This guide on how to make a vegetable tray is great for parties! Make a homemade ranch dressing to go with it and you’re sure to please everyone!
Hey guys! I’m back with this how to make a vegetable tray guide. I wanted to put together a little post with all of my tips and tricks on making a not so boring vegetable platter in time for Labor Day but life happened. Sorry!
Vegetable trays always make an appearance at any of my family get-togethers. And for good reason!! They are super easy to make and usually have something that everyone will like.
My kids love vegetable trays and they also love this fruit tray which is also great at parties! I made a homemade buttermilk ranch dressing and got a little help from the store with the hummus. Making a homemade dip instantly makes it a little more special! Go outside of the box and try some different dressings for your vegetable platter instead of the standard ranch.
How much to make?
- Think around 5 pieces of vegetables per person. So about 50-60 pieces for 10-12 guests.
- Have about 3 tablespoons of dip per person. So 1 3/4 cup to 2 cups of dip for 10-12 guests.
- Other dippers such as naan, pretzel chips…. have about 2 per person. So 20-24 pieces for 10-12 guests.
A few tips to make an awesome vegetable tray:
- Shop the vegetables that are in season to make the bill a little cheaper.
- Pick a variety of veggies to make the platter look pretty. Think the rainbow.
- Don’t buy the vegetables too early. One or two days at most so they are as fresh as possible but vegetables are a little more forgiving than fruit so you can buy them a little further in advance. Just store them well to make them last longer. This article from the Kitchn gives great tips on how to store your vegetables.
- Offer one other dip other than ranch. This helps to spice things up a bit. I have hummus on this vegetable platter but any other dip would work great. Make your dips a day in advance to help save time and this allows the dips to maximize in flavor.
- I also added in some garlic naan to the platter to make things a little different. Maybe try crunchy breadsticks, toasted baguettes, pretzel chips (just something to add a little something different.)
- Arrange in any way that seems eye appealing and think of it as the main attraction. It will help put you in the right frame of mind to make a beautiful platter. I like to start with placing the dips on the tray first. Then I group the veggies around the dip and fill in any gaps with the naan. You could easily arrange the veggie platter the day before your party as well. Just be sure to cover the vegetable well to prevent them from drying out. Leave any bread to put on the platter just before serving.
Well, in other news today was my kiddos first day of school and they are pumped!! Hopefully, I will be able to get back into a steady routine with things again! I have so many ideas I would like to do with the blog, it’s just figuring out how to implement them that trips me up. That and making a workflow that can work. It’s all a learning process and while I have come a long way from when I first started I feel I still have so much to learn!
- Rainbow carrots
- Zucchini
- Summer Squash
- Snap Peas
- Bell Peppers
- Green Onions
- Heirloom Cherry Tomatoes
- Broccoli Florets
- Radishes
- English Cucumbers
- Traditional Hummus
- Homemade Buttermilk Ranch Dressing
- Make all your dips the day before. Cover and store in the refrigerator.
- Prep all your vegetables the day before your party. Can also arrange on a platter and cover well. Store in the refrigerator. Be sure to cut into small bite sized pieces.
1. Be sure to read the entire post for tips to make this an awesome veggie tray.
2. This recipe is for the pictures seen in this post but feel free to change out any veggie for something else.
3. What to do with leftover vegetables: use them in a stir fry, omelets, casseroles or soup.
Looks yummy!
Thanks Grandma!