This Fruit Charcuterie Board is a great idea for dinner parties and get-togethers all year long. Served with a side of cream cheese dip, or caramel sauce, it’s a beautiful and simple option that takes very little preparation and is easy to adapt. Your family and friends will love this easy charcuterie board idea!
It's perfect to make for the holiday, a fancy brunch or just a girls night in! Fruit boards are more than just a trendy way to display food, they are edible works of art!
And if you're looking for more fresh fruit recipes, be sure to try our Rainbow Fruit Kabobs and our Fresh Fruit Cake too.
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Easy Fruit Board Ideas
If you are looking for a fun, easy recipe to serve small bites to your guests, this Fruit Charcuterie Board is always a hit. It can double as an appetizer and dessert, is super simple to adapt, and is absolutely stunning. All it takes is ripe fruit, a serving platter, and your favorite fruit dip.
In this post, we’ve given you the recipe for a whipped cream cheese dip, but you can feel free to serve it with plain whipped cream, cream cheese fruit dip, or caramel sauce. Another option is to skip the dip altogether and serve with soft cheeses, dried fruits, and Candied Nuts. Whatever floats your boat!
This fruit board is perfect for breakfast, brunch, bridal showers, baby showers, or even an appetizer for your holiday meal. It can be made ahead of time and there's something for everyone on it. The possibilities are endless when it comes to creating this fruti charcuterie masterpiece.
Fruit Tray Ideas
The number one rule when choosing items for any fruit charcuterie boards or fruit tray is to pick fruits that are ripe. If they are also in season, even better!
During the spring or summer months, consider using juicy berries like strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries, fruit that adds a burst of color and sweetness. In the fall, apples and pears bring a crispy, earthy texture to your fruit board. In the winter, go crazy with different critrus fruits like oranges, grapefruits, and pomegranites.
It's also helpful to pair fruits in complementry flavors. Mixing and matching fruits that balance sweetness, tartness and textures can help create a delicious board. For example, strawberries and kiwi are a fun contrast and tropical fruits like pineapple, and mango can create a vibrant combo too.
Sometimes, however, that isn’t possible so just be sure and pick what tastes good. Here are a few of our favorite fresh fruits to use:
- Pineapple
- Red and green apples, just about any will do, soak in lemon water to prevent them from browning.
- Berries, strawberries, raspberries, blueberries
- Oranges, tangerines, blood oranges, kamquats
- Kiwi
- Grapes, red or green
- Mangoes
- Melons (watermelon, cantalope, honeydew)
- Pears
- Persimmon
- Pomegranate
Preparation and Presentation
When it comes to cutting fruits for your charcuterie board, uniformity is key. I especially love to use mini cookie cutters to make shapes out of the more sturdy fruits like mangos and pineapple.
More cute ideas are slicing strawberries thinly or into halves, dicing melons into bite-sized cubes, and segmenting citrus fruits neatly. Consistent shapes and sizes not only make the board visually appealing but also make it easier to grab and enjoy.
Artistic Arrangement
Start by placing larger fruits like melon slices or bigger pineapple chunks as anchor points, then fill in the gaps with smaller fruits like berries or grapes. I like to create an initial shape on the board and then go from there. You can start by making an S-shape or triangle shape out of sliced melon or something large. Then I like to add the bowls to the fruit dip (you can add the actual dip later) and then add large sections of fruit arround the dip bowls and shape of the watermelon.
Adding some mini fruit kabobs are fun too. Play with symmetry or asymmetry and color, depending on the look you're going for. Mixing and matching different fruits can create a beautiful contrast that is pleasing to the eye. A well-balanced board not only looks good but also invites guests to dig in and enjoy the delicious fruits you've prepared.
Dips and Sauces
If you’re having a dinner party and want to add more than fruit for the charcuterie board, feel free to add your favorite dips and sauces. I like to add a couple but you can add as many as you'd like!
Some of our go-to dips and sauces for dipping fruit are a Caramel Sauce, Fresh Whipped Cream, Lemon Cheesecake Dip, or a Chocolate Sauce.
Some other options are Nut Butters, Cookie Butter, Nutella, Pepper Jelly, or Buckeye Dip.
Adding Nuts and Cheese
You can also add meat, cheese, and dried fruit garnishes. You can serve this as more of an appetizer than a dessert. Some ideas include:
- Dried fruit (cranberries, apricots, cherries)
- Soft cheeses (brie, goat cheese, blue cheese)
- Hard cheeses (Parmesan, cheddar, gouda)
- Cured meat (prosciutto, salami, pepperoni)
- Toasted nuts (almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, pecans, candied pecans)
- Small candies
- Candied Citrus
Ingredients in Fruit Dip for Charcuterie Board
- Fruit - use any and as many fresh fruits as you would like. We’ve given you a large list that you can choose from above. Choose fruits that are in season and perfectly ripe for the most delicious results.
