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Get into the holiday spirit with these adorable watermelon Christmas trees! They’re the perfect healthy treat to enjoy this holiday season!
Easy Watermelon Trees for Christmas
Since you know your kids will get bombarded with Christmas goodies this holiday, set them up for success with this healthy little twist!
These Watermelon Christmas Trees are more nutritious than those holiday cakes and cookies, super fun to make and absolutely precious.
It’s like a healthy Christmas snack and table decor all in one!
Watermelon Christmas trees
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Why We Love This Watermelon Christmas Tree Recipe
- Festive fun: The great thing about this cute Christmas watermelon snack is that you’re still getting into the holiday spirit! Decorate each tree with yogurt and arrange them in a fun display.
- So easy: If you can cut a thick slice of watermelon, you can make these healthy Christmas snacks. They’re so simple!
- Healthy snack: Although sweet treats are fine in moderation, you can incorporate some extra nutrients by adding a few slices of watermelon to your kids’ plate too!
Ingredient Notes
- Juicy watermelon: Cut a whole watermelon into thick slices and keep the rind on to make the base of the tree!
- Greek yogurt: Add plain 2% Greek yogurt to a plastic bag to make a DIY piping tool!
Step-by-Step Instructions
How to Cut Watermelon Triangles
If you’re looking for creative ways to cut watermelon, you’ll love this watermelon cutting hack to celebrate the festive season! You’ll want to place your watermelon on a dry, stable surface and use a good knife to get a clean cut.
- Using a sharp knife, cut a large or small watermelon in half widthwise. Next, place the halved watermelon on its side and cut a 1-inch thick circular slice from each half.
- Lay each circular slice on a cutting board and cut into six equal-sized pieces for a small watermelon, or eight pieces for a large watermelon.
How to Make Watermelon Christmas Trees
- To make each slice into the shape of a Christmas tree, cut off the outer edges of the watermelon rind, leaving a 1-inch tree trunk for each Christmas tree. You may wish to cut the very bottom of the tree to make it flat so that it can stand up in the vertical position.
- Pat each of the watermelon trees with paper towel to soak up excess moisture.
- Next, fill a piping bag with a fine tip or a plastic bag with the Greek yogurt. If using the bag, cut a very small hole at the tip of one of the corners.
- Pipe the Greek yogurt onto each of the watermelon Christmas trees to form the “decorations.” You can do dots, squiggly lines, zigzags or desired decor.
- Place watermelon trees flat or standing upright on a serving tray. Serve immediately or chill for later.
Keep scrolling to the recipe card below for the full printable recipe!
RECIPE TIPS
- Choose any size of seedless watermelon (large or small). With a small melon, you can make approximately 12 trees; larger ones will get you closer to 16. The photos feature a small watermelon since larger ones can be hard to find around Christmas time!
- Cut thick watermelon slices to make the bottom of the Christmas trees strong enough to stand up.
- Gently dry the watermelon with a paper towel first before adding the yogurt. Otherwise, it may slide off the watermelon.
- Since regular yogurt is so thin, it’s not a great substitute for Greek yogurt. If you opt for a higher fat yogurt, it will make it even thicker.
- You can serve these watermelon Christmas trees flat on a plate or tray or standing up. If you want them vertical, you may want to freeze the decorated trees for 15-20 minutes to keep the yogurt in place.
- Prefer to remove the rind? You can use a Christmas tree cookie cutter and only cut out the fruit from the watermelon. You may need a heavy-duty cookie cutter to handle the pressure.
- For extra stability, trim the base of the Christmas tree to make it sit flat.
Recipe FAQs
Instead of the feast of cookies and cakes, incorporate some festive holiday treats for kids! Focus on incorporating fresh fruit and veggies wherever possible. I like to make these little tree-shaped triangles out of watermelon slices and decorate them with yogurt.
You can also arrange sliced fruits into a Christmas Fruit Wreath your kids will absolutely love. Try whipping up a batch of low sugar, naturally sweetened muffins, like these Banana Brownies or Date Muffins or check out these Healthy Christmas Snacks for Kids!
