These Grilled Fruit Kabobs are a fun and easy dessert, snack, or side fruit that fits into any summer menu!
They’re naturally sweet, beautifully caramelized, and easily customizable. Grilling fruit really brings out the sugars for an even sweeter, caramelized finish, and it’s one of the reasons why I also love my Grilled Peach Salad so much!
The colorful grilled fruit kabobs are the perfect sweet ending for a fun summer cookout! I love them served with vanilla yogurt and a honey drizzle with some fresh berries and mint.
Feel free to use any fruit you’d like. I go with a colorful combination of pineapple, honeydew melon, watermelon, and strawberries. These fruit kabobs are quick to assemble, can be prepped ahead, and are every bit as easy as my fruit salad with orange dressing.
I love making simple, naturally sweetened summer treats and refreshers! Two of my family’s favorites are homemade watermelon popsicles and this refreshing blackberry iced tea. Give these a try!
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Why I Love This Recipe
- Easy to prepare. Minimal prep required, and grilling these is fast.
- Fun and colorful. Kids and adults love these fun grilled fruit kabobs!
- So much flavor. The combination of sweetness and the light warm char is just so good.
- Simple yet elegant enough to impress! Served over a bed of vanilla yogurt with a drizzle of honey, fresh raspberries and mint.
Ingredient Notes
For these grilled fruit kabobs, you can use any fruit you have on hand! The key is assembling them in a nice alternating color pattern so they look extra pretty!
- Pineapple: Pineapple is my favorite fruit to grill. It brings out its natural sugars, caramelizing them for deeper sweetness.
- Watermelon: If you’ve never grilled watermelon, you’re missing out! It’s so good.
- Honeydew: Pick one that has a sweet aroma, feels heavy, and has a yellow-ish color. You can also use cantaloupe.
- Strawberries: Keep them whole and remove the green stem.
- Olive oil: To brush on the fruit skewers before grilling, but optional. This helps to prevent sticking.
- Vanilla yogurt: Or any fruity yogurt would be great too. Even plain yogurt is great since the fruit kabobs and honey are already sweet enough.
- Honey: Drizzled over the fruit for added sweetness and texture!
- Pinch of sea salt: This is optional, but a great way to enhance the flavor of the grilled fruit.
- Fresh raspberries and mint leaves for garnish!
Ingredient quantities are listed in the recipe card down below, as always.
How to Make Grilled Fruit Kabobs
Prepping for fruit kabobs takes just 15 minutes, and the rest is just grill time. Let’s make it!
Step 1: Preheat the grill to high heat. Soak about 8 long bamboo skewers for 15 minutes (prevents burning). Then assemble the cut up fruit in the skewers in alternating colors.
Step 2: Once all your skewers are assembled, brush with a very thin layer of olive oil to prevent sticking. Grill over high heat for 2-3 minutes per side until slightly caramelized grill marks form.
Step 3: On a large oval platter, spread a layer of your favorite yogurt and add a few drizzles of honey.
Step 4: Serve your grilled fruit kabobs on top of a bed of yogurt. Finish with more honey, fresh raspberries, a sprinkle of flaky sea salt, and fresh mint leaves for garnish.
Tips for Success
- Cut each piece of fruit into even sizes for better and more even grilling. I usually go for about 1.5 inch cubes.
- Use fresh fruit! Frozen fruit will get soggy, even if thawed.
- Use clean grill grates. Nobody wants burger-flavored fruit skewers!
- A sprinkle of flaky sea salt at the end adds the perfect flavor contrast to the sweet fruit. Highly recommended!
Make Ahead Tips
You can cut up your fruit and keep it stored in an airtight container for up to 2 days before you assemble. Pat them dry before assembling. I’d recommend choosing fruits that don’t turn brown when stored (apples would be a bad idea to cut up ahead).
Or you can assemble the skewers completely, cover in an airtight container and keep refrigerated overnight until you’re ready to go!
Fun Serving Ideas
These grilled fruit kabobs are amazing on their own, but there are also many fun ways to serve!
- Chocolate drizzle or dipped in chocolate! Just melt a few bars of semi-sweet chocolate.
- Caramel sauce can be drizzled over or served as a dip on the side.
- Balsamic glaze! A balsamic reduction would give it a sweet and tangy element.
- Fresh basil instead of fresh mint!
- Colorful sprinkles of your choice!
Recipe FAQs
I don’t recommend it. They will get soggy and watery. Freshly cut fruit is best to make grilled fruit kabobs.
About 15 minutes or so. This is to prevent them from burning on the grill.
About 1.5 inch chunks. The key is to keep them all about the same size for even grill marks.
Peaches, plums, kiwi and cantaloupe are great options!
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Grilled Fruit Kabobs
Equipment
- Grill pan if grilling indoors
Ingredients
- 3 cups cubed pineapple - 1.5-inch cubes
- 3 cups cubed watermelon - 1.5-inch cubes
- 3 cups cubed honeydew - 1.5-inch cubes
- 3 cups whole strawberries - stems removed
- Olive oil - for brushing
For plating and serving:
- 2 cups vanilla yogurt - or your favorite flavor
- Honey
- A pinch of sea salt
- ½ cup fresh raspberries
- Fresh mint leaves
Instructions
- Preheat grill to high heat. High heat ensures quick grill marks and exterior caramelization, without cooking the center.
- Soak 8 bamboo skewers for 15 minutes. This will prevent them from burning in the hot grill.
- Assemble the skewers: Arrange the cubed fruit in the skewers evenly, alternating each fruit for a colorful presentation.
- Grill: Brush the assembled fruit skewers with a very thin layer of olive oil. Grill about 2 minutes per side until slightly caramelized and grill marks form.
- Serve on top of a bed of vanilla yogurt. Finish with a few drizzles of honey and sprinkles of sea salt. Garnish with fresh raspberries and fresh mint leaves.
Notes
- Preheat your grill to high heat before grilling. This will get you nice grill marks quickly without cooking the center. You’re looking for a quick sear for caramelization.
- Use clean grill grates to prevent flavors from savory food from affecting the fruit.
- Soak your bamboo skewers in water for at least 15 minutes before grilling to prevent burning. Or you can use metal skewers too!
- Even size cutting: Cut fruit into uniform 1.5 inch chunks to ensure even grilling.
- Use fresh fruit only. Frozen fruit will turn mushy and won’t hold up on the grill.
- Prep ahead: Cut up the fruit 1-2 days ahead then assemble. Or assemble the skewers ahead. Pat dry before grilling.
- Fruit choice: Use your favorite summer fruits. Other fruits that hold up well to the grill are peaches, plums, nectarines, cantaloupe, and kiwi.
- Yogurt: Use your favorite kind! If you’d like, you can also serve it separately in a bowl.
Tania says
We love to use whatever fruit we have in the house. We assembled these ahead and grilled the next day.