Colorful fruit pizza features a vibrant bounty of fruit atop a soft sugar cookie crust and thick, tangy cream cheese frosting. Choose your favorite fruits to customize this classic summertime dessert!
I originally published this recipe in 2014 and have since added new photos, a video tutorial, and more helpful success tips. I also made a few improvements to the recipe, which are reflected in the printable recipe below.
There’s just something so summery about a fruit pizza. Maybe it’s the bright, glossy colors… or the freshness of in-season fruits and berries… or the fact that it reminds me of a sunburst or a firework exploding in the sky. Out of our entire list of desserts for a BBQ cookout and 4th of July desserts, fruit pizza is usually the first one I recommend.
The combination of a soft, buttery sugar cookie crust with tangy-sweet cream cheese frosting and colorful fresh fruit is nostalgic AND irresistible!
Here’s Why You Need to Try This Fruit Pizza
- Completely from scratch dessert recipe, but easy!
- Tons of texture in each bite.
- Fun to make and decorate—a great one for kids to help.
- Endlessly customizable with various fruits + berries.
- Easy to slice and serve.
- It’s visually stunning without the need for any special decorating tools or skills.
- Slightly updated recipe is better than ever!
One reader, Sarah, commented: “I made a double batch for my niece’s graduation party. I’ve never had so many raves reviews for a dessert before! I did one with your frosting recipe here and one with your strawberry buttercream. Thanks for another winner—I’ve followed you for ages and you’ve never steered me wrong! ★★★★★“
Another reader, Severina, commented: “THIS WAS AMAZING!! My daughter turned 2 and isn’t the biggest fan of cake. She adores fresh fruit, so I figured what better than a fruit pizza in place of a birthday cake. It was a huge hit among the family and, most importantly, the birthday girl!! This recipe was super simple and turned out perfect. I will be making this fun summery recipe every chance I get! ★★★★★“
This recipe was good before, but I knew it could be even better.
8 Ingredient Sugar Cookie Crust
No pizza dough or pie crust needed today! This fruit pizza’s sugar cookie crust is soft in the center with a slightly crisp edge. It’s like a thicker, larger version of classic sugar cookies. And it’s really easy.
You’ll use familiar sugar cookie ingredients: flour, sugar, butter, egg, vanilla, baking powder, and salt; plus, we’re adding cornstarch to make the cookie crust extra soft. This recipe used to call for baking soda in the cookie dough, but it really wasn’t necessary or useful, so we’re using just baking powder now. You can read about the differences on this Baking Powder vs Baking Soda page.
Success Tip: Chill the Dough for Just 20 Minutes
The easy dough comes together with a mixer. It’s quite sticky and soft because there’s so little flour, so chill it in the refrigerator for 20 minutes before pressing onto your pan. We want the sugar cookie crust to spread some in the oven, but not so much that it escapes the pan! The crust holds its shape much better if the dough is slightly cold. Then use your fingers to press the dough onto the pizza pan, shaping it into a 9–10-inch circle. (A 12-inch pizza pan works perfectly. Just make sure you aren’t using a pizza crisper pan with the little holes/air vents in it.)
Sugar Cookie Crust FAQs
- Could I use another cookie dough for the crust? Yes! You could change things up and make a chocolate chip cookie pizza as an alternative to the sugar cookie crust. I think this would be delicious with frosting + strawberries or raspberries on top. Maybe a little drizzle of melted chocolate, too? Why not!
- Can I make this without a pizza pan? Yes, you can press this crust into a 9–10-inch circle or square on a regular baking sheet or press into a 9×13-inch baking pan. You can also double the recipe for a giant 12×17-inch fruit pizza. See recipe Note.
4 Ingredient Cream Cheese Frosting
We’re using a scaled-down version of this cream cheese frosting for the pizza “sauce.” It’s smooth, creamy, and spreads with ease. You need 4 ingredients including cream cheese, butter, confectioners’ sugar, and vanilla extract. Use brick-style cream cheese, not the cream cheese spread in a tub.
In the previous version of this recipe, the frosting was extremely sweet and yielded A LOT. I reduced the confectioners’ sugar from 2 cups down to 1 and 1/4 cups, and I also slightly reduced the butter. I kept the same amount of cream cheese and vanilla extract. The result is a less-cloyingly sweet frosting with just the right amount of tang to balance out the sweet crust and fruit. You could add a bit of lemon juice for a little extra zing!
Pastry cream would also be a fantastic alternative to the cream cheese frosting—as would my strawberry buttercream frosting. A wonderful pop of color and flavor!
