Grilled Fruit Kabobs

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Grilled Fruit Kabobs are the perfect way to take your next picnic or barbecue to the next level. All you need is an assortment of fresh fruits, lime juice, and honey to create the ultimate summertime side dish.

108 CAL 28g CARBS 0g FAT 1g PROTEIN
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If you’ve been trying to find a healthy and delicious appetizer, side dish, or dessert for your next family dinner or summer cookout—grilled fruit is the answer. Grilled fruit kabobs are beyond easy to make and loaded with fresh, vibrant flavors. I had to experiment with tons of fruit combinations before stumbling across this one. Trust me, you’re going to want to try this one out.

With a few delicious fruits, fresh lime juice, and honey or maple syrup, you can make the best grilled fruit kabobs in just 10 minutes. Serve them up alongside classic picnic fare favorites like burgers, grilled chicken, pasta salad, and potato salad. If you’re serving this dish as a dessert, pair it with your favorite yogurt dip, and thank me later!

Fruit kabobs with grilled fruit including banana, watermelon, strawberries on a plate with honey and mint,

What You’ll Need

Let’s talk about the key ingredients you’ll need to make this grilled fruit kabobs recipe.

  • Fruit: You can use any firm fruits you like for your kabobs. My go-to fruits of choice include watermelon, pineapple, mango, strawberries, and bananas.
  • Lime Juice: The acidity in fresh lime juice helps to enhance the flavors and prevents your fruit kabobs from browning too quickly.
  • Honey: This helps to bring out the natural sweetness of the fruits while ensuring that they get nice and caramelized on the grill.

Recipe Tips for Fruit Kabobs

Here are some of my top tips to help you make the best grilled fruit kabobs:

  • If you don’t have honey, you can coat your fruit with maple syrup instead. Don’t skip this step—it’s important for achieving a gorgeous caramelized color and deeper flavor out of your fruit.
  • Using wooden skewers? Soak them in ice-cold water for at least 20 minutes before skewering your fruit. This helps to avoid burning your skewers.
  • I recommend using larger chunks of fruit to avoid the struggle of having them fall apart as you’re skewering them or suffering from the equally disappointing fate of falling through the grill grates.
  • Don’t forget to clean your grill grates before placing your fruit kabobs on top. The last thing you want is a beautiful fruit kabob that tastes like grilled chicken or a hamburger.

Grilled Fruit Variations

The beautiful thing about this summer side dish is that it’s incredibly versatile. After all, fruit can be served with tons of different garnishes, spices, and herbs. If you want to switch things up but aren’t quite sure how to do it, I’ve got you covered with some of my favorite fruit kabob variations.

  • Make them hot. Want to spice things up? Try adding some chili powder (Tajin works great!) to your fruit kabobs before tossing them on the grill.
  • Tropical flair. For some bold and flavorful tropical flair, sprinkle shredded coconut over your kabobs just before serving them.
  • Switch up the fruit. While I'm a sucker for the fruits I’ve chosen for this recipe, you can absolutely swap them out if you want to. Cantaloupe, peaches, pears, and kiwi all make delicious choices.
  • Top with herbs. For a fantastic pop of color and fresh flavor, I love garnishing my kabobs with a bright-tasting herb like basil or cilantro.
  • Make a grilled fruit salad. For a super easy and delicious barbecue side dish, remove your cooked fruit from the skewers and drop them into a bowl to make a grilled fruit salad.

Grilled kabob with various fruit on an outdoor charcoal grill.

What to Serve With the Dish

These fruit kabobs are the perfect summer side dish or dessert to enjoy on a hot day. Here are some of my favorite dishes to serve with fruit kabobs:

Frequently Asked Questions

Below are the answers to some of the most common questions about grilled fruit kabobs:

When it comes to the best fruits for grilling, you can really use any fruit you like as long as it’s fairly firm and not too ripe. If a fruit isn’t firm enough, it will most likely fall apart on the grill. Some of my favorite grilling fruits include peaches, pineapples, watermelon, mangos, bananas, and tomatoes.

Once exposed to oxygen, many fruits will quickly turn brown. The key to preventing your grilled fruit kabobs from turning brown is incorporating acidity. A simple spritz of lemon or lime juice over your kabobs after grilling will not only keep them looking vibrant for longer, but it will enhance the flavors for the best fruit kabobs possible.

Of course! If you plan on serving a crowd, prepping your fruit kabobs in advance is a great way to save time on the day of your cookout or party. All you have to do is chop and skewer your fruit, then lay the kabobs on a baking sheet wrapped in plastic wrap. Stored like this, you can keep your prepped fruit kabobs in the fridge for up to 24 hours.

Kabobs with grilled fruit including bananas, watermelon, mango, and pineapple on a wire rack.
The Recipe
Grilled fruit kabobs with banana, watermelon, strawberries, and mango on wooden skewers with honey and mint.

Grilled Fruit Kabobs

108 CAL 28g CARBS 0g FAT 1g PROTEIN
PREP TIME: 5 Min
COOK TIME: 10 Min
TOTAL TIME: 15 Min
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Ingredients

US METRICS
  • 1 cup watermelon, chopped
  • 1 cup mango, chopped
  • 1 cup pineapple, chopped
  • 1 banana, chopped
  • 1 cup strawberries (whole or halved)
  • 1 tbsp lime juice
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • Cooking spray

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Instructions

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1

Soak the skewers in water for 20 minutes to prevent burning while grilling.

2

Skewer the fruit onto the skewers.

3

Melt together the lime juice and honey in the microwave or in a small sauce pan. Brush over the skewers. Spray with cooking spray.

4

Grill for 8-10 minutes, turning the kabobs to cook evenly on all sides.

Nutritional Facts
Serving Size: 1 kabob
Amount Per Serving
Calories 108
Calories from Fat 4
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 0g
1%
Saturated Fat 0g
1%
Monounsaturated Fat 0g
0%
Polyunsaturated Fat 0g
0%
Cholesterol 0mg
0%
Sodium 2mg
0%
Total Carbohydrate 28g
9%
Dietary Fiber 3g
11%
Sugars 21g
Protein 1g

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

The Nutritional Values provided are estimates only and may vary based on the preparation method.

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About the author Meet Kristen McCaffrey
Hi, I’m the cookbook author, recipe developer, and food enthusiast behind Slender Kitchen. I am obsessed with making healthy food that is easy to prepare and absolutely delicious. Meal planning is my secret weapon and I hope I can make meal time easier for you with our tried and tested recipes and foolproof meal plans. Learn More
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