Easy Vegetable Tray

An appetizer table for a good party isn't complete without a veggie tray! This homemade vegetable platter is way better and fresher than the pre-made one in stores. Choose your favorite fresh crisp vegetables, then make some homemade ranch dressing or another dipping sauce. Your party guests will love it!

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Easy Veggie Tray Recipe

A veggie platter has a way of transcending holidays, seasons and parties. Maybe we're not eating the veggies "in season" sometimes, but every party I go to has a vegetable tray - no matter the time of year! From Thanksgiving to the Super Bowl to summer cookouts, you can pretty much bet there will be a veggie tray out for guests to munch on.

Don't get me wrong - I love jalapeño popper dip and chicken wings as much as the next person, but veggie trays are something easy to serve that really everyone will eat. People love having a lighter option to dive into. Even the picky eaters - if you dip a vegetable in enough ranch dressing (or other sauce) and it's unrecognizable and totally delicious!

If you're not a cook, a vegetable platter is the perfect thing for you to volunteer to bring to the next party. And yes, you could buy one of these trays! But who knows how long they've been on the shelf! When you go the DIY route (with homemade ranch dressing to boot!) you can be sure the veggies are fresh and customize it with your favorite options - plus, it's a lot cheaper!

Why You'll Love this Recipe

I'm sure we all have reasons to love a good crudite platter! There are a few reasons I love snacks like this:

• Game day parties, holiday parties, and special occasions always need some lighter options. So this is an easy way to ensure there is something relatively nutritious on the menu.
• You can create custom platters for any size party you are planning. If you have an large party, then easily create an extra large platter with a variety of flavorful dips, while a smaller party just needs a little platter with one sauce.
• They're easily customizable. Use whatever vegetables and dipping sauces you want to turn the boring vegetable tray into a platter of all your favorites.

What to Put on a Homemade Veggie Tray

A vegetable platter is typically just made of crisp, raw veggies and a delicious dip or two. You can add cheese and crackers if you want, but then that kind of morphs the platter into more of charcuterie board. (Which is perfectly okay!)

There are a lot of great options vegetables for a veggie platter, but the key is to have a variety of options showcasing a range of colors and textures. People like choices! You will want to have some crunchy and some soft - and all of them should be cut into bite-size, dippable pieces.

• small tomatoes: Grape tomatoes and cherry tomatoes are common. You could also quarter Campari tomatoes or slice larger tomatoes into half-moons.
• broccoli florets: Buy a bag of florets or chop a head of broccoli into smaller florets.
• cauliflower florets: Like broccoli, you can pick up either a bag or a head of cauliflower and chop it into smaller florets.
• cucumbers: Any size or kind of cucumber works, but Persian or English cucumbers are most common for slices on veggie trays.
• carrots: Cut long sticks or buy a bag of baby carrots. Purple carrots and yellow carrots are so pretty and would add some lovely color to your tray!
• celery: You can buy pre-cut bags, but it's often cheaper to buy a bunch of celery. Cut off the roots and leaves, then trim the stalks into 4-inch sticks.
• bell peppers: Get a variety of red, yellow and orange peppers. Core and de-seed them, then slice into thin strips.
• snap peas or snow peas: Trim the ends of snap peas and pull away any tough strings so they're crisp, sweet and ready to serve.
• radishes: Thinly slice radishes into circles or half-moons.
• edamame: Boil or steam edamame pods until tender, then sprinkle generously with flaky sea salt. Serve a small bowl alongside the crudité platter for empty pods.

Veggie Tray Dipping Sauces

Ranch dressing is most common for a veggie tray, as the savory herbs add tangy flavor to the creamy dip. It's definitely the baseline that people expect, so if you don't know your crowd well, ranch is a very safe bet. Our homemade ranch recipe uses mayonnaise, sour cream, milk, garlic, chives, parsley, lemon juice, salt and pepper.

But if you'd like to switch things up, you can certainly add more options to the table. Again, people really like having choices and will want to try them all, so don't be afraid to offer a little dip trio!

• flavored ranch: Go beyond plain, buttermilk ranch dressing with a spin on it like jalapeño ranch or avocado ranch.
• creamy dips: A tangy, creamy dip, like sour cream dip, whipped feta dip or green onion dip, echoes the ranch vibes, but are fun and different.
• hummus or white bean dip: These are great non-dairy options. You really can't beat fresh hummus! (Store-bought works fine too.) This garlic white bean dip would also be creamy and delicious.
• Mexican dips: Homemade guacamole and salsa are so good with veggies. It's nice for guests to have a non-chip option.
• warm dips: Fresh veggies are great with hot, cheesy dips like baked buffalo chicken dip.

How to Build an Easy Vegetable Tray

It is easiest to make a good vegetable tray on a large platter or even a sheet pan, but you can do it on a big dinner plate if it's a smaller group.

1. Wash and dry all the veggies.
2. Cut or slice any veggies that need chopping, like broccoli, cucumber and celery. Tomatoes and baby carrots can be whole.
3. Place the ranch dip, or other favorite dip, on the center of the platter.
4. Arrange the veggies around the bowl or bowls of veggie dip. Place different colors next to each other, or arrange them in rainbow order. (Another good reason to have a variety: The rainbow of colors is very pretty!)
5. Serve the vegetable tray immediately, or cover it well with plastic wrap and then store in the fridge for a few hours until needed. It's best the day you make it.
6. Garnish with fresh herbs like parsley sprigs before serving (optional).

How to Store a Veggie Tray

Veggie trays are best made the same day or the night before so everything looks perky.

If you prep and cover it well, a homemade veggie tray will usually stay fresh for about 2 to 3 days in the fridge. Watery veggies like cucumbers and tomatoes will go soft faster, while carrots, celery and peppers hold up better.

If you have any leftovers after your party, you can either transfer them to an airtight container and cover the platter tightly in plastic wrap. Then store in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Hot Tip: Pre-cut vegetables from the grocery store often do not last as long as cutting fresh vegetables yourself. If you need the platter to stay fresh for awhile, then cut your own veggies!

What to Serve with a Vegetable Platter

One great companion is a fruit tray with a tasty fruit dip that would look so pretty next to a fresh veggie tray. Remember, people love options!

Fresh pita chips with yummy dip and crispy crackers are always good pairing with veggies too! And don't forget the veggie platters are always so tasty with Greek hummus.

A veggie tray is such a simple dish, which leaves you plenty of time to cook up some other appetizers and snacks, like hot caprese dip. A fresh tomato tart with puff pastry also pair well with a vegetable tray. A platter of easy crostini with some cheese or tomato bruschetta would be fresh and lovely.

Tips for Success

Here are some tips and tricks for making this recipe:

• Need a way to keep your platter cold during a party? Then fill a pan with ice water and place the veggie tray on top of it. It will keep the vegetables cold and crispy, which also makes their flavor better!
• Refrigerate the veggies before serving. Cold veggies are much better than room temp veggies.
• The more variety, the better! A mix of vegetables means there is something for everyone on the platter. At minimum, use at 3-4 different raw vegetables on a platter.
• For a pretty presentation, arrange the veggies in rainbow order or separate green items with veggies of other colors (tomatoes, peppers, cauliflower, carrots). Garnish with fresh herbs for more color!

FAQ

More Vegetable Recipes

• Roasted Root Vegetables
• Steamed Broccoli
• Grilled Veggie Skewers
• Corn and Tomato Salad