These veggie tray concepts make a next-level celebration platter with colourful greens and creamy dips that transcend simply carrots and celery! Listed here 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 discovered there’s not an excessive amount of wanted to take bizarre carrots and celery from blah to wonderful.
Once you concentrate on coloration and texture contrasts and easy home made dips, the veggie tray abruptly turns into the star of the celebration. I’ve spent years perfecting my favourite veggie tray concepts, and right here I’m sharing my tips!
The Finest 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 potential. Listed here are some suggestions that I comply with each time I construct a tray:
- Carrots: Keep away from child carrots. Peel and slice medium to giant carrots for the very best taste. Use rainbow carrots if yow will discover them for brightly coloured look!
- Broccoli: Use steamed broccoli or blanched broccoli, frivolously salted, which makes a extra tender texture and candy taste. It makes a good looking shiny inexperienced coloration and the florets disappear shortly: everybody all the time loves them!
- Bell peppers: Use pink, orange, yellow or a mix for the very best look. Mini candy peppers additionally look good.
- Cucumber: We like utilizing English cucumber, which has the very best taste and shiny inexperienced coloration. 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 yow will discover them.
- Radishes: Utilizing radishes brings in a pleasant shiny pink coloration 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 robust and it may be arduous to digest. We keep away from it on a veggie tray, or you might make steamed cauliflower first.
Further Vegetable Choices
If you wish to increase your veggie tray past the fundamentals, listed below are some choices I really like:
My Favourite Dips for Veggie Trays
My favourite dip thought for a veggie tray is my easy dill dip, which requires simply 5 components in comes collectively in 5 minutes. I like to make use of at the very least two dips, which offers some contrasting flavors and makes for a extra fascinating veggie tray. Listed here are all of my prime dip concepts:
- Dill dip: This basic dill dip is tangy and creamy, or attempt ranch dip, veggie dip, or vegan ranch.
- Hummus: Hummus is a superb possibility for a veggie tray because it’s naturally vegan. I like this basic hummus recipe finest, however you may also make variations like spicy hummus, beet hummus, or black bean 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: A inexperienced dip makes a pleasant coloration distinction, like avocado dip, inexperienced pea dip, cilantro lime crema, or vegan cilantro sauce.
- Dill pickle dip: This creamy dill pickle dip has a tangy, shiny taste.
- Aioli: This creamy French sauce is scrumptious with greens; attempt my garlic aioli, pesto aioli, or truffle aioli.
Styling a Veggie Tray Like a Professional
Half the enjoyable of a veggie tray is making it look superbly attractive (we eat with our eyes, proper?) As a cookbook creator with a meals photographer husband, I’ve spent years making an attempt to good this artwork! Right here are some things I’ve discovered:
- 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 just a little enjoyable with contemporary herbs like basil or thyme sprigs so as to add curiosity.
Serving Solutions
This veggie tray is ideal as a standalone celebration meals appetizer, however you possibly can serve it alongside different platters for a festive unfold:
Storage and Make-Forward Ideas
A veggie tray is straightforward to make prematurely. Listed here are a couple of of our suggestions:
- Advance Prep: You may wash and lower all of the greens as much as 3 days forward, together with blanching the broccoli. Retailer every little thing within the fridge in separate containers.
- Dip Prep: Make the dips as much as 3 days prematurely and retailer them refrigerated.
- Meeting: Assemble the tray as much as half-hour earlier than serving.
- Storing Leftovers: 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.
Ceaselessly Requested Questions
Think about including colourful and fascinating 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. It’s also possible to attempt making your individual yogurt-based dip with herbs and spices.
To maintain greens contemporary, retailer them within the fridge till able to serve. For those who’re making ready the tray prematurely, think about using a moist paper towel to cowl the greens and preserve them from drying out. It’s also possible to wrap particular person greens in damp paper towels and retailer them in a sealed container till able to assemble.
Straightforward Veggie Tray
These veggie tray concepts make a next-level celebration platter with colourful greens and creamy dips that transcend simply carrots and celery! Listed here are my finest vegetable decisions, dip choices, and make-ahead suggestions.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook dinner Time: 0 minutes
- Whole Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 1 giant tray 1x
- Class: Appetizer
- Methodology: No Cook dinner
- Delicacies: Greens
- Eating regimen: Vegetarian
Veggie Concepts
- Carrots (rainbow carrots if potential)
- Celery
- Cucumber (English cucumber is finest if yow 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 potential)
- 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 (Optionally available): 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 components 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.
