Mexican Fruit Cup
If you ever find yourself in LA, specifically West LA, you have to get “fruit in a bag” from the Mexican fruit stands. These are small street carts with tons of fresh fruit. You can pick what fruits you want or don’t want and then you’re given the option of adding salt, lemon juice, and salted chili powder (Tajin). For a few dollars, you get a cornucopia of delicious fruit and a taste treat sensation – a Mexican Fruit Cup on the go.
You can cater the whole experience to your particular tastes, but I recommend the salt and lemon juice. They help accentuate the fruit flavors. The salted chili powder is a great addition as well, I just only like it for a few bites, not the whole bag.
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Mexican Fruit Cup Recipe
It took me awhile to recreate the fruit combination at home, mostly because getting all the ingredients can be a bit daunting – not that they’re generally difficult, but because there are so many fruits to buy – it’s a lot for just 2 or 3 people.
The whole process is very simple, chopping it up is just a bit time-consuming (similar to homemade pico de gallo – but equally worth it).
The “recipe,” just like the real thing, is customizable, however. I’m allergic to pineapple and, we just discovered, my guy and I aren’t big fans of fresh papaya, so ours will have extra of everything else.
what fruit is in mexican fruit cup
Fruit carts I’ve seen have the following: pineapple, watermelon, papaya, cucumber, jicama, mango, and cantaloupe. Some offer coconut, so I subbed in some dried coconut here – the flavor combo is quite delicious.
For seasoning, you can add salt, fresh lime juice, and tajin – a spicy seasoning to sprinkle on top.
I have seen some mexican fruit salad recipes with chamoy – more of a sauce made from dried chilies, fruit, and lime juice. But all the fruit carts I frequented, just used the Tajin seasoning.
I highly recommend the cucumber and jicama in the salad to break up the fruity sweetness and it also adds a welcome crunch. (if you need to use up any jicama, try them on fish tacos, add them to coleslaw, or in mango appetizers – seen at my succulent baby shower)!
The best part about the Mexican fruit salad is that the lemon and salt accentuate the flavors, so every piece of fruit doesn’t have to be perfectly ripe when you start chopping. And the chili powder is a fun addition for a sweet + spicy flavor combination!
Looking for more fresh fruit recipes? Try this fruit board (ideal in fall and winter) and my fruit charcuterie board (great in spring and summer)!
Mexican-inspired recipes
This Mexican Chocolate Cake is simple and yet so deliciously amazing – same goes for my Iced Mexican Mocha.
Homemade fajita seasoning is a must-have no brainer in our world, something we use regularly in these turkey stuffed peppers with rice, my one pot Mexican rice casserole (a fabulous dinner for a small crowd), and my 7 layer sweet potato vegan bean dip (vegan)! These Mexican appetizers are a fun tortilla rollup recipe that’s actually very simple and easy to make!
And if you have time, can you sip on some of these mango margaritas on the rocks for me? Thanks! I really appreciate it!
MEXICAN FRUIT CUP
Ingredients
- 1 small watermelon cut
- 1 cantaloupe cut
- 1 jicama cut (video tutorial: how to cut jicama)
- 1 pineapple cut (video tutorial: how to cut pineapple)
- 1 cucumber cut
- 2 mangos cut
- 1 papaya cut
- salt
- lemon juice optional
- tajin optional
Instructions
- For a small gathering: serve in glasses or cups. Top with toasted coconut or serve with salt, lemon, and chili powder.
- For serving on the go: serve in ziploc bag (small or large) with forks. Bring along salt, lemon, and chili powder.
- For bbqs and potlucks: serve in a large bowl for everyone to scoop themselves. Provide salt, lemon, and tajin.
This was so good and refreshing! Such a great hot weather treat.