Are you a fan of Chick-fil-A's fruit cups or fruit trays? Save money and eat better by learning how to prep and assemble the fruit yourself in the comfort of your own home.
Interested in other salads with fruit? Take a look at our carrot salad and our turkey Waldorf salad--both are delicious.
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Ingredients
All these ingredients are easy to find at your grocery store's produce section during the summer. Feel free to use fresh or canned mandarin orange segments; however, Chick-fil-A does used the canned ones.
- Strawberries: Use fresh strawberries, which are in season in the U.S. from April to August. Look for red, firm strawberries that aren't moldy, mushy, or white.
- Blueberries: Use fresh blueberries, which are in season in the U.S. from May to August.
- Granny Smith and Red Delicious apples: Use fresh apples that are free from bruises because you'll want to keep the skin on.
- Mandarin Oranges: Use fresh or canned. If using canned, look for no sugar added.
- Lemon: Look for a large, round lemon with no marks. Store it at room temperature to help it yield the most juice.
Questions
To quote the restaurant, it is "a nutritious fruit mix made with chopped pieces of red and green apples, mandarin orange segments, fresh strawberry slices, blueberries, served chilled. Prepared daily."
When the fruit cup originally debuted back in May 2004, the fruit in the salad had red grapes and pineapple instead of strawberries and blueberries.
Prices may vary at each location across the U.S., but a small fruit cup is $2.05 and a medium is $2.75.
A small fruit tray that you pick up at the restaurant is $26 and a large fruit tray is $54. If you want it delivered, there is an additional fee.
If you are watching your sugar intake, keep in mind that the restaurant does add sugar to the mandarin orange segments. Chick-fil-A will let you swap a waffle fry side for a fruit cup side in their kids meals and combo meals.
For a small serving, there is 50 calories, 0g fat, 13g carbs, and 1g protein. For a medium serving size, there are 60 calories with 10g fat, 5g carbs, and 1g protein.
For a ½ cup (70g) serving size of our fruit salad recipe, there is 34 calories, 0g fat, 8g carbs and 0g protein. For more nutritional information, please scroll to the end of the recipe card.
Fruits like apples and bananas can turn brown quickly when exposed to the air, so toss them in an acidic citrus juice (such as lemon, orange, or pineapple), then cover them with plastic and store in the fridge until ready to use.
Use fresh, ripe fruit that has been chilled and has not been prepped more than 4 hours in advance. (Strawberries can easily get mushy once they're rinsed and cut.) You can add fresh herbs like chopped mint, or make a simple dressing with citrus zest, citrus juice, and your sweetener of choice (honey, maple syrup, or agave nectar).
How to Make
Gather the fresh fruit, and drain the canned mandarin oranges.
Pinch off the strawberry leaves. To hull the strawberries, take a wide plastic straw and insert from the top and push the straw through to the bottom. Discard the hull.
Once all the strawberries are hulled, cut each strawberry into quarters from the top down. Place all the sliced strawberries in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and chill.
Remember to not cut the strawberries more than 4 hours in advance, as they can go mushy quickly.
To juice the lemon, use a wooden reamer to squeeze out all the juice into a small bowl. Make sure to strain out any seeds.
To slice the apples, cut them in quarters lengthwise, then cut out the core. Continue by cutting each quarter in half again, and then cut each slice into three bite-sized pieces.
Toss the apple with 1 tablespoon of the lemon juice, cover with plastic wrap, and chill.
Chill the prepped fruit in individual bowls covered with plastic wrap for 1 to 4 hours.
If you prefer to have the fruit on a large platter instead, arrange it on the platter, cover with plastic wrap, and chill for 1 to 4 hours.
When ready to serve, toss the green and red apples first, then gently toss in the rest of the ingredients. Serve on a large platter to feed up to 16 people, or in 8 individual bowls.
Variations
- Jazz it up with a light dressing made from citrus zest, citrus juice, and honey or agave nectar.
- Garnish with fresh chopped mint.
- Change it up by tossing the fruit in a drizzle of simple syrup infused with fresh mint, ginger, or basil.
- Add special fruit, such as dragon fruit, starfruit, or fresh red currants.
- Add grilled fruits for a smoky and caramelized taste. Try pineapple, watermelon, and peach slices.
Pro Tips
- Leftover fruit salad can be covered and refrigerated for up to one day.
- If the fruit salad leftovers aren't as fresh as they were originally, make into a smoothie.
- Use freshly squeezed lemon juice to coat the apples so it doesn't turn brown from oxidation.
- Serve the fruit by itself, over vanilla ice cream, over Greek yogurt, with oatmeal, or with a caramel dipping sauce.
- Change it up with chopped fresh mint or with a light dressing of ¼ cup honey or maple syrup mixed with 1 teaspoon of fresh lime zest and 3 tablespoons of lime juice.
Can't get enough of Chick-fil-A salads? Try our copycat recipes!
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Recipe
Chick-fil-A Fruit Cup Copycat Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups Red Delicious apple, cubed
- 2 cups Granny Smith apple, cubed
- 15 ounce can mandarin orange slices, drained (1 ¼ cups)
- 2 ⅓ cup strawberries, hulled and quartered (about 15)
- 1 ¼ cup blueberries, rinsed
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, from 1 lemon
Instructions
- Wash and dry the apples, then cut in quarters and remove the core. Cut each quarter in half lengthwise to make 8 slices, then cut each slice into 3 bite-sized sections. Toss the apple in a bowl with 1 tablespoon of lemon juice to keep it from turning brown.
- Soak the berries in a mixture of ½ cup white vinegar and 2 ½ cups of water for a few minutes. (You can also use 2 cups warm water and 2 teaspoons of salt.)
- Drain the berries on paper towel, then remove all the stems and leaves. To hull each strawberry quickly, carefully push a wide plastic straw through the top of the strawberry all the way down. Quarter each strawberry lengthwise.
- Prep the fruit anywhere from 1-4 hours in advance. Place in separate bowls, cover, and refrigerate. Strawberries can easily become mushy when prepped far in advance, so do them last.
- Just before serving, mix the red and green apple together in a large bowl. Add the strawberries, mandarin slices, and the blueberries and toss gently.
- Place the fruit on a large platter or serve in individual bowls. A platter will serve 16 people with ½ cup (70g) servings, and individual bowls make eight 1 cup (140g) servings.
Notes
- Leftover fruit salad can be covered and refrigerated for up to one day.
- If the fruit salad leftovers aren't as fresh as they were originally, blend it into a smoothie.
- Use freshly squeezed lemon juice to coat the apple so it doesn't turn brown from oxidation.
- Serve this salad by itself, over vanilla ice cream, over Greek yogurt, with oatmeal, or with a caramel dipping sauce.
- Change things up by adding chopped fresh mint. You can also try a light dressing of ¼ cup honey, maple syrup, or agave nectar mixed with 1 teaspoon of fresh lime, lemon, or orange zest and 3 tablespoon of lime, lemon, or orange juice.
Linda
Awesome. I tried it with fresh peaches and kiwi. Looked and tasted great !
Emma
Thank you so much! We're thrilled that you enjoyed it.
Beth
This familiar fruit dish is just like the Chick-fil-A one. I like the combination of strawberry, apple, orange, and blueberry. It not only looks lovely, but it also tastes great! This is the perfect ratio of these fruits.
Emma
Thanks for your kind review, Beth!
Alex
The apples are crunchy and the strawberries are soft. The mandarins are sweet, and the blueberries are a little sour. The fruit is fresh and delicious.
Emma
We're so glad that you enjoyed this, Alex!