Healthy Fruit Pizza is a great summer dessert and makes a perfect dessert for Memorial Day , 4th of July or any special occasion. Use any fruit you wish! You can sprinkle the fruit all around or do interesting designs by alternating various fruit patterns – blueberry, raspberry, etc. Be creative! When you alternate fruit pieces around the cookie crust, it looks very professional, even if you aren’t an artist – which I’m not. I promise, yours will turn out just as beautifully!
A reader recipe makeover request
This recipe was requested in my private Gourmet Done Skinny group as a recipe makeover. While doing research I found one fruit pizza recipe that was over 500 calories per slice. While my recipe is still quite high, it is definitely lightened up at 215 calories per slice. I adapted my original recipe from my cookbook, Amy’s Favorites – it’s a recipe I’ve had for a long time.
My Healthier Fruit Pizza:
This Healthier Fruit Pizza has been “healthified” or lightened up in this way:
- used my own sugar cookie dough crust (instead of the Pillsbury Sugar Cookie dough) with no preservatives, not processed
- substituted some of the flour for oatmeal flour (made with your food processor (paid link) and oatmeal)
- reduced the amount of sugar in the crust and the cream cheese spread
- used 1/3 less fat cream cheese instead of full fat cream cheese
- skipped the glaze – if you don’t use bananas, apples or fruits that brown you don’t need it anyway – the Pillsbury Sugar Cookie Fruit Pizza uses apple jelly.
- skipped the butter in the cream cheese spread, the fruit is the star of the show, you don’t need it!
- made the portions smaller to cut additional calories and points
Other ways to make it healthier
There are a few ways you could make it healthier for sure. Use an oat crust, use yogurt instead of cream cheese, honey instead of sugar. But because it was a reader request, I wanted to stick to the original version as much as possible without changing the taste.
I love lightening recipes but when it comes to dessert, it’s hard to make them low calorie without really skimping on taste. Thus the reason you won’t see many low calorie dessert recipes on my website – especially not my cheesecake recipe -that’s worth splurging on. It really is the best cheesecake ever!
My motto is always, “I’d rather have a small slice of heaven than a whole lot of yuck.” We’re allowed our indulges every now and then and sometimes when you stray too far from the original recipe, you end up disappointed -thus the reason I kept the sugar cookie dough crust for this recipe. Instead of store bought, I did create my own sugar cookie dough for this recipe using flour and oatmeal crust. I’m not a big fan of processed food so I try to use as little as possible. Of course you could always use a store bought sugar cookie dough. It will work fine, it’s just not as healthy but definitely easier.
Another way to decrease calories would be to just make the cookies, bake them, cool, spread the cream cheese and decorate each cookie with fruit. That is certainly an easy way to do it and it’s all portioned out. But again, I wanted to keep the fruit pizza concept with slices for my dear reader.
Other Healthier Fruit Pizzas
There are quite a few Weight Watcher Fruit Pizza recipes out there but most of them have no crust, or use non fat Cool Whip or yogurt. While technically those are more healthy, it’s not what my reader or I had in mind. While my recipe isn’t the healthiest it is much better than the original recipe. And I still stick to my motto, “I’d rather have a tiny slice of heaven, than a whole lot of yuck!”
How to Make Healthier Fruit Pizza in pictures:
I’ve substituted some of the all purpose flour for oatmeal to make the crust a bit healthier. To make the oatmeal flour, grind up oatmeal in your food processor (paid link).
In a small bowl, mix together the flour, oatmeal flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
In a medium bowl or mixer, cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Add in egg and vanilla. Gradually add in dry ingredients. Chill dough for about 15 min.
Press dough in a nonstick pizza pan (paid link) and bake in a preheated 375° oven 10-12 minutes. Cookie crust will be slightly brown.
Using an electric mixer, combine the cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla and lemon until creamy. Add a few tablespoons of milk if the spreading consistency doesn’t seem right.
Spread cream cheese mixture on the cooled cookie crust. While you’re washing the fruit, place the pizza in the refrigerator to chill for a bit to allow the spread to set up a bit.
Start on the outside of the circle and alternate fruit pieces all around. Then do the next circle inside, each time alternating fruit. In this example: strawberry, blackberry, strawberry all around the outside, then kiwi,blueberry, kiwi blueberry,etc. Continue with various fruit.
You don’t need to be an artist to have your fruit pizza turn out beautifully! Everyone can make a gorgeous fruit pizza!
This is best served the same day. Leftovers taste great but they don’t always look as pretty as the fruit bleeds. To make it up ahead of time, bake the cookie crust, make the cream cheese spread and then put it together the day you serve it.
Healthier Fruit Pizza
Ingredients
- The Base see note at bottom
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1/3 cup old fashioned oats - grind in food processor
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Cream Cheese Spread:
- 1 8 oz pkg of light cream cheese softened
- 1/3 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Fruit Layer:
- various fruit - blueberries raspberries, blackberries, kiwi, grapes, strawberries, mandarin orange segments(avoid apple, banana or fruits that will brown) Be sure to wash and drain the fruit very well, even pat it dry with paper towels so it doesn't "bleed" on the cream cheese spread.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°.
- In a small bowl, mix together the flour, oatmeal flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
- In a medium bowl or mixer, cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Add in egg and vanilla. Gradually add in dry ingredients.
- Chill dough for about 15 minutes.
- Spray a 12 inch pizza pan with cooking spray or use a nonstick pizza pan. Place dough on a pizza pan and press into a circle. No need to roll! If dough seems too sticky, use a little flour or powdered sugar on your hands.
- Bake for about 10-12 minutes, just a hint of browning. I tend to like my crust on the softer side. Allow it to cool completely.
To Make the Cream Cheese Spread:
- Using an electric mixer, combine the cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla and lemon until creamy. Add a few tablespoons of milk if the spreading consistency doesn't seem right.
- Spread cream cheese mixture on the cooled cookie crust.
- While you're washing the fruit, place the pizza in the refrigerator to chill for a bit to allow the spread to set up a bit.
To Decorate:
- Start on the outside of the circle and alternate fruit pieces all around. Then do the next circle inside, each time alternating fruit Example: blueberry, grape, blueberry all around the outside, then mandarin orange segment, raspberry, mandarin orange segment, etc. Continue with various fruit.
- Cover with plastic wrap and store in refrigerator until ready to eat. Cut into pizza slices and serve. Fruit pizza is best served the day you make it.
Can’t wait to try this one!
I was craving this treat that my mom used to make us, but was horrified by the number of calories in a small slice for most of the sugar cookie crust options. This recipe is exactly what I was searching for and is amazing! Thank you!
Thank you for sharing! I’m so glad!!