Elegant Vegetable Tray Recipe (Easy Guide)
Learn how to make the ultimate vegetable tray. Customizable, gorgeous, and perfect for any gathering. Tips from a veggie lover who’s mastered the art of the party platter!
Servings: 8 servings
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!
Video
Notes
Carrots: I love to buy the rainbow variety pack of these to give the board lots of color. I also aim to buy the skinniest carrots possible so that I only have to halve them. You could also use baby carrots here or just plain orange carrots.
Cucumber: I prefer English cucumbers here because they don't have seeds, but you could definitely use slicing cucumbers. Just be sure to halve and then scoop out the seeds before slicing. It's important to also taste your cucumber first and if the peel is bitter, I recommend peeling it before slicing.
Radishes: Radishes can come in such fun colors, so either use the most commonly found pink radishes that have a white center, or if you can find them use watermelon radishes, which have a gorgeous color inside!
Cauliflower: You could use white, orange, or purple cauliflower here, or use all three for maximum color variety!
Broccolini: I love how broccoli looks on the veggie tray, but you could also use broccoli florets that you cut into bite-sized pieces.
Storage: This is a great option for making ahead of time because the vegetables are pretty sturdy. You can prep the board up to a day in advance and just wait to add the dips or sauces. Any leftover veggies can be gathered up and stored in an airtight container for up to four days in the refrigerator. And the leftover dip can be put back in their containers.
How much does this serve? This tray easily serves 10 people. I am to provide 4-6 ounces of veggies per person. This is about 3/4 cups.
