You Can Take Advantage of Delectable Spring Fruits with These Sweet and Savory Recipes.

Every taste of these ingredients, which range from apricots to strawberries, embodies the essence of the season.

It’s time to celebrate nature’s confections in the spirit of a revitalizing season. We’re enjoying our favorite spring fruits, which add to the natural sweetness of these months and make them even more radiant.

Although we love classics like strawberries, cherries, and apricots, don’t forget about avocado and pineapple either. Even though pineapples seem tropical and sunny, peak pineapple season really began in March. Its sweet acidity gives any recipe, like these fragrant, herbaceous pineapple basil sundaes, a bright punch of flavor.

These fruits add flair to both savory and sweet recipes, allowing you to enjoy the season in every bite. Start a springtime gathering with this salad, where the richness of the ricotta is enhanced by the juicy strawberries. Then, for a heartier bite, try the heartier sandwich, which has gooey mozzarella and sour apricot. From a light and refreshing cherry sorbet to a creamy and decadent avocado and dark chocolate tart, spring’s fruits satisfy all of your dessert demands.

In the spirit of a rejuvenating season, it’s time to revel in nature’s candy. Bursting with natural sweetness, we’re indulging in our favorite spring fruits that make these months shine that much brighter. 

Classics like strawberries, cherries, and apricots have our hearts, but don’t forget about avocado and pineapple, too. Though it may give tropical, summery vibes, peak pineapple season actually started in March. Its sweet acidity packs a vibrant punch in any recipe, like these pineapple basil sundaes, which are an aromatic, herbaceous sweet treat. 

These fruits elevate dishes, sweet and savory alike, so you can embrace the season with every course. Start a spring gathering with this salad where juicy strawberries bring out the richness of ricotta, followed by a heartier sandwich where tangy apricot cuts gooey mozzarella. Spring’s fruits cater to any of your dessert cravings, from a creamy, luscious avocado and dark chocolate tart to a light, refreshing cherry sherbet. 

How to Make 5-Minute Yogurt Beet Dip

This easy party dip is vibrant in both color and flavor.

No matter your favorite fruit, give some of these 23 recipes a try:

• Sweet
• Savory

Sweet

Grilled Strawberry Shortcake Kebabs

You’ll need 32 bamboo skewers (each 8 in.); there’s no need to soak them before they go on the grill, because they won’t char with such a short cooking time.

Rosy Strawberry Sorbet

This juicy strawberry sorbet isn’t merely rose-colored. It also contains rosewater, which combines so beautifully with strawberries that its flavor seems like an extension of the fruit. Neither heavy nor perfume-y, it gives the sorbet a delicate, aromatic sweetness.

Strawberry Clafouti

As easy to make as a pancake, this classic French dessert from the Limousin region involves pouring a simple batter over fresh fruit (typically cherries) and baking until puffed and golden brown. The fruit rises to the top, leaving a soft layer whose texture falls somewhere between custard and cake.

Lemon Shortbread Cheesecake

A smooth, delicate cheesecake. Lemon zest in the crust brings out the tang of the cheese, topped with the season’s freshest strawberries.

Apricot Baklava Strudel

We decided to combine the flakiness and nutty flavors of baklava with the fruit of a strudel. If your apricots are very ripe, don’t let them sit in the honey syrup too long before you assemble the strudel—they’ll turn to jam. But if they’re a little firm or very tart, let them macerate a bit longer to soften and absorb the sweetness.

Ginger Shaved Ice with Apricots and Sweetened Condensed Milk

Rachel Yang and Seif Chirchi, chef-owners of Joule and Revel restaurants in Seattle, have taken a favorite Korean dessert—shaved ice with sweet syrup—and turned it into a ginger-flavored granita.

Coconut Avocado Ice Cream

This coconut avocado ice cream is silky smooth, luscious, and surprisingly good with chocolate sauce.

Avocado and Spinach Smoothie

This smoothie is the ultimate morning pick-me-up that helps you get your greens.

Cherry Sherbet

This dense sherbet is subtly dark and elegant. If you’re wondering what the difference is between sorbet and sherbet, sorbet typically contains little more than fruit and sweeteners, while sherbet adds eggs or dairy products such as milk or a splash of half-and-half.

Giant Cherry Shortcake

This dessert is great for backyard barbecues: Make everything ahead, then quickly assemble and serve. The cake is denser and more buttery than classic shortcake.

Roasted Pineapple Shortcakes with Cinnamon Whipped Cream

This simple dessert cooks in the oven, but you could make it on the grill—cook the pineapple until grill marks appear and lightly toast the angel food cake. Whichever way you go with this dessert, the cinnamon whipped cream is delicious, and a scoop of ice cream wouldn’t be a bad idea either.

Coconut Tartlets with Poached Pineapple and Mascarpone Cream

Refreshing and bright, with the tropical flair of pineapple and coconut, these little tarts are a fun departure from typical desserts. Even better, most of the elements can be prepared a day ahead, then assembled just before serving.

Pineapple and Basil Sundaes

Although basil is more commonly used in savory dishes, its sweet, aromatic flavors work beautifully with caramelized pineapple as a topping for frozen yogurt.

Savory

Thai Shredded Chicken and Strawberry Salad

The secret ingredient in this refreshing salad? Fish sauce. It provides a savory, salty element that unites the herbs and fruit without tasting a bit “fishy.”

Strawberry, Quinoa, and Ricotta Salata Salad

We could make a meal of this deliciously unexpected combination, but it’s excellent alongside a grilled steak too.

Grilled Fresh Mozzarella and Apricot on Sourdough

Sunset reader Bill Gaines invented this delicious, tangy-sweet sandwich to use the plentiful apricots from his neighbor’s tree, which hung over the property line. “He told us we could have all the fruit on our side of the fence,” Gaines explains.

Apricot Shrimp Skewers

Grilled to perfection, these skewers pair savory shrimp with juicy-sweet apricot.

Chilled Avocado and Yogurt Soup

This fresh Greek-inspired soup comes together in minutes. It’s infused with dill and mint for a refreshing dish.

Avocado, Grapefruit, and Shiso Salad

The warm anise flavor of shiso, encouraged by the licoricey fennel, comes through clearly in this pretty salad.

Cherry Brown Butter Ravioli

The cherries’ bursts of sweet juice offset the richness of the pasta.

Cherry-Zinfandel Barbecue Sauce

We’ve shamelessly put the flavors of Zinfandel into this sauce: dried cherries, anise seeds (Zin often has faint licorice flavors), black pepper, and lots of the wine itself.

Sweet and Sour Pork

Pork tenderloin is a very tender cut of meat, perfect for stir-frying. The pineapple adds a natural sweetness and acidity to balance out the savory sauce.

Pineapple Al Pastor Pico de Gallo

The al pastor preparation has morphed over the decades, and now involves layers of roasted pork with a whole pineapple at the top of the spit, basting the meat with its dripping juices. This recipe, from chef Donnie Masterton, focuses on just the pineapple, slathered with al pastor paste and roasted. Then he chops it up and blends it with ordinary pico de gallo to create something extraordinary.