Easy no chill sugar cookie dough, fluffy cream cheese topping, and piles of fresh fruit toppings make this Fruit Pizza a smash hit for any occasion.
I think Fruit Pizza might be magic food. It is beautiful and whimsical and insanely delicious. I mean you are taking a sugar cookie, frosting it with a really good cream cheese frosting and then loading it up with lovely fresh fruit so yes – DELICIOUS. If unicorns existed they would probably eat fruit pizza every day. (Not that I’m saying unicorns don’t exist – really I have no proof either way!)
How Make The BEST Fruit Pizza WITHOUT a Mix
A lot of fruit pizza recipes call for a sugar cookie mix but there are no mixes on the market that taste like a yummy homemade sugar cookie. And of course if the cookie is not amazing the pizza is not amazing.
I did some experimenting and converted my simple no chill sugar cookie recipe and it makes an excellent crust. The flavor is to die for and slathering it with the cream cheese sauce just sends me to my happy “unicorns are real” place.
The process is really easy!
- Bake cookie.
- Frost.
- Top with fruit.
- Eat, eat another slice, and maybe eat another slice!
The Best Toppings for Fruit Pizza
Fruit pizza is one of those recipes perfect for riffing! Springtime? Bring on the strawberries! Stone fruit is in season? Peaches and plums it is! Fall? Apples, pears and a drizzle of easy caramel sauce!
These are our favorite toppings:
- berries: strawberries (sliced or halved) raspberries, blackberries, blueberries
- cherries (halved and pits removed)
- pomegranate arils
- kiwi and golden kiwi
- grapes (halved)
- pineapple (slices, chunks or rings!)
- oranges, mandarins, tangerines, grapefruit sections
- peaches (sliced), nectarines (sliced) and apricots (halved), plums (halved or sliced)
- mango
- apples and pears thinly sliced (dip in lemon water to limit browning)
- bananas (sliced) – add these right before serving as they brown quickly
- dragonfruit (exotic but fun)
- any canned fruit
I will also note you don’t usually see melons on fruit pizza. It is one of the few fruits that I don’t think goes well with the cream cheese and sugar cookie aesthetic.
Reasons to Make Fruit Pizza
If the picture isn’t enough to convince you….
- Festive holiday dessert!
- Great kid project!
- Colorful and easily themed to the season with different fruits and designs.
- Easy to serve in fun slices.
How to Make Fruit Pizza Ahead of Time
Fruit pizza is simple to prepare but if you are making it for a holiday like Easter it is nice to be able to prep ahead of time. I don’t recommend making the entire fruit pizza the day before because it does get soggy and less fresh over time.
However, you can bake the crust the day before and then frost it and top it the day of.
Tools For The Best Fruit Pizza
You can make a great fruit pizza with the tools you already have in your kitchen. I bake a lot so I like using an off set frosting spatula like this one to spread the cream cheese mixture unto the crust. If you do a lot of baking consider investing in one of these.
I also use a 12″ pizza pan like this to bake the sugar cookie crust. USA Bakeware makes wonderful high quality pans. However, you could also use a different shape of baking dish.
Using a Fruit Pizza Glaze
Fruit pizza doesn’t need a glaze. It is delicious and beautiful without one. But if you enjoy that lovely glazed shine by all means glaze away! And a glaze will help prevent browning if you are using fruits like apples and bananas that brown quickly.
To make a fruit pizza glaze take a half cup of your favorite seedless jam or jelly and microwave it for a few seconds until it is thin and runny. Brush the jam over the fruit with a pastry brush for a lovely, shiny glaze! The best jellies for glaze are apricot and apple. I also think raspberry is wonderful if you have seedless or strain the seeds out but it will be a dark red glaze – better for berry fruit pizzas.
More Fresh Fruit Desserts
- Fresh Peach Bread With Peach Glaze
- Easy berry Chantilly Cake
- Easy Huckleberry Cheesecake (no bake)
- Easy Fruit Tarts in Mason Jars
Homemade Fruit Pizza
Ingredients
To Make The Crust
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 cup granulated white sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon genuine vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
To Make The Topping
- 8 oz cream cheese softened (don’t use low fat)
- 1/2 cup salted butter softened
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1-2 Tablespoons milk 2% or whole is best
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- assorted fresh fruit to top
Instructions
To Make The Crust
- Preheat the oven to 350 F.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer use the paddle attachment to beat the butter and sugar together at medium-high speed for 1 minute.
- On medium speed, beat in the egg, vanilla, almond extract, baking powder and salt.
- Measure the flour correctly (see note) and add to the mixer 1 cup at a time, beating until combined after each addition.
- Don't chill the dough!!! Press into a 12” circle in a pizza pan or on a cookie sheet.
