Veggie Tray

Amid all the dips and spreads, sweets and treats, a veggie tray is always a moment of balance at a party. But instead of forcing yourself to pick up a sad carrot or lonely stick of celery, make a veggie tray as exciting and inviting as anything else on the buffet so that you and everyone at the party will be delighted to fill your plate with plants.

Learn how to make a great veggie tray. Plus, get ideas for making different kinds of trays to match your tastes, a theme, or the season.

Ingredients for a Veggie Tray

Nothing about a veggie tray is fixed. You can mix and match the veggies. You can switch out the dips. In short, whatever you want to do is alright—so long as vegetables and a dip or spread is involved. That's the classic definition of a vegetable tray.

So we are making suggestions here for a great all-purpose tray, but you can use these suggestions as guidelines and make what you want to enjoy.

• The Vegetables: We like the combination of cucumbers, snap peas, broccoli, cauliflower, celery, radishes, carrots, cherry or grape tomatoes, and mini sweet bell peppers. You could also add jicama, endive, even broccolini. If you pick some tough vegetables like beets, you'll want to roast or blanch them first.
• The Dips: Again, we went very classic with our tray, using our recipes for Pimiento Cheese and Buttermilk Ranch Dressing. But options like hummus, salsa, blue cheese, and guacamole would be great.
• Anything Else: You could add things like crackers and cheeses if you want, but if you venture too far, you're now in the realm of a charcuterie board.

How To Assemble a Veggie Tray

Here again, there's no correct or incorrect way to make a vegetable tray, but after building a few dozen (perhaps hundreds) of these in their collective lifetimes, our Test Kitchen pros have outlined some basics you can follow too. Here are some details:

• Step 1. Get a board that's large enough to hold all your items but not too large. Part of the beauty of a veggie tray is piling things up so it looks "full" and inviting.
• Step 2. Empty dips into bowls. Use various shapes or sizes for visual interest.
• Step 3. Arrange larger vegetables. This would be a good time to put things like broccoli and cauliflower on the tray.
• Step 4. Fill in with smaller vegetables. You can make one pile of each vegetable, or smaller piles spread across the tray, depending on how large yours is.

Dips for a Veggie Tray

The right dips and spreads for a vegetable tray depend on what else you're planning to serve. But consider flavors and textures that will complement the rest of the food, as well as the vegetables. Some of our favorite options include:

• Carrot-Tahini Dip
• Dill Pickle Dip
• Chunky Guacamole
• Cheesy Artichoke Dip
• Smoked Vidalia Onion Dip

Veggie Tray Ideas and Variations

You can make a traditional vegetable tray for every occasion, mixing and matching the vegetables and dips, and it'll alway seem new. But if you're looking for some variation, here are a few ideas:

• Make shapes. Embrace your creative side, and use the vegetables to make shapes like footballs, flowers, and balloons. This is especially fun for birthday parties, tailgates, and showers.
• Be colorful. Embrace the natural colors of all the vegetables and arrange the food in a rainbow. Or use foods of one or two colors for a color-blocked tray.
• Get geometric. Don't like the freeform style of a veggie tray? Get out your ruler and straight edge and create blocks or stripes of vegetables for a bit more organization.

Storage Tips for a Veggie Tray

If you made too much veggie tray, no problem. Put all the vegetables back into ziplock bags or airtight containers, and store them for an additional 3 to 4 days, enjoying some with your meals each day. Keep the dips separate. "Wet" vegetables like sliced cucumbers should be stored separately.

You can also make the tray in advance to save yourself some time. Arrange the tray, then wrap it in plastic wrap, tightly holding the vegetables in place and moving the tray to the fridge. Store up to 24 hours. Remove from the fridge just before serving, and put the dips in place.

Appetizer Ideas You'll Want To Try Next

In addition to this great vegetable tray, you may need a few entertaining-worthy dips and finger foods. These are excellent:

• Slow-Cooker Grape Jelly Meatballs
• Baked Brie in Puff Pastry
• Pimiento Cheese Sausage Balls
• Bacon Jam
• Fried Mac and Cheese Bites