Fruit pizza is my favorite dessert for warm-weather gatherings and colorful celebrations! It starts with a chewy sugar cookie crust and ends with fresh fruit, almonds, and a drizzle of honey.
Oh helllooooo, fruit pizza! Do you feel like when spring is in the air, it is customary to celebrate with a fruity dessert pizza? I know I do. There is nothing more exciting than going to the grocery store, picking up a bunch of fresh fruit, coming home and putting it on top of a giant chewy sugar cookie base with a sweet cream cheese frosting in a decorative fashion. I love it so much, and I know you will too!
It’s also kid-friendly! My three-year-old daughter had the time of her life helping me make this pizza (especially when I let her lick the beaters full of frosting). She’s also a huge fan of our oreo ice cream cake and grasshopper pie, and of course fruit pizza’s savory cousin this easy pizza dough!
Table of contents
Why this is the best fruit pizza:
- It’s a pretty-as-a-picture dessert! Play around with the toppings to make your own simply stunning design and enjoy every fresh and fruity bite.
- A hit for all ages. Colorful fruit pizza is fun to decorate and easy to slice–everyone from kids to grown-ups will love this one!
- You’re entirely in control. Use what fruits you want, what shapes you want, what patterns you want. This dessert is entirely your decision from top to bottom, and will taste delicious any way you slice it!
Professional Tips
- Pat your sliced fruit dry. Using a paper towel, pat your sliced fruits before using them for decorating. We want to avoid them from being too juicy or they won’t stay in place. I use the same tactic whenever I decorate with fruit, such as with my blueberry shortcakes!
- Chill your frosted crust before decorating. If you pop your frosted cookie crust in the fridge for 10-15 minutes it will help your frosting set and your fruit stay in a design!
- Taste your fruit for ripeness! How ripe your fruit is helps determine flavor combinations. If your berries are exceptionally sweet, add a squeeze of lemon juice to balance the sweetness.
Ingredients
There are three main components that make up this recipe: the cookie crust, the cream cheese frosting and the fruit toppings. To break it down, here’s everything you need to make fruit pizza:
- All-purpose flour: All-purpose flour has just the right amount of gluten to make a soft chewy cookie base. Be sure to measure your flour by fluffing it up in the bag then spooning it into a measuring cup. Level it off with a knife. Be careful not to tap or compress the flour. Not measuring flour correctly might lead to a dry cookie crust.
- Baking Soda
- Baking Powder
- Kosher Salt
- Unsalted Butter
- Granulated Sugar
- Light Brown Sugar: Using light brown sugar adds a nice, rich molasses flavor to the frosting. You could also use powdered sugar instead.
- Whole Egg: The egg is here to add fat and moisture. Eggs also help to keep everything texturally perfect.
- Vanilla Extract
- Almond Extract: Almond extract is here for flavoring. I love this almond extract brand in particular.
- Cream Cheese: Cream cheese adds a nice tang to the frosting and rounds out some of the sweetness. I always use full fat Philadelphia cream cheese.
- Whole Milk: The milk is the liquid in the frosting. Milk’s fat does add flavor, but feel free to use your favorite alternative or lower fat milk.
- Fresh fruit: About 2 cups of whatever floats your boat! I used sliced mango, sliced kiwifruit, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries and halved grapes on mine. Use any leftover fresh fruit in a nostalgic ambrosia salad next!
- Sliced almonds: Bonus points if you toast your sliced almonds, but they’re optional!
- Honey: If you pick a local honey it will also help against allergies! Brush on your honey for a little bit of extra sweetness on top.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Variations
- Use a store-bought dough. If you’re short on time or ingredients, you can swap the homemade cookie crust for store-bought refrigerated sugar cookie dough (use a 16-18 oz roll). Press the dough to an 11-inch round on a prepared pizza pan, then bake for 15 to 20 minutes at 375°F or until edges are light brown and center is just set. Continue with the recipe as written.
- Make this fruit pizza any size! The size I made for the pictures would be perfect for entertaining, but you could 100% make little individual ones! That would be super cute. Or, you could make an even bigger one. Just be sure you have enough sugar cookie dough, and adjust the cook time accordingly.
- Experiment with other fruits. Blackberries, raspberries, and blueberries all make phenomenal fruit pizzas! When substituting fruits, be aware of their natural sweetness. You might want to adjust the sugar in the recipe. The following fruits would also be phenomenal: kiwi, green grapes, strawberries, mango, peaches, mandarin oranges, red grapes, watermelon, honeydew melon, cantaloupe, and pineapple. In July or on Memorial Day, I go with red, white and blue fruits! Save your extra peaches for my easy peach crisp recipe, and extra mangoes for a creamy mango pie.
How to Serve
- Serve immediately. Fruit pizza is best served the day it is assembled.
- Slice it with a sharp chef’s knife, and wipe between cuts to keep clean lines.
- For parties, you could also slice it into squares and serve on small plates with a little whipped topping! The kids will love you forever if you serve it with some peanut butter and jelly milkshakes, just sayin’.
