Gordon Ramsay’s fruit salad is nothing like the soggy bowl of chopped fruit most people make. His tangy version from Ultimate Home Cooking uses pineapple, apple, pear, mango and cucumber in a chilli, tamarind and crushed peanut dressing. Serves 4 in about 15 minutes.
In the YouTube video Ramsay says “the secret of a good fruit salad is not drowning in the dressing.” He uses all the chilli but only half the seeds, because the seeds are where the heat lives. That control over spice level is what separates this from every other recipe online.
The other key is using fruit that’s not too ripe. Ramsay says it should “stay crisp and tangy” rather than soft and sweet, because the tamarind dressing needs something firm to cling to. Overripe fruit turns to mush the moment the acid hits it.
Gordon Ramsay Fruit Salad
Course: SaladCuisine: ThaiDifficulty: Easy4
servings30
minutes40
minutes300
kcalGordon’s tangy, chilli-spiked fruit salad from Ultimate Home Cooking with a tamarind, lime and crushed peanut dressing. About £13 from Tesco for the whole recipe including store cupboard items.
Ingredients
- For the Dressing:
1½ tbsp tamarind paste
Zest and juice of 1 lime
2 to 3 tbsp palm sugar or brown sugar
½ to 1 red chilli, finely sliced
3 tbsp skinless unsalted peanuts
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- For the Fruit:
1 small pineapple, peeled, cored and cut into bite-sized pieces
2 crunchy green apples, quartered, cored and diced
2 pears, not too ripe, cored and diced
1 mango, not overly ripe, peeled and diced
½ cucumber, peeled, deseeded and cut into chunks
Directions
- Make the dressing: Mix the tamarind paste, lime zest and juice, palm sugar and sliced chilli together in a bowl. Season with a little salt and pepper, taste and adjust the balance. It should be sour, sweet and hot all at once.
- Toast the peanuts: Heat a dry frying pan and add the peanuts with a small pinch of salt. Toast until they’re a dark golden brown, not just lightly coloured. Ramsay says that dark roast “will really transform the dressing.” Wrap the hot peanuts in a clean tea towel and crush with a rolling pin, then stir into the dressing.
- Prep the fruit: Cut the pineapple, apples, pears, mango and cucumber into similar bite-sized pieces. Make sure you deseed the cucumber first, because the seeds make the salad watery and dilute the chilli dressing.
- Dress and serve: Combine the fruit in a large bowl. Add half the dressing and toss well, then taste and add more if needed. The secret is coating everything lightly rather than drowning it. Serve straight away or cover and chill for up to an hour.
FAQs
Can I eat this for breakfast?
Ramsay does. In the video he says “don’t worry about just having it for breakfast, because this is the kind of tangy fruit salad you can have for lunch, a healthy snack in the afternoon” and calls it “a guaranteed pick me up in the morning.” The chilli and tamarind wake you up in a way that a plain bowl of fruit never will.
Where do I find tamarind paste in Tesco?
It’s in the world food aisle, usually on the Thai or Indian shelf. Tesco sells their own brand (90g jar for £1.80) and Thai Taste brand (130g for about £1.75). One jar is enough for this recipe several times over. If you can’t find it, Ramsay says in UHC that extra lime juice works as a substitute, though “you may find the salad will lack a certain fruity sharpness.”
Why does Ramsay put cucumber in a fruit salad?
It adds a fresh, cool crunch that balances the sweetness of the mango and pineapple. He deseeds it first because the watery seeds would dilute the dressing and weaken the chilli kick. It’s a common ingredient in Thai and Southeast Asian fruit salads, so this isn’t as unusual as it sounds.
Is there a simpler version without tamarind?
In Ultimate Fit Food, Ramsay has a Mexican Fruit Salad that’s much simpler: watermelon, melon, mango and pineapple with just lime juice, a pinch of salt and optional chilli powder. He got the idea from LA street vendors. No dressing to make, no peanuts to toast. Just cut, squeeze and eat. The Fit Food version has 276 calories per serving.
How much does this cost to make?
About £13 from Tesco. The fruit itself is cheap, but tamarind paste (£1.80) and palm sugar (£2.65) push the total up. Worth knowing those jars last months and cover dozens of Thai recipes, so it’s really a one-off cost. Prices checked on Trolley.co.uk, May 2026.
What goes well alongside this fruit salad?
Ramsay designed it as a standalone breakfast or snack, but it also works as a palate cleanser between courses or alongside grilled meat. The tamarind and chilli dressing pairs well with sticky pork ribs or duck breast where you want something sharp to cut through the fat. For savoury options, see Ramsay’s salad recipes from the same cookbooks.
