Fruit Tray Ideas

Simple fruit trays or platters are one of my favorite dishes to take along to big parties and potlucks. In this article, I will share tips and ideas for How to Make a Fruit Tray!

If you enjoy this recipe you may also find our tips for creating a Simple Charcuterie Board helpful.

Simple Fruit Tray Ideas

Fruit is colorful and packed with a variety of nutrients and fiber making it a beautiful and healthy addition to any meal. A DIY tray makes a great appetizer or side dish for entertaining lots of guests.

I cannot count how many fruit trays I’ve made or helped make in the past few years.  My kids seem to eat like birds at parties when there is excitement to easily distract them.  So, taking a fruit tray or Vegetable Tray ensures they will get a few healthy bites of food.

Begin by purchasing fruit that is in season. I like to use apples and grapes all year around. Choose 4 to 6 fruits for a simple tray and more for larger groups of people.

We like to stick with a basic arrangement of fruit when there are a lot of kids. Fruit can be shaped into a rainbow, Christmas tree, flag, cross for Easter or any shape that you can think of for variation.

Another popular party option is chopping and mixing fruit ahead of time to make a Fruit Salad for a Crowd.

How to Serve Bananas on a Platter

Peel and slice the bananas into bite size pieces that are thick enough to enjoy with a fork or toothpick.

Then dip slices quickly in pineapple juice to prevent browning.

Apples can be prepared in this manner up to a day ahead of time, but bananas should only be sliced a few hours before serving.

Tips for Making Fruit Trays

Here are tips that I use to make a great fruit tray!

• Wash the grapes, take scissors and trim the stems to leave bunches with 3 to 5 grapes hooked on.  This method works best for adults.  If the party is primarily kids then we like to remove every grape from the stem.  The small clusters of grapes display much easier and can be prepared very quickly.
• Wash apples.  Use an apple slicer, corer and divider to make apple preparation go quickly!
• Dip apples and bananas in pineapple juice to prevent browning.  Pineapple juice will not have a negative effect on the flavor of the fruit.
• Store bananas for up to a few hours in pineapple juice before serving.
• Wash strawberries in their original container.  Drain and dry excess water off the bottom to make storage and transport easier.
• Put fruit dip in the serving container and cover with plastic wrap to save set-up time.
• If leaving the dip out for more than two hours serve in a glass bowl on ice to help keep cold.

Best Fruit to Use on a Platter

• Apples
• Mandarin oranges
• Grapes
• Strawberries
• Blueberries
• Pineapple
• Melon, if in season
• Kiwi
• Bananas

How to Make A Fruit Tray

Have all fruit washed, dried and within arms reach on the counter or table.

If the tray is small make one pile or cluster of each fruit.

For a larger tray ideal for a party use two groupings of each fruit that are opposite from each other. This makes it easier for people to eat from each side of the tray and creates visual interest.

Begin by placing the largest sized pieces of fruit in opposite corners. Add other large or medium sized pieces of fruit in piles.

In this arrangement the apples are the largest pieces of fruit. I grouped yellow, golden delicious apples across from red, fuji apples.

Peeled mandarin oranges are piled in the center of the tray in between the piles of apples.

Try to avoid putting fruit that is the same color next to each other. Spread it out whenever possible.

Save fruit that is especially bright in color or more expensive to accent the top of the tray.

I like to accent fruit platters with kiwi, small berries like raspberries, blackberries or blueberries.

Adding another small layer in spots adds more dimension, height and potentially color.

Easy Fruit Dip Recipes:

Cheesecake Dip for Fruit is rich and delicious. Mix cream cheese with marshmallow creme, a hint of orange, and ginger for a wonderful treat!

Cinnamon Fruit Dip mixes cream cheese, marshmallow fluff and cinnamon for a dip that goes well with most types of fruit.

Lemon Fruit Dip tastes great with fruit, vanilla wafers or animal crackers.

This Peanut Butter Dip is another easy fruit dip option that our son enjoys. 

More Easy Recipes for a Party

Potatoes For a Crowd is a simple and delicious way to share cheesy potatoes with big groups.

Deli Meat and Cheese Tray can be prepared a few days ahead of time to create simple and delicious finger food or make sandwiches.

Spicy Pretzels add a little zing and ranch flavor to a basic bag of pretzels to make a fun snack.

Stove Top Little Smokies are delicious little sausages sweetened with an easy cranberry and jam sauce.

Broccoli Cauliflower Salad is easy to make a double or triple batch with all of the bacon and cheese goodness people crave at a party.

Printable Easy Fruit Tray Recipe

Originally published 12/18/18, photos updated on 12/10/21.