Orange-Vanilla syrup gives regular old fruit salad the zing it deserves.
Whether you serve it for breakfast or dessert, Ree Drummond’s fruit salad can’t be beat.
Honestly, you won’t encounter an easier fruit salad with so many flavors ever again. We’re not kidding!
First, you make the orange-vanilla syrup. It’s just a variation of a simple syrup, and it couldn’t be easier. Put the sugar, orange zest and juice, and vanilla bean into a saucepan and heat it until completely dissolved. A thin syrup is the consistency you are looking for.
Next, chop up your fruits. Strawberries, blueberries, and red & green grapes are what The Pioneer Woman uses. You could add any other fruit you like—perhaps some more berries with raspberries or blackberries, or some melon like cantaloupe or honeydew.
Put all the chopped fruits into a bowl and add the cooled orange-vanilla syrup. Stir to coat all the fruit with the delicious syrup! Last, garnish the bowl with a few sprigs of mint.
As Ree suggests, make this salad well in advance of when you’re going to serve it because it only gets better as it sits and melds with the syrup.
The Pioneer Woman’s Kicked-Up Fruit Salad would be a great, refreshing addition to any end of summer picnic!
Kicked-Up Fruit Salad Ingredients:
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup water
- Zest and juice of 1 orange
- 1 vanilla bean
- 4 pints strawberries, hulled and halved
- 2 pints blueberries
- 2 cups green grapes, halved
- 2 cups red grapes, halved
- Fresh mint leaves