Best Fruits for Fruit Pizza
I especially like to use:
- apples, nectarines or peaches (brush with a little lemon juice to prevent from browning)
- grapes (2 colors to choose from!)
- kiwi
- plums
- cantaloupe
- mangoes
- oranges (or canned mandarin slices, drained)
- pineapple
- fresh berries like blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries
Fruits to avoid: I recommend steering clear of watermelon on fruit pizza because the water content can make the pizza soggy. Banana slices are fine to use, but they brown quickly, so brush them with a little lemon juice and serve the fruit pizza right away.
Whatever fruit you use, make sure to cut it into thin, bite-size pieces. When you slice the pizza, smaller pieces of fruit hold up better and are easier to serve (and eat). Small fruits like blueberries and raspberries are great choices because you don’t have to slice or peel them. It’s a prep-work shortcut you can always appreciate in recipes like blueberry pie.
Now Let’s Decorate!
The crust + frosting is your blank canvas, and now you get to make edible artwork! Decorate your fruit pizza in colorful patterns, get creative with elaborate designs, or simply just pile the fruit on top. You can really let your—or your child’s—creativity shine.
I usually make rings with the fruits, so that when the pizza is cut, each slice contains some of each fruit. If you’re in the USA, you could use strawberries and blueberries on top of the white frosting for festive holidays like Memorial Day, 4th of July, and Labor Day.
Here are a few more fun fruit pizza design ideas:
- Make a rainbow pizza with a stripe of each color made up of 7 different fruits. You could even tint the frosting blue with gel food coloring, and add fluffy marshmallow clouds!
- Make a sunburst design using all yellow and orange fruits.
- Create a funny face or a favorite animal—a colorful butterfly would be fun to design!
- Use small cookie cutters to cut shapes out of some of the larger, sturdier fruits, like apples, cantaloupe, papaya, or kiwi. Or simply slice up some star fruit—nature’s done the shaping for you!
More Favorite Summer Desserts
- Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches & Ice Cream Cake
- No-Bake Cheesecake (and mini no-bake cheesecakes)
- Strawberry Cream Cheese Pie
- Berry Cobbler or Berry Galette
- No-Bake Greek Yogurt Fruit Tart
- Strawberry Shortcake Cake
- Triple Berry Pie
See Your Fruit Pizzas!
Many readers tried this recipe as part of a baking challenge!
Print
Fruit Pizza
- Prep Time: 1 hour, 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours
- Yield: serves 10-12
- Category: Cake
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Colorful fruit pizza features a vibrant bounty of fruit atop a soft sugar cookie crust and thick, tangy cream cheese frosting. Choose your favorite fruits to customize this classic summertime dessert!
Ingredients
Sugar Cookie Crust
- 1 and 1/2 cups (188g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Topping
- 8 ounces (226g) full-fat brick cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 3 Tablespoons (43g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 and 1/4 cups (150g) confectioners’ sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 3 cups (about 400g) assorted sliced fresh fruit
Instructions
- Make the crust: Whisk the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl.
- In a large bowl using a handheld mixer or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar together on medium-high speed until combined and creamy, about 3 minutes. (Here’s a helpful tutorial if you need guidance on how to cream butter and sugar.) Beat in the egg and vanilla. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and beat on low speed until combined. Once completely combined, cover the dough tightly and chill in the refrigerator for 20 minutes and up to 1 day. (Let dough sit out at room temperature for 20-30 minutes if chilling longer than a couple hours because the dough will be quite stiff and flattening onto pan will be difficult.)
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease a 12-inch pizza pan with nonstick spray (even if it’s a nonstick pan). Remove chilled cookie dough from the refrigerator and press onto the pizza pan in a 9–10-inch circle, about 1/3-inch thick. Bake for 17–19 minutes or until the edges are very lightly browned. Avoid over-baking. Cool crust completely before decorating.
- Make the frosting: In a medium bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat the cream cheese and butter together on medium speed until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add the confectioners’ sugar and vanilla. Beat for 1 minute or until creamy and combined. Yields 1 and 1/2 cups (about 390g) frosting. Spread a thick layer over the cooled sugar cookie crust. Decorate with fruit.
- Cut into slices and serve. Leftovers keep well in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Notes
- Make Ahead Instructions: Prepare the cookie crust and frosting 1 day in advance—cover each tightly and keep the cookie at room temperature and the frosting in the refrigerator. Frost and assemble the day of serving.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Glass Mixing Bowl | Whisk | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Nonstick Pizza Pan or Baking Sheet | Icing Spatula
- Pizza Pan: Make sure you aren’t using a pizza crisper pan with the little holes/air vents in it. The pizza pan I use is this nonstick pizza pan.
