Today we’re making the cuuuuutest pineapple palm tree!

This is the cutest way to display fruit! A pineapple palm tree fruit tray will be the star of the show at your next summer BBQ or party!

It will be your 4th of July party trick. Ready?

Two years ago for the 4th of July, one of our family members made this pineapple palm tree and we were all DYING over it. I put it on Instagram and you guys were dying over it too! And I have wanted to recreate it ever since!

I can barely hammer a nail into the wall and I had no plans to attempt to stack pineapples with stakes. Sure, I can chop a lot of fruit, but could I really stack pineapples? Who knows. It was time to find out.

building a pineapple palm tree

The good news is that it is so much easier than it looks. We used garden stakes (from a hardware store, the skinny ones) and bamboo skewers (yes, like the ones you would use on the grill!) and these things stuck together just fine.

The key is to not stack them too high! Three pineapples is the perfect height. Two would be great as well. No need for four (and certainly not more!) unless you’re making an INSANE spread for a wedding or party of a few hundred people. You know? It will just look unbalanced.

You can stick any sort of palms or ferns (we got some at Costco) in the top to create the leaves. Whatever fruit you love all chopped up on the bottom.

building a pineapple palm tree

It’s just such a cute and fun way to display fruit for a party! No, I wouldn’t do it spur of the moment or for a small Sunday night dinner party, but it would be fantastic for your 4th of July cookout.

Yes yes yes! I love it oh-so much.

adding the ferns!

The only downside is that you can’t really assemble it beforehand. Well, I should tell you that I didn’t try to assemble it before hand, because everything I found online told me not to do so. Since the pineapple is a softer fruit, if you try to assemble it the night before, it won’t hold up.

But luckily, it doesn’t take that long to put together, as intimidating as it may seem.

I suggest chopping the fruit ahead of time and storing it in the fridge. Then, once your pineapple tree is assembled, just add the fruit!

EASY.

Promise it gets easier once you do it. You’ll love it!

This is the cutest way to display fruit! A pineapple palm tree fruit tray will be the star of the show at your next summer BBQ or party!

Some notes on the pineapple palm tree:

*Don’t worry if the pineapple tree is a little crooked! Real palm trees are crooked! It gives them more character. Ha.

*Some suggest coring the pineapple. I did not core the pineapple, because I thought it would be easier for it to stay together. It worked great for me, but it’s tricky to move once it’s set up.

*Have all the fruit washed and chopped for the bottom of the tree before assembling the pineapple tree.

*Decide where you want the tree to go and place it in the spot. Build it there so you don’t have to move it. Easy!

*This actually is transportable! Like I said above, a family member brought it to a party a few years ago. You can transport it in a large box or my preference would be to assemble most of it at the party. Just take the chopped fruit in glass containers.

rainbow fruit tray

How to Make a Pineapple Palm Tree Fruit Tray

This is the cutest way to display fruit! A pineapple palm tree fruit tray will be the star of the show at your next summer BBQ or party!
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Ingredients

  • 3 whole pineapples (try to find 1 with a flat bottom that stands well!)
  • assorted chopped fruit of your choice
  • bamboo skewers
  • thin garden stakes
  • ferns/greenery for the top

Instructions 

  • Note: you can core the pineapples if you wish. This will make them less heavy and slightly more sturdy. You just want to make sure there is enough pineapple left to stick the stakes and skewers in so they hold together.
  • Slice the tops off the pineapples. Take the one that stands the best (ha!) and place it on a cutting board. Stick 3 to 4 bamboo skewers around the edges, then stick the next pineapple on top, pressing it into the bamboo skewers.
  • Stick another 3 to 4 bamboo skewers (or more if necessary! It depends on the size/weight of your pineapplein the second pineapple. Stick the third pineapple on top, then stick another 3 to 4 bamboo skewers straight down through.
  • Take 1 or 2 garden steaks and gently press them straight down, starting at the top pineapple, into the next two pineapples. This may take another stake – you just want to make sure the pineapple is somewhat sturdy.
  • At this point, place your pineapple on a large plate, tray or dish where you will be serving the fruit.
  • Take one of the pineapple tops and press a bamboo skewers into the bottom, then set that on top of the pineapple tree. From there, take your ferns and greenery and stick them into the top pineapple (right into the fruito create your leaves. There is no “right” way to do it!
  • Assemble the cut fruit around the bottom of the tree. Again, no right way to do it – just display it around, as much or as little as you’d like! It’s sort of like assembling a cheeseboard.
  • ENJOY!
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This is the cutest way to display fruit! A pineapple palm tree fruit tray will be the star of the show at your next summer BBQ or party!

This is how I want to eat the rainbow.