Rainbow Fruit Kabobs

Sometimes all it takes to get kids excited about eating fruits and veggies is a little bit of fun presentation! But what parent has time to devote hours to styling their kid’s food? No worries, these rainbow fruit kabobs are a perfect, FAST way to make the fruit in your kid’s lunchbox fun. They come together in just seconds and look amazingly bright and inviting.

They are a perfect addition for a St. Patrick’s Day lunch, Pride month lunch, or just any day that could use a little bit of rainbow fun! They also work great as a brunch addition or birthday party snack. Let us show you how to make these. 

What fruit is best for rainbow fruit kabobs?

Any fruit that can be cut into bite-size pieces will work, but the absolute easiest fruits to include are:

• Berries and grapes that don’t need to be cut.
• Fruits that don’t brown and oxidize.

Fruits like blueberries, blackberries, grapes, and clementine slices are especially simple—thread them on the skewers and go! But if you have lemon juice or Ball Fruit Fresh, you can really use any fruit and protect them from browning. Here are some of our favorites for each color of the rainbow:

• Red: Strawberries, raspberries, red grapes, watermelon
• Orange: Clementines, mandarin oranges, cantaloupe melon
• Yellow: Pineapple, banana, peaches
• Green: Green grapes, kiwi, honeydew melon
• Blue/Purple: Blackberries, blueberries, purple grapes

What kind of skewer or stick do I need?

Any small skewer will work—4-inch or 6-inch typically fit best in a lunch box. Bamboo, metal, and plastic skewers (also look for swizzle sticks) will all work—although we’d recommend going with duller options (like plastic) for younger kids for obvious reasons.

Talk to me about this yogurt dip!

We like to pack these rainbow fruit skewers with vanilla yogurt for dipping. We like the U-Konserve condiment cups or the LunchBots Leakproof Rounds for packing liquid-y items like yogurt. The lids are secure, and keep yogurt from leaking all over the rest of the lunch box. We have a slight preference for the LunchBots containers for young kids because the lids are easier for little fingers to take off without help. 

Can you make fruit kebabs the night before?

You can, although cut fruit will lose a bit of its color and texture sitting in the fridge overnight. The flavors also might meld a bit depending on the fruit you use (which gives it a great fruit salad taste). If it doesn’t bother your kids, it’s perfectly safe to eat!

How do you keep fruit kabobs from turning brown?

Some fruits will oxidize and turn brown once they are cut—these fruits are generally still safe to eat, but browned fruit is definitely not as aesthetically pleasing or delicious. Luckily, acid can put a stop to the oxidation process. Toss these fruits in a diluted lemon juice bath or treat them with Ball Fruit Fresh before threading them on the skewers to keep your rainbow fruit skewers bright and colorful.

Fruits that will need this treatment include apples, bananas, pears, peaches, plums, and pineapple.

How far in advance can I make fruit kabobs?

We prefer to make these fruit kabobs right before serving (or right before packing in a lunch in the morning), but you can get away with prepping them the night before if the slight change in texture, color, and combining of flavors isn’t an issue for your family.

Want more school lunch ideas?

• Almond Flour Banana Muffins
• Italian Pinwheels
• Fruit on the Bottom Yogurts