Change Fruit Salad Forever With This Simple 3-Ingredient Dressing

Fruit salads are a great way to add a bite of sweetness and a pop of color to any meal. They are a crowd-pleaser that's easy to prep, but they're not always the easiest to keep fresh. We've all seen a beautifully ripe fruit salad turn into fruit mush after sitting out for too long — but fortunately, there is a delicious solution.

A three-ingredient dressing is all you need to make your fruit salad last longer and taste even better. Using honey, lime juice, and mandarin juice creates a perfect balance of sweet and sour that pairs well with almost any fruit combination. Not to mention it makes your salad more cohesive by tying the different fruit flavors together with a common taste. This easy dressing can be prepared on the fly or ahead of time and is the perfect safeguard against a tired-looking fruit salad.

Some people may not know that honey can actually save your fruit from oxidizing too quickly, thus keeping it fresh longer. The natural sugar in the honey preserves the fruit by removing its excess water, leaving it ripe and tender but not waterlogged. Honey is also a great sweetener that can be a perfect, all-natural alternative to other processed sugars, all while tasting delicious with your fruit salad.

The sweetness of the honey complements the tartness of the fresh lime and mandarin juice, adding a lively overtone to your salad. These also help balance out the properties of the different fruits — the lime keeps ingredients like apples bright while honey brings out the candy-like taste of strawberries. Note that you can also add fruit zest to your dressing for a bit of an extra kick. Lime zest brings more earthiness to the sour taste, and you can easily use the mandarin zest if you want to save the inside of the orange to toss in the salad. The brightness of this dressing complements just about every fruit, making it easy to adjust the contents of your salad based on what's in season. Thankfully, though, limes are almost always available in stores, and you'll always want to have them on hand since this recipe is best when made and eaten fresh.

While this three-ingredient dressing is perfect for balancing out your fruit salads, you can also add it to other fruity recipes. One option is to drizzle your dressing over a batch of boozy fruit skewers. The punch of the alcohol infused into the fruit will mesh nicely with the citrus of the dressing, and this recipe provides a fun twist on a traditional fruit salad side. Note that you could also use the dressing for dipping to spread it more evenly across each bite. Another option is to dribble the dressing over a fruit tart or pie. The warm crust will pair perfectly with the tartness of the dressing, which will also pair well with earthy desserts like a classic apple pie.

Once you've used your dressing, you may find that you have leftovers, or perhaps you made a bulk batch to begin with. Most people don't realize that you can freeze salad dressing as long as it's stored properly. If you pour your three-ingredient dressing into an airtight container and tap out the air bubbles, your dressing will keep for up to two months — ready and waiting for your next fruit salad.