Festive Fruit Centerpiece

Edible Arrangements has nothing on this girl here, y'all. I have been making and gifting fruit bouquets and centerpieces for a few years now and it is such a special way to dress up an event or make someone feel appreciated. People always love them! I thought this would be a great time to share a simple tutorial on how to make one for your Christmas get-together. There are so many options to choose from as far as shape, size, and the type of fruit to use. I created a massive Christmas tree shaped one for a Ring Dunk (Aggie tradition) a couple of years back and we almost didn't want to eat it, it was so pretty! Here's a picture of it. Just please don't judge me on the photo quality!

With one of these, you will have a [temporary] décor piece and appetizer in one. It's a fun way to add a healthy eating option to the mix at your own party or a potluck. I toted the one you'll see me make below to a gathering a couple of weeks ago and it was a big hit. I also took cookies and gingerbread along with it because I didn't want to be "that girl who just brought fruit". 🙂 The components to create a fruit centerpiece are simpler than you might think and if you catch a sale and/or use a coupon (like I always do), cheaper than you might think as well! Last but not least, these make great host or holiday gifts.

Festive Fruit Centerpiece Supplies:

• Fresh Fruit: Berries, grapes, pineapple, and melon work really well for this project. I've also used chocolate-covered fruit before and the result is so mouthwatering. It took about 4 pounds of fruit to cover the piece I made here, which is about two feet tall.
• Foam Base: I usually purchase these at Michael's or Hobby Lobby for 50-70% off depending on the active sale or coupons.
• Toothpicks
• Head of lettuce (optional): I sometimes cover the base in lettuce leaves to help the piece look more full. It's completely aesthetic and a bit wasteful, so I prefer to fill up the piece with fruit that will get eaten instead! You can see some lettuce peeking out near the base of the centerpiece above.
• Decorative Ribbon (optional)

How to Make a Festive Fruit Centerpiece

Step One: Gather your components. Be sure to work on a large flat surface.

Step Two: Clean the base. I leave the plastic on the foam to keep fragments from getting everywhere and onto the fruit, and I clean it with vinegar or warm, soapy water then wipe it down and dry before using it. Since food will be eaten from here, I treat it like a dish.

Step Three: Add toothpicks. I use a lot of toothpicks and space them randomly but pretty close together. Use caution with the toothpicks to avoid sticking yourself with one!

Step Four: Add fruit. Add a piece of fruit to each toothpick in whatever pattern or order you desire. Green grapes and strawberries were a default Christmas color scheme choice here. Continue being careful when adding the fruit to the toothpicks.

Step Five: Fill in. There will likely be "holes" where the base peeks through, so you'll need to add additional toothpicks here and there then fill them with fruit.

Step Six: Decorate! You can add ribbon or other items of your choosing to finish it off.

I hope this festive fruit centerpiece tutorial is helpful. Let me know below if you have made or eaten an edible centerpiece before. Thanks for reading!

P.S. more festive Christmas ideas:

• DIY wine cork garland
• Candy Cane Cookies
• Gingerbread Donuts
• Holiday Home Tour