19 Fruit Salads That Are Anything but Boring

This recipe from Sara Forte is a fun mix of several types of citrus and two kinds of pear in a spicy, tangy syrup.

As a change of pace, try tossing the fruit in a light ginger-thyme syrup that also flavors a meringue squiggle garnish. The earthy fragrance will bring out the fruit's hidden tastes.

Chiles add subtle heat to this exceptional fruit salad. Grace Parisi likes using any syrup left in the fruit bowl for cocktails; she mixes a little of it into rum and pours the drink over ice.

The key to making this simple fruit salad with candied ginger: Use a sharp knife to cut the citrus. "The better your knife, the better this dish will look," says chef Jason Travi.

For his light, simple salad, chef Matthew Accarrino mixes grapefruit and orange segments with shaved fennel and a sweet-tart honey-lemon dressing.

This salad is an extraordinary combination of ingredients that wouldn't seem to go together: feta, strawberries and almonds.

Suzanne Goin typically makes this savory and sweet salad with whatever fruit looks best at the market. Ripe green or black figs are some of her favorites and a couple of crushed ones can be used as the base for the vinaigrette, in place of the nectarine.

Matt Neal calls this supremely simple fruit salad the ultimate refresher on a hot day. For a grown-up version, he adds splashes of rum. "It's even more satisfying, then," he jokes.

This refreshing and complex salad—made with jicama, watermelon, papaya and a bold tequila-based vinaigrette—usually includes little pieces of deep-fried tortilla rounds. To keep the ingredient list in check, omit the deep-fried tortillas (or opt for store-bought chips).

This sweet and crunchy salad with lots of immune-boosting vitamin C is delicious with grilled pork or in a pulled-pork sandwich. To wilt the fennel slightly, Michel Nischan briefly marinates it in vinegar and salt before tossing it with firm, ripe peaches.

"One thing we often forget about tomatoes is that botanically, they are fruits, not vegetables," Andreas Viestad says. As a light, refreshing dessert, he freezes cherry tomatoes and raspberries to make a chunky granita.

Garnish this simple, fragrant fruit salad with mint leaves.

The mangoes in this jalapeño-spiced salad are full of vitamin C. Be sure to use firm, underripe fruit: They add an essential tang to the recipe

This recipe features traditionally Caribbean ingredients (avocados, hearts of palm) tossed in a dressing full of Asian flavors (tamarind, fish sauce).

Here, Mike Price drizzles blood orange slices with a Greek olive oil called Iliada. Pressed from kalamata olives, the oil's gentle fruitiness and lack of bitter finish make it ideal for salads. If blood oranges aren’t available, navel oranges or tangerines are excellent substitutes.

The sugar-crusted watermelon in this dynamic dish resembles a seared rare tuna steak.

"I use macadamia nuts two ways in this summery zucchini-and-peach salad: chopped, for crunch, and also pureed, to make a dairy-free cream," says chef Alyssa Gorelick.

This simple salad has a perfect mix of bitter (arugula), sweet (Asian pear), tangy (lemon dressing) and crunchy (pumpkin seeds). Try it with green apples or Bosc pears if Asian pears are hard to find.

Jenn Louis uses whatever melon looks best at the market, and she sometimes swaps out the feta for ricotta salata, or the chives for mint.