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For a healthy appetizer recipe that will inspire everyone to eat vegetables (and enjoy them!), serve my easy Veggie Platter. This party snack idea is customizable and ready to share in just 10 minutes.
I’ll never turn down a charcuterie board that’s overflowing with meats and cheeses. That being said, some occasions call for a lighter, brighter appetizer recipe. Enter: Veggie Platter!
Whether you’re seeking inspiration for how to eat more vegetables or need a no-cook appetizer that’s almost as easy to assemble as it is to love, this Veggie Platter delivers. It’s among the most colorful, beautiful party snack ideas, can be made up to a full day ahead, and takes just 10 minutes to toss together once you have your vegetables washed and sliced.
This appetizer recipe is proof that sometimes, it can be a great thing to veg out!
Table of Contents
Recipe ingredients
At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.
Ingredient notes
- Easy homemade dill dip: To make this better-than-store-bought dip recipe, in a medium bowl, combine 1 ½ cups sour cream, 2/3 cups mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons dill weed, 2 tablespoons dried minced onion, 2 tablespoons dried parsley flakes, and 1 teaspoon celery salt. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes to let flavors meld. This makes 2 ¼ cups dip, enough to serve about 10 adults.
- Fresh veggies: Since they can be crafted into easily scoopable shapes and are crowd-pleasers, I recommend a mix of carrots, celery, broccoli, cauliflower, cherry tomatoes, sugar snap peas, cucumbers, green beans, watermelon radishes, baby bell peppers (or a selection of your favorites from that list). For bonus points and to save money while eating nature’s best, customize the selection to the season. Check out my collection of produce guides for the month you plan to make this easy appetizer recipe, then adjust accordingly to highlight the items that are in season.
Step-by-step instructions
- On a large board or serving platter, create some anchor points with dill dips or your other favorite dips. Add piles of baby carrots, celery, broccoli, and cauliflower.
- Fill in gaps with tomatoes, snap peas, cucumbers, green beans, radishes, and baby bell peppers.
Recipe tips and variations
- Yield: Aim for about 1 cup or more of vegetables and about 2 to 4 tablespoons of dip per person. This tray will easily serve 10.
- Storage: This is a cold platter, so keep it chilled in the refrigerator until you’re ready to party.
- Make ahead: Yes, please. Make the dