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These refreshing fruit fries look like the crinkle-cut fries kids know and love, but they’re made with real, fresh fruits instead! They’re the cutest way to get kids to eat more fresh fruit and will be a mainstay in your summer snacking routine. Don’t skip the creamy fruit dip—it adds to the whole experience!
Fresh Watermelon Fries
When I first saw these fruit fries pop up on TikTok, I knew I had to share them right away. As a Registered Dietitian and mom, I’m always looking for fun and creative ways to serve more fruits and veggies, and the French fry shape makes them extra exciting!
Although it may seem like a hassle to trim your fruit into fruity fries, it’s actually way easier than you’d think. You just need a crinkle fry cutter and some fresh melons. Even young kids can help you make them!
Who knows, it may even encourage your kids to try something new!
For more fun fruit ideas, try out these Frozen Banana Pops With Yogurt or Apple Slice Cookies too!
Why We Love This Healthy Snack
- An eye-catching alternative to the standard fruit platter
- Easy enough for the kids to make
- A fun way to serve up fresh fruits for a healthy snack
- Refreshing and hydrating on those hot summer days
- The dippable shape is a great option for picky eaters who love French fries
- Easy to hold for babies and toddlers (great for baby led weaning!)
- Great option for meal prepping lunches and snacks
Ingredient Notes
For the fruit fries:
- Fresh melons: Use any type of fresh summer melons you like. I used seedless watermelon, cantaloupe, and honeydew.
For the dip (optional):
- Greek yogurt: Choose plain yogurt to keep the sugar content low. This is a nice way to add creaminess with some extra protein.
- Light cream cheese: Cream cheese adds a rich creaminess that makes this dip taste like a dessert.
- Maple syrup: For just a touch of sweetness.
Step-by-Step Instructions
To make the fruit fries:
- Using a large sharp knife, slice the watermelon in half. Place the flat side down and then slice the one half in half again. Cut watermelon into roughly half inch slices. Using a crinkle cutter, cut each of the slices into thin fries.
- Next, cut a cantaloupe in half and scoop out the seeds with a spoon. Place the flat side down and cut off the peel in a downwards motion. Cut the cantaloupe into roughly half inch circular slices. Use the crinkle cutter to cut the cantaloupe into strips that resemble fries.
- Repeat with the honeydew melon.
To make the dip:
- Add the Greek yogurt, cream cheese and maple syrup to a medium sized bowl. Using an electric hand mixer or stand mixer with a whisk attachment, mix together the ingredients until smooth and creamy. Add in any extra flavoring ingredients if desired (i.e. lime zest, orange zest, vanilla extract, freeze-dried strawberry powder, etc.) Stir into the dip until combined. Allow the dip to sit in the fridge for at least an hour to thicken.
- Serve cold with fruit fries.
Keep scrolling to the recipe card below for the full printable recipe!
RECIPE TIPS
- Choose melons at the right level of freshness. These fruit fries only work if you use fully ripe or slightly underripe melons. If you use overripe fruit, they’re likely to fall apart and break. The melons should have a strong fragrance and feel heavier than you’d expect. You can also look for large yellow spots on the melons, which indicate that the melon was allowed to ripen in the field.
- For baby-led weaning: These fruit fries are great for baby led weaning too since they’re the perfect shape and texture for babies first starting on solids. Plus, the crinkle cut makes them less slippery to hold! If avoiding added sugar, you can skip the dip or just dip them in plain yogurt.
Recipe FAQs
These handy gadgets are easy to find on Amazon! They only cost a few dollars each, and you can easily order two if you want to invite your kids to help out. Here is the link to the crinkle cutter I used.
Fruit fries are simply fresh fruits trimmed down to look like crispy, crinkle-cut French fries. They aren’t fried at all, so the name is more of a reference to the shape. This is an easy, healthy snack to add a pop of color to your potlucks, barbecues, or holiday tables, and the shape makes them perfect for dipping into your favorite fruit dip!
If you want to make your own fruit fries, look for fruits that are large and firm enough to trim into fry shapes while holding their structure. I used watermelon, cantaloupe, and honeydew, but you could also use pineapples, large apples, firm pears, and more. Avoid soft, smushy fruits like bananas, mangos, etc.
Storage Guidelines
- Once trimmed, the fruit fries should be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days. Any leftover dip can be stored separately in the fridge for 4-5 days.
How to Customize Yogurt Dip
I deliberately kept the yogurt dip simple so that you could customize it with your own preferred flavor add-ins. You can either leave it as-is or mix in any of the following:
- Lime zest & a squeeze of lime juice
- Orange zest
- Vanilla extract
- Freeze-dried strawberry powder (or try other flavors)
- A dash of cinnamon
- Use strawberry or vanilla yogurt instead of plain
Other Ideas
- Make a honey lemon dip: Replace the maple syrup in the fruit dip with honey, and then add fresh lemon juice and zest. So yummy! (Remember: Honey is only safe for kids above the age of 1).
- Try other fruits: The trick is to find fruits that are solid enough to hold together but not too firm. For example, bananas would be way too soft and squishy! But you could certainly use apples, firm pears, pineapples, and more.
- Make veggie fries: You’d have to change the name, but this technique would be fun with veggies too! You could make crinkle-cut cucumbers, carrots, or bell peppers and serve them with ranch!
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More Fruity Snack Ideas
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Fruit Fries
Ingredients
For the fruit fries
- 1/4 large seedless watermelon
- 1/2 cantaloupe
- 1/2 honeydew melon
For the dip (optional)
- 1/2 cup plain 2% Greek yogurt
- 4 ounces light cream cheese
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
Instructions
To make the fruit fries
- Using a large sharp knife, slice the watermelon in half. Place the flat side down and then slice the one half in half again. Cut into roughly half inch slices. Using a crinkle cutter, cut each of the slices into thin fries.
- Next, cut a cantaloupe in half and scoop out the seeds with a spoon. Place the flat side down and cut off the peel in a downwards motion. Cut the cantaloupe into roughly half inch circular slices. Use the crinkle cutter to cut the cantaloupe into strips that resemble fries.
- Repeat with the honeydew melon.
To make the fruit dip
- Add the Greek yogurt, cream cheese and maple syrup to a medium sized bowl. Using an electric hand mixer or stand mixer with a whisk attachment, mix together the ingredients until smooth and creamy. Add in any extra flavoring ingredients if desired (i.e. lime zest, orange zest, vanilla extract, freeze-dried strawberry powder, etc.) Stir into the dip until combined. Allow the dip to sit in the fridge for at least an hour to thicken.
- Serve cold with fruit fries.
Notes
- Choose melons at the right level of freshness. These fruit fries only work if you use fully ripe or slightly underripe melons. If you use overripe fruit, they’re likely to fall apart and break. The melons should have a strong fragrance and feel heavier than you’d expect. You can also look for large yellow spots on the melons, which indicate that the melon was allowed to ripen in the field.
- For baby-led weaning: These fruit fries are great for baby led weaning too since they’re the perfect shape and texture for babies first starting on solids. Plus, the crinkle cut makes them less slippery to hold! If avoiding added sugar, you can skip the dip or just dip them in plain yogurt.
