The main difference between fruit salad and fruit cocktail is that in the salad, the fruit is typically large pieces or whole fruits. In a fruit cocktail, the fruit is usually diced. Also, a fruit cocktail has to have specific amounts of each fruit, including peaches, pears, pineapples, grapes, and cherries. They are served in syrup or fruit juice, while fruit salad is served with a sweet dressing like this recipe.