Fruit pizza is a popular, pretty dessert that is easy to make. Traditional recipes use a sugar cookie crust, usually made with prepared cookie dough from the store that is loaded with unhealthy mystery ingredients. They are usually frosted with a high-calorie, low-nutrition cream cheese frosting. The only nutritious part of most fruit pizzas is the fruit on top.

This fruit pizza recipe is healthified! It has a wholesome, tasty crust topped with a healthy-yet-yummy yogurt & peanut butter frosting. With the exception of sweeteners, which are considerably reduced in this recipe, the ingredients are all good for you. I use 100% whole grains and healthy oils.

• Whole wheat pastry flour and rolled oats form the base of the crust. I boost the nutrition by throwing in some flaxseed meal. Walnuts add even more good-for-you Omega 3's (they are optional if you don't like nuts). 
• Applesauce is added to reduce the amount of oil and sweetener needed.
• Grape seed oil is used in place of butter. It's my go-to oil. It has similar health benefits of olive oil (has Omega 3,6,&9 and is antioxidant rich) with a milder, lighter taste. It can be heated to higher temperatures without smoking or burning. I use it for baking, salad dressings, and sauteing, when I prefer a flavorless oil. It's also recommended for use as a skin moisturizer. Read more about the health benefits of grape seed oil here.  (NOTE: You may substitute another neutral tasting oil of your preference.)
• Greek yogurt replaces the cream cheese used in most fruit pizza frosting recipes. It is high in protein and calcium. When combined with protein-rich peanut butter (or other nut butters), the yogurt thickens to a nice frosting consistency. It's sweetened with a bit of honey & vanilla and tastes great! The frosting doubles as a good fruit fruit dip, too.

Tips for lower calories. This recipe has nutrition-packed ingredients, but that doesn't mean they're all low in calories. However, if you're counting calories, there are some ways to lower them. I prefer to use real peanut butter and low- or full-fat Greek yogurt in my frosting, but here are some lower calorie alternatives that yield good tasting results:

• Use non-fat Greek yogurt in place of low- or full-fat. It won't taste quite as creamy, but it's an easy way to lower calories a bit.
• Replace the peanut butter with PB2 powdered peanut butter. Although peanut butter is nutritious and contains healthy oil, it adds calories to the frosting. PB2 is simply peanut butter with 85% of the fat removed. With all of the flavor and protein of regular peanut butter, PB2 is recommended as a great way to reduce calories in all of your favorite peanut butter recipes. It does have a small amount of sweetener, as do many peanut butters. There is also a PB2 with chocolate added. It's available at some Whole Foods and health food stores; my local grocery store recently started carrying it. The best price I've found is for the 1 lb. bags of PB2 on Amazon.

view on Amazon: 
PB2 (powdered peanut butter),   PB2 with chocolate

• Make a chocolate yogurt frosting instead (no peanut butter). It's simple--just substitute unsweetened cocoa in place of the peanut butter. I personally prefer the peanut butter version, but using cocoa eliminates fat and calories; however you'll also lose some protein and fiber.

Check out this short video to see how easy this is to make:

Step-by-step photos for making 
Healthy Oat & Yogurt Fruit Pizza 

Step 1. Assemble the ingredients.

For the oatmeal crust:

• old fashioned rolled oats (not quick or instant)
• whole wheat pastry flour (may use half white flour and half regular whole wheat flour)
• ground flaxseed (aka flaxseed meal), optional
• brown sugar
• grape seed oil (may also use vegetable or coconut oil)
• unsweetened applesauce
• vanilla extract
• egg
• baking powder
• salt
• cinnamon
• chopped walnuts (optional)

view on Amazon:
grapeseed oil,  ground flaxseed,  organic rolled oats, organic whole wheat pastry flour

Gluten free? Easy. Use gluten-free oats and substitute gluten-free oat flour for the wheat flour.
view gluten free products on Amazon: oat flour, rolled oats

For the yogurt & peanut butter frosting:

• Greek yogurt (no, low, or full fat); I personally prefer low or full fat.
• vanilla extract
• peanut butter; may substitute PB2* powdered peanut butter for a low fat/calorie option; or use another nut butter (almond, cashew, etc.)
• honey (or other preferred sweetener)
• unsweetened cocoa (optional); I prefer mine with just a peanut butter, but some chocolate lovers may prefer the frosting with cocoa added to the peanut butter. Or, you can omit the peanut butter entirely and just add cocoa for a chocolate-only yogurt frosting.

*If you use PB2 in place of the peanut butter, it is not necessary to hydrate it. Simply stir the powder in with the other frosting ingredients. 

