This red, white, and blue fruit pizza is just 3 kinds of berries, a package of sugar cookie dough, cream cheese, sugar and vanilla—a patriotic dessert that is easy enough for the beginner but still wows at the table. The cream cheese frosting sets just enough to slice cleanly but the cookie base is still tender at the center.
See below for steps and tips to help you get just the right memorable red, white, and blue design.
Steps + Photos to make this recipe for Red, White, and Blue Fruit Pizza
WANT TO SAVE THIS?
Don't lose this! Enter your email and we'll send it instantly.
Step 1: Take the cream cheese out of the fridge to soften and come to room temp. For some ideas for making this happen faster, check out our FAQ. Also remove the chub of sugar cookie dough and leave the whole thing out to soften a bit for easier handling. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Step 2: Press the sugar cookie dough into a parchment-lined pizza pan. Cut a parchment circle to fit a 12-inch pizza pan and spritz it with cooking spray. Press the sugar cookie crust dough out to the edges of the pan in an even round, about a 1/4-inch thick. Bake for 15-18 minutes, until the edges turn golden and the center sets, then move the pan to a heat-safe surface (not a plastic cutting board—ask me how I know) and let it cool completely, about 30 minutes.
Step 3: As the crust cools, add the softened cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla in a bowl.
Step 4: Beat until smooth. Run a hand mixer (I’ve had the same two Hamilton Beach for more than 30 years) on medium for a minute or two until the mixture loosens into a glossy, spreadable cream cheese frosting with no lumps. This one is a bit more sturdy than my Fluffy Cream Cheese Frosting recipe, but you can use that one instead if you want.
Step 5: Spread the frosting over the cooled crust. Pile the frosting in the center of the cookie and work it outward with a silicone spatula or offset spatula in an even layer, all the way to the edges.
Step 6: Cut the strawberries into slices/wedges. Trim off the stems and slice each strawberry lengthwise into 3 or 4 thin wedges on a cutting board. You want roughly 22 wedges total.
Step 7: Arrange the outer ring of strawberry wedges. Place the wedges around the outer edge of the pizza in a sunburst pattern, points facing the center (see photo below). Space them so a single blueberry would fit between any two wedges.
Step 8: Tuck blueberries between the strawberries. Press blueberries into the gaps between the wedges, working in pairs and small arches that bridge from one strawberry to the next. The blueberries fill the negative space and help define the red ring. Fruit gone awry? Use a clean spoon to nudge wayward fruit back into place.
Step 9: Add an inner ring of strawberry wedges. Place a second concentric ring of strawberry wedges inside the blueberry border, mirroring the outer sunburst with slightly smaller spacing (see photo below).
Step 10: Pile the blackberries in the center. Cluster the blackberries in a small flower shape at the middle where every slice will meet. Chill for at least an hour before serving.
Tools and Equipment
- 12-inch pizza pan
- Parchment paper
- Medium mixing bowl
- Hand mixer or stand mixer
- Silicone or offset spatula
- Cutting board
- Sharp paring knife
Tips for Success
- Soften the cream cheese all the way. A cold block leaves lumps in the topping that no amount of beating will smooth out. Pull it from the fridge at least 30-60 minutes before you start. Here are some tips for softening cream cheese a bit faster.
- Press the dough as evenly as you can. Press from the center out and work the edges flush with the pan. It will help create a flat surface so fruit doesn’t slide.
- Pat the berries very dry (but gently, gently). Drip dry helps keep the fruit from “weeping” onto the white layer. I have a stack of these cotton towels (affiliate link) at the ready at all times, and drying produce is a perfect use for them.
- Cut the strawberry wedges even. Aim for 3 or 4 wedges per berry of similar size and thickness so the sunburst stays balanced. Uneven wedges break the ring and one giant chunk hogs the visual line.
- Chill the whole fruit tart before you slice it. The cream cheese needs the full hour to firm up. Cut into it sooner and the slices may smear instead of holding their shape.
- Make-ahead tip: Bake the cookie base up to a day in advance and store it wrapped at room temperature. Spread the white cream cheese layer on and chill for an hour then arrange the fruit immediately before serving.
- Storage. Cover and refrigerate any leftovers for up to two days. The crust gets a little too soft past that and the berries will let off juice, creating gooey pools on top of the cream cheese. I mean, still delicious, but looks unpleasant.
WANT TO SAVE THIS?
Don't lose this! Enter your email and we'll send it instantly.
Red, White, and Blue Fruit Pizza
Ingredients
- 16.5 oz tube refrigerated sugar cookie dough
- 8 oz cream cheese softened
- 1/3 c sugar
- 1/2 t vanilla extract
- 6-8 medium strawberries about 22 slices total
- 44 small blueberries
- 5 blackberries
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Set out the cream cheese so it comes to room temp. Remove the cookie dough from the fridge so it softens a bit and becomes easier to handle.
- Cut a circle of parchment to fit a 12-inch pizza pan. Lay it on the pan and spray with cooking spray.
- Press the sugar cookie dough into an even round, reaching the edges of the pan.
- Bake for 15-18 minutes, until the edges are golden and the center is set.
- Transfer the pan to a heat-safe surface and let it cool completely, about 30 minutes.
- While the crust is cooling: In a medium bowl, beat the softened package of cream cheese, 1/3 c sugar, and 1/2 t vanilla on medium for 1-2 minutes, until smooth and frosting-like.
- Spread the cream cheese mixture in an even layer over the fully cooled crust.
- You want the strawberry slices to have points, so cut them lengthwise. See photos above. Trim the stems off the strawberries and cut each one lengthwise into 3 or 4 thin wedges (about 22 slices total). Arrange them in a sunburst around the outer edge of the pizza, points facing the center.
- Place blueberries into the gaps between the strawberry wedges, working in pairs and small clusters, as shown above. For wayward fruit, use a clean spoon and nudge them back into place.
- Lay a second inner ring of strawberry wedges inside the blueberries if your berries allow.
- Arrange the blackberries in a small cluster in the center.
- Chill for at least 1 hour before serving so the cream cheese sets and slices cleanly. Slice into wedges like a pizza, keeping in mind your number of servings before you slice.
Notes
Nutrition
The bottom line
Red, white, and blue fruit pizza is one of those patriotic desserts that reads festive without asking too much of you. The sugar cookie crust does the structural work, the cream cheese fruit pizza topping sets a nice clean background, and fresh strawberries, blueberries, and a few blackberries set the mood. It slices clean, holds at room temperature for the length of a cookout, and the cookie base stays soft into the next day. Pull it out at the start of the 4th of July dessert spread, slice it like a real pizza—as thin or wide as your servings require.
