How to Make a Fresh and Fulfilling Fruit Pizza with Lemon Glaze

Looking for a beautiful summer dessert that is easy but also will delight your guests? This fruit pizza recipe with lemon glaze is your answer!

Everyone loves pizza. It is such an easy way to feed a crowd! We all love a good savory meat, cheese, and veggie version of this classic meal, but did you know that the convenience and fun of pizza can be expanded to include dessert?

In this post I’m sharing a beautiful and delicious fruit pizza recipe that is easy to make using fresh fruit, a cream cheese layer, and a soft sugar cookie crust. You can really let your creativity shine through with this treat! It’s versatile and you can make it fit your color scheme for any party or special occasion.

I’m sharing everything you need and giving step by step instructions to creating your one-of-a kind dessert that will earn you so many compliments at your next gathering. 

Let’s begin!

Ingredients to make a fruit pizza recipe with lemon glaze

Cookie Pizza Crust:

• 12″ tin-foil pizza tray
• Cooking spray or butter 
• Pillsbury Sugar Cookie Dough (1 1/2 rolls)

Cream Cheese Layer (think pizza sauce!):

• 1 16 oz package softened cream cheese
• Silicone brush
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Fruit Layer:

These are just suggestions based on my preferences. Be creative! The amount and type of fruit you choose will depend entirely on you!

For example, maybe you want a fourth of July fruit pizza, in which case blueberries and strawberries are your best bet.

For Valentine’s Day, raspberries would be a good choice. 

If you are simply serving a fun dessert pizza for a Sunday afternoon, a starburst pattern of all different colors and types of fruit might be the way to go!

For my last pizza, I used:

• 2 cups raspberries
• 2 cups blueberries

Lemon Glaze:

• Silicone brush
• Juice of 4 lemons
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 1/4 cup water
• Silicone brush for applying the glaze 

Instructions:

• Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
• Next, spray the pizza tray with cooking spray or grease it with butter. 
• Store-bought sugar cookie dough is the trick to making this step really easy! Break the cookie dough into pieces to make it easier to handle, and press it all onto the pizza tray in an even layer ending about a 1/2 inch away from the edge of the pan.
• Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes until the cookie dough no longer looks glossy but hasn’t yet started to brown.
• While the crust cools, make your cream cheese layer! 
• Mix the cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla together until it is well blended, either by hand or in a stand mixer. Then, spread it over the entire cookie dough crust. 
• This is the fun part! Arrange the fruit of your choice on top of the cream cheese mixture. 

• Once your fruit pattern is complete, start your glaze. 
• Put the sugar, lemon juice, cornstarch, and water into a small saucepan and bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat to create your citrus glaze.

• Cook for 1-2 minutes or until it starts to thicken.
• Allow the glaze to cool slightly for 1-2 minutes.
• While it’s still warm, use your brush to spread the glaze lightly over the surface of your fruit. Once the glaze dries it will add a shiny, finished look to your pizza.

FAQ for Fruit Pizza Recipe with Glaze

Why is my glaze lumpy and opaque instead of smooth and clear? 

I had this problem the first time I made this recipe. The problem was that I let the glaze cool too much before spreading it over the fruit. The second time I made this fruit pizza, I put the glaze on top when it was still very warm (not room temperature), and I had no problem with it. 

What if we don’t like the flavor of lemons? 

Don’t like lemon? No problem! There are many other options for glaze, this is just my personal favorite. I made a heart-shaped fruit pizza for Valentine’s Day one year (using strawberries and raspberries as my fruit, of course!), and I made an apricot glaze for it that you could try if lemons aren’t your thing:

• ½ cup apricot jam
• 1 tbsp water (or Grand Marnier or other liqueur if you are in the mood!)

Just heat the ingredients together until the jam is melted, strain out the seeds or lumps, and glaze your fruit while it’s still warm. 

You could also substitute red currant jam if you wanted a red glaze, and so on. Just be creative! 

What if I don’t own a silicone brush for glazing? 

While I do suggest buying one of these inexpensive and versatile brushes for use in glazing desserts or even brushing sauce over your favorite meats on the barbecue, you do have options if there isn’t one in your kitchen right now.

• If you have a small paintbrush that is BRAND NEW and still in packaging (i.e., never been used), that is a great option.
• You can also use a spoon to drizzle your glaze over the pizza, and then use a slightly wadded up paper towel to pat and spread it. 

How long does a fruit pizza keep? 

This treat is meant to be enjoyed as soon as possible after being put together! Even if left overnight to eat the next day, the crust gets soggy, and it just isn’t as nice. I strongly recommend eating it all the same day. Fortunately, this fruit pizza is light and flavorful, and you shouldn’t have too much trouble convincing your guests to go for a second piece before leaving the party.

What fruits go well on pizza? 

Fruit choice is totally up to you! Suggestions for a variety of fruit that I think work well for gorgeous color patterns and textures include: 

• Blueberries 
• Raspberries 
• Peaches 
• Mango slices 
• Mandarin oranges
• Fresh strawberries 
• Blackberries 
• Kiwi slices 
• Grapes
• Banana slices 

As you can see, the sky is really the limit here! Almost any type of cut fruit or berry works well for this easy fruit pizza. 

What is the difference between a fruit tart and a fruit pizza? 

While these desserts are similar, they are not quite the same. They have similar ingredients on top of the crust, although tarts tend to focus on one fruit at a time rather than a patterned mixture. The presentation is also a bit different.

A fruit pizza’s crust is thin, flat, and pizza-like, while a tart is baked in a tart pan so that it has some depth and looks more like a pie.

One of the major differences is the crust itself. Most fruit tarts have a traditional crust that needs to be rolled out, making them a bit more work than our cookie dough fruit pizza base. 

How do you keep bananas from turning brown on fruit pizza? 

Bananas can be tricky when presentation matters. We all know that a little bit of brown doesn’t affect a banana’s health benefits or taste, but when the point of your dessert is to look pretty you don’t want brown banana slices in with the beautiful strawberries.

The easiest solution is to toss your banana slices in a bit of lemon juice or pineapple juice before adding them to your pizza surface, making sure to coat all sides. The acid will stop the browning. 

 

There you have it, the perfect basic recipe for a fresh and fulfilling fruit pizza with glaze that you can really make your own with fruit and glaze preferences! This light and beautiful treat is the best summer dessert and a great recipe for incorporating your favorite fruits. And it even travels nicely to a friend’s house if you are on dessert duty for a potluck. Tag me with your fruit pizza pics @jodie.thedesigntwins, I would love to see what fruits and pattern you chose! 

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