- Can I make this without a pizza pan? Yes, you can press this crust into a 9–10-inch circle or square on a regular baking sheet or press into a very thin crust in a 9×13-inch baking pan. Bake time is about the same, usually a minute or two less if using a 9×13-inch pan. No need to chill the cookie dough if using a 9×13-inch pan.
- Can I make this in a half sheet/jelly roll pan? Yes, but double the crust, frosting, and fruit. Press crust into a greased 12×17-inch pan. About the same bake time. No need to chill the cookie dough if doubling and pressing into a 12×17-inch pan.
- Cornstarch: You can skip the cornstarch if you don’t have any. No need to replace with anything.
- Adding Flavor to Frosting: Feel free to add 2–3 teaspoons of fresh lemon or lime juice, plus the zest of either fruit. Alternatively, you could add 1/2 teaspoon of almond extract.
- Updated in 2022: The crust used to call for 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda (in addition to the baking powder in the recipe), but it wasn’t necessary so we no longer use it. Additionally, the frosting used to be extremely sweet and yielded a lot. I reduced the confectioners’ sugar down from 2 cups (240g) to 1 and 1/4 cups (150g). I also reduced the butter from 4 Tablespoons down to 3. The recipe above reflects these changes.
Reader Comments and Reviews
This is a terrific festive recipe. I have made these fruit pizzas in the past using a thickened vanilla pudding instead of the cream cheese frosting for the cream cheese haters in my family (crazy, I know!) I used instant pudding mix but used less milk than called for and substituted a non dairy whipped cream for some of the milk to thicken it up more. People are amazed by it even though it is really easy to make.
Sally, do you ever glaze the fruit on top of the pie?
Glad you enjoyed it! You could do a quick brush of glaze for presentation – we would use 2 Tablespoons orange or apricot preserves mixed with 1 Tablespoon water.
Would I have to make more dough if I baked this in a 9 inch tart pan? Thank you.
Hi Candice! You shouldn’t need more dough for a tart pan.
Excellent recipe and beautiful presentation! Sooo good and not one piece left from the July 4th party yesterday!
my cookie dough is finished and will chill overnight, but I’m concerned that it won’t work in the 16” round pan… Do you think this will be a problem (I could decrease baking time)?? If that isn’t ok, I might try these as individual cookies. hoping it goes well as I am planning to bring this to a 4th of July party tomorrow with red & blue fruits!
Hi Kristee! A 16 inch pan will be too large to fill with this amount of dough. You can form a 9-10 inch circle with the dough in the middle of the pan instead!
Simple and delicious! The decorating is the best part!
this came together really easily and would be a fun activity for young ones! i reduced the powdered sugar down to 120 grams and added some lemon powder and lemon oil – delish for a nice lemony flavor
I wanted to make this for our family party for 4th July, but didn’t want to use store made dough; perfect timing. Everybody loved it and wants me to make it again.! So easy to make and simple. I think the churn starch make the cookie silky, just delicious.
Easy and delicious recipe! Made the frosting with almond extract like suggested and it was great! Used strawberries and blueberries for Fourth of July making a star with the strawberries in the middle. Husband approved cookie pizza!
I loved this recipe – I used blackberries, blueberries, and strawberries and everyone loved it! I’m going to keep this recipe in my back pocket for sure!
Easy to follow and came out super good. I put our fresh picked strawberries to good use with this one. I used a cookie sheet and pressed the chilled dough into a 10″ circle and baked for 17 min. When I make it again (my chocolate-loving kid asked when I will make it again), I’ll take it out of the oven a little sooner. Thanks for the fun challenge!
This was an excellent recipe. I doubled the recipe and pressed it into a 12×18 pan. After it cooled and was frosted with the delicious cream cheese frosting, I decorated it as an American flag and served it at our fourth of July party. It went almost fast as it took to make it.
I will definitely make this again. So many possibilities.
This recipe is so yummy! Seriously the cookie is delicious and the frosting…wow Then top it with all that yummy fruit. It is beautiful and very impressive. My daughter-in-law said “you need to take a picture of that one!” So pretty. Thanks again Sally!!!
Yummy!!! My kids LOvED it and I didn’t even mind that they were eating so much fresh fruit I had cut up while decorating! I’m already planning on making again in a couple days!
