How to Make a Fruit Charcuterie Board

For your next party, make a fresh fruit charcuterie board! This beautiful board is healthy and colorful, and includes an easy fruit dip recipe.

I have a lot of appetizer recipes on the site, but this one has to be the healthiest! A beautiful fruit charcuterie board is a great option when you need a healthier appetizer, and the best part? It’s easy to make!

I love to pair this beautiful fruit tray with some easy tortilla rollups and a light salad for easy entertaining! It’s the perfect appetizer for a large crowd and pairs so well with a crisp white wine.

And I want to be clear, I know full well that the term charcuterie typically refers to cured meat and its accompaniments. I love a good charcuterie board (in the traditional sense of meat and cheese), but I also love that we’ve adopted the concept for other types of food, because food is supposed to be fun.

I typically pair my fruit boards with the included creamy honey and yogurt dip, but it’s delicious paired with homemade Vanilla Pastry Cream, Chocolate Brownie Hummus or this Cheesecake Dip, too!

Frequently Asked Questions

How much fruit do I need per person?

I usually plan on 4-5 ounces of fruit per person.

What fruits should I use for this fruit platter?

Well, the short answer is, the best fruits to use are your favorite fruits! For me, that’s pretty much any ripe fruit, but I love mango and fresh berries. Using the rainbow as inspiration, here are some ideas:

• Red/Pink: Strawberries, cherries, raspberries, dragonfruit, pomegranate seeds, watermelon
• Orange: Orange segments or slices, dried apricots, mango
• Yellow: Pineapple, starfruit
• Green: Watermelon rind, green grapes, kiwi
• Blue: Blueberries
• Indigo/Violet: Blackberries. purple grapes

While you can use apples, they don’t always hold up that well. Make sure you douse the apple slices in lemon juice. It’s the best way to keep them from browning!

Ideas for Arranging Your Fruit Charcuterie Board:

• Arrange your fruit into concentric circles, with the dip in the middle.
• Place bunches of grapes and arrange the rest of the fruit in piles around the grapes
• Arrange your fruit into wavy ribbons or rivers across the board. This is a great way to arrange any charcuterie board (even a cheese platter) as a beginner
• Arrange in circles/piles of varying sizes and fill the gaps in with nuts or smaller berries
• Nestle small bowls on your board and fill them with nuts, dried fruits or berries
• You can always turn your board into a rainbow fruit charcuterie board by using fresh mozzarella pearls as the clouds! This is a fun way to serve fruit at a birthday party, too.

Want to learn how to make an epic cheese board? Check out these other posts: Meat and Cheese Charcuterie Board for 15 People | Grazing Table for 40 People

Ideas for Additions:

I kept this fruit board simple, but the sky is the limit! Here are a few ideas for different accompaniments to your fresh fruit:

• Add slices or cubes of angel food cake or pound cake
• Make it a dessert charcuterie board by adding sweets (chocolate truffles, chocolate covered pretzels, shortbread cookies,
• Add a variety of cheese. I like brie, camembert and goat cheese logs.
• Add garnish like edible flowers or fresh herbs.
• Use cookie cutters to cut shapes. I love making watermelon stars, they’re the star of the show!

How long is fresh fruit good at room temperature?

Once sliced, fruit should only sit at room temperature for about 2 hours. You can things a bit easier by preparing the fruit ahead of time and storing it in the refrigerator in an airtight container.