Rainbow Fruit Tray

Ingredients and Supplies

You need an assortment of fresh fruits in all (or most) colors of the rainbow, a sweet dip and serving bowl for the pot of gold, mini vanilla cupcakes to use as clouds, and gold chocolate coins. To fill up the board, I also add a "sun"- a yellow bowl of rainbow goldfish.

This rainbow fruit tray uses these types of fruits:

• Raspberries
• Mandarin oranges
• Mango
• Green grapes
• Blueberries

Of course you are not limited to these and can use your favorite fruits in a rainbow of colors depending on seasonal availability and preference.

More Fruit Ideas

Red: strawberries, watermelon slices, cherries, red grapes

Orange: cantaloupe, peaches, clementines and other types of oranges, kumquats

Yellow: bananas, pineapples, mango, golden kiwi

Green: green kiwi, green apples, honeydew

Blue/Indigo: blackberries

Purple: purple grapes

How Much Fruit Do You Need Per Person?

This depends on a few factors, such as the duration of the gathering and the ages of the guests. Let's assume the guests are kids- if you're serving the fruit tray as a snack, plan for around ½ cup of fruit per child. If it's one of the only items on the menu, plan for about 1 cup of fruit each. It's always a good idea to have some extra fruit on hand in case you want to fill the board up again.

How To Keep Fruit From Browning

Because fruits turn brown when their enzymes come into contact with oxygen, you want to lessen the amount of time fruit is exposed to air to keep it from browning. Some ways to do this are:

• Store in an airtight container: this reduces the amount of oxygen that comes in contact with the fruit, slowing down the browning process.
• Cover the fruit: if you don't have an airtight container, you can also cover the fruit tightly with plastic wrap to prevent air exposure.
• Keep it chilled: fruits like berries and grapes can be stored in the refrigerator to keep them fresh and prevent browning.

How To Make A Rainbow Fruit Tray

1. First, wash the fruit, dry it, and cut large fruits into slices.
2. Arrange the bowl for the "pot of gold" on the board first, in the bottom corner. On the adjacent corner, add a few vanilla cupcakes, where the rainbow of fruit will end. Place the bowl for the sun in one of the top corners.
3. Arrange the rainbow of fruit between the pot of gold and cupcakes. Start at the bottom with the purple fruit and work your way up.
4. Fill in any gaps with gold chocolate coins and more cupcakes.

Then serve and enjoy!

Tips For Making A Rainbow Fruit Platter

Make the best of a your rainbow fruit platter by keeping these things in mind:

• Gather and prepare all of the ingredients first to save time.
• Invest in a few good wooden charcuterie boards in various shapes and sizes if you plan to create snack boards often.
• Consider the ages of guests and make sure foods are appropriate (such as avoiding choking hazards like grapes for young kids).
• Decide on the dip you'll use first and choose fruits that go well with it.
• Avoid foods that can cause allergic reactions, such as nuts.