I haven’t tried it yet, but this recipe was so much fun! I had a 12” cookie pizza pan, so I baked the dough in that, and it turned out great. The only thing is my butter wasn’t softened quite enough, so my frosting was a little wonky, but that was my own mistake. Thank you Sally and team for all of the wonderful recipes!
What a perfect refreshing summer dessert! Super easy to put together and tastes delicious. I went with a berry theme but look forward to making again and playing around with different types of fruit. I always love how detailed Sally’s recipes are. It makes baking out of my comfort zone so enjoyable!
My daughter loves this fruit pizza! Good for making for holidays too!
Question: Would the frosting taste just as good if I use goat cheese instead of cream cheese? Thank you. Love and use your recipes weekly!
Hi Margaret, goat cheese isn’t an ideal replacement for cream cheese. For an alternative to cream cheese frosting, you could top the pizza with whipped cream instead.
My mom made a wonderful fruit pizza like this when I was growing up. I remember that she put crushed pineapple in the “sauce”. Would this be doable in this recipe? Thanks for all of your wonderful recipes! I’m adding this one to my “want to make” file.
Hi Katie, I can’t see why not! You may want to reduce the confectioners’ sugar, though. Perhaps down to 3/4 cup (90g) or 1 cup (120g).
Was so good made it twice in one week.
Doubled the recipe, used salted butter and didn’t add salt to the cookie dough. Baked it in a cookie sheet because more is better than less. I took the cookie crust out of the oven when it was slightly brown on the edges only and lost the glossy look on top (I admit, I like my cookies to melt-in-your-mouth). The cream cheese spread is definitely my new favorite, and I’ve tried quite a few recipes. This was a fantastic recipe! A huge hit for Father’s Day.
Absolutely delightful! Despite chilling the crust, it still spread all the way to the end of my pizza pan, but the crust was so tasty!
I reduced the sugar in the frosting by 1:2 cup and still found it was sufficiently sweet. Will be making this again!
This was so amazing! It turned out very great and was delicious. It was for a party and everyone enjoyed the awesome fruit pizza.
Hi, Can I do this recipe¹without eggs. Pls reply how to do. Thanks. Amita
Hi Amita, we haven’t tested an egg-free version of this recipe, but let us know if you give anything a try. Here are all of our naturally egg-free recipes if you’re interested.
I made this about two years ago and saying we all loved it is an understatement. It’s positively scrumptious and light. Here I am planning on making it this weekend for a family weekend and I can not wait. It was so pretty and that crust and cream cheese topping sets it off.
This is such a great recipe! Our family loves it. I used a 14″ dark, nonstick pizza pan for my crust. It was quite thin to start with. I only needed to bake it at 325 for 7 minutes! It’s crazy how a few variables (the pan and the thickness) can make such a difference.
This has been my go-to fruit pizza recipe ever since my daughter’s 1st birthday 6 years ago! Thank you! It’s a family favorite.❤️
Hello sally say I’m baking this fruit pizza for a client it baked great your recipe was a hit but how do I get it out of the pizza pan to transfer it to a board so I can fill it
Hi James, you could use a piece of round parchment paper on the bottom which will help it easily release from the pan. Carefully flip it over and gently allow the cookie to come out. Or, you could bake it on a cookie sheet and use your rolling pin/hands to shape into a large round.
Am i able to make this 2 days ahead? Would I just cook the cookie crust and then store the icing separately in the refrigerator? If I make 2 days early how do I store the cooked cookie crust? Or am I able to make just the cookie dough ahead of time and store that in the refrigerator for 2 days?
Hi KC, for best freshness, we recommend only one day in advance but two days should be okay. You can leave the crust tightly covered (in plastic wrap) at room temperature, and store the frosting covered in the refrigerator.
Would it be better for me to just make the dough and icing and store it without baking the dough until the day of? If so how should I store the uncooked dough?
If I don’t have a pizza pan, what size pan would make a good substitute?
Thank you!
Hi KB, you can make in the quarter sheet pan, though we would 1.5x the dough to make sure it’s thick and sturdy corner to corner.
Okay, thank you for the reply!!
Hey Sally,
I made the cookie dough but it came out rather dry and cumblely, will it still bake up nicely or should I just start over??
Hi Mademe, how did you measure your flour? Be sure to spoon and level (or use weight measurement) to ensure the proper amount — otherwise, too much flour can dry out the dough and make it crumbly. You can try to bring the dough together with the warmth from your hands. Hope this helps!