Simple Veggie Tray – A Couple Cooks

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Listed here are all our high veggie tray concepts for a subsequent stage occasion platter! These tasty dips and greens transcend the strange carrots and celery to make a colourful, flavorful tray that may impress everybody.

Why we love this recipe

Need to make a veggie tray however bored with the identical previous factor? As two cookbook authors, we’ve put collectively just a few of our high veggie tray concepts for a crowd-pleasing occasion platter! Each time we convey a variation on this tray to events, everybody goes loopy over the intense colours and attractive dips.

Right here’s the factor: there’s not an excessive amount of wanted to take these strange carrots and celery from blah to wonderful. Our 3 greatest tips? Play up the vegetable colour and texture contrasts, make our dill dip recipe that takes simply 5 minutes, and go for steamed broccoli as a substitute of uncooked: it makes everybody comfortable!

Veggie tray concepts: greatest greens to make use of

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 here are some ideas that we comply with each time we construct a tray:

Carrots: Keep away from child carrots. Peel and slice medium to giant carrots for one of the best taste. Use rainbow carrots if you’ll find them for brightly coloured look!
Broccoli: Use steamed broccoli or blanched broccoli, frivolously salted, which makes a extra tender texture and candy taste. It additionally makes a good looking vivid inexperienced colour. Everybody all the time raves after we do that trick!
Bell peppers: Use crimson, orange, yellow or a mixture for one of the best look. Mini candy peppers additionally look good.
Cucumber: We like utilizing English cucumber, which has one of the best taste and vivid inexperienced colour. The peel is much less bitter and the seeds are smaller than a typical 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 vivid pink colour distinction! We like slicing them for straightforward consuming.

What to keep away from on a veggie tray? Uncooked cauliflower is commonly a well-liked alternative, however we discover its taste could be very sturdy and it may be onerous to digest. We keep away from it on a veggie tray, or you might make steamed cauliflower first.

Extra vegetable concepts

There are heaps extra vegetable concepts for a veggie tray! Listed here are just a few 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 components in comes collectively in 5 minutes. It’s good to make use of no less than two dips, which gives some contrasting flavors and makes for a extra attention-grabbing veggie tray.

Listed here are all of our high dip concepts, and slightly bit about why we love them:

Dill dip: This traditional Dill Dip makes use of mayonnaise, Greek yogurt (or bitter cream), and massive fill taste. Different choices are Ranch Dip, Veggie Dip, or Vegan Ranch.
Hummus: Hummus is a superb choice for a veggie tray because it’s naturally vegan. We like our traditional Hummus Recipe greatest, 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, vivid 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 ideas

A veggie tray is straightforward to make prematurely. Listed here are just a few of our ideas:

Wash and lower the greens prematurely (together with steaming or blanching the broccoli or inexperienced beans).
Retailer lower greens as much as 3 days refrigerated.
Make the dips prematurely and retailer as much as 1 week refrigerated.

Extra appetizer recipes

This veggie tray is one among our favourite wholesome appetizers: it’s the right occasion meals concept! Listed here are just a few extra appetizer recipes to strive:

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.

Regularly requested questions

What are some distinctive vegetable choices for a veggie tray in addition to the same old carrots and celery?

Take into account 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.

What are some wholesome dips to pair with a veggie tray?

Hummus, guacamole, tzatziki, black bean dip, and white bean dip are all scrumptious and nutritious choices. You can too strive making your individual yogurt-based dip with herbs and spices.

How can I maintain greens recent on a veggie tray?

To maintain greens recent, 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 maintain 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 high veggie tray concepts for a subsequent stage occasion platter! These tasty dips and greens transcend the strange carrots and celery to make a colourful, flavorful tray that may impress everybody.

Veggie Concepts

Carrots (rainbow carrots if doable)
Celery
Cucumber (English cucumber is greatest if you’ll find it)
Snap peas
Pink, orange, or yellow bell peppers
Broccoli (steamed broccoli or blanched broccoli is greatest)
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 (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 greatest 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. Prepare the greens across the dips. Serve instantly.