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Fruit cocktail is a canned or jarred mixture of various fruits preserved in light syrup, typically comprising diced peaches, pears, pineapple, and sometimes grapes or cherries. Commercial fruit cocktail is a standardized product developed primarily in the early 20th century as a convenience food, with fruits selected for complementary texture and flavor. The ingredients are blanched, cut to uniform size, and packed in a heavy or light syrup, then heat-sterilized for shelf stability. The composition varies slightly by brand and region, but the combination is designed to offer a balanced flavor profile and pleasant textural variety. Fruit cocktail should be distinguished from fresh fruit salads and from fruit juices, as it retains discrete fruit pieces in a viscous liquid medium.

Fruit cocktail is primarily used as a convenient base for desserts, beverages, and side dishes in home and commercial kitchens. It appears in Jello salads, cakes, puddings, and ice cream toppings, and serves as a quick ingredient for fruit salads with minimal preparation. In Asian cuisines, particularly in East Asia, fruit cocktail is a common addition to dessert soups and shaved ice confections. It is also used as a glaze ingredient for baked ham and in various retro American casseroles. The syrup is often repurposed as a sweetening agent for beverages or drizzled over yogurt.