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As a self-proclaimed vegetable aficionado, I pride myself on bringing show-stopping veggie trays to every get-together. After making so many, I’ve perfected boards that look gorgeous and can be customized with the veggies and sauces you already have. So let’s learn how to make the ultimate vegetable tray!
save this recipe!I’m a sucker for a good board or tray at a party. I love making cheese boards and veggie trays. But not your average grocery store raw veggie platter. Veggies come in so many shapes, sizes, and colors that I love to build rainbow veggie boards! I’ve mastered how to do this with a variety of veggies, so let’s make one!
- Customizable: This formula for building a colorful vegetable platter can be done with a wide variety of veggies!
- Make Ahead: Crudité platters (raw veggie platters) are a great option for prepping ahead of time. The vegetables are sturdy, so you can make this up to 6 hours in advance.
Presentation Tips
An easy hack to elevate any DIY veggie tray is to leave the greens on some of your veggies. That means slicing the carrots in half lengthwise but leaving the green tops on. Or keeping some radishes whole with the greens still on, while slicing the others in half. This keeps the board interesting to the eye but still easy for folks to grab and eat.
Keep the dips from leaking
To use bell peppers as dip cups, we slice the bottom off slightly. This can create small holes in the peppers’ bottoms, causing the dip to leak out. If yours have holes, simply line the bottom (inside bottom) with a little bit of foil before adding the dip.
make-ahead vegetable tray
While the fully made veggie tray will last for 6 hours, you can prepare the vegetables in advance. I like to place my dip (while still in it’s containers or tupperware) on the board as a place holder. Then build the veggies around them. Wrap this tightly in plastic wrap and then a damp towel. This way you can store the whole tray up to 1 day in the fridge.
When you’re ready to serve, just slice the bell peppers and fill them with dip to replace the dip containers.
Fresh Vegetable Dip Ideas
We usually add tzatziki and hummus to our boards, but you can really serve it with whatever you’ve got! I love making this tray as a way to use up random dips in the fridge. While that often means hummus, it can also be street corn dip I grabbed at Costco.
- French Onion Dip: This is made with Greek yogurt so it makes a great healthier option. Plus, it’s perfect for using up white onions you may have chopped up for barbecue toppings.
- Spinach Artichoke Dip: Serve this warm or cold for a fun textural contrast.
- Romesco Sauce: This sweet and savory sauce is made from bell peppers, so you’ll already have many of the ingredients!
P.S. Have leftover veggies from the board? Roast them to turn them into a hidden veggies paste sauce!
Elegant Vegetable Tray Recipe (Easy Guide)
Ingredients
Vegetables
- Bell Peppers, to hold the dips
- Broccolini, cut into florets
- Carrots, peeled and halved or quartered lengthwise
- Cauliflower, cut into florets
- Celery, cut into 3-inch sticks
- Cucumber, sliced
- Mini Bell Peppers, halve the big ones
- Radishes, sliced
- Snap Peas, halve a few lengthwise for presentation
Dips
- Tzatziki
- Hummus
Instructions
- Pick Tray: Select which tray you will use to arrange your veggie platter. This can be a large cutting board or a round or square tray made for charcuterie. You can even use a sheet pan!
- Select Veggies: The ingredients list includes everything that I put on my board, but this can vary based on your taste preferences and what's in season. I always aim to buy the most colorful veggies possible. So for example, instead of white cauliflower I'll buy purple, and instead of orange carrots I'll buy the rainbow pack. See notes for vegetable options suggestions.
- Arrange Dips: Cut the top off of each bell pepper and use a spoon to gently scrape out the seeds and ribs. If needed, trim off a bit of the bottom so that each bell pepper stands upright, being careful not to make a large hole in the bottom where the dip can leak out. Spoon your dip into each of the bell peppers and place them in the center of your board.
- Arrange Board: Working from the middle of the board where the dips are, start building around them. Add veggies in loose, organized clusters at the four corners first, placing similar colors opposite each other. Fill in the gaps, making sure no two veggies of the same color are side-by-side. Keep adding veggies until your board it full and there are no gaps!
- Serve: Serve immediately or tightly wrap with plastic wrap and store in the fridge until you're ready to serve, up to 6 hours. Happy eating!
Notes
did you make this?Leave a comment below and tag @liveeatlearn on social media! I love seeing what you’ve made!