For the fruit: 
Choose whatever you like. Varied colors make for a pretty presentation. I like sliced strawberries, kiwi, bananas; halved grapes or cherries; whole blueberries, raspberries, or blackberries; canned mandarin oranges or peach slices (drained & dried). I used bananas, strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries on the fruit pizza pictured in this post.

• How to prevent bananas from browning. It's always a challenge to use fresh bananas in recipes, because they eventually brown when they are sliced and exposed to air. But they taste so great on these fruit pizzas and are especially nutritious and good with this peanut butter & yogurt frosting. Of course, the best option is to slice and add the bananas right before serving; but that isn't always practical. I've tried every trick in the book to try to keep the sliced bananas from browning (citrus or pineapples juice, glazes, Fresh Fruit citric acid, etc.). Honestly none of them works for long. What I have found that works best is to use bananas that are slightly under ripe with the stem end still green. They don't brown nearly as quickly as really ripe bananas. See the photo below of the bananas I used--they're the perfect "under ripeness"). I cut one of these and set it out on a plate to see how long it would take to brown. After 4 hours, the banana slices still looked pretty good; they'd browned only slightly and still looked fresh and appealing enough to use and eat. 

Step 2. Make the frosting. Combine the yogurt, peanut butter, honey, and vanilla; stir until well combined. Taste it to see if it needs more honey. The tartness of yogurt can vary widely and some peanut butters are sweeter than others, so you may need to adjust the amount of sweetener you add to the frosting.  It should have a nice, thick spreading consistency and will thicken even more as it chills. Cover and refrigerate while you're making the crust. (This needs to chill for at least an hour, but can be made ahead and chilled overnight.)

view on Amazon:  Pyrex measuring/mixing cup with lid

Step 3. Prepare the pizza pan. You'll need:

• 12" pizza pan 
• parchment paper

Place pizza pan on top of parchment paper; trace and cut approx. 1 inch from outside edge of pan. The 1" doesn't have to extend all the way around--most parchment paper isn't wide enough for that. You only need parchment paper hanging over on two sides to give you handles for moving the cooked crust off of the pizza pan later.

• If your pizza pan is larger than 12", cut a round of parchment paper to fit inside it. When you spread the crust batter, measure and spread the dough just until it forms a 12" round on the pan.
• If you don't have a pizza pan, you can cut a round out of parchment paper and put it on top of a rectangular baking sheet (trace an approx. 12" plate or skillet lid onto the paper). The cut parchment paper will give you a guide for forming the crust. 

view on Amazon:  12" pizza pan,  parchment paper

Step 3. Combine the cookie crust ingredients.

• Whisk together the oil, applesauce, egg, vanilla, and brown sugar.
• Stir in the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and oats.
• Stir in chopped walnuts, if desired. These are optional.

view on Amazon:  8-cup mix-and-measure bowl

Step 4. With the parchment paper centered on top of the pizza pan, use the back of a wooden spoon to evenly spread out the cookie crust dough all the way to edge of the pan. The dough is thick and sticky; be patient and gradually spread it out to the edges. If you want to use your hands, dip them in water before touching the dough so that it doesn't stick. There should be some parchment paper left around the edges when you are through. Bake for approx 15 minutes, until just beginning to brown slightly around the edges and firm in the center. Leave in pan on cooling rack for 15 minutes, then lift by the edges of the parchment paper and remove from pan. Continue to cool completely on the cooling rack.

view on Amazon:  cooling racks (rated #1 by Cooks Illustrated)

Step 5. Put another cooling rack or a platter on top of the cooked, cooled crust, to hold it in place while you flip it over. Now the parchment paper is on top. Peel off the parchment paper and flip the crust back over onto a round platter (or you can return it to the pizza pan for serving, if you like).

Step 6. Frost the cookie crust with the chilled yogurt frosting, spreading it evenly to the edges. An offset spatula is my tool of choice for spreading frosting.

view on Amazon:  offset frosting spatula

Step 7. Arrange the fruit in circles, starting on the outside edge and working in toward the center. I like to arrange the fruit so that the colors contrast as much as possible; that makes for a pretty presentation. I finished mine with 2 layers of sliced strawberries in the center arranged in kinda, sorta star shapes.

Serve right away or cover and chill for up to 4 hours before serving. The exact amount of time these can be made ahead varies depending on the type of fruit you use. Bananas and fruits that are sliced don't hold up as long as the fruits that can be used whole, like small berries.

Day before make-ahead tips. Bake the cookie crust, cool, cover, and store at room temperature.  Mix the yogurt frosting, cover and chill. The next day, frost the crust. Slice and arrange the fruit.

Not only are fruit pizzas delicious, but they also make such a beautiful presentation. It's so easy to arrange fruit into a kaleidoscope of colors and flavors. How great that something this pretty & delicious is nutritious, too!

