One of my favorite ways, and definitely my kids’ favorite, ways to eat more fruit in the summer is making my fruit salsa with baked cinnamon chips. Essentially, this is a chopped fruit salad served as a dip you eat with homemade (or store-bought) cinnamon tortilla chips.
Honestly, it is such a simple barely-a-recipe recipe, but people love this at summer parties. I personally love this because I could eat it all day long. This fruit salsa with baked cinnamon chips is a great way to get kids in the kitchen too!
Summer Recipe for Kids
This fruit salsa with baked cinnamon chips is a great recipe for kids and adults this summer. I say this is a great recipe for kids because it encourages eating fruit and possibly trying new yet familiar things.
Introducing new food to picky eaters
When introducing a new food, I try to present it in a familiar context or paired with something familiar. My youngest loves chips, but for some reason draws the line at tortillas. Showing her that these chips started as tortillas definitely opened up some doors for us. They both love fruit, but kiwis were new to them–especially Sun Gold kiwis. Introducing a new fruit with familiar fruit was a great way to ease them in for trying (and enjoying) something new.
Cooking with Kids
If you follow me on social media, you know that I am always cooking with my children in the kitchen. Cooking together is obviously a great way to bond and share interests, but it is also a way for them to become more familiar and have a sense of pride and ownership in the food they choose to eat. By including them in cooking, they are more willing to try new foods.
For kids who are curious but too young to use sharp objects, you can include them in this recipe by mixing the cinnamon and sugar, sprinkling the mixture on the tortillas, and mixing the fruit at the end. For kids who may be ready to use sharp cutting tools, or these kid-safe nylon knives (affiliate link), they can cut the fruit into chunks or use a pizza cutter to cut the tortillas. I do recommend doing the fine chopping yourself as more precise cuts can be challenging for small fingers and the nylon knives won’t do well there.
Homemade Baked Cinnamon Chips
I love serve my fruit salsa with baked cinnamon chips. These can be made the day before and stored in an airtight container. When they are fresh out of the oven and still have a bit of flexibility and warmth, they are even better in my opinion. I’m not saying you need to make homemade baked cinnamon chips as your guests are coming in. I’m saying maybe make a few extra to eat as a snack just for you.
For homemade baked cinnamon tortilla chips, simply slice your favorite flour tortillas into six pieces, spray with cooking spray (or brush with melted butter), and sprinkle on cinnamon sugar. Bake the tortilla chips for 8-10 minutes at 350ºF until crispy.
The thickness of the tortilla chips will determine just how long they cook for. Thinner brands like Mission Carb Balance flour tortillas may only need about 6 minutes while La Bandarita tortillas will take about 10 minutes.
If you don’t want to make your own, you can just skip this step and serve with store-bought cinnamon sugar pita chips.
What fruit goes into a fruit salsa?
Literally whatever fruit you like. I’m not going to find you and police how you eat chopped fruit haha. That being said, the combination provided is the combo we really enjoy. I told you earlier, this fruit salsa with baked cinnamon chips is a simple barely-a-recipe recipe. We do equal parts strawberries, peaches, cantaloupe, and Sun Gold kiwis (the fancy yellow kind) and 1/2 amount of blueberries. I like the balance of sweetness and tartness, and I especially love using peak-summer fruit.
I’ve seen recipes that include apples, but peaches are in their prime in the summer and offer a floral sweetness to the mix. Strawberries bring a tart and bright pop. Sun Gold kiwis are somewhere in between those two–you also get the added bonus of telling people you got the fancy kiwis. Cantaloupe has that firm but soft texture and delicate sweetness that mellows out the rest. Honestly, blueberries just because they’re a different color and summery ha.
I wouldn’t go using watermelon because it is so watery that it’ll dilute things down. Also, slicing a giant watermelon for this would be a pain. Raspberries are 1 expensive and 2 get mushy quickly. Don’t use bananas, they would brown and get mushy. Grapes would be fine, but the idea of dicing grapes is a no for me.
No added sugar Fruit Salsa Dressing
I don’t include added sugar or preserved in my fruit salsa because I want it to stay fresher longer. There are recipes that add a few tablespoons of sugar or preserves to their fruit salsa, but that’ll macerate the fruit. The sugar breaks down the fruit to make it softer and syrupy. While this is a great application for some recipes, this process will make your salsa softer and mushy as it sits out.
You can toss this with a little lemon or lime juice and garnish with fresh mint or basil, but it’s not necessary. The fruit, especially the peaches and kiwis, are so juicy that they natural juices will meld this together nicely. Lemon or lime juice will help preserve this. If making the day before, squeeze a lemon over the salsa and toss.
Yield: 8 cups
Fruit Salsa with Baked Cinnamon Chips
This fruit salsa is always a crowd pleaser with kids and adults alike during the summer months. It is a simple recipe that is bursting with all the flavors of summer, and a great and healthy recipe to bring to your summer parties.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Ingredients
Fruit Salsa
- 6 kiwis ( I love using Sun Golds)
- 2 cups of peaches (about 4-5 peaches)
- 2 cups of strawberries
- 2 cups of cantaloupe
- 1 cup of blueberries
Cinnamon Sugar Tortilla Chips
- 16 (or more) flour tortillas
- 2 tablespoons of sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- pinch of salt
- preferred cooking spray (I use Pam)
Instructions
- Cut all fruit into small bits. I slice them all to the size of my blueberries for consistency.
- Slice tortillas into six pieces and arrange in rows with no overlap on a baking sheet.
- In a small bowl, mix cinnamon, sugar, and a pinch of salt.
- Spray tortillas with cooking spray or brush with melted butter.
- Sprinkle half the mixture onto tortillas.
- Flip, spray, and sprinkle remaining cinnamon sugar onto tortillas.
- Bake tortillas at 350ºF for 8-10 minutes, flipping halfway. Bake until crispy and golden. The timing will vary depending on tortillas.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8
Serving Size:
1 cup of fruit salsa and 12 chips
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 267Total Fat: 5gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 394mgCarbohydrates: 52gNet Carbohydrates: 28gFiber: 24gSugar: 20gProtein: 8g
