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A sugar-cookie crust, cream cheese topping, and fresh fruit make this fruit pizza a fun and delicious dessert to make for any occasion.
I hadn’t thought about fruit pizza in years before this summer. But once Stephie and I started talking about it a few months ago, I couldn’t stop thinking about it.
I mean, what’s better than a big ol’ sugar cookie paired with a cream-cheese topping and fresh fruit?
If I had to make a list of Best Summer Desserts, this would be at the top. But honestly, it’s amazing any time of year!
And since it can be cut into big or small pieces, you can really feed a crowd with this one.
Don’t let summer wrap up without making this fruit pizza. Trust me, you’re gonna love it!
What is fruit pizza?
If you somehow made it through your friends’ high school graduation parties without having fruit pizza, lemme fill you in on this fan favorite.
Fruit pizza has a thick and chewy sugar-cookie crust that gets topped with a tangy cream cheese mixture. The whole thing gets finished with sliced fresh fruit before slicing and serving it.
Since it features fresh fruit and is served cold, it’s a great summer dessert. But you can totally make it any time of year by changing up the fruit you use based on season.
You can even theme the fruit you use based on the occasion! Use a mixture of strawberries and blueberries for July 4th or Memorial Day. Use a rainbow of fruit for birthdays or Pride celebrations. Or simply use whatever fruit you like best!
My friends and family absolutely rave about this recipe, and I feel confident yours will too.
How to make my fruit pizza
If you love making my chocolate chip cookie cake or sugar cookie bars, this recipe is just as simple to make.
Ingredients you’ll need
Fruit pizza starts with a big chewy sugar cookie base. For the cookie crust, you will need:
- 1 cup room-temperature unsalted butter
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Make sure the butter is softened to room temperature before you start baking. If you forget to set it out ahead of time, check out my tips for how to soften butter quickly.
You’ll also want to make sure you know how to measure flour correctly. Getting this step right will help your cookie crust to come out perfect every time.
The cream of tartar creates a softer and chewier sugar cookie crust layer. You’ll be familiar with this ingredient if you’ve made snickerdoodle cookies.
If you do not have cream of tartar, or choose not to use it, please note that the crust texture may be slightly crunchier.
Next up is the filling, which is based on my cream cheese fruit dip. You’ll need:
- 8 ounces room-temperature cream cheese
- ⅓ cup powdered sugar
- 1 (7-ounce) container marshmallow fluff
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 ounces thawed whipped topping (Cool Whip or TruWhip)
For the smoothest filling, the cream cheese should be at room temperature. Check out my post on how to soften cream cheese for some tips on this.
If you’re out of powdered sugar, don’t panic. You can make a simple powdered sugar substitute to use in this recipe.
For the topping, you will need about 3 cups of fresh sliced fruit. Some of my favorite fruits to use include:
- Berries (strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries)
- Sweet cherries
- Kiwi
- Pineapple
- Peaches
- Nectarines
- Grapes
Small fruits, such as blueberries, can be left whole. Medium-sized fruits, such as grapes, cherries, and blackberries, can be halved. Slice larger fruits into bite-size pieces.
Making this recipe
To make the cookie crust, start by creaming the butter and sugar together with a mixer until light and fluffy. This will take at least 3 minutes.
Add the eggs and the vanilla; mix for 1 more minute, until well combined.
In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients until just combined. The dough will be sticky.
Press the cookie dough into a 10×15-inch jelly roll pan. If your pan is nonstick, you can skip greasing it. If it is not, I recommend lining it with a layer of parchment paper before adding the cookie dough.
Bake the crust at 350°F for about 15 minutes, or until light golden and set. Let the crust cool completely; the center may deflate as it cools.
Once the crust has cooled, make the filling by beating the cream cheese and powdered sugar with a mixer until smooth. Use a spatula to fold in the marshmallow fluff, then the vanilla and whipped topping.
Spread the topping over the crust. You can add as much or as little as you like—the rest can be used as a fruit dip if you don’t want to add it all to the pizza.
Cover and refrigerate the pizza for at least 2 hours. Arrange the fresh fruit on top of the pizza just before serving.
Storage tips
Store leftover fruit pizza in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Note that the crust will soften slightly due to the moisture in the toppings, but it will still taste good.
I don’t recommend freezing leftover fruit pizza.
Make-ahead tips
If you want to prep the components of the recipe ahead of time, here is what I suggest:
- Make the sugar cookie base. Cool completely, then wrap the entire pan in plastic wrap. Store at room temperature for 2-3 days, or add a layer of foil and freeze for up to 1 month.
- Make the cream cheese filling 2-3 days ahead of time. Store it in an airtight container until you’re ready to use it. Let it come to room temperature before adding it to the crust.
- Slice the fruit up to 12 hours ahead of time. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Frequently asked questions
Just like when you make mini fruit tarts, I suggest using fresh fruit for this recipe. Stay away from frozen fruit; the texture after thawing won’t be right for topping the pizza.
The two canned fruits that could work pretty well would be mandarin oranges and pineapple tidbits. Make sure to drain them really well. I’d even blot them with some paper towel to dry them off a bit before using them.If you want to use bananas, pears, apples, or other fruits that oxidize, toss them with a bit of lemon juice before adding them to the fruit pizza.
If you don’t like using whipped topping or marshmallow fluff, I suggest swapping the listed topping for cream cheese frosting instead. The texture won’t be as light and fluffy and the flavor will be tangier, but it will still work great.
For the sugar cookie crust:
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Preheat oven to 350°F.
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In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat butter and granulated sugar for 3 minutes on medium speed. Add in eggs and vanilla and beat for an additional minute.
1 cup unsalted butter, 2 cups granulated sugar, 2 large eggs, 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
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In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and mix until just combined.
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour, 1 ½ teaspoons cream of tartar, 1 teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
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Evenly spread the sugar cookie crust into the bottom of a 10×15-inch nonstick jelly roll pan.
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Bake crust in preheated oven for 13-15 minutes or until it reaches a very light golden color. The sides of the dough may puff up a bit, this will create a slight “crust” around the edges of the pan and will deflate a bit as it cools. Cool the crust completely.
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In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat cream cheese and powdered sugar until smooth. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the marshmallow fluff, followed by the vanilla and whipped topping.
8 ounces cream cheese, ⅓ cup powdered sugar, 1 jar marshmallow fluff, ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract, 4 ounces whipped topping
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Refrigerate the fruit pizza for 2 hours. Before serving, top with a variety of fresh fruit such as sliced strawberries, blueberries, kiwi, pineapple, etc. and cut into slices.
3 cups fresh fruit
The cream of tartar creates a softer and chewier sugar cookie crust layer. If you do not have cream of tartar, or choose not to use it, please note that the crust texture may be slightly crunchier.
