Hey there!
Growing up one of my favorite desserts on the cake table was a creamy fruit salad. Recently, it showed up at one of our family parties and although I knew some of the ingredients, I didn’t know how to make the sweet cream. After messaging my aunt (Pati!) who makes the tastiest version, I learned it is made with sweetened condensed milk aka sugar overload. LOL. Will I still have the original version whenever she makes it? Probably! The thing is, although it has about 40+ grams of added sugars per serving (not including the natural fruit), a negative mindset surrounding food groups can be just as unhealthy. I only have it maybe once a year, and I am okay with that!
Lucky for you (and me), I made my own version which has less than half the amount of sugar, is made with all natural fruit, and is dairy-free. My goal is to keep my recipes tasty even after some substitutions and changes. It’s the best of both worlds: health conscious with traditional flavors! Instead of making the cream with sweetened condensed milk and sour-cream, I used coconut cream, maple syrup and some dairy-free vanilla creamer (NUTPODS). I found the coconut cream at Trader Joe’s but there are other brands at many retailers. Make sure you shake up the coconut cream since it separates at room temperature.
You can get creative with this recipe. Use ANY combination of fruit you want! As long as you keep the ratio the same, the possibilities are endless. Fruits used are: pineapple, strawberries, grapes, apples, mandarines, peach, bananas, and many more! Traditionally some people also add raisins and pecans (or some kind of nut). I didn’t use it here but if you would like more texture, add 1/2 cup raisins and 1/2 cup chopped pecans.
This recipe is vegan and uses real fresh fruit. The only added sweetener is natural pure maple syrup. Next time you want to make an easy dessert, this one is always a hit!
Hope you enjoy this sweet treat!
Mexican Creamy Fruit Salad (Vegan)
Ingredients
- 1 13.5 fl oz Coconut Cream 1 Can, I used the Trader Joe's brand.
- 1/4 cup Pure Maple Syrup
- 2 Tbsp Dairy-free French Vanilla Creamer I used NutPods but if you can't find it, omit and add 1 tsp vanilla extract.
- 2.5 cups Green Grapes (1 lb.) Cut in half.
- 2.5 cups Pineapple (1 Medium Fruit) Chopped into small pieces.
- 2.5 cups Strawberries (1lb.) Sliced.
- 2 Bananas Chopped into half inch pieces.
- 1 Apple Peeled, cored and chopped into small pieces.
- 1 cup Unsweetened Shredded Coconut
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix together coconut cream, maple syrup, and french vanilla Nutpods. Set aside.
- Rinse and chop all of your fruit (peel pineapple, bananas, and apple before chopping).
- Add chopped fruit to the cream mixture. It should be about 10 cups of fruit in total. Carefully mix.
- To the salad, add 1 cup of unsweetened shredded coconut. Carefully continue to mix.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight.
