Purchased vegetable trays are convenient, but they can be costly. Why not make your own veggie tray and save money? With a homemade veggie platter, you can eat well and stretch your grocery dollar!
Serve one of these easy veggie tray ideas before dinner as an app with Homemade Buttermilk Ranch Dip or a Homemade Sour Cream and Onion Dip. Or include a vegetable tray in a Budget Brunch Party Menu for a little extra veg alongside a Charcuterie Board.
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OK, you’re taking a dish to a potluck and you’ve been assigned “the veggie tray.” You could just pick up one of the many vegetable platters available in the produce section of your grocery store, but, you’ll probably pay about $15 to $25. Yes, really.
And there’re other problems with the store-bought vegetable tray: The dressing is not that great. The broccoli smells a little weird. The tomatoes get a little slimy.
When you pull off that plastic film at your event, you want to cringe just a bit. Sure, the work was all done for you, but the quality of that vegetable tray is a little less than stellar.
Making your own veggie tray is the way to go!
Why Make This
It’s just vegetables! You can do this, simply, easily, and economically for at least ? the cost. Your homemade veggie tray will taste a lot better. It can cost as little as $5 and about 20 minutes of your time.
It fits almost every meal. Whether you’re looking for some Easy Brunch Ideas & Recipes or easy Game Day Appetizer Ideas, a veggie tray is it! This is a perfect addition to your Easter Dinner Menu. It’s one of those budget-friendly appetizers everyone loves.
Ingredients
A veggie tray can be whatever vegetables you want to include as long as they can be enjoyed raw or lightly steamed. Try to have 1 to 2 cups of veggies per person.
To save money, choose vegetables that are in season or are generally affordable, like carrots and celery.
The raw choices for your vegetable tray can include:
grape or cherry tomatoes – look for those that are plump and shiny, avoiding spotted or wrinkly tomatoes.
carrots – Cut these into sticks or slices or go for a grocery store short-cut with baby carrots. Psst: carrot sticks you cut yourself taste better
cucumber – Cut cukes into slices or sticks. English cucumbers hold up the best. If using slicing cucumbers, consider peeling off a few stripes off the peel for a pretty display and a more tender bite.
zucchini – Cut medium size zukes into slices or sticks. If you find baby zucchini, you can leave them whole.
celery – Best cut into sticks which is very easy to do yourself at home, celery is a cheap addition to the vegetable tray.
bell peppers – Cut whole sweet bell peppers into slices or strips or serve mini peppers whole.
cauliflower or broccoli – Cut broccoli or cauliflower into bite-size florets. Some people prefer to blanch these, but I like them fine raw.
radishes or turnips – Trim them, leaving small ones whole, but slicing or halving larger ones.
snow or sugar snap peas – Trim the ends.
While not raw veggies, these vegetables can be added, steamed:
green beans – trim and leave long, like carrot sticks. Steam for just a minute or two, then plunge into ice water. Pat dry.
baby potatoes – scrub and trim. Steam until fully cooked. Cool prior to serving. A batch of Slow Cooker Potatoes would be amazing!
Optional dip ideas: While not required, it’s a great touch to add a dip or two to your veggie trays. These might include: hummus, guacamole, buttermilk dressing, onion dip, spinach dip, or salsa. Creamy Garlic Dressing is a good choice, too!
Variations: Add a touch of whimsy by arranging your veggies in special shapes to match a holiday: an Easter egg for an Easter Veggie Tray, a tree for Christmas, a turkey for Thanksgiving, a heart for Valentine’s.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Here’s how to make an easy vegetable tray, in just three simple steps:
- Wash the veggies in vinegar-water solution.
- Prep veggies as described above
- Arrange on a tray, alternating textures and colors in an appealing way. Wrap and chill until serving time. Serve your vegetable tray with a favorite dip.
Tips for Success
It’s super easy to make a veggie tray that looks delicious and invites folks to dive in. One of the tricks is to source good quality produce and arrange it on your vegetable tray in a pretty way.
Here are some tips to help you do that:
- Buy vegetables that are fresh and in-season. The New Food Lover’s Companion is my go-to resource to learning about different vegetables and how to buy them as well as how to store them once I’ve got them at home. If you’re not sure, ask the produce clerk or the farmer at your farmer’s market. They are generally happy to help.
