Name: Patriotic Fruit Kabobs with Vanilla Bean Yogurt Dip
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 15 min
Ingredients: 4 ounces cream cheese, softened; 1 cup plain Greek yogurt ((nonfat is fine)); 3 tablespoons lightly packed brown sugar; 1 vanilla bean, scrapings and seeds ((see note)); 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract; fresh blueberries; fresh strawberries; angel food cake, cut into bite sized cubes ((use a serrated knife, gently sawing through the cake))

Recipe Overview

Why you’ll love it: Red, white, and blue patriotic fruit kabobs are festive, easy to make, and perfect for holiday picnics. Serve them with creamy vanilla bean yogurt dip. They’re a hit with kids and adults!

How long it takes: 15 minutes
Equipment you’ll need: wooden or bamboo skewers, mixing bowl, electric mixer
Servings: 1½ cups dip and as many skewers as you like

Red white and blue fruit skewer placed on top of bowl of yogurt dip.

Just in time for Memorial Day and Independence Day, patriotic fruit kabobs are an easy dessert that’s a hit with all ages. With seasonal fresh fruit attractively displayed on skewers and a sweet yogurt fruit dip, the kabobs are both decorative and delicious.

I’m sure I’ll be whipping up batches of this vanilla bean yogurt dip all summer long and dipping anything I can find into it. You all know my long standing obsession with vanilla beans. Those little black dots of love make everything they touch so much better and add great flavor to this simply delicious dip which is perfect for dipping fruit and cake into (or a spoon!).

Why You’ll Love These Kabobs

Versatile. Almost any type of fruit, cake, or even marshmallow can be threaded on the skewers. Keep reading for suggestions. You can also customize the colors. For the colors of the U.S. flag, I go with red, white, and blue. If your flag has different colors, you can choose fruit that matches. In fact, you can match the fruit to any occasion from birthday parties to bridal showers. The fruit kabobs are fun to serve at brunches, picnics, and potlucks.

Healthy. With fresh fruit and angel food cake, this is a low calorie dessert. Fresh fruit has lots of health benefits, too. The dip is made primarily with yogurt and is lightly sweetened. Each serving (2 tablespoons) is just 34 calories.

Easy to make. I can’t think of too many other desserts that take just 15 minutes to prepare. This is a quick and easy dessert.

Popular with picky eaters. Have a fussy eater? Kids love to dip things so fruit kabobs with creamy dip is really a great way to get them to eat fruit. It’s a fun after school snack that’s easy to make. Include them on a snack board especially made for kids.

Fruit kababs with festive red, white, and blue skewers.

Ingredient Notes

Greek Yogurt: Yogurt is the base of the dip. Greek yogurt is thicker than regular yogurt so it works better for dips. Be sure to buy plain, unflavored yogurt. It can be whole milk, 2%, or nonfat; I’ve tried all three and they all work fine.
Cream Cheese: Either regular or reduced fat cream cheese is fine. Be sure to take the cream cheese out of the refrigerator an hour or so ahead of time so it has a chance to soften.
Brown Sugar: The dip is sweetened with brown sugar which adds a hint of caramel flavor. Pack the sugar firmly into the measuring cup. The brown sugar slightly colors the dip. If you prefer a whiter dip, use granulated sugar instead.
Vanilla Bean: Look for vanilla beans that are glossy and plump. If they are really wrinkled and dried, they won’t have as much vanilla inside. If you prefer, you can substitute vanilla bean paste.

How To Scrape A Vanilla Bean

Cut the bean in half lengthwise with a sharp paring knife. Using the dull side of the knife, scrape out the tiny seeds in both halves. Use the scrapings immediately; they don’t keep well. You can use the scraped pods, too. Put them in your sugar container to make vanilla sugar. They can be used to infuse vanilla flavor into coffee, cream, or milk.

Vanilla Extract: Yup, double the vanilla flavor! Use pure vanilla extract, not the imitation vanilla flavoring.
Fresh Blueberries and Strawberries: Look for firm fresh berries. If they are overripe and squishy, they won’t stay on the skewers as well. Be sure to rinse the berries well with cool water and pat them dry.
Angel Food Cake: Purchase an already baked cake or bake your own. Cut the cake into bite-sized squares.

Skewers for Fruit Kabobs

Fruit skewers can be wooden or bamboo. Look for mini skewers that are 4 to 6 inches long. The skewers do not need to be soaked before using for this recipe.

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How To Make Fruit Kabobs and Dip

Make the dip first. The vanilla bean yogurt dip should made ahead and refrigerated.

Put the softened cream cheese into a bowl and use an electric mixer to blend it until it’s smooth about 30 seconds.

Don’t worry if you forget and put everything in the bowl at once. We tested it both ways and found that beating the cream cheese first makes the dip a little smoother. The difference isn’t huge and your dip will be just fine either way.

Add the remaining dip ingredients and beat until the dip is smooth and creamy.

Assemble the fruit kabobs. Arrange the strawberries, blueberries, and cubed angel food cake in the order you prefer. I like to start and end with a berry because the cake tends to fall off the end otherwise.

How To Cut Angel Food Cake

Choose a long serrated knife. Gently saw through the cake, using a back and forth motion. Let the knife do the work. If you press too hard, the cake compresses. It’s up to you whether you want to trim the browned parts of the cake off before cutting it into cubes.

More Ideas For Fruit Kabobs

Red: red raspberries, watermelon chunks, red apples
White: banana slices, marshmallows, pineapple chunks, pound cake
Blue: blackberries
Any Color: grapes (any color), kiwi slices, melon balls or chunks, sliced oranges, mandarin orange segments, etc.
Rainbow: (in this order) red grapes, blueberries, green grapes or kiwi, pineapple chunks, cantaloupe, strawberries

Storage Tips

Refrigerate dip in a tightly covered container until ready to use. It will keep for 5 to 7 days. Once it has been setting on the counter and dipped into frequently, it should be discarded.

The fruit kabobs can be assembled an hour or two in advance. Keep in mind that if the strawberries are sliced or cut, they may bleed a little juice into the cake. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

More Kabobs

If you’re liking the idea of food on a stick, try:

Grilled Shrimp Kabobs with Pineapple
Grilled Pork Kabobs with Apples (the apricot jam glaze is amazing!)
Easy Chicken Cordon Bleu Kabobs with Swiss cheese dip
Chai French Toast Skewers
Shish Tawook – Lebanese Marinated Chicken
Chicken Kofta Kebabs

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