Listed here are all our prime veggie tray concepts for a subsequent stage celebration platter! These tasty dips and greens transcend the strange carrots and celery to make a colourful, flavorful tray that can impress everybody.
Why we love this recipe
Wish to make a veggie tray however uninterested in the identical previous factor? As two cookbook authors, we’ve put collectively a number of of our prime veggie tray concepts for a crowd-pleasing celebration platter! Each time we convey a variation on this tray to events, everybody goes loopy over the brilliant colours and engaging dips.
Right here’s the factor: there’s not an excessive amount of wanted to take these strange carrots and celery from blah to superb. Our 3 finest methods? Play up the vegetable colour and texture contrasts, make our dill dip recipe that takes simply 5 minutes, and go for steamed broccoli as an alternative of uncooked: it makes everybody joyful!
Veggie tray concepts: finest greens to make use of
Certain, everybody is aware of carrots and celery. However what are some veggie tray concepts that make for a next-level tray? Use as many colours as doable. Listed here are some suggestions that we observe each time we construct a tray:
- Carrots: Keep away from child carrots. Peel and slice medium to massive carrots for the very best taste. Use rainbow carrots if you’ll find them for brightly coloured look!
- Broccoli: Use steamed broccoli or blanched broccoli, calmly salted, which makes a extra tender texture and candy taste. It additionally makes a phenomenal vibrant inexperienced colour. Everybody all the time raves after we do that trick!
- Bell peppers: Use crimson, orange, yellow or a mixture for the very best look. Mini candy peppers additionally look good.
- Cucumber: We like utilizing English cucumber, which has the very best taste and vibrant inexperienced colour. The peel is much less bitter and the seeds are smaller than an ordinary cucumber.
- Snap peas: Snap peas are all the time a favourite, with their candy taste and crunch. Keep away from snow peas right here, that are thinner and fewer candy.
- Celery: Celery nonetheless works, when surrounded by these colours and textures.
- Cherry tomatoes: Use multi-colored tomatoes if you’ll find them.
- Radishes: Utilizing radishes brings in a pleasant vibrant pink colour distinction! We like slicing them for straightforward consuming.
What to keep away from on a veggie tray? Uncooked cauliflower is usually a preferred alternative, however we discover its taste may be very sturdy and it may be onerous to digest. We keep away from it on a veggie tray, or you can make steamed cauliflower first.
Extra vegetable concepts
There are heaps extra vegetable concepts for a veggie tray! Listed here are a number of extra concepts:
Dip concepts for a veggie tray
Our favourite dip concept for a veggie tray is our easy dill dip! This recipe requires simply 5 substances in comes collectively in 5 minutes. It’s good to make use of at the least two dips, which supplies some contrasting flavors and makes for a extra attention-grabbing veggie tray.
Listed here are all of our prime dip concepts, and slightly bit about why we love them:
- Dill dip: This basic Dill Dip makes use of mayonnaise, Greek yogurt (or bitter cream), and large fill taste. Various choices are Ranch Dip, Veggie Dip, or Vegan Ranch.
- Hummus: Hummus is a good possibility for a veggie tray because it’s naturally vegan. We like our basic Hummus Recipe finest, however we additionally love variations like Beet Hummus, Black Bean Hummus, or Inexperienced Hummus.
- French onion dip: This French Onion Dip is creamy and wealthy.
- Spinach dip: A chilly Spinach Dip is a pleasant different for a veggie tray. For vegan, use Vegan Spinach Artichoke Dip.
- Inexperienced dips: We like including colour contrasts with a inexperienced dip, like Avocado Dip, Inexperienced Pea Dip, Cilantro Lime Crema, or Cilantro Sauce (vegan).
- Dill pickle dip: This creamy Dill Pickle Dip has a tangy, vibrant taste everybody loves.
- Aioli: Aioli is a creamy French sauce or dip. Attempt our Garlic Aioli, Pesto Aioli, Chipotle Aioli, or Truffle Aioli.
Ideas for styling a veggie tray
Half the enjoyable of a veggie tray is making it look superbly attractive (we eat with our eyes, proper?) As two cookbook authors and meals photographers, we’ve spent years attempting to excellent this artwork. Right here are some things we’ve realized:
- Begin with the dips in low, small bowls. Place the dips onto the tray first.
- Place piles of greens across the dips, enjoying up contrasts in textures and colours. Place completely different coloured greens subsequent to one another, and make completely different patterns with the shapes.
- Garnish with herbs. We like including slightly enjoyable with recent herbs like basil or thyme sprigs so as to add curiosity.
Storing leftovers and make forward suggestions
A veggie tray is simple to make upfront. Listed here are a number of of our suggestions:
- Wash and minimize the greens upfront (together with steaming or blanching the broccoli or inexperienced beans).
- Retailer minimize greens as much as 3 days refrigerated.
- Make the dips upfront and retailer as much as 1 week refrigerated.
Extra appetizer recipes
This veggie tray is one in all our favourite wholesome appetizers: it’s the proper celebration meals concept! Listed here are a number of extra appetizer recipes to attempt:
Dietary notes
This veggie tray is vegetarian and gluten-free, and dairy-free and vegan with vegan dips like hummus or the choices famous above.
Continuously requested questions
Contemplate including colourful and attention-grabbing greens like snap peas, radishes, bell pepper strips, jicama sticks, kohlrabi, blanched asparagus, and even roasted greens like roasted Brussels sprouts or roasted candy potatoes.
Hummus, guacamole, tzatziki, black bean dip, and white bean dip are all scrumptious and nutritious choices. You can too attempt making your individual yogurt-based dip with herbs and spices.
To maintain greens recent, retailer them within the fridge till able to serve. Should you’re making ready the tray upfront, think about using a moist paper towel to cowl the greens and preserve them from drying out. You can too wrap particular person greens in damp paper towels and retailer them in a sealed container till able to assemble.
Description
Listed here are all our prime veggie tray concepts for a subsequent stage celebration platter! These tasty dips and greens transcend the strange carrots and celery to make a colourful, flavorful tray that can impress everybody.
Veggie Concepts
- Carrots (rainbow carrots if doable)
- Celery
- Cucumber (English cucumber is finest if you’ll find it)
- Snap peas
- Crimson, orange, or yellow bell peppers
- Broccoli (steamed broccoli or blanched broccoli is finest)
- Radishes
- Cherry tomatoes (multi-colored, if doable)
- Olives
Dill Dip
- 1 cup full fats Greek yogurt (or bitter cream; see notes)
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons dried dill
- 1 ½ tablespoons dried minced onion
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
Different Dip Concepts (Non-obligatory): Hummus, Avocado Dip, Tzatziki, French Onion Dip, Dill Pickle Dip, Spinach Dip, Cottage Cheese Dip, Garlic Aioli, Pesto Aioli, Inexperienced Pea Dip, White Bean Dip, Cilantro Lime Crema
- Slice the greens. Steam the broccoli or blanch the broccoli and sprinkle it with salt, which makes the feel extra nice for consuming.
- Combine the substances for the dill dip in a big bowl. Refrigerate for half-hour for finest taste (dip shops as much as 1 week refrigerated).
- If making one other dip, combine up the hummus or different dip recipe.
- Place the dips in small shallow bowls. Organize the greens across the dips. Serve instantly.
Notes
We want Greek yogurt, which retains this dip lighter and provides a tang to the flavour. Bitter crema makes it very wealthy and creamy.
Different hummus variations: Beet Hummus, Black Bean Hummus, or Inexperienced Hummus
- Class: Appetizer
- Technique: No Prepare dinner
- Delicacies: Greens
- Weight-reduction plan: Vegetarian