- Choose at least three different veggies. A variety of vegetables on your veggie tray with different textures and colors will appeal to the different tastes of your guests and make the eating experience more enjoyable. For instance, mix in red peppers with white cauliflower, green peas, and orange carrots.
- Cut the vegetables into manageable sizes. Folks are more likely to dig into your veggie tray if the vegis trimmed and cut for easy eating. Trim the strings off snap peas, slice cucumbers, cut carrot sticks, etc. If you’re in a hurry, cut cucumbers and carrots on the diagonal and call it good.
- Not everything has to be sliced or cut. Some vegetables are just great on the platter whole. You could assemble a fantastic tray with veggies that require little to no prep. Think: grape tomatoes, baby carrots, and mini peppers. Just wash those with a quick vinegar and water rinse.
- Arrange it all on a pretty platter. A simple white platter is a great vehicle for your vegetable tray. The white offsets the colors of the vegetables, making it so appealing to “eat the rainbow”. But, you can use other trays as well, such as a sheet pan or a cutting board.
- Group each veg in its own space. Platters seem to look prettier when you’ve got rows or sections of the different components. Food presentation matters, so take a few minutes to make it look appealing.
- Add some garnish for color and interest. Lettuce leaves as a base, fresh basil, cilantro, or parsley sprigs here and there, or even a purple cabbage carved into a dip vessel in the center can liven up a vegetable platter and make it more interesting to look at. Interesting things taste better, don’t you know?
- Include a fun dip, if you like. While certainly not required, a fun dip, such as hummus, guacamole, ranch dressing, or onion dip is a great crowd-pleaser.
- For special occasions, adjust the shape of the veggie platter. You can very easily assemble a Christmas Tree veggie tray or even an Easter vegetable tray in the shape of an Easter egg.
TLDR? Check out this veggie tray web story.
FAQs
Homemade is almost always cheaper than buying a convenience item. Unless you find a vegetable tray on serious markdown, it’s more affordable to assemble your own.
Crudités is a French term for raw seasonal vegetables served as an appetizer with a dipping sauce. Basically it’s a fancy name for a veggie tray.
Once you’ve assembled your veggie tray, wrap it well with plastic wrap and store it in the fridge until ready to serve, up to 2 or 3 days in advance. If your party or buffet will last longer than two hours, set the platter into a roasting pan filled with ice to keep the vegetables cool.
To save time before an event, make your veggie tray the night before. Some vegetables, such as cucumber slices may last longer if stored separately in an airtight container. A prepared vegetable platter is good in the refrigerator for up to 4 days, covered.
Serve vegetable platters as appetizers with a variety of dips or add it to a buffet with cheese and meat platters.
More Great Appetizer Recipes
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Easy Vegetable Tray
Equipment
- large tray
- large wooden cutting board
- heavy duty sheet pan
Ingredients
Choose two to three of the following
- 1 pint grape tomatoes
- 2 carrots cut into sticks or slices, baby carrots can also be used
- 2 English cucumber cut into sticks or slices
- 2 zucchini cut into sticks or slices
- 2 ribs celery cut into sticks
- 2 bell pepper (any color) cored, seeded, and sliced
- 1 head cauliflower or broccoli, cut into florets
- 5 radishes or turnips, trimmed and/or sliced
- 8 oz sugar snap peas or snow peas, trimmed
- 8 oz green beans trimmed and steamed
- 6 baby potatoes trimmed and steamed
Optional dip
- 1 cup Ranch dressing or other dip
Instructions
- Wash the veggies in vinegar-water solution.1 pint grape tomatoes, 2 carrots, 2 English cucumber, 2 zucchini, 2 ribs celery, 2 bell pepper (any color), 1 head cauliflower, 5 radishes, 8 oz sugar snap peas, 8 oz green beans, 6 baby potatoes
- Prep veggies as described above.
- Arrange on a tray, alternating textures and colors in an appealing way. Wrap and chill until serving time. Serve with a favorite dip.1 cup Ranch dressing or other dip
Notes
Nutrition
This post was originally published on April 13, 2019. It has been updated for content and clarity.
Norma
Thank you for all the good ideas.