DIY Fruit Cups (made in 5 minutes)

Homemade fruit cups will have you feeling like the savviest parent on the block! All you need for these quick DIY fruit cups are your favorite fruits and juice. The whole family will love these!

Medically reviewed and cowritten by Jamie Johnson, Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN), and Lauren Braaten, Pediatric Occupational Therapist (OT).

Homemade Fruit Cups

DIY fruit cups – how on earth have I never thought of these before?!? I mean, homemade yogurt pouches, homemade popsicles, homemade smoothies, yes. But making my own fruit cups? I wish I would have thought of it sooner!

Store-bought fruit cups are definitely convenient, but I often find myself wishing they didn’t come with as much packaging waste. And I’ve noticed that my kids seem to love these homemade versions even more, especially since I can customize them with our favorite fruits.

These homemade fruit cups are easy to meal prep on the weekends, so that you can enjoy them for lunches and snacks all week long.

Feeding toddlers can be tricky! But, don’t worry, I’ve got you covered! Here you will find real-life toddler meal ideas, over 100 toddler snack ideas, great hidden-veggie recipes, 50 cooking with toddler recipes, and so much more! For even more toddler-friendly recipes, be sure to check out my best-selling cookbook: Little Foodies: Recipes for Babies and Toddlers with Taste.

Reasons to Love Homemade Fruit Cups

• Easy to make
• Budget-friendly alternative to store bought fruit cups
• Endless fruit combinations
• Perfect for packed lunches or snacks
• Environmentally friendly snack option
• Great recipe for kids to help out with in the kitchen

Ingredients

• Assorted Fruit: almost any diced fruit will work – apples, pears, cherries, blueberries, oranges, peaches, strawberries, pineapples, etc.
• Juice: you can use apple juice, white grape juice, lemonade, or coconut water. Juice helps prevent the cut fruit from turning brown.

Health Benefits of Homemade Fruit Cups: These homemade fruit cups are tasty and nutritious. Store-bought fruit cups can be packed in heavy or light syrup, which is just another name for sugar, so by making these yourself, you can cut back on added sugar. Most all fruit is packed with fiber, vitamin C, and antioxidants so no matter which fruit you choose, your kiddos will be getting lots of nutrients.

Fruit Ideas

The beauty of these DIY fruit cups is that you can use practically any fruit you can have on hand. We seem to have favorites in our house, but I also love changing it up weekly with a new fruit diced up in our typical mix.

• apples
• pears
• peaches
• cherries
• mango
• grapes
• apricots
• blueberries
• clementines
• strawberries
• pears

Juice Ideas

Use your favorite juice, lemonade or coconut water here. The juice is helpful for preventing the cut fruit from turning brown.

• apple juice
• white grape juice
• coconut water
• lemonade
• strawberry lemonade
• fruit cocktail

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Dice fruit into bite-sized pieces.
2. Place fruit into jars or containers, filling about 3/4 of the way full to save room for liquid.
3. Add just enough of your preferred liquid to cover fruit. Use a spoon as needed to gently stir and make sure all fruit is covered with liquid.
4. Serve immediately or cover with lids and store in the fridge.

How to Store

Fruit cups will keep fresh when stored in the fridge for 3-5 days in airtight containers. Make sure the fruit is covered entirely with liquid to help keep it from turning brown.

Best Jars to Use

Make sure your jars have an airtight lid. Other than that, the type and size of jar you’ll want to use will depend on your family’s needs. Serving to toddlers? You’ll probably want smaller containers, such as 4 oz. Older kids? You’ll probably want bigger containers and ones that are shatterproof if packing in lunches.

Glass Storage Jars

WEESPROUT Glass Baby Food Storage Containers – We absolutely love these jars! You get 12 colorful glass jars that hold 4oz each. Great for storing baby food purees as well as yogurts, overnight oats, chia seed pudding for toddlers and kids. While the price is a little high, you will get many years worth out of these jars. Well worth the investment in our opinion.

Babymoov Glass Food Storage Containers – I love that this set comes with two different sizes of containers – 4oz and 8oz. This is great if you have a baby that is a bigger eater and needs more than an ounce or two of purees at each meal.

Plastic Storage Containers

WEESPROUT Leakproof Baby Food Storage – just as amazing as their glass jars, just with a smaller price tag! This set comes with 12 colorful 4oz jars made out of BPA free high-quality polypropylene plastic. I also love that this plastic version is easier (and lighter) to toss into your diaper bag for a quick baby meal on the run.

OXO Tot Baby Blocks Freezer Storage Containers – a great smaller set that contains 4 – 4oz PVC, BPA, and phthalate-free jars and a storage tray. Great space-saver system that helps keep your jars of baby purees organized and tidy. Plus, you can easily stack more trays on top of each other if you need a bigger freezer stash.