This healthy fruit salsa recipe is a surprisingly delicious take on traditional salsa recipes. I don’t know where it originated from but whoever created the idea of finely dicing fruit and piling them onto cinnamon and sugar dusted chips is a genius! If you have never tried fruit salsa, you’ve got to try this fruit salsa recipe with cinnamon pita chips this summer!
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Is Fruit Salsa Healthy?
You can find many versions of fruit salsa online. They include various types of fruits and additional add-ins like mint, or different varieties of jams or jellies.
No matter how you make it, it’s a healthy and creative way to get more fruit into your diet. The current 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans encourage us to get a variety of fruits, especially WHOLE fruits, into our diet. This is important because over 80% of Americans do NOT consume enough fruit on a daily basis.
According to these USDA guidelines, if you’re following a 2,000 calorie diet, you would need around 2 cups of fruit per day.
Diets that include fruit in them are also associated with more positive health outcomes. Berries, in particular, are very nutrient-dense. They provide us with vitamins C, B, and K, potassium, fiber, and many polyphenolic compounds that benefit health.
So this naturally sweet, fruit salsa is a great way to add some to your daily routine.
Ingredients For Healthy Fruit Salsa
Strawberries– One (16-ounce) container of strawberries is what you’ll need. This antioxidant-rich fruit is the predominant flavor in this fruit salsa recipe. Bonus if you can use freshly picked strawberries!
Apples– I use 2 peeled Granny Smith apples in this recipe which add some extra crunch to your healthy fruit salsa.
Raspberries– Just for fun and more complexity, it’s nice to have a variety of berries. I use 1 (6-ounce) container of raspberries.
Lemon juice– This is a must to prevent your fruit, especially the apples, from browning. Lemon juice is also a wonderful flavor enhancer.
Low-sugar jam or preserves– To reduce the amount of added sugars, opt for low-sugar or sugar-free jam or preserves. One example is Smucker’s Low Sugar Strawberry Preserves* (affiliate link). This option has 25 calories, 6 gm carbohydrates, and 5 gm added sugars per 1 tablespoon serving which is ~50% less sugar than most regularly prepared preserves.
Ingredients For Cinnamon Pita Chips
Cinnamon– Regular ground cinnamon is all you need. A little goes a long way so I only add 1 teaspoon.
Stevia– To cut back on the calories and added sugar content, I opted to reduce the amount of white sugar and also add some of my preferred sugar substitute, Stevia. You only need 3 packets of the granular Stevia in this recipe because Stevia is 250-300 times sweeter than sugar.
White sugar– A little bit of the real stuff. Just 1 tablespoon of sugar for the entire recipe of cinnamon pita chips isn’t bad at all.
Whole wheat pita bread– And of course, you need pita bread. I prefer whole wheat pita bread over white. Whole what has more heart-healthy fiber!
How To Make Healthy Fruit Salsa With Cinnamon Pita Chips
There are two parts to this fruit salsa recipe. The fruit salsa and the cinnamon pita chips to go with it. It doesn’t matter which one you make first, just start wherever you’re comfortable.
I will say that the fruit salsa portion of this recipe takes longer to make, at least if you’re chopping the fruit by hand. However, there are ways around this, keep reading and I’ll explain.
How To Make Fruit Salsa
Time: ~10 minutes if dicing fruit by hand (less if using a food chopper)
- Prep Your Fruit: Start by gathering all ingredients and prepping all your fruit. This means washing the berries, peeling your apples, and juicing the lemon.
- Chop The Fruit: Next begin finely dicing the strawberries, raspberries, and apples. To save time, you could invest in a cool gadget such as this Fullstar stainless steel Pro Food Chopper* (affiliate link). Alternatively, you could pulse a few times in a food processor although your pieces will not be uniform and you’re also at risk for over-processing your fruit- be careful or you’ll end up with puree instead of salsa! 😱
- Mix Ingredients Together: In a large bowl, add the diced strawberries, raspberries, apples, lemon juice, and fruit preserves. Mix together until combined.
How To Make Cinnamon Pita Crisps
Time: ~30 minutes
- Set The Oven: Start by setting your oven temperature to 300 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Make Cinnamon Sugar: Mix cinnamon, sugar, and Stevia packets together to make your cinnamon sugar mixture. Set this aside for now.
- Prep Your Pita: Using two (5-count) packages of pita bread, cut each pita into quarters. Then separate each quarter into two pieces. Ultimately, each pita bread will make 8 cinnamon pita chips.
- Spread Onto Baking Sheet: Spread your pita bread out in a single layer on baking sheets. This will need to be done in batches because there are so many pita chips. After you layer your pita bread, spray the top only with non-stick canola oil spray. Then sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar mixture.
- Bake Your Crisps: Place your cinnamon sugar-sprinkled pita bread into the oven and bake at 300 degrees Fahrenheit for about 8 minutes or until the pita bread is crispy and lightly browned.
And NOW you’re ready to serve and eat you’re healthy fruit salsa with cinnamon pita chips.
Substitute For Cinnamon Pita Chips
However, I totally understand if you just want to focus on making the fruit salsa and not have to make the cinnamon chips from scratch. If you’d like to skip this step, or if you’re short on time, I recommend purchasing Stacy’s Cinnamon Sugar Pita Chips* (affiliate link).
Just know that this substitute will have slightly more total fat, added sugar, and less fiber than the homemade version.
Tips and Tricks for Making Fruit Salsa
To make the best, healthy fruit salsa you may want to learn a few tips and tricks. Here are a few things I recommend to get the perfect consistency fruit salsa and the crispiest cinnamon pita chips ever:
- Try to chop all fruit pieces finely. I personally like to get a bite of everything in each scoop of this healthy fruit salsa. So making sure all fruit is chopped finely and uniformly is key.