- Whipping Cream - make sure your whipping cream is nice and cold to hold its form.
- Cream Cheese - you’ll need the cream cheese to be soft so you can either pull it out at room temperature for a couple of hours prior to using or put into a microwave safe dish and heat for about 10 seconds at a time until soft.
- Vanilla Extract - pure vanilla extract tastes best.
- Powdered Sugar - we like to use powdered sugar as opposed to white granulated sugar because it keeps the dip incredibly creamy. You can substitute regular sugar but it will have a bit of grit to it.
How to Make a Fruit Charcuterie Board
- Prepare the cream cheese dip and any other dip you want to include.
- Make the cream cheese dip. Add the room temperature cream cheese, vanilla extract, and cream in the same mixer bowl using the paddle attachment until the cream cheese is light and fluffy - about 3 minutes. Add the powdered sugar and mix well until completely combined. Fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture using a rubber spatula until no streaks remain. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.
- Prep fruit. Wash, cut and display all the fruits you want to use, saving any brown quickly for the very last minute.
- Serve. Transfer the dips to a serving dish and serve with your favorite cookies, crackers, pretzels and more. Enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions
Make sure and only cut fruits ahead of time that won’t turn brown quickly. Place them on a platter, or store on a tray covered tightly with plastic wrap, and keep in the fridge overnight. Hold off on cutting fruits that brown quickly, like apples and bananas, until just before serving.
While you can buy serving trays labeled as charcuterie boards, just about any large, flat serving tray or plate will work. You can even use a cutting board or cheese platter.
You can make the cream cheese dip up to 24 hours in advance and store it in an airtight container in the fridge. Most fruits can be sliced, covered, and stored in the fridge up to 24 hours in advance as well. Make sure to cut fruits that brown quickly just before serving.
More Fruit Charcuterie Boards Ideas and Tips
- If you have any leftover fruit and dip, cover tightly with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
- Add Sweetened Coconut or a bowl of nuts to your charcuterie board.
- Make small charcuterie boards for a small group by just making them on small serving plates or cutting boards, you could also serve them in small clear cups for a party or gathering.
- This is a great fruit idea for a party.
- Prepare the fruits that don't brown ahead of time so you can easily assemble the fruit tray when you're ready.
- For Fruits that turn brown (such as apples or pears), add them to a bowl of cold water with a couple of tablespoons of lemon juice to prevent them from browning. Pat dry just before adding them to the fruit try.
- Add a couple layers of dry paper towels to the bottom of your fruit try before adding the fruit. This will help keep the fruit from being soggy.
Fruit Charcuterie Board Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 lb Fresh Fruit including berries, pineapples, grapes, oranges, kiwi and more
- 1 Cup Whipping Cream
- 8 oz Cream Cheese room temperature
- ½ teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 1 ½ Cups Powdered Sugar
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the whipping cream and whip on high speed using the whisk attachment until soft peaks form. Transfer to another large bowl and set aside.
- In the same mixer bowl, add the room temperature cream cheese and vanilla extract and cream using the paddle attachment until the cream cheese is light and fluffy - about 3 minutes. Add the powdered sugar and mix well until completely combined.
- Using a rubber spatula, fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture until no streaks remain. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.
- Wash and cut fruit as desired. Arrange on a serving platter and serve with the cream cheese dip, cookies or crackers. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Here are more of our favorite recipes using fresh fruits:
- Winter Fruit Salad
- Classic Fruit Salad
- Fruit Pizza
- Brownie Bites
- Berry Salad with Citrus Glaze
- More Appetizer Recipes
- More Dessert Recipes
If you are looking for a fun, easy recipe to serve to your guests, this Fruit Charcuterie Board is always a major hit. It's a beautiful, simple option that takes little preparation and is easy to adapt.
Annalea
what is the chocolate looking dip please? Also, what is the fruit sliced that looks like an orange?
Jill Baird
The dark dip is a caramel dip (here's the recipe, https://thecarefreekitchen.com/homemade-caramel-sauce/) and the fruit sliced like an orange is a tangerine.
Maura
I would have never have thought to add sprinkles to the dip! What an easy way to brighten up the whole board!! TY!
Jill Baird
I know, so fun, right? Sprinkles make everything better!
Kim
This was so good. I'm such a fruit fanatic and prefer this type of charcuterie board over meat heavy ones. Nice to have healthy options
Jill Baird
I love the fruit ones too! Thanks for your reply, Kim!
Jennifer
My boards always look like such a mess! Thanks for the great tips!
Deborah Brooks
I love a great board idea! Using fruit is a fun way to mix it up
Jill Baird
Thanks, Deborah! It's such an easy appetizer or dessert idea.
Liz
My girlfriends loved this! I made it for book club and it was a huge hit!!
Jill Baird
Hooray! So glad everyone loved it! Thanks for letting me know, Liz!