How to make a fruit bowl

April 15, 2020

Image of hookah fruit head made from an orange and packed with shisha tobacco

Did you know that you can smoke shisha tobacco out of a piece of fruit? Yep, sculpting hookah bowls out of fruit is a thing and we're here to tell you everything you need to know to get started on this creative adventure.

What is a hookah fruit bowl

Also known as hookah fruit heads or fresh heads, fruit bowls are made by cutting a piece of fruit into the shape of a hookah bowl, filling the fruit bowl with shisha tobacco and sticking it on your hookah pipe in place of your usual bowl. Fruit heads offer an extra burst of fruit flavour from the juices mixing with the shisha tobacco, and are more exciting than regular bowls (if you're looking for a new bowl check out our hookah bowl buying guide). As long as the fruit is cut to function like a shisha bowl, you can cut the fruit into any shape or design you want. While not technically fruit, we've even seen some crazy “jack o'lantern” style pumpkin bowls, so don't be afraid to get imaginative!

Pros of a hookah fruit bowl

Added natural flavour from fruit juices
Look impressive
Fun to make
Create new shisha flavour blends
Lifesaver when you break your clay bowl

Cons of a hookah fruit bowl

More preparation time required
Damp fruit interior makes it harder to warm up shisha tobacco mix
More messy to prepare and during smoking session
Doesn't provide an airtight seal

What fruit can you use to make a shisha fruit bowl?

You could make a shisha fruit bowl out pretty much any type of fruit, within reason. Ideally you're looking for a piece of fruit with a hard exterior (for structural support) and a soft interior that can be easily carved out to create a bowl shape. Some of the most popular choices are:

Apple fruit bowl
Orange fruit bowl
Pineapple fruit bowl
Watermelon fruit bowl
Lemon fruit bowl
Pear fruit bowl
Grapefruit fruit bowl
Lime fruit bowl

Tools required to make a shisha fruit bowl

Kitchen knife
Apple corer
Teaspoon
Absorbent paper towel
Aluminium foil
Toothpicks

How to make a hookah bowl out of fruit

For our example we're going to tell you how to make a hookah bowl out of an apple, as it's one of the easiest and most popular fruit bowls.

Step 1: Core the apple

Normally this step would come later with other fruit, but since we have to remove an actual core from the apple, it's best to do first. So, use the apple corer as designed, to remove the apple core.

Step 2: Cut off the top third of the apple

Usually the first step, cut off the top third of the apple with the kitchen knife and discard (most people eat the leftover fruit).

Step 3: Scoop out the inside flesh of the apple

Using a combination of the teaspoon and kitchen knife (for any stubborn bits), carve out the inside of the apple to create a bowl shape, leaving at least 1 cm wall thickness. You can even carve out a doughnut shape (leaving a raised stump in the centre around the core hole) to make a phunnel style fruit head.

Step 4: Dry the inside of the apple

While you want some fruit juice to mix with the shisha tobacco, you don't want the fruit bowl to be wet. Use absorbent paper towel to pat down the inside of the apple to absorb any excess juice.

Step 5: Line the base of the apple with aluminium foil

To stop your shisha mix falling down the large hole made by the apple corer, line the base of the apple with a small square of aluminium foil, just large enough to cover the hole. Pierce the foil 3-5 times using the toothpick to allow the shisha smoke to pass through. If you find this method makes the draw too restrictive, you can cross a few toothpicks across the hole instead.

Step 6: Fit fruit bowl to the hookah pipe in place of regular bowl

The hole made using the apple corer should be the perfect diameter to fit over your stem or ashtray male fitting. Place the apple down over the male fitting and rotate until the apple is seated to create a proper seal. If the fruit bowl is too loose, wrap a layer of paper towel around the stem and test the fit again. Repeat until a proper seal is formed.

Step 7: Pack the fruit bowl with shisha tobacco

It's now time to pack your fruit bowl with a complementary shisha tobacco flavour or mix. It's really not that much different to filling a regular bowl, so read our how to pack a hookah bowl blog article for more detail.

You should now know enough to start experimenting with shisha fruit bowls for yourself. Feel free to send through any photos of your designs, or tag us in your social media posts!