Fruit Salad with Vanilla and Star Anise

Sheri Silver June 13, 2025

Impressive Fruit Salad Enhanced with Vanilla Bean, Star Anise, and Lemon Essence

This is not your ordinary fruit salad! This recipe takes advantage of cooler-weather fruits, such as apples and pears, along with dried fruits for a lovely flavor and texture contrast.

This delicious salad is enhanced by a simple syrup flavored with star anise, a whole vanilla bean, and strips of lemon peel.

Best of all, you can prepare the salad a day in advance, making it a perfect addition to a festive brunch!

Find the full recipe and video tutorial below. Enjoy!

How to Make this Amazing Fruit Salad with Spiced Simple Syrup

Ingredients

3/4 cup granulated sugar
3 star anise
1 vanilla bean, halved lengthwise
1 large lemon, at room temperature
8 dried apricots, cut into quarters
6 dried figs, cut in half
3 Bosc pears + 1 Granny Smith apple, or any combination
Pomegranate arils, for garnish (optional)

Procedure

Place 4 cups of water in a medium saucepan and add the sugar, star anise, and halved vanilla bean. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly until the sugar has dissolved.
Meanwhile, peel 4 long strips from the lemon, then halve and juice the lemon into a small bowl.
Remove the saucepan from the heat, let cool for 5 minutes, and add the apricots, figs, and lemon peel strips. Let cool completely.
Halve and core the pears and apple and thinly slice. Place in a large bowl and pour the lemon juice over. Toss to coat all of the slices well. Pour the cooled syrup over the fruit, cover, and refrigerate overnight.