- Bake your cinnamon chips in batches. Don’t overcrowd the pan which prevents them from baking evenly.
- No need to flip your cinnamon crisps. They will end up nicely crisped by baking on just one side.
- Don’t bake your pita bread too long. Around 8 minutes at 300 degrees Fahrenheit should be adequate. After you pull them from the oven, they will crisp up more.
- Adjust amounts as needed. I only added the cinnamon and sugar mixture to ONE SIDE of the pita bread slices. If you want to have more cinnamon sugar flavor, feel free to add some to the other side as well.
How To Store Fruit Salsa and Cinnamon Pita Chips
This recipe makes about 5 cups of fruit salsa, so if you’re not serving a crowd, you may have some leftovers. In this case, you can store it in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, although it’s best eaten the day you make it.
Alternatively, you can freeze this fruit salsa for up to 2 months.
If you do choose to freeze it, keep in mind that when it thaws it will be much softer in consistency. This is because the freezing process expands the water in the fruit cells and now that it has thawed, it’s well, much mushier than before. And while it will still taste phenomenal this mushier texture makes your healthy fruit salsa better suited as an ice cream topping or any of the other options listed below.
What Do You Eat Sweet Salsa With?
I like to serve this healthy fruit salsa with cinnamon crisps as a nutritious “anytime snack” for my kids. It is also a wonderful dessert salsa recipe for Cinco de Mayo. But there are so many other ways to serve it and foods that it goes perfectly with.
What to serve with your fruit salsa:
- Graham crackers (regular or cinnamon)
- Nilla wafers
- Animal crackers
- Ginger snaps
- Rice cakes (chocolate, caramel, or apple cinnamon flavored)
Great ways to use fruit salsa:
- As a topping for ice cream sundaes
- Mix it with yogurt and granola in the morning for breakfast
- Swirl into oatmeal as a great fruity add-in
- Top waffles or pancakes with it
- Sandwich between biscuits or angel food cake to make a fruit shortcake
- Puree and pour into popsicle molds for a healthy 100% FRUIT frozen treat
- Use it as the fruit component in a trifle- (layers of cake, fruit, pudding, and whipped cream)
- You can even use it as a topping for meat and fish dishes
I have personally mixed this healthy fruit salsa into my morning oatmeal and it’s so good!
FAQ
Fruit salsa will last up to 5 days in the refrigerator. The fruit will release a lot of water after cutting, so make sure to mix the salsa before eating. Or if you prefer a less watery salsa, you can drain the juice in a fine colander if preferred.
Yes. You can freeze this healthy fruit salsa in an airtight container for up to 2 months. Keep in mind however that after thawing, your fruit salsa will be more mushy and watery than when it was prepared fresh.
Yes, however, this does taste best when made and eaten on the same day. Your fruit will release water overnight so make sure to mix well or drain liquid before serving. Additionally, you can make the cinnamon pita chips up to 4-5 days ahead.
Looking for other recipes with cinnamon or fruit?
- Healthy Cinnamon Cookie Butter
- 5 Ingredient Healthy Banana Cinnamon Pancakes
- Pumpkin Oatmeal Raisin Cookies [Egg-Free]
- Apple Butter Recipe [Small Batch]
Healthy Fruit Salsa With Cinnamon Pita Chips
Equipment
- 1 Food chopper optional
- 1-2 Baking sheets
Ingredients
Fruit Salsa
- 16 ounces strawberries finely diced
- 6 ounces raspberries finely diced
- 2 medium Granny Smith apples finely diced
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice (or juice from 1 lemon)
- 4 Tbsp low sugar strawberry preserves I used Smucker's Low Sugar brand
Cinnamon Pita Chips
- 10 count whole wheat pita bread quartered and separated
- 1 Tbsp white sugar
- 3 packets Stevia granular sweetener
- 1 tsp cinnamon ground
- canola oil non-stick spray
Instructions
- First make the fruit salsa by finely dicing all the fruit. You can do this by hand or save time by using a food chopper.
- Place all fruit in a large bowl and add lemon juice and fruit preserves. Mix well to combine. Set aside.
- Pre-heat oven to 300 °F
- Make the cinnamon sugar mixture by combining white sugar, Stevia, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Now take 1 pita bread and quarter it into 4 quarters. Then open each quarter and tear carefully to separate each half. You will end up with 8 pita chips from each slice of pita bread.
- Repeat this process for each of the 10 pita breads.
- On an ungreased baking sheet, place the pita bread slices in a single layer.
- Spray pita slices with non-stick canola oil and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar mixture.
- Place into pre-heated oven and bake for about 8 minutes or until pita becomes lightly browned.
- Repeat this procedure in batches until all pita chips are done.
Notes
- This recipe makes ~5 cups of fruit salsa and 80 cinnamon pita chips total.
- You can make the fruit salsa the day before however, keep in mind that the longer the fruit sits, the more juice will be released. It is best eaten shortly after making. Pita chips can be made 4-5 days ahead.
- Try adding a variety of other fruits like peaches, melon, pineapple, or kiwi.
- You can store this in the fridge for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 2 months.
- See my other suggestions for how to use this delicious fruit salsa (i.e. as a topping for pancakes, waffles, ice cream, etc.).
Did you try this refreshing summer fruit salsa recipe? Let me know your thoughts by leaving me a comment below! I love hearing from you 🥰
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Kiran Campbell is a registered dietitian and entrepreneur with 13 years of experience. She has a degree in psychology as well as dietetics. She is also a proud member of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics’ and its Cardiovascular Health and Well-being Dietetics Practice Group among others. Kiran proudly presents and promotes the most up-to-date, science-based nutrition information on all things heart-related. She aims to serve not only individuals with heart disease, but also those wanting to protect against it. Learn more about Kiran by visiting her About Page.