You can easily adjust the thickness to make the watermelon Christmas trees stand upright. I find it’s best to cut the watermelon slice at least one inch thick if you want them to stand in a vertical position.
If you’re dairy free and need an alternative ingredient for the icing, try sourcing a dairy-free Greek yogurt. These should have a similar thickness to help stick to the watermelon slices.
Storage Guidelines
- These Christmas watermelon trees last for 2-3 days in an airtight container in the fridge. Once decorated, the trees should be stored in a flat layer to avoid smudging the yogurt.
Decorating Ideas
To make your watermelon slices your own, consider these upgrades:
- Add edible glitter or sprinkles
- Use a piping tip and a pastry bag to make fine details
- Decorate with fresh berries or pomegranate seeds. Be sure to place the watermelon trees in the freezer for 1-2 hours to glue the fruit to the yogurt.
- Vary the height of your trees to build a forest
- Spell out a holiday message, like “Merry Christmas,” with your watermelon trees
Serving Suggestions
These watermelon Christmas trees are a great healthy snack or appetizer to serve during the holidays! They can be paired with other healthy snacks or be served with a meal as an extra serving of produce.
Recipe Variations
- Skip the stem: You don’t have to serve your trees with a trunk! Feel free to cut simple triangles instead.
- Decorate with berries: Place pomegranate seeds, blueberries, or other seasonal fruits on the “trees!” Be sure to freeze for 2 hours before serving.
- Cut different shapes: Prefer a star or a different shape? Cut thinner slices of watermelon and use a heavy-duty cookie cutter.
More Fun Holiday Recipes
- Santa Pancakes with Strawberries
- Strawberry Penguins
- Apple Christmas Tree
- Banana Snowmen
- Christmas Lunch Box Ideas
- Turkey Deviled Eggs
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Watermelon Christmas Trees
Ingredients
- 2 circular watermelon slices (can use a large or small watermelon)
- 1/2-3/4 cup plain 2% Greek yogurt
Instructions
- Using a sharp knife, cut a large or small watermelon in half widthwise. Next, place the halved watermelon on its side and cut a 1-inch thick circular slice from each half.
- Lay each circular slice on a cutting board and cut into six equal-sized pieces for a small watermelon, or eight pieces for a large watermelon.
- To make each slice into the shape of a Christmas tree, cut off the outer edges of the watermelon rind, leaving a 1-inch “stem” for each Christmas tree. You may wish to cut the very bottom of the stem to make it flat so that it can stand up. Pat each of the watermelon trees with paper towel to soak up excess moisture.
- Next, fill a piping bag with a fine tip or a plastic bag with the Greek yogurt. If using the bag, cut a very small hole at the tip of one of the corners.
- Pipe the Greek yogurt onto each of the watermelon Christmas trees to form the “decorations.” You can do dots, squiggly lines, zigzags or desired decor.
- Place watermelon trees flat or standing upright on a serving tray. Serve immediately or chill for later.
Notes
- Choose any size seedless watermelon (large or small). With a small melon, you can make approximately 12 trees; larger ones will get you closer to 16. The photos feature a small watermelon since larger ones can be hard to find around Christmas time!
- Cut thick watermelon slices to make the bottom of the Christmas trees strong enough to stand up.
- Gently dry the watermelon with a paper towel first before adding the yogurt. Otherwise, it may slide off the watermelon.
- Since regular yogurt is so thin, it’s not a great substitute for Greek yogurt. If you opt for a higher fat yogurt, it will make it even thicker.
- You can serve these watermelon Christmas trees flat on a plate or tray or standing up. If you want them vertical, you may want to freeze the decorated trees for 15-20 minutes to keep the yogurt in place.
- Prefer to remove the rind? You can use a Christmas tree cookie cutter and only cut out the fruit from the watermelon. You may need a heavy-duty cookie cutter to handle the pressure.
- For extra stability, trim the base of the Christmas tree to make it sit flat.
