Winter Fruit Salad Cinnamon (Print-Friendly)

A refreshing winter fruit mix tossed with a warm cinnamon vanilla dressing, perfect for holiday meals.

# What You'll Need:

→ Fruit

01 - 10 mandarin oranges, peeled and segmented
02 - 4 large Fuji apples, cored and diced
03 - 2 pomegranates, arils removed

→ Cinnamon Vanilla Dressing

04 - 1 cup granulated sugar
05 - 1 cup water
06 - 2 cinnamon sticks
07 - 1 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped, or 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste or pure vanilla extract

# How To Make It:

01 - In a small saucepan, combine sugar, water, cinnamon sticks, and vanilla bean with seeds and pod.
02 - Bring mixture to a simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally until sugar is completely dissolved.
03 - Remove from heat and allow dressing to cool to room temperature, approximately 1 hour. Remove cinnamon sticks and vanilla pod.
04 - In a large bowl, combine mandarin orange segments, diced apples, and pomegranate arils.
05 - Drizzle cooled cinnamon vanilla dressing over fruit and gently toss until evenly coated.
06 - Serve immediately or chill until ready to serve.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It's a showstopper that takes barely any real effort, which means you can actually enjoy your own party instead of being stuck in the kitchen.
  • The warm spice hits you right after the brightness of the fruit, creating this perfect sweet-tart balance that somehow feels both comforting and refreshing.
  • Everything can be prepped ahead, making it the kind of dish that gets easier the more rushed you are.
02 -
  • If you add the warm dressing to the fruit, everything turns mushy and sad; I learned this by doing exactly that and watching my carefully cut apples turn into applesauce.
  • Prepping the fruit right before serving keeps everything crisp and bright instead of letting everything sit around getting sad and oxidized.
03 -
  • Segment your mandarins over a bowl to catch the juice, then pour that juice into the saucepan with your dressing ingredients for an extra layer of brightness.
  • If you're feeling fancy, reserve a few pomegranate arils to scatter on top right before serving so they stay jewel-like and don't get waterlogged.
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