How to Make Fruit Pizza
Further details and measurements can be found in the recipe card below!
Make the cookie crust:
Step 1: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt until well combined.
Step 2: In a separate bowl using an electric hand mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat butter and 3/4 cup granulated sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl, then beat in egg and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Stir in dry ingredients just until a dough forms.
Step 3: Cover bowl with plastic wrap and transfer dough to refrigerator for about 20 to 30 minutes (while you preheat the oven) to firm up slightly.
Step 4: Heat oven to 375°F. Line a 12-inch pizza pan with foil or parchment paper. Once dough is chilled, remove from the refrigerator and place on the prepared pizza pan. Press evenly into an 11-inch round on the pan (the dough will spread to the edges of the pan as it bakes).
Step 5: Bake cookie crust for 10 to 15 minutes or until edges are lightly golden and center is just set. Cool completely in the pan on a cooling rack; then, if desired, carefully transfer to a serving platter.
The bake-time will depend on your oven and pan. The crust is done when the edges are light golden and the center is set but not browned. Let it cool completely before frosting to prevent melting.
Make the frosting and assemble:
Step 6: In a medium bowl using an electric hand mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, beat cream cheese, milk, almond extract and 2 tablespoons brown sugar on medium-high speed until smooth, about 1 minute.
Step 7: Use spatula to spread frosting evenly over top of cooled crust, leaving a 1-inch border along the edges.
You can chill the frosting for a few minutes if you want a firmer texture that’s easier to spread evenly.
Step 8: Arrange prepared fruit on top of pizza. Sprinkle with sliced almonds, if desired. Drizzle evenly with honey.
Cut and arrange the fruit however you like! A towering pile of mixed berries looks beautiful, or you can go for a more dainty pattern.
Frequently Asked Questions
Assemble it right before serving! Also, avoiding overly juicy or soft fruits will go a long way.
Store leftover pizza covered in plastic wrap, in the refrigerator for up to 1 day.
Yes, you can! If you want to make the pizza a few hours ahead of time, you can assemble the whole pizza (save the honey), cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve (top with honey just before serving). If you want to make it a day or two ahead of time, I highly recommend waiting to assemble. Make the cookie crust and, once cool, cover tightly in plastic wrap and store at room temperature for up to 2 days. You can also make the cream cheese frosting 1 to 2 days in advance; just store in an airtight container in the fridge and spread on top of the cookie crust just before serving.
No fruit is off-limits for the fruit pizza! But, if you want to make the pizza ahead of time, I recommend not using fruits that brown quickly once sliced (such as bananas, apples, pears, etc.).Put your apples in a french apple tart instead, and your bananas in this banana pudding recipe. Also be sure to peel and slice any fruits with rinds/skins that are inedible. We want to make sure these slices can go straight from plate to face.
If you enjoyed this recipe, please leave a star rating and let me know how it goes in the comments below! I love hearing from you and your comments make my day!
Fruit Pizza
Ingredients
For the crust:
- 1 ⅔ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup butter, 1 stick, softened
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
For the frosting:
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- ¼ cup milk
- ½ teaspoon almond extract , or vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
For the toppings:
- 2 cups assorted fresh fruit, such as halved grapes, blueberries, raspberries, sliced strawberries, sliced kiwifruit, sliced mango, etc.
- 2 tablespoons sliced almonds, optional
- 2 tablespoons honey
Instructions
Make the cookie crust:
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt until well combined.
- In a separate bowl using an electric hand mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat butter and 3/4 cup granulated sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl, then beat in egg and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Stir in dry ingredients just until a dough forms.
- Cover bowl with plastic wrap and transfer dough to refrigerator for about 20 to 30 minutes (while you preheat the oven) to firm up slightly.
- Heat oven to 375°F. Line a 12-inch pizza pan with foil or parchment paper. Once dough is chilled, remove from the refrigerator and place on the prepared pizza pan. Press evenly into an 11-inch round on the pan (the dough will spread to the edges of the pan as it bakes).
- Bake cookie crust for 10 to 15 minutes or until edges are lightly golden and center is just set. Cool completely in the pan on a cooling rack; then, if desired, carefully transfer to a serving platter.
Make the frosting and assemble:
- In a medium bowl using an electric hand mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, beat cream cheese, milk, almond extract and 2 tablespoons brown sugar on medium-high speed until smooth, about 1 minute.
- Use spatula to spread frosting evenly over top of cooled crust, leaving a 1-inch border along the edges.
- Arrange prepared fruit on top of pizza. Sprinkle with sliced almonds, if desired. Drizzle evenly with honey.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this recipe? Rate & comment below!Before You Go
I hope you enjoyed this professional chef tested recipe. Check out our other delicious, chef-developed cookie recipes, like these chocolate peanut butter no bake cookies! Or, keep it fruity with my raspberry pound cake tiramisu!
What a fun new way to eat fresh fruit! I’ve made this with fresh mixed berries, cherries, and peaches. Most recently, I did this with apples and added spices to the sugar cookie base. It was so good and the kids loved it!