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Published: by Meryl Downing 7 Comments
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A Simple Fruit Platter is the perfect addition to any brunch menu. Learn to make beautiful fruit platters with these simple to follow, step-by-step instructions! Colorful, healthy and too pretty to eat!
Fruit Platter Presentation
- Why not Make a Fresh Fruit Tray Beautiful?! - In culinary school, how your dish looked was equally, if not more important than how it tasted. The presentation always mattered! It took me longer than just culinary school to get better at this, but with a little practice, food presentation can be the most satisfying part of cooking. Anyone can cut up fruit and mix it in a bowl, but with a little effort your guests will say, "Geez, who made the fruit platter? That looks too beautiful to eat!"
- Perfect for Brunch - Whenever I'm hosting a brunch, whether it's a baby shower, Father's day, Easter, or just Sunday, you will usually find a simple fruit platter. It pairs perfectly with eggs or a French Toast Bake. Add a salad or some Yogurt and Granola and you've got the perfect fancy looking brunch! Step-by-step, it's easier than it looks!
Ingredients
Any variety of fresh fruit will do, and you'll find most fruits will fit into one of the 5 categories in the instructions. When making a fruit tray for a party, consider the amount of people. A tray of fruit like the ones pictured serve about 6 to 8 people. However, they are easy to adjust larger or smaller, or make multiple if serving a large group. Make sure all your ingredients are washed and ready to eat. Here are some easy fruit tray ideas, certainly all are optional, use what you like!
- Melon - cantaloupe, honeydew, or watermelon
- Pineapple, mango, peach
- Oranges, grapefruit
- Kiwi
- Grapes
- Cherries
- Berries - strawberry, blueberry, blackberry, raspberry
- Garnish - mint leaves, pomegranate seeds, edible flowers, papaya or kiwi cut in a zig zag pattern
Instructions
Step 1 - Start with a "Filler Fruit" Take a look at each photo. A simple fruit plate always starts with a base to build upon. Chopped pineapple, cantaloupe or honey dew melon are your best options. You could also use watermelon cubes or wedges if it's in season, but be careful if making your fruit tray too far in advance as your watermelon can get your platter pretty watery. Sometimes I add bowls of yogurt and granola like in the photo below. Add these bowls right away, you can fill them later.
Step 2 - Make Something Curve Around your filler fruit, you want to form some curving lines. I like using orange or kiwi slices. You could also use peach slices and form them into a curve.
Step 3 - Something for Height Bunches of grapes are my favorite option. Before piling them up, cut them into bunches with a scissors in amounts for one person. Piles of cherries are also great for height. The top of a pineapple sliced in half is an easy option too.
Step 4 - Finish with Berries Berries add beautiful color and bring everything together. Make piles of different kinds of berries, or add them in between 2 piles of filler fruit. Run them along a curve or just sprinkle them here and there. Strawberries can be left whole with the stems, or sliced in half or quartered.
Step 5 - Garnish Not really necessary but kinda fun! Mint leaves, pomegranate seeds, or edible flowers look beautiful. A kiwi or small papaya cut around in a zig zag and pulled apart also looks nice. A little squeeze of lemon juice can also keep your fruit fresh longer and adds a little flavor enhancement.
Tips
- Make Ahead Instructions - Fresh fruit tray arrangements should be made the day of if possible. However, you can cut up a pineapple or melon and store in an air tight container up to two days in advance. This will make it easy to quickly assemble the fruit tray the day you plan to serve it.
- Storage and Leftover Fruit - It is best to prepare a fruit tray the day you are going to serve it, cover it with plastic wrap and store it in the fridge. Leftover fruit can be stored in the fridge and eaten in the next day or two, or frozen and added to aSmoothie Bucket.
- Avoid Bananas, Apples and Pears on a cut fruit platter because they brown quickly. If you do use them, slice and add them just before serving.
- Kid-Friendly Cut Fruit Platter - If making a fruit tray especially for kids, I like to go heavy on the easy to eat foods they love! Watermelon wedges with the rind on for easy holding, little cutie oranges that they can grab and go, and lots of yummy grapes and berries! This makes a great addition to a birthday party and adds a little nutrition to balance the cake and ice cream!
