Tropical Fruit Salad with Coconut and Lime
This Tropical Fruit Salad is a refreshing blend of sweet tropical fruit, fresh lime juice and toasted coconut flakes. It’s so easy to make and there’s no added sugar!
T-minus 3 days and my boys are back in school! I know it’s early, but they did get out before Memorial Day. Surprisingly, it does feel like summer break was long enough, and I am looking forward to getting back into a routine as hectic as it’s going to be.
My boys may be going back to school, but I’m still in summer mode. My garden is cranking out cucumbers, tomatoes, bell peppers, basil and so much more, so you won’t find me posting any fall inspired food just yet.
I’m determined to savor the last full month of summer, and this Tropical Fruit Salad with Coconut and Lime is one of the ways that I intend to do it. 🙂
I’m not getting away on a tropical vacation this year, so I’m bringing those flavors home with this tropical fruit salad.
One of my favorite vacation spots is Maui. Every morning when I’m there I eat fresh pineapple and papaya with lime and it’s nothing short of heaven. I’ve taken this fruit salad further by adding mango, banana and kiwi with some crunchy coconut flakes.
This tropical fruit salad with coconut is so refreshing and is so much better than that canned tropical fruit salad. There’s no comparison, and there’s no added sugar!
In my opinion, fruit salad doesn’t need any sugar to be absolutely delicious. If your fruit is perfectly ripe, it’s already sweet enough on its own.
It’s easy to tell when mangos, bananas, kiwi and papaya are ripe because they’re soft when pressed with your finger.
Determining whether a pineapple is ripe is a little more difficult. Normally, unripe pineapple is green and a ripe one is more yellow in color.
I’ve found that the easiest way to find a ripe pineapple is by smelling it. I pick up pineapples and smell them in order to choose the best one, and I’m not ashamed to admit it because it works. 🙂
If your fruit isn’t entirely ripe, let it sit out on the counter for a few days until it is. The more ripe it is, the sweeter it is!
This Tropical Fruit Salad with Coconut and Lime is full of the sweetest, ripest fruit, and the lime juice brought those flavors out even more. It’s so sunny and fresh tasting….who needs palm trees?
Palm trees would definitely be a bonus, but this tropical fruit salad has more tropical flair with the addition of coconut flakes. It’s not tropical without coconut in my opinion, and I love the crunch that it adds to this salad!
Recipe Notes
- This fruit salad is best served the day that it’s made. The banana browns quickly and the salad becomes mushy fast once it’s tossed together, so serve immediately.
- If you want to make this in advance, prep all the fruit except for the banana a few hours ahead of time and store in separate containers, then toss together just before serving time.
- My favorite papaya for this recipe is Hawaiian papaya or strawberry papaya. They’re both the perfect size (about 6″ long), and are so sweet and delicious.
- If you’re not a fan of coconut, simply omit it.
- The lime juice may be substituted for orange, and you can always leave out any fruits that you desire.
More tropical recipes you’ll love:
Did you try this recipe? If so, be sure to leave a review below and tag me @flavorthemoments on Facebook and Instagram
Tropical Fruit Salad with Lime and Coconut
Ingredients
- 2 cups fresh pineapple about half a pineapple, cut into chunks
- 2 mangos peeled and cut into chunks
- 1 medium papaya peeled, seeded and cut into chunks*
- 4 kiwi fruit peeled and cut into chunks
- 2 medium bananas peeled and sliced
- 2 limes juiced
- [1/2 cup coconut flakes]
Instructions
- Place the fruit in a large bowl. Add the lime juice and toss gently to combine.
- Serve immediately topped with the coconut flakes and enjoy!
Notes
- This fruit salad is best served the day that it’s made. The banana browns quickly and the salad becomes mushy fast once it’s tossed together, so serve immediately.
- If you want to make this in advance, prep all the fruit except for the banana a few hours ahead of time and store in separate containers, then toss together just before serving time.
- My favorite papaya for this recipe is Hawaiian papaya or strawberry papaya. They’re both the perfect size (about 6" long), and are so sweet and delicious.
- If you’re not a fan of coconut, simply omit it.
- The lime juice may be substituted for orange, and you can always leave out any fruits that you desire.
Nutrition
Nutrition is estimated using a food database and is only intended to be used as a guideline for informational purposes.
16 Comments on “Tropical Fruit Salad with Coconut and Lime”
I saw that some places are already in school and I honestly can’t believe it! Summer went by way too fast!! But, lucky for me I’m an adult and I’m going to keep on summering till I can’t summer no more… or until all the summer produce disappears. 😉 Speaking of summer – this salad is everything summer should be! Those tropical vibes are calling my name (especially since I’m not getting a vacation this year either)! And I love the addition of coconut and lime! Such a delicious, healthy and BEAUTIFUL salad, Marcie! Pinning to make! Cheers!
P.S I hope your boys have a wonderful first day of school!
Summer goes by faster every year, I’m just surprised this year I feel more ready for them to go back to school (not in a bad way). 😉 Thanks Cheyanne!
I totally smell pineapples too to see if they’re ripe! And fruit salad never gets old to me… I can eat fruit all day, every day! Love your tropical version. I’ve been eating a lot of mango this summer.
I’m glad to hear that you smell your pineapples too! haha Thanks Nicole!
So tropical and so beautiful! And the flavor combinations in this salad are simply amazing! Pinning it!
Thank you so much Neha and I appreciate the pin!
I have been dreaming of Maui and looking at this bowl is making me want to go even more. I might just have to make this and pretend I’m there, lol.
I hope your boys have a great start back to school. Brandon starts back on the 14th and I can’t believe how quick it’s coming up!
My brother and family is in Maui right now and I’m so jealous looking at their photos! Oh well…I’ll just eat more of this fruit salad. 🙂 Thanks Sarah!
This salad brings all the tropical vibes Marcie! The ingredients and colours are just perfect. I’ve never been to Maui but I can imagine myself enjoying a bowl of this fruit salad on the beach or under a palm tree! Thanks for keeping the summer vibes alive. I love fall but I’m not quite ready to turn my attention to fall recipes yet!
Thanks Leanne and I hope you make it to Maui one day…it’s true paradise! At least you and I won’t be creating pumpkin recipes just yet. 🙂
I’m a huge fan of fruit salads and this combo sounds outstanding!
Thank you Balvinder!
This is SUCH a gorgeous fruit salad, Marcie! I’m in love with all those out-of-the-norm fruits you piled into this beauty!
Thanks so much Sarah! 💛
Wow that’s early for back to school! But that’s good that the summer felt long enough and I’m sure it will be nice to get back into the routine. This salad is gorgeous, Marcie! I love the summer fruits and that dressing You are reminding me that it’s been way too long since I’ve had papaya! I’m kinda wishing this was my breakfast this morning!
Thanks Gayle and the papaya is definitely my favorite part of this salad!