Old-Fashioned Fruit Salad with Orange Simple Syrup

Fruit salad with orange simple syrup in two dessert glasses with a bowl of fruit.

4.50 from 4 votes

Old-Fashioned Fruit Salad with Orange Simple Syrup

This Old-Fashioned Fruit Salad with Orange Simple Syrup combines fresh berries, peaches, and grapes with a light homemade orange-vanilla syrup that enhances flavor and keeps the fruit glossy. It’s my go-to make-ahead fruit salad for brunch, holidays, and gatherings.

Prep Time10

Cook Time15

Total Time25

Course: Breakfast/Brunch

Cuisine: American, Southern

Servings: servings

Calories: 115kcal

Author: Sharon Rigsby

Ingredients

Orange Syrup

1 cup granulated sugar
zest and juice of one large orange
1 vanilla bean, split down it's length to expose the vanilla seeds, or 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, or paste

Fruit Salad

4 large ripe peaches, peeled or unpeeled, cut into bite-sized pieces, I don't peel mine
2 cups fresh blackberries
1 cup sliced strawberries, remove the leaves and stems before slicing
1 cup seedless grapes, cut in half if they are large

Instructions

To make the orange syrup, use a sharp knife to carefully split the vanilla bean down one side to expose the seeds and open it like a book. Add the split vanilla bean, or 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract or paste, sugar, ½ cup of water, orange zest, and orange juice to a small pan over medium heat. Bring this mixture to a boil and turn the heat to low. Simmer the mixture for about 15 minutes, or until it thickens to the consistency of light syrup. Remove the vanilla bean and set it aside to cool.
Place all of the fruit in a colander and rinse thoroughly under cold running water. Let it drain and pat dry with a paper towel. Slice or chop as directed.
Place all of the prepared fruit in a large bowl and gently toss to combine.
Pour about half of the cooled orange syrup over the mixture and gently toss to combine. Save the rest for another use.
Cover and refrigerate until you are ready to serve. Optional - before serving garnish with a sprig of fresh mint.

Notes

If you use bananas in this recipe, do not add them until you are ready to serve the fruit salad.

To shake things up a bit, instead of combining the fruit in a bowl, you can thread it on skewers to make fruit kabobs, layer the fruit in jars for serving on the go, or place the fruit in ramekins to make fruit cups.

You should have plenty of orange syrup, even if you double the salad recipe.

This fruit salad is best eaten as soon as possible after it is made. Once the orange syrup is added, the fruit gets a little watery if kept longer than two days in the fridge.

Nutrition