of the apple will begin to brown due to oxidation. While this process does not make apples unsafe to eat, it can make for an unappealing fruit salsa.
In order to keep your apples looking as fresh and bright as possible, coat the apples in a bit of lemon or lime juice. The acid will help protect the flesh from being exposed to oxygen and slow down the browning process.
I wouldn't recommend it. Once washed and cut, fruits have a short life span. This red, white, and blue fruit salsa will look and taste most fresh if prepped right before serving. If you're looking for appetizers that can be made in advance, try more traditional salsas like this Mango Habanero Salsa or these sweet Date Balls.
Aside from this patriotic Red, White, and Blue Sangria, this fruit salsa is the perfect appetizer served with sweet crackers like graham crackers, cinnamon sugar pita chips, or Nilla wafers.
If you're looking for a savory dipper, you might like these Air Fryer Tortilla Chips. Or, sprinkle the tortillas with cinnamon sugar for homemade cinnamon sugar tortilla chips.
You can even spoon this festive fruit salsa over a scoop of vanilla ice cream, greek yogurt, waffles, pancakes, or a slice of Kosher for Passover Cheesecake for a simple summer dessert or sweet breakfast.
If you're looking for savory summer BBQ recipes, try my Instant Pot Pork Butt, Air Fryer Turkey Burgers, or Ground Chicken Sloppy Joes.
💭 One More Tip
Purchase a small star-shaped cookie cutter. It's optional of course, but this small detail really makes this fruit salsa so festive and will be an added touch that doesn't go unnoticed by guests.
Plus, you can repurpose it and make stars for a Red, White, and Blue Sangria or decorating other Appetizers & Snacks, Cocktails, or Desserts.
🍴 Related Recipes
Share your cooking with me! If you make this recipe, I'd love to know! Tag @yourhomemadehealthy on Instagram or leave a comment with a rating and some feedback at the bottom of this page!
Red, White, and Blue Fruit Salsa
Ingredients
- 1 cup diced strawberries
- 1 cup blueberries
- 1 cup star-shaped granny smith apples (or diced), from about 1 apple
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint
- ½ tablespoon lime zest, from about 1 lime
- Juice from 1 lime
- 2 to 3 teaspoons honey or agave, adjusted to taste
- graham crackers, nilla wafers, or other sweeter crackers, for serving
Instructions
- To cut the apple into stars: Thinly slice the apples into ¼ to ½-inch slices. Press the small star-shaped cookie cutter into the apple slices until you have about 1 cup of apple stars.
- Add all ingredients (besides crackers) to a mixing bowl. Gently stir to combine.
- Spoon salsa into a serving bowl. Serve with graham crackers, nilla wafers, or other sweet crackers.
Notes
- Here is the small star shaped cookie cutter I used: https://amzn.to/3KSaHRV (I used the smallest one)
- If the apples start to brown, coat them in a little lemon juice.
- This fruit salsa would also be great served on a cheese board, on top of crepes/pancakes/waffles/ice cream, or as part of a bruschetta.
- Nutritional estimate does not include crackers/wafers.
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