A simple, seasonal Fall Fruit Salsa that tastes great with crisp, homemade Cinnamon Pita Chips!
Fall is in full swing and I couldn’t be happier with the cooler temperatures and being able to enjoy the outdoors more here in Tennessee. This summer was hot, hot, hot……and I was melting, melting, melting.
The great news is this Fall Fruit Salsa is yum, yum, yum!
When the kids are hungry for a mid-afternoon snack, this Fall Fruit Salsa is the perfect combo to serve. They’ll love dipping into the fruity salsa and not even realize it’s good for them! This recipe is also good for serving a crowd if you’re going to an outdoor gathering with friends and family.
How to Make Fall Fruit Salsa
This fall version of Fruit Salsa features one of my favorite fall fruits—pears. I chose Bartlett pears for their green skin so it would contrast well with the mandarin oranges and pomegranate, but if you prefer red pears, they’ll work too! To help slow the browning of the diced pears, a small amount of the juice from the mandarin oranges is mixed in.
If you haven’t tried pomegranate before, the juicy arils (the small ruby-red seeds on the inside) are the edible portion of the fruit. The seeds on the inside of the arils are very tiny and you don’t have to worry about spitting them out. The key to choosing a ripe pomegranate is that it should feel heavy for it’s size, indicating it’s full of juicy pomegranate arils! The fruit should feel firm and the skin should be unblemished.
Cutting into a pomegranate can get a little messy, so I use a plastic cutting board to prevent the juices from staining a wooden cutting board and carefully cut into the fruit to prevent juices from flying everywhere. You may want to wear your apron while cutting open a pomegranate! Once you’ve cut the pomegranate into quarters, place the pieces into a medium-sized bowl filled with water. Use your fingers to remove the arils from the white membrane. Remove any of the white membrane (aka the pith) from the water before straining the pomegranate arils from the water.
I’ve already professed my love for these super crisp, homemade Cinnamon Pita Chips in my last fruit salsa post. Basically I’ll find any reason to make them, whether it involves fruit salsa or not. Here’s an insider tip for you about this recipe: make this fruit salsa and the cinnamon pita chips, then add a scoop of vanilla ice cream to a bowl, top with the fruit and serve with a few chips. You can thank me later for that one 🙂
This Fall Fruit Salsa is really best the day it’s made, but you can keep it for up to 48 hours in the refrigerator. The Cinnamon Pita Chips however are good for 3 days—if they last that long!
Fall Fruit Salsa with Cinnamon Pita Chips
Ingredients
Cinnamon Pita Chips
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 4 whole wheat pitas
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
Fall Fruit Salsa
- 2 ripe Bartlett or Anjou pears diced into 1/4-inch pieces
- 1 whole pomegranate or 1 cup of pomegranate arils
- 1-11 ounce can mandarin oranges in 100% fruit juice drained with 1 tablespoon juice reserved
- 1 1/2 teaspoons honey
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 2 teaspoons orange zest optional
Instructions
- 1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Mix together sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Set aside.
- 2. Prepare pita chips by cutting each pita into four equal pieces, then split each pita triangle in half to get a thinner piece. Place each pita triangle on a large baking sheet, being sure to not overlap them. Brush each pita triangle with butter and sprinkle cinnamon-sugar on top. Place baking sheet in the oven and bake for 5-6 minutes. If chips aren't quite crispy yet, bake for an additional 1-2 minutes.
- 3. To prepare fruit salsa, combine the diced pears, pomegranate arils, and 1 tablespoon of the mandarin orange fruit juice together in a medium bowl. Roughly chop the drained mandarin oranges and add to the salsa. Add honey, cinnamon, and ground ginger. Mix well. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.
Notes
Looking for more fall snack recipes? Try these:
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