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
- 💜 More recipes you'll love
- 📖 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 nutritional powerhouses like ground flaxseed, hemp hearts or some peanut butter for a protein boost.
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. This also lowers the calorie density of the finished dish, because fruit is lower in calories than cooked oats.
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)
- Healthy 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 Healthy 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
- Tropical: banana, pineapple, mango, orange, kiwifruit, squeeze of lime juice to brighten it up and add a bit of sourness
- Berry: strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries
- Watermelon Lime: watermelon, cinnamon, lime juice, maple syrup.
- Melon: watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew melon
- Everyday: apple, banana, orange, grapes, squeeze of lemon juice to prevent the bananas from browning
- Strawberry Kiwi: strawberries, kiwifruit, bananas
- Berry Banana: strawberries, blueberries, bananas, squeeze of lemon juice to help the bananas not turn brown so quickly
- Stone fruit: peaches, plums, nectarines, drizzled with maple syrup and cinnamon
- 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
Transfer leftover fruit into a covered, airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or freezer for up to 3 months.
Yes, you can! Cut up your fruit first, so it's ready to use. Then, store in an airtight, freezer-safe container. Or, use freezer plastic bags, add your fruit, then flatten the bag and seal. This way, the fruit will thaw faster or break off into chunks when you're ready to use it for smoothies.
Yes, you can freeze leftover fruit salad. Use freezer plastic bags, add your fruit, then flatten the bag and seal. This way, the fruit will thaw faster or break off into chunks when you're ready to use it for smoothies.
There are lots of ideas for things to do with leftover fruit salad. Try: smoothies, making fruit infused water, freezing fruit ice cubes for drinks, cooking it down for a fruit compote or dessert sauce, adding to oatmeal, making fruit muffins or loaf.
💜 More recipes you'll love
If you loved these easy and healthy ideas for using up fruit leftovers, then check out my other plant-based, vegan breakfast recipes with added fruit!
Love this recipe? Please rate it 5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ below in the recipe card. And, if you make it, please tag me on Instagram or Facebook in your posted photos! I would love to see your creations. 😄
📖 Recipe
Leftover Fruit Salad Smoothie
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 cups mixed fruit
- 1 cup ice
- ½ cup almond milk or other plant-based milk, juice or water
- 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed hemp hearts or nut butter will also work (optional)
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a blender.
- Blend until smooth. Add more plant-based milk, juice or water, if needed to blend it up.
Pat Zolan says
Dear Abi....thanks so much for sending this to Uncle Tom. I am home now and not returning to work since the surgery. I am looking forward to trying out some of your restaurant finds and recipes. You always had very good cooking skills, like your mom, and really appreciate that. Looking forward to more news.
Love,
Aunt Pat
Abi Cowell says
Thanks, Aunt Pat. I really do enjoy cooking and sharing it with everyone. Glad you're enjoying reading it! 🙂
weissmann says
Great idea, Abi; that's exactly what I would have done. I would probably have to at least write down the ingredients, esp if it came out delish (can't trust the old sr memory anymore, lol). Can't wait for future issues! xoxo
abicowell says
weissmann We'd never done it before and it turned out so well. I can't remember a lot of these recipes either. I have to record them or I'll never be able to duplicate it. Haha!