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Surprise your friends and family with this adorable Turkey Fruit Platter at your next Thanksgiving get-together or party.
Simple to prepare, it makes for a crowd-pleasing appetizer, snack, or dessert, and is a creative way to sneak extra nutrients into your day.
Classic comfort foods like creamy mashed potatoes are always a staple on my holiday table. However, I also like to include some unique options like my kids Thanksgiving snacks, easy Thanksgiving turkey appetizers, and this turkey fruit platter. Not only does it add a festive touch, but it’s also a great way to add extra color and flavor to any meal and makes for a great snack to keep guests satisfied until dinner.
With pear and white chocolate drumsticks, kiwi pilgrims, blackberry acorns, cantaloupe leaves, and pear and kiwi turkeys, there’s something for every taste. Plus, the ingredients are easy to mix and match, so feel free to use your favorite fruits or whatever you have on hand!
Recipe Tip
Serve this showstopping Thanksgiving fruit tray as a delicious snack or as a light dessert after dinner.
Turkey Fruit Platter Ingredients
Please be sure to scroll down to the recipe card below for the complete details!
- Fruits: Pears, cantaloupe, blackberries, red apple, mango, and kiwi.
- Veggies: Yellow pepper and carrots.
- White chocolate: For the kiwi pilgrims hat, the drumsticks, and to top the acorns. Use any white chocolate that melts well.
- Other ingredients: Hazelnuts (for the drumstick ends), sprinkles, and candy eyeballs.
How to Make a Fruit Turkey Platter
- Drumsticks: Slice the stem off a pear. Melt white chocolate and top it onto a pretzel stick. Place the stick on parchment. Cover two hazelnuts with melted chocolate and arrange them to each side of the stick. Allow to set and then insert into the pear. Top with candy eyes and a curved sprinkle for the mouth.
- Kiwi pilgrims: Halve a kiwi lengthwise. Cut out the shape of a hat. Use a toothpick to apply a white chocolate hat band. Top with a small piece of mango. Add candy eyes and a sprinkle mouth.
- Kiwi turkeys: Peel and halve a kiwi. Cut out turkey feathers using carrots and a flower cookie cutter. Attach with toothpicks. Add a yellow pepper beak, apple peel wattle, and candy eyes.
- Pear turkeys: Halve the pear, cut out carrot and yellow pepper discs with a round cookie cutter. Attach to the top of the pear with toothpick ends. Shape the turkey’s beak and feet with carrot. Top with an apple skin wattle and candy eyes.
- Blackberry acorns: Dip the acorns twice into melted white chocolate and top with a sprinkle.
- Cantaloupe leaves: Slice the melon and cut out the leaves with a cookie cutter.
Tips for Success
- Be sure to dry off the fruit with a paper towel before topping with candy eyes (so they don’t melt due to the moisture).
- Do alert your guests to the toothpicks.
- Use a rimmed platter when serving so everything stays put!
- You can use edible glue or melted chocolate to stick on the candy eyes.
Recipe Tip
To avoid using toothpicks, shape the turkey feathers with melted white chocolate and sprinkles instead. Pipe the feathers onto parchment paper, and top with the kiwi or pear halves (dry them off first). Allow to set.
How to Store Leftovers
Keep your leftovers in airtight containers in the fridge. Enjoy within 1 day.
FAQs
Yes, just shape everything by hand. It will still look super cute.
Yes, you can make it a few hours in advance, cover in plastic wrap, and store in the fridge. Wait to top with candy eyes and sprinkles until you are ready to serve.
Spoon Greek yogurt into a small bowl. Add vanilla paste and honey to taste to make a delicious 3-ingredient dip. Melted dark chocolate would also be tasty.
Sprinkle with lemon juice.
Absolutely! Add half a pear to the center of a round platter to make the turkey’s body. Top with candy eyes and a mango beak. Surround the pear with an assortment of fruits to make the colorful feathers. Choose between blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, pomegranate seeds, raspberries, red grapes, green grapes, bananas, pineapple, apple slices, and melon pieces. There’s no wrong way here!
More Thanksgiving Recipes
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Turkey Fruit Platter
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 pears
- 2 slices cantaloupe
- 9 blackberries
- 3 pretzels, sticks
- 1 apple, red (you need the peel)
- 1 pepper, yellow
- 1 slice mango
- 4 kiwis
- 1 carrot, small
- 26 candy eyes
- 100 grams white chocolate
- 6 hazelnuts
- 7 curved sprinkles
- 6 sprinkles, round
Instructions
Drumsticks
- Trim the bottom stalk off the pear.
- Make a hole with a metal straw where the stalk used to be.
- Melt the white chocolate.
- Once the chocolate has melted, insert the pretzel stick and make sure it’s covered in chocolate.
- Remove the stick using a fork and shake off the excess chocolate.
- Place the stick on parchment paper.
- Dip the round sprinkles or hazelnuts into the chocolate, and place them on the bottom of the pretzel stick, one on each side.
- Allow to harden.
- Once set, insert the stick into the bottom of the pear.
- Top with candy eyes and the curved sprinkle for the mouth. (you can use edible glue or some of the melted white chocolate to make it all stick).
Kiwi Pilgrims
- Halve a kiwi lengthwise.
- Use a knife to cut the outline of the hat.
- Melt the white chocolate.
- Using a toothpick, trace the hat band with the chocolate.
- Top with a thin piece of mango, shaped as a rectangle (be sure to dab it dry with a piece of kitchen towel, so it will stick properly to the white chocolate).
- Add candy eyes and a sprinkle mouth.
Kiwi Turkeys
- Peel the kiwi (I use a vegetable peeler), then cut it in half.
- Use the flower cutter to make the carrot feathers. Secure with toothpicks.
- Cut apple peel into a teardrop shape for the wattle (the red bit under the beak).
- Make a triangle out of yellow pepper for the beak.
- Assemble the turkey and top it with candy eyes.
Pear Turkeys
- Halve the pear.
- Use the round cutter to make carrot and yellow pepper ‘feathers’. Secure with toothpicks.
- Make the feet using a small flower cookie cutter. Trim off the bottom with the round cutter.
- Cut a triangle out of the carrot for the beak.
- Make the wattle out of apple peel.
- Assemble the turkey and top it with candy eyes. You can secure the feet, beak and eyes using edible glue or melted white chocolate.
Blackberry Acorns
- Dip blackberries in melted white chocolate. Allow to set and dip again.
- Top with a sprinkle.
Cantaloupe Leaves
- Slice the cantaloupe thinly.
- Use a leaf cutter to shape the leaves.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
