Italian fresh summer fruit salad (Macedonia recipe) -

Name: Italian fresh summer fruit salad
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 10 min
Ingredients: 1 3/8 cups (250g) strawberries; 2 kiwi; 2 bananas; 1 orange; sugar or honey (optional)

Italian fresh summer fruit salad or Macedonia is a fantastic healthy dessert. This simple recipe is a great addition to your summer menu

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On hot days, everybody wants something bright, light, and sweet. Do like the Italians – prepare Macedonia! That’s what the Italian fresh summer fruit salad is called. It’s a summertime classic here when the Italian strawberry melody sounds full.

Kids and adults adore this no-cook dessert. This is not surprising, it’s perfect for any occasion: holiday parties, picnics, Sunday dinners, beach days, and potlucks. Besides, this wonderfully refreshing, eye-appealing, and delicious fruit bowl comes together in just 5 minutes!

And even if someone calls it an old fashioned fruit salad, this fantastic dessert is always appropriate for any table and any company. Here in Italy, it’s traditionally made with strawberries, bananas, and kiwi (no wonder – this combination of the fruit resembles the colors of the Italian flag).

Useful tips for the best fresh summer fruit salad

You can’t go wrong with this easy recipe, just follow a few tips:

choose ripe but firm fruits and berries. Remember – the better they are, the tastier your fresh summer fruit salad will be
wash and dry the strawberries well before adding them to the dessert. Wet strawberries are much more likely to lose their beautiful look in the finished dish. Besides, they will add too much extra moisture
chop all the fruit more or less the same size
stir Macedonia very gently
remember that fresh fruits always win in the fresh fruit vs frozen competition… I highly recommend using only fresh strawberries, bananas, and kiwi for this Italian fruit salad recipe
if you don’t plan to serve Macedonia immediately, store it in the fridge. In general, don’t make it too early if it isn’t eaten right away

Let me tell you a secret: I always make a large bowl of this dessert. We eat half a bowl immediately, and I freeze the rest in portions (you can store it for up to 3 months) – frozen fresh summer fruit salad is a perfect base for homemade summer smoothies and cocktails!

The best fruit salad dressing

For years now, I’ve been making this Italian fresh summer fruit salad without deviating from my time-tested formula: three kinds of fruit and orange juice. The last ingredient is very important! Not only does it add an interesting sweetness, but it also helps to keep Macedonia fresh and attractive (the acidic juice’s miraculous power will keep a sliced banana from turning brown, a kiwi will stay bright green, and a strawberry will look like it was just plucked from the garden).

If you don’t like orange juice, or you don’t have it, you can replace it with lemon, lime, or pineapple juice.

Pour the juice over the fruit mixture, add a little sugar or honey if desired, stir gently, and voila! Trust me, this Italian Macedonia tastes like heaven!

Recipe variations

This recipe is endlessly customizable:

Can I add any other fruits to this salad? This summer fruit salad recipe uses bananas, strawberries, and kiwi. But, it doesn’t mean that this dessert should always be monotonous… Feel free to customize Italian Macedonia with any fruit you have on hand. The golden rule is to use the fruit that is in season: watermelon, melon, raspberries, blueberries, peaches, apples, grapes… the list is endless!
This fresh fruit salad is easy to turn from a kid-friendly dessert into a gourmet adult sweet bowl by simply adding a few spoonfuls of liqueur (like Limoncello, Marsala, or rum), white wine or even champagne.
Add chopped nuts if you like crunchy texture.
Add some chopped fresh mint leaves for the cool mint taste… you won’t regret it.
Do you want to make the taste even more interesting? Add grated lemon zest to the fruit salad dressing.

What to serve Italian fruit salad with

This dish is a full-fledged dessert, it’s absolutely delicious plain because the taste is so bright and rich that any gourmet will appreciate it. Take a spoon and eat Macedonia straight from a bowl… as most Italians do.

But if you want to increase the pleasure, serve this fresh summer fruit salad with:

a scoop of vanilla or chocolate ice cream for even more freshness
a dollop of whipped cream
a homemade yogurt (in extreme cases, natural store-bought yogurt is also suitable) – you will get a great breakfast, snack, or even a light summer dinner or side dish

Ingredients

1 ⅜ cups (250g) fresh strawberries
2 kiwi
2 bananas
1 orange (we are going to use its juice, so choose a juicy one)
sugar or honey (optional)

How to make Macedonia

Chop the kiwi, strawberries, and bananas (not too finely, the pieces should be medium)

Squeeze 1 orange juice out and pour it over the chopped fruit, stir and add sugar or honey if needed (usually, the salad is sweet enough without sugar), and leave it for 5 minutes to let the fruit “make friends” with the juice.

Bon appetit!

Do you like strawberry desserts? Then you’ll love:

FAQ

Can I use frozen strawberries?

Frozen strawberries become too soft and mushy after thawing, so I do not advise adding them to this dessert. It will change not only the aesthetic look of the dish but also its taste.

How to store fruit salad?

It is best to serve this dessert freshly prepared. Otherwise, it should be refrigerated. Store it in an airtight container for 1 day.

If you like fresh fruits and berries …well… is there anyone who doesn’t like them …? this Italian fresh summer fruit salad recipe with strawberries, kiwi, and banana is a definite must-try. I hope your family enjoys it as much as we do.

Tried this recipe? Please leave a comment with Star Ratings ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ below. I will really appreciate it.
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