Orange-Vanilla Glazed Fruit Salad
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About a year ago, I won The Pioneer Women Cooks: A Year of Holidays cookbook, and I couldn’t have been more excited. I mean….I’m a huge Ree fan, and when we had cable, could not miss an episode of her show on the Food Network!
I read her cookbook front to back like a regular novel {because she has such a funny way with words, even when she’s explaining a recipe}, and couldn’t wait to give one of them a try. Anything of Ree’s has always been scrumptious {she gives Paula Deen a run for her money when it comes to butter usage}, and I have yet to be disappointed.
One amazing recipe tucked inside is her Orange-Vanilla Glazed Fruit Salad, and I have to tell you….this is heaven on a plate. It’s so refreshing and sweet……I eat this stuff like candy — no joke!
You should really do yourself a favor and put her cookbook on your birthday wish list, but until then, enjoy this favorite!
The Process
Step 1: Add sugar, water, orange juice, zest, and vanilla into a small pan, stir, and bring to a boil over medium high heat. Then reduce heat to low and simmer the syrup 15-20 minutes or until thickened. Pop into the fridge to chill.
Step 2: Cut and prepare fruit, then mix together into a large bowl. Pour half of the cold syrup over top and toss gently to coat before drizzling in the rest.
Step 3: Chill until it’s time to serve!
Orange-Vanilla Glazed Fruit Salad
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 12 servings 1x
Description
This refreshingly sweet Orange-Vanilla Glazed Fruit Salad is literally heaven on a plate! Use in-season produce to make it a frugal side dish for your family, or as a special treat for company. It’s so good you won’t be able to stay out of it!
Ingredients
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup water
- Juice and zest of 1 orange
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 4 pints strawberries, hulled and halved
- 2 pints blueberries
- 2 cups red grapes, halved
- 2 cups green grapes, halved
- Mint leaves, for optional garnish
Instructions
- Add sugar, water, orange zest, orange juice, and vanilla to a small saucepan.
- Bring mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to low and simmer syrup for 15-20 minutes until it’s thickened a bit. Chill until needed.
- Cut and prepare fruit into a large bowl and pour half the cold syrup over top. Toss fruit gently to coat, then drizzle in the rest.
- Garnish with mint leaves if desired.
Notes
Recipe adapted from The Pioneer Women Cooks: A Year of Holidays
- Prep Time: 5 min
- Cook Time: 20 min
- Category: Side Dish
- Cuisine: American
Total Cost: $23.55/bowl or $1.96/serving
Because of the orange glaze {and lack of apples or bananas}, this fruit salad stays fresh for days, and you don’t have to worry about it turning bad when you bring the dish to a potluck or even if you make it earlier in the day to save time on dinner.
However, the fruit can be a little on the expensive side if you don’t buy it on sale or in season, {which is why I honestly debated whether or not to post this recipe!}, so be sure you try to make this glazed fruit salad during peak strawberry and blueberry months to reduce the cost. Plus, it makes enough to feed a crowd, so you can easily cut it in half for a family of 6.
Oh, and I don’t know about your grocery store, but we shop at Publix and they let us take how ever much we want out of the large grape packages. So even if grapes aren’t on sale and I want to make this salad, I know I don’t have to buy a large bag that might go bad. Thanks, Publix!
What are your favorite fruits to pair in a salad?
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Hi There, This recipe looks delicious! I am responsible for bringing fruit for our large Family gathering this year. I need to triple the recipe. I’m just curious, when I click to see the amount for 3x it still indicates to use juice & zest of only 1 orange. Is that still sufficient or do I need 3 oranges?
Thanks so much! Linda
The zest is pretty potent so it should be fine with only one orange, but you could use more if you want!
Great! Definitely don’t want the salad to be “zest potent”! I’ve never zested any citrus fruit for a recipe before, so I wasn’t sure! I was concerned about the quantity of glaze for 3x the amount of ingredients! So glad I asked! Thank you for your quick reply!
can you sub out stevia or other low carb sugar in this place of regular sugar and how would it affect the taste
I’m not sure how it would turn out, but it’s worth a try if a low-sugar version is important to you!
Thanks for sharing this recipe! I make a simple fruit salad like this using lime juice and honey. No need to heat anything, just squeeze juice and honey over any chopped fruit you have available and mix well. Everyone loves it!
What happens if you leave out the vanilla? I do not like vanilla much
I don’t think leaving out the vanilla would hurt it at all!
This is right up my alley!!! Thanks for sharing, Kalyn!
That sounds AMAZING! I pinned I need tha tcookbook!
Oh, yum! I love Ree, too. I don’t own any of her cookbooks yet but have made countless of the recipes off her blog. Her cinnamon rolls are some of my favorites! I don’t think I have yet to try a bad recipe from her! I will have to give this orange fruit salad a try when blueberries and strawberries are in season…soon! Oh, and I like any fruit in my salad – except bananas. I don’t like bananas. Period. 🙂
Now I need to try her cinnamon rolls! 🙂