Recipe FAQ's
How to Cut Kiwi Fruit?
To cut a kiwi, first cut of each end with a sharp pairing knife. Then stand it on end and use the knife to cut the peel off in small arcs. From top to bottom, try to cut just inside the peel to remove as little of the green flesh as possible. Cut off any small parts of the peel you may have missed. When your kiwi is peeled, either cut it in round sliced or chopped pieces. To make a zig zag kiwi garnish, keep the peel on the fruit. Using a sharp pairing knife make a zig zag cut pattern around the outside equator and inserting your knife just into the center. When you are all the way around, gently up it open to display the green inside.
How to Cut Cantaloupe?
Using a serrated bread knife, cut off each end of the melon. Then stand it on end and use the serrated knife to cut the peel off. Use an arc motion from top to bottom, try to cut just inside the peel to remove as little of the orange flesh as possible. Check and remove any bits of peel you may have missed. Slice through the middle of the cantaloupe from top to bottom and scoop out the seeds. A portion scoop or ice cream scoop works well, or use a regular spoon. Lay the two halves on your cutting board cut side down. Make cuts diagonally in a grid pattern, one direction and then the other. Making them diagonal helps to keep your melon from collapsing into the empty seed cavity while you are trying to cut it.
How to Cut a Pineapple without Waste?
Using a serrated bread knife, cut off each end of the pineapple. Stand it on end, and use the serrated knife to cut off the peel. Use an arc motion from top to bottom, try to cut just inside the peel to remove as little of the yellow flesh as possible. Check and remove any bits of peel you may have missed. Stand the pineapple on end and cut down through the center to form two halves. Then cut each piece in half again from end to end so you now have 4 long pieces. Lay the pieces on a cutting board so the right angle faces to the right. Next cut the core out of each piece. Where your right angle is, use your knife to cut a triangular strip from end to end to get rid of the core. Do this on each of the 4 pieces. Now cut each piece in half lengthwise and then dice it crosswise into bite sized pieces.
Brunch Menu Favorites to Add A Fruit Platter!
- Sausage and Spinach Quiche
- Easy Weekday Protein French Toast Bake
- Double Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
How to Make a Simple Fruit Platter
Meryl Downing
A Simple Fruit Platter is the perfect addition to any brunch menu. Learn to make beautiful fruit platters with these simple to follow, step-by-step instructions! Colorful, healthy and too pretty to eat!
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 15 mins
Total Time 15 mins
Course Breakfast, Sides
Cuisine American
Servings 6
Ingredients
- 2 cups melon or pineapple chopped
- 1 orange or kiwi sliced
- 2 cups grapes or cherries
- 1 to 2 cups berries or pomegranate seeds
Instructions
Start with a Filler Fruit -Make a pile or two toward the back of your platter with a filler fruit such as cantaloupe, honey dew melon, watermelon, or pineapple. This gives you a base to add to. If adding bowls of yogurt and granola to the platter, set the bowls out first (you can fill them later).
Make Something Curve -Around your filler fruit, add sliced oranges or kiwi in a curve shape.
Something for Height - Add large piles of grapes or cherries for some height. Grapes can be left on the stem but cut into bunches with a scissors in amounts for 1 person.
Finish with Berries -Make piles of berries here and there, the more colorful the better! You can also make lines of berries along your curves and in between the piles of different fruits.
Garnish - Not really necessary but kinda fun! Mint leaves, pomegranate seeds, and edible flowers are great! A kiwi or a small papaya cut around in a zig zag pattern and pulled apart also looks nice.
Notes
- Storage -It is best to prepare a fruit tray the day you are going to serve it, cover it with plastic wrap and store it in the fridge. Leftover fruit can be stored in the fridge and eaten in the next day or two, or frozen and added to a Smoothie Bucket
- Avoid bananas, apples and pears as they brown quickly, unless you want to add them just before serving.
Keyword Fresh Fruit Tray, Presentation fruit platter
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