If the thought of making an elegant fruit platter overwhelms you, this beautiful yet simple fruit platter that tastes amazing is bound to be enjoyed by everyone, including toddlers, teens, and adults. It is the perfect appetizer, side dish, or healthy dessert to bring to all sorts of special occasions.
I made this fresh fruit platter for my 2 year olds birthday party, which was a huge hit and devoured by everyone. My toddler loves cheese and fruit, so I served this rainbow fruit tray alongside a cheese platter with brie cheese, grapes, and rice crackers.
The antioxidant-rich assorted fruit platter is made with a variety of fruits, including:
- blueberries
- grapes
- cantaloupe
- strawberries
- raspberries
- pineapple
A simple fruit plate is perfect for birthday parties, baby showers, potlucks, or any special occasion. It is a versatile platter that pairs with all sorts of desserts and is also the best appetizer. It is gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan, and so simple yet delicious. Who doesn’t love delicious fruits such as fresh blueberries and raspberries? They indeed are a healthy treat and make the most epic fruit platter.
How to make a simple fruit platter
One of the easiest ways to make a simple yet beautiful fruit platter is to line a baking tray with foil as the serving platter. Then use fruits from different colors of the rainbow that are washed or cut and then laid out in a straight line.
The contrast of color between the various fruits makes a gorgeous rainbow fruit platter that is so easy to make. For this simple fruit tray, I specifically separated the raspberries and strawberries with a row of blueberries in between to provide contrast between the similar colors.
All you have to do is wash and dry the grapes, blueberries, and strawberries. ( I chose not to wash the raspberries, which look super delicate and clean). Cut up the cantaloupe and pineapple and place them on a baking tray with a row for each fruit down the tray.
I had to improvise 1 line on my baking tray and combine grapes and cantaloupe in one row together as my toddler was loving the cantaloupe and eating it all up! Thus I didn’t have enough to finish the row, so I added some grapes, and it still looks and tastes yummy!
When making this simple fruit platter, I always like to start with the bigger fruits lined down the edges with the smaller fruits towards the middle to finish it. It is easy to layer blueberries and raspberries between other fruits, but finding space for larger fruits can be more challenging.
I left the rind on the cantaloupe for this fresh fruit tray, but you could also peel the skin off.
Below are step by step instructions to make this easy fruit tray.
- Line a baking tray with foil.
- Wash blueberries, strawberries, and grapes individually in a colander, then set them on a clean tea towel to dry.
- Cut a cantaloupe in half, scoop out the inside seeds, and discard them in the compost. Cut the cantaloupe into long lengthwise strips, then cut once again down the middle, then place on the left side of the tray to make half a row.
- place groups of green grapes in the same row underneath the cantaloupe to complete the row.
- Chop a pineapple in half, then chop the thick outer skin off. Once peeled, cut into three long lengthwise strips and slice the inner hard pineapple off the tips. Slice the lengthwise strips into 1 cm chunks and place them in a row on the right side of the fruit tray.
- Slice the green leafy part of the strawberry off and slice it in half before placing it in a row beside the pineapple.
- Place the raspberries in a row next to the cantaloupe and grapes.
- Finish the last row in the middle with fresh blueberries.
Store the simple fruit platter in the fridge covered in plastic wrap until ready to serve.
Anyone looking for simple fruit platter ideas needs to try making a rainbow fruit platter in a straight line on a baking tray or your favorite serving platter, as it results in a gorgeous fruit tray that only takes 10-15 minutes to make.
I don’t know about you, but making the extravagant cheese board and fruit trays that look like it takes hours to strategically place and create stresses me out as it’s not my expertise. But simple fruit trays like this are still loved by everyone and are easy to create. Wash, chop, line it up, and you are done!
I used to cook in fire camps, where I was on a team that cooked for up to 600 firefighters, and it was often my duty to prep anywhere between 2-5 massive fruit trays every day to serve with breakfast the following day. The first time I made a fruit tray, I had yet to learn how to make fruit trays look good with limited time (we were on a tight timeframe).
But once I was shown how to organize the various fruits in lines, with some fruits slightly on top or in between the bigger fruits to make a beautiful yet simple fruit platter, it became one of my favorite tasks. Especially when you get to eat all the delicious fruit!
Serving tips and substitutions
Anyone can make the best fruit platter with any type of fruit if it is fresh and ripe! You can use different fruits from the ones I chose, especially if the fruits are in season. I chose to use some of the more expensive yet antioxidant rich berries such as raspberries, strawberries, and blueberries as toddlers love these fruits as a healthy sweet treat.
I went to Costco to buy these fruits as they have the best prices for fresh fruits. At my local grocery store, I found the cantaloupe and pineapple, which I thought would be great additions as it is not a fruit that people often eat, so it is always appreciated on a fruit tray. Tropical fruit such as pineapple is always such a treat in my books. I also love watermelon and they make a great fruit tray, but unfortunately, it wasn’t in season.
This beautiful fruit plate is an easy appetizer to bring to any event and is the perfect addition to a party food table. For my daughter’s birthday party, I wanted to have healthy snacks to complement the classic ice cream and cake birthday party food that the kids would actually eat, and it was a huge hit. Natural sugars found in antioxidant rich fruits are 1000 times better than the processed sugar found in cake and ice cream.
My daughter was so excited about her birthday cake, but she only ate a few bites of her cake, yet she loved all the fruits on this simple fruit platter. So if you have some birthday parties coming up, try making this platter with some of the less common fruits!
You can serve some of the fruits from the platter alongside cake and ice cream. Or serve it on its own with some whipping cream. The fruit tray is perfect for anyone intolerant to gluten or dairy as it is free of common allergens yet can be served with a coconut whipping cream and gluten-free cake! It’s seriously the perfect party platter!
Blueberries and raspberries are among the top antioxidant rich fruits, but all the fruits on the platter offer powerful healing properties. They are also my favorite berries for weight loss, as blueberries reduce insulin resistance and prevent fatty liver!
Simple Fruit Platter – Easy and Healthy
Equipment
- 1 Baking tray
- 1 sheet tinfoil
- 1 Chopping board
- 1 knife
- 1 colander
Ingredients
- 510 grams Blueberries
- 900 grams Strawberries
- 340 grams raspberries
- ½ cantalope
- ½ pineapple
- 500 grams grapes
Instructions
- Line a baking tray with foil.
- Wash blueberries, strawberries, and grapes individually in a colander, then set them on a clean tea towel to dry.
- Cut a cantaloupe in half, scoop out the inside seeds, and discard them in the compost. Cut the cantaloupe into long lengthwise strips, then cut once again down the middle, then place on the left side of the tray to make half a row.
- Place groups of green grapes in the same row underneath the cantaloupe to complete the row.
- Chop a pineapple in half, then chop the thick outer skin off. Once peeled, cut into three long lengthwise strips and slice the inner hard pineapple off the tips. Slice the lengthwise strips into 1 cm chunks and place them in a row on the right side of the fruit tray.
- Slice the green leafy part of the strawberry off and slice it in half before placing it in a row beside the pineapple.
- Place the raspberries in a row next to the cantaloupe and grapes. Finish the last row in the middle with fresh blueberries.
Your fruit platter looks so beautiful, just like a rainbow. At the next meeting with friends, I plan to serve healthy snacks, and this organization of fruit in a straight line will certainly be an inspiration to me. Thanks for sharing this great idea.
Your welcome! Its so easy to make and I’m sure it will be a hit 🙂 At least it was for me!