This recipe can be cut into up to 12 servings. A pizza cutting wheel is handy for easily cutting tidy slices.

view on Amazon:  pizza cutting wheel

The oatmeal crust is soft enough to cut easily. A crunchy cookie crust can break as you cut it, but this crust is just the right texture--it holds it's shape but is easy to cut and serve.

You can enjoy this fruit pizza for a healthy breakfast. It's also a WOW on a brunch table, and is fancy enough to serve for dessert. That makes it a healthy start or finish to your day.

Make it a Yummy day!
Monica

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Oat & Yogurt Fruit Pizza

By Monica              Servings: 12 servings

Ingredients

• FOR YOGURT PEANUT BUTTER FROSTING*:
• 2 cups (16 oz) Greek yogurt
• 2/3 cup peanut butter (or PB2 powdered peanut butter); may substitute other nut butter like almond, walnut, or cashew
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 3 tablespoons honey, or more to taste; may substitute other preferred sweetener
• FOR OATMEAL COOKIE CRUST:
• 1/3 cup grapeseed, vegetable, or coconut oil
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1-1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour (or half white and half whole wheat flour)
• 3/4 cups rolled oats (not instant)
• 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon flaxseed meal (optional)
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
• FOR FRESH FRUIT:
• Varied colors make a pretty presentation. Choose from sliced strawberries, kiwi, bananas; halved grapes or cherries; whole blueberries, raspberries, or blackberries; canned mandarin oranges or peach slices (drained & dried)

Directions

(1) MAKE THE FROSTING:
In medium bowl, add frosting ingredients and stir until well combined. Taste and add more honey, if needed. Cover and chill at least 1 hour.

(2) MAKE THE COOKIE CRUST:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 12-inch pizza pan with parchment paper, extending it 1 inch from the pan edge on at least 2 sides; set aside. In large bowl, whisk together oil, applesauce, brown sugar, egg, & vanilla until well combined.  Add flour, oats, baking powder, salt, cinnamon & flaxseed; stir with wooden spoon until well combined. Stir in chopped walnuts. Transfer dough to center of parchment-covered pizza pan, and spread with back of wooden spoon evenly to edges of pan. Bake 15 minutes until starting to slightly brown around edges and is firm in center. Cool 15 minutes in pan on cooling rack. Use parchment paper "handles" to remove crust from pan and transfer to cooling rack; cool completely. Invert onto serving plate; carefully peel off parchment paper. Turn crust over.

(3) FROST AND TOP WITH FRUIT: Frost crust with chilled yogurt frosting, spreading evenly all the way to the edge. Arrange fresh fruit on top in circles, beginning on the outside edge and filling towards the center. Serve right away, or chill for up to 4 hours before serving.

*FOR CHOCOLATE YOGURT FROSTING, omit peanut butter and add 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa; stir until well combined and smooth. Taste and add more honey, if needed.

GLUTEN FREE OPTION: Use gluten-free oats and substitute gluten-free oat flour for the wheat flour.

MAKE AHEAD TIPS. You can make the crust and frosting ahead and store for up to 24 hours in advance so they're ready to assemble the next day. Bake the cookie crust, cool, cover, and store at room temperature.  Mix the yogurt frosting, cover and chill in fridge. The next day, frost the crust, slice and arrange the fruit, and it's ready to serve.

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION for one serving using 2% Greek yogurt in frosting:
--Using peanut butter (or other nut butters) in frosting: 336 calories, 18.2g fat, 34.6g carbs, 3.1g fiber, 19.2g sugars, 11.3g protein, Weight Watchers PointsPlus: 9
--Using PB2 in frosting: 272 calories, 11.7g fat, 34g carbs, 3.1g fiber, 18.6g sugars, 10g protein, Weight Watchers PointsPlus: 7
--Using cocoa in frosting (no peanut butter): 256 calories, 11.2g fat, 32.8g carbs, 2.8g fiber, 17.9g sugars, 8.1g protein, Weight Watchers PointsPlus: 7

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Nutritional Information for one serving using 2% Greek yogurt in frosting:

• Using peanut butter (or other nut butters) in frosting: 336 calories, 18.2g fat, 34.6g carbs, 3.1g fiber, 19.2g sugars, 11.3g protein, Weight Watchers PointsPlus: 9
• Using PB2 in frosting: 272 calories, 11.7g fat, 34g carbs, 3.1g fiber, 18.6g sugars, 10g protein, Weight Watchers PointsPlus: 7
• Using cocoa in frosting (no peanut butter): 256 calories, 11.2g fat, 32.8g carbs, 2.8g fiber, 17.9g sugars, 8.1g protein, Weight Watchers PointsPlus: 7