- Bake at 350 F for 15-18 minutes until the edges are baked and set / top is set but nothing is quite starting to brown. Don’t overcook or your crust will be hard. If baking in a pizza pan the crust may rise a bit over the edges while baking. In my pan it settles back over baking leaving a nice puffed edge.
- Let the crust cool on the counter for 10-15 minutes and then refrigerate to cool the rest of the way if you are in a hurry.
To Make The Topping
- Combine the cream cheese and butter in the bowl of a stand mixer. Use the whip attachment medium-high to mix for 30 seconds. Add the Powdered sugar, 1 Tbsp. milk, vanilla and lemon juice. Beat on low until incorporated and scrape sides. If needed add the additional 1 Tbsp. of milk.
- Beat mixture on high for 3 more minutes until it is nice and creamy.
- Spread the cream cheese topping over the cool crust.
- Top with your favorite fruits in the pattern of your choice. Refrigerate leftovers. Depending on your fruit the leftovers may not last more than 1-2 days.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer
MirlandrasKitchen.com is written to share great recipes. While we do our best to provide nutritional information as a general guideline, we are not registered dietitians and the values provided here should be considered estimates – not exact scientific data.
I read each and every comment and I try to respond to questions asap, so ask away! If you’ve made a recipe, I would love to hear about it! Please come back and share your experience and give the recipe a 5-star rating so other people will know how much you loved it!
This recipe was originally published in 2017. It was updated in 2021 for content.
Marsha Devers says
Can this recipe be doubled with same measurements? Also fruit was used in your picture.?
Thank you
Mirlandra says
Yes, you can double the recipe and use two pans to bake the two different crusts. I have the larger size Kitchen Aid so the dough would fit in my mixer. If you have the standard size I am not sure if a double batch of dough will fit or not. The dough can be mixed with a wooden spoon too if you prefer. You can use any kind of fruit you like. I used blackberries, raspberries, pomegranates, kiwi, blueberries and strawberries.
Gentle Joy Homemaker says
The idea is really good…. but your presentation of the finished product is a work of art! Beautiful! 🙂
Dyany says
I love no-chill dough and the other fruit pizza crusts I’ve tried spread so much that they spill over the edge no matter what I tried…yours stayed perfectly in place, so I love that! The only struggle I’m having (I’m not quite done with the entire recipe) is that I’m struggling to tell when the crust is done. The only clue you give is that it’s ‘set,’ but I’m used to that being a term with cakes and such meaning that it doesn’t ‘jiggle’ anymore, which this never did because the crust is so thick already. I cooked it nearly 17 minutes and I’m afraid to cook it longer as my oven doesn’t usually do well if I cook things the maximum amount of time. The cookie is shiny and still rather soft, but I also know it will set up some as it cools, so right now I’m just hoping because if I cook it more it will ruin it, but if it’s not cooked enough it’s ruined, too.
Mirlandra says
Hi Dyany – I’m SO glad it worked out well in the end! It can be really hard sometimes to figure a recipe out with your pan, your oven, your weather – all sorts of factors! It sounds like you totally nailed it! Congrats 🙂 Also, I wonder if your oven is running hot or hot in some places? I occasionally put an oven thermometer (just a few dollars in the grocery store usually) in when I’m cooking in different places just to check and make sure my oven is the right temperature. I have a friend who lives in a rental and she always had stuff overdone in her oven so finally we tested it and found out it was really hot and nowhere near the temperature she was setting it for. Once we knew she was able to adjust the temperature and it baked more accurately. The oven should be replaced but rentals being what they are this at least gave her an easy fix for now. Good luck!
Dyany says
Figured it out. We had to add almost 10 minutes to the time (2-3 minutes at a time so it was hard to tell, but I think the total was near 28 minutes) but I’m sure it was because we were using a pizza stone. And it was perfect! Icing was perfect (though next time I’ll use less) and cookie was perfect. Yum!
Krista says
Would this recipe amount work in a 9×13 pan?
Mirlandra says
Sorry for the delay in getting back to you. I just had a baby and I’m trying to get caught up on comments now 🙂 Yes, I think it would work well in a 9×13! Happy baking 🙂
Brigitte says
What are the red small dots on the fruit pizza?
Mirlandra says
Pomegranate! They look like little rubies to me and I think they make it so pretty! And the flavor is wonderful 🙂
Grae says
Do you have to use almond extract?
Mirlandra says
Nope! I think it really adds to the flavor of the sugar cookie but it is personal preference! Vanilla would also be quite tasty.
Sebrina says
If you make crust the night before, how should I store the pizza crust till the next morning when I add everything else?
Mirlandra says
Just wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and leave it on the counter or in the fridge. Either is fine 🙂 Enjoy!