These veggie tray concepts make a next-level occasion platter with colourful greens and creamy dips that transcend simply carrots and celery! Listed below are my finest vegetable decisions, dip choices, and make-ahead suggestions.
Wish to make a veggie tray however bored with the identical previous factor? After I say “veggie tray,” you would possibly consider these store-bought trays in plastic with unhappy child carrots and ranch. However I’ve realized there’s not an excessive amount of wanted to take abnormal carrots and celery from blah to superb.
If you concentrate on shade and texture contrasts and easy selfmade dips, the veggie tray immediately turns into the star of the occasion. I’ve spent years perfecting my favourite veggie tray concepts, and right here I’m sharing my methods!
The Greatest Greens for Your Tray
Positive, 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 below are some suggestions that I observe each time I construct a tray:
- Carrots: Keep away from child carrots. Peel and slice medium to massive carrots for the most effective taste. Use rainbow carrots if you will discover them for brightly coloured look!
- Broccoli: Use steamed broccoli or blanched broccolifrivolously salted, which makes a extra tender texture and candy taste. It makes a wonderful vibrant inexperienced shade and the florets disappear shortly: everybody all the time loves them!
- Bell peppers: Use purple, orange, yellow or a mix for the most effective look. Mini candy peppers additionally look good.
- Cucumber: We like utilizing English cucumberwhich has the most effective taste and vibrant inexperienced shade. The peel is much less bitter and the seeds are smaller than a regular 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 will discover them.
- Radishes: Utilizing radishes brings in a pleasant vibrant pink shade distinction! We like slicing them for simple consuming.
What to keep away from on a veggie tray? Uncooked cauliflower is commonly a preferred selection, however we discover its taste could be very sturdy and it may be arduous to digest. We keep away from it on a veggie tray, or you can make steamed cauliflower first.
Extra Vegetable Choices
If you wish to broaden your veggie tray past the fundamentals, listed here are some choices I like:
My Favourite Dips for Veggie Trays
My favourite dip concept for a veggie tray is my easy dill dipwhich requires simply 5 elements in comes collectively in 5 minutes. I like to make use of not less than two dips, which supplies some contrasting flavors and makes for a extra attention-grabbing veggie tray. Listed below are all of my high dip concepts:
- Dill dip: This traditional dill dip is tangy and creamy, or attempt ranch dip, veggie dipor vegan ranch.
- Hummus: Hummus is a superb possibility for a veggie tray because it’s naturally vegan. I like this traditional hummus recipe finest, however you can too make variations like spicy hummus, beet hummusor black bean hummus.
- French onion dip: This French onion dip is creamy and wealthy.
- Spinach dip: A chilly spinach dip is a pleasant various for a veggie tray. For vegan, use vegan spinach artichoke dip.
- Inexperienced dips: A inexperienced dip makes a pleasant shade distinction, like avocado dip, inexperienced pea dip, cilantro lime creamor vegan cilantro sauce.
- Dill pickle dip: This creamy dill pickle dip has a tangy, vibrant taste.
- Aioli: This creamy French sauce is scrumptious with greens; attempt my garlic aioli, pesto aiolior truffle aioli.
Styling a Veggie Tray Like a Professional
Half the enjoyable of a veggie tray is making it look fantastically attractive (we eat with our eyes, proper?) As a cookbook creator with a meals photographer husband, I’ve spent years attempting to good this artwork! Right here are some things I’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. I like including somewhat enjoyable with recent herbs like basil or thyme sprigs so as to add curiosity.
Serving Ideas
This veggie tray is ideal as a standalone occasion meals appetizer, however you’ll be able to serve it alongside different platters for a festive unfold:
Storage and Make-Forward Suggestions
A veggie tray is straightforward to make upfront. Listed below are a number of of our suggestions:
- Advance Prep: You’ll be able to wash and minimize all of the greens as much as 3 days forward, together with blanching the broccoli. Retailer every part within the fridge in separate containers.
- Dip Prep: Make the dips as much as 3 days upfront and retailer them refrigerated.
- Meeting: Assemble the tray as much as half-hour earlier than serving.
- Storing Leftovers: If in case you have leftover greens, retailer them within the fridge for as much as 3 days. The dips will retailer for as much as 1 week refrigerated.
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
Think about 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, tzatzikiblack 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. In case 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.
Simple Veggie Tray
These veggie tray concepts make a next-level occasion platter with colourful greens and creamy dips that transcend simply carrots and celery! Listed below are my finest vegetable decisions, dip choices, and make-ahead suggestions.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook dinner Time: 0 minutes
- Complete Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 1 massive tray 1x
- Class: Appetizer
- Technique: No Cook dinner
- Delicacies: Greens
- Food plan: Vegetarian
Veggie Concepts
- Carrots (rainbow carrots if doable)
- Celery
- Cucumber (English cucumber is finest if you will discover it)
- Snap peas
- Pink, 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, Coriander Lime Cream
- 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 elements 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.
