Start a new holiday tradition with a beautiful and fresh Fruit Christmas Tree! Perfect for parties, a dessert table centerpiece, or a healthy treat for Santa.
“I made this yesterday and it looked so pretty as a centerpiece! It was gobbled up by young and old! I will be making it every year now!”
If you’re tapped out on holiday treats and cookies, you’re going to love my fresh Fruit Christmas Tree!
This fun and easy, no-bake holiday project is super fun to build with your kiddos or grandkids just because, though it also makes a gorgeous and festive centerpiece for a holiday party or dinner table.
Watch How to Make It
Parents, if you’re searching for things your kids can do while on winter break, say hello to at least an hour’s worth of activity between picking out, prepping, and popping fresh fruit onto toothpicks stuck in a fresh pineapple and pear base.
Of course it could go a lot quicker than that – I assembled this here Fruit Christmas Tree from start to finish in about 30 minutes – but this is a project you can stretch out and feel great about letting little ones devour the finished product.
This has become an annual tradition for my family over the past decade and, as much as we love baking Christmas cookies together, it feels great to have a healthier project to tackle together during the month of December too!
How to Make a Fruit Christmas Tree
Start with a ripe pineapple. The best way to tell if a pineapple is ripe is to pull out one of the fronds on top – if you can pluck it out easily, it’s ripe!
Slice the top and bottom off, then cut a small slice off the top.
Insert a star cookie cutter into the thin slice, which will become the tree topper. If you don’t have a star cookie cutter, use a small, sharp knife to slice out a star shape.
Set the star aside then slice a little off the sides of the pineapple to create a cone shape.
Next take a bamboo skewer and push it through the center of the pineapple. This is why having a ripe pineapple is important. If it’s underripe it’ll be hard to get the skewer pushed through the core. Next, spike a slightly underripe pear onto the skewer leaving the end uncovered – that’s what you’ll stick the star onto at the end!
Tree trimming time! You can use whatever fruit you love or have on hand, but I use an assortment including clementines, kiwi with the skin left on so they don’t slide off the tree, strawberries, blackberries, and red and green grapes.
Raspberries, blueberries, or chopped cantaloupe work great too!
Start placing toothpicks into the “tree” at a slight angle then add the fruit, breaking the toothpicks if necessary.
Recipe Tip
I find it best to place the bigger fruits first – strawberries, orange slices, kiwis, etc. – then fill in the gaps with small fruit like grapes and blackberries.
Keep going until the tree is completely filled up – have FUN with it!!
Stick the star topper on the skewer, then serve. Talk about merry and bright!
Big or little, young (just maybe not too young!) or old, this edible Fruit Christmas Tree is going to knock everyone’s socks off. Healthy and so, so beautiful. Enjoy starting a new tradition this year!
Ingredients
- 1 ripe pineapple
- 1 pear, a little underripe works best
- 2 clementines, peeled and segments separated
- 3 kiwi, ends trimmed then chopped into sixths with skin left on
- 8 oz strawberries, stems removed
- 6 oz blackberries
- 1-1/2 cups red grapes
- 1-1/2 cups green grapes
- 1 bamboo skewer
- toothpicks
Directions
- Slice top and bottom off pineapple then cut a thin slice from the top. Press a star-shaped cookie cutter into the center of the thin slice then set star aside. Slice a little off the sides of the pineapple at an angle to create a cone shape. Push the bamboo skewer through the center, then skewer the pear on top, leaving the top of the skewer uncovered (you’ll skewer the star on top at the end.)
- Place pineapple onto a serving tray then insert toothpicks around pineapple and pear at a slight angle, breaking a little off if necessary, then add fruit. I found it easier to place most of the bigger fruit first then fill in with the smaller fruit like grapes. Add the pineapple star to the top of the skewer then serve.
Notes
- You can make the Fruit Christmas Tree several hours ahead of time but keep covered with Glad Press ‘n’ Seal or Saran Wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Use whatever fruit you like – blueberries and/or raspberries would also be fine to use!
Nutrition
Nutritional values are estimates only. Please read our full nutrition information disclaimer.
What would you recommend as a base for people allergic to pineapple?
Hi Susan! I think you could build a triangle/pyramid using all pears.
Any ideas on how I can make mini versions for each kid this holiday season? Mainly, what would be a good base? A pear?
Yes I think that’s perfect!
fantastic loved it and i will try for sure next christmas alot nice
Why having a ripe pineapple is important. If it’s underripe it’ll be hard to get the skewer pushed through the core. u are tapped out on sugar and Christmas cookies, enter these final few weeks of the holidays on a fresh and healthy note by building a Fruit Christmas Tree with your kids.
Someone is using ur pict and claim it as their own.
Would it be ok to make the night before if it is kept in the refrigerator?
That should be ok! I would wrap it with plastic wrap to keep the oranges and cut fruit from drying out!