Fruit Salad with Yogurt

My easy fruit salad with yogurt is loaded with deliciously fresh fruit coated in a creamy vanilla and coconut yogurt dressing.

This deliciously healthy snack or dessert is quick and easy to make, filled with your favorite fruits and is perfect to enjoy any time of year. Enjoy this fresh fruit salad whenever the craving strikes!

What is it?

My creamy fruit salad recipe with yogurt dressing features a myriad of fresh fruit coated in the exciting flavors of vanilla and coconut. Vanilla yogurt comprises the base of the dressing with a blend of sweetened condensed coconut milk.

The condensed coconut milk is the secret ingredient that really takes the creamy yogurt dressing for this fruit salad to a whole new level. It not only adds a wonderful coconut flavor to the vanilla, but it makes the yogurt sauce delectably silky, similar to a bavarian cream donut filling! Finally, to complement the coconut flavor in the creamy dressing I sprinkle toasted coconut flakes over the fruit salad for flavor and texture.

Use this easy fruit salad recipe to enjoy a healthy breakfast, otherwise, it is also great for snacks or when you need healthy desserts that are sure to be a crowd pleaser.

Ingredients & Substitutions

• Vanilla yogurt - I think the flavor of vanilla mixes particularly well with coconut, which is why I chose vanilla yogurt for fruit salad. However, you can use your favorite flavor as a substitution. Personally, I would stay away from plain yogurt (including plain Greek yogurt) unless you plan to doctor it up with other flavors such as orange juice or pineapple juice. Vanilla Greek yogurt can be substituted, but it will be less creamy.
• Sweetened condensed coconut milk
• Pineapple chunks - Fresh pineapple is great to use, but canned fruit also works perfectly well in this recipe.
• Fresh bananas 
• Fresh strawberries
• Fresh blueberries - Other fresh berries can easily be substituted.
• Toasted coconut shreds - You can buy toasted coconut flakes at the grocery store, or you can use my toasted coconut recipe to make them yourself. It is easy either way.

The ingredients for my fruit salad with yogurt recipe are highly customizable. If you are looking to make this recipe healthier, or simply do not enjoy the flavor of coconut, feel free to omit the condensed coconut milk altogether, same with the toasted coconut flakes. A basic fruit salad of yogurt and fresh fruit is delicious as well!

My recipe uses pineapple, strawberries, blueberries, and bananas, but you can use your favorite fresh fruits in addition to these, or in replacement. A variety of fruit such as fresh raspberries or blackberries would be excellent in this salad. Even green grapes and melons, such as cantaloupe or honeydew would be well suited for this easy recipe.

How to make it

To make this easy fruit salad with yogurt dressing, the first thing we do is mix together the vanilla yogurt and condensed coconut milk with a whisk until the yogurt mixture is well combined.

Next, add your fresh fruit to a large bowl and pour in the yogurt dressing and then fold everything together with a rubber spatula. Finally, the toasted coconut is sprinkled over the top and served.

Can fruit salad be made in advance?

In my experience, I find this creamy yogurt fruit salad is best when served right away but it can be made in advance as well. The reason I like serving it fresh is that some fruits, like bananas, get mushier as they soak in the sauce. Additionally, juicy fruits like pineapple will leach out liquid, making the fruit salad runnier the next day. However, the flavor of the fruit salad will still be exceptional.

If you decide to make the fruit salad in advance I recommend adding the bananas right before serving. I would also wait on adding the coconut flakes as well because I think they taste best on top of the fruit salad rather than mixed in.

Leftover fruit salad should be covered in plastic wrap or placed in an airtight container in your refrigerator and enjoyed within three days.

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This recipe was originally published on FoxValleyFoodie.com on October 21, 2019.

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