What to do with leftover fruit salad

What can you do with leftover fruit salad? Get 9 uses for it and recipes so you don't waste that extra fruit. My leftover fruit smoothie recipe is simple, versatile and will work for whatever excess fruit you have leftover. Also, see below for top fruit salad ideas!

You know the feeling. You made a beautiful fresh fruit salad tray. It had loads of perfectly ripe bananas, apples, green and red grapes, strawberries and oranges. 

The green grapes were especially good that day. 

Well, the party came and went, but you still have some (okay, maybe a lot) of leftover fruit salad. The next day you take a look at it and it's still perfectly edible, sweet mixed fruit that you don't want to touch. Lol. 

But, you just can't throw it away.  The waste! It's still edible.

And, you think: What can I make with leftover fruit? Can you freeze leftover fruit salad? I need recipes and ideas!

Jump to:

• 🍓 Leftover fruit smoothie to the rescue
• 🍋 Fruit-infused water
• 🍉 Fruit ice cubes
• 🍇 Mix up a pitcher of sangria
• 🍑 Make cooked fruit compote
• 🫐 Bake fruit muffins, bread, cake or scones
• 🍏 Add extra fruit to baked oatmeal
• 🍌 Make fruity oatmeal or porridge
• 🥭 Make fruit salad dressing
• 🍒 Top fruit salad ideas
• ❓ FAQ
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Reviews

🍓 Leftover fruit smoothie to the rescue

Toss that sweet fruit in your blender (we use a Blendtec) and make your a leftover fruit smoothie!

Add to it a splash of almond milk or juice, some ice and some hearty powerhouses like ground flaxseed, hemp hearts or some peanut butter.

Breakfast: ✔ check!

Leftover fruit salad gone: ✔ check!

Ready to conquer the day and be a food waste conqueror: ✔ check!

Looking for the measurements? Please scroll down to the recipe card at the end of this post for the ingredient quantities.

🍋 Fruit-infused water

Add excess fruit to a pitcher of water and chill for a fruit-infused water (without sugar) to refresh you.

This works especially well with citrus fruits like lemon, lime, orange, mandarin, grapefruit, satsumas and tangerine. Also, it works well with strawberries, blueberries, blackberries and raspberries.

Add some fresh mint or even cucumbers, too!

Make it pink fruit-infused water for a pink-themed party by using one of these 22 Pink Fruits!

🍉 Fruit ice cubes

Add small pieces of leftover fruits to ice cube trays and fill the ice cube tray with water. Freeze and then use the fruity ice to add to water, iced tea, lemonade, fruit punch or cocktails.

If you want to learn anything from this Southern girl, learn how to make perfect iced tea.

🍇 Mix up a pitcher of sangria

The fruit is already cut up, so why not make a pitcher of sangria! This fruit infused cold wine drink is delicious and fun for a party.

Learn how to make sangria without a recipe.

🍑 Make cooked fruit compote

For fruit that heats well, cook in a small saucepan to make hot fruit compote or dessert sauce for topping oatmeal, yogurt, ice cream, on toast, pancakes or waffles.

How to make fruit compote

Cook the fruit with a little water, sugar (or other sweetener like maple syrup, brown sugar, agave nectar, date syrup) until it is warm and bubbly, stirring often.

When it has thickened to your liking, taste and add a squeeze of lemon or lime juice to brighten the compote, if you want. Adjust sugar or water, as needed.

For a compote, keep the fruit in small pieces when cooked. For a dessert sauce, puree after cooking. Then, chill and add as a garnish and topping to your vegan cheesecake, pudding, cake or pie.

This works especially well with berries, stone fruit like peaches, and apples. But, you can make a fruit compote out of any fruit. This method uses up lots of fruit.

🫐 Bake fruit muffins, bread, cake or scones

Use your extra fruit to make fruit muffins, scones, cake or quick bread! You can substitute the fruit that's called for in the recipe for your leftover fruit salad. Be sure to drain any excess liquid, as that might alter the results if it's added in.

Use a tried and true recipe you already have to bake with extra fruit like blueberry muffins or orange cranberry loaf, for example. And, substitute for the leftover fruit you have.

🍏 Add extra fruit to baked oatmeal

Baked oatmeal is delicious with fresh fruit mixed in.

So, before baking, mix in 1-3 cups of leftover mixed fruit into your baked oatmeal. Then, bake according to the recipe.

This works with canned fruit, canned dole mixed fruit or frozen fruit, too!

Ways to use up overripe bananas

• 3-Ingredient Banana Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies (no egg, no flour)
• Banana Oat Bars
• Vegan Banana Bread with Applesauce

🍌 Make fruity oatmeal or porridge

When making oatmeal on the stove, or in the microwave, add a scoop of fresh fruit in! This not only sweetens your oatmeal but also flavors it.

This works with any sweet porridge, like oatmeal, cream of wheat, malt o meal or breakfast couscous.

Ideas for Fruity Oatmeal

• Apple Pie Oatmeal
• Cherry Berry Oatmeal
• Peach Cherry Oatmeal
• Oatmeal with Bananas and Maple Syrup
• 10 Ways to Spice up your Oatmeal

🥭 Make fruit salad dressing

Try making a fruit salad dressing. Puree leftover fruit, like raspberries in a small food processor or blender, then add balsamic vinegar and salt to your taste. Adjust flavors, as needed.

🍒 Top fruit salad ideas

1. Tropical: banana, pineapple, mango, orange, kiwifruit, squeeze of lime juice to brighten it up and add a bit of sourness
2. Berry: strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries
3. Watermelon Lime: watermelon, cinnamon, lime juice, maple syrup.
4. Melon: watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew melon
5. Everyday: apple, banana, orange, grapes, squeeze of lemon juice to prevent the bananas from browning
6. Strawberry Kiwi: strawberries, kiwifruit, bananas
7. Berry Banana: strawberries, blueberries, bananas, squeeze of lemon juice to help the bananas not turn brown so quickly
8. Stone fruit: peaches, plums, nectarines, drizzled with maple syrup and cinnamon
9. Dragon fruit: dragon fruit, pineapple, mango, banana, passion fruit and strawberries

Going for a color scheme? Pick 5 of these pink fruits to prepare a pink fruit salad!

❓ FAQ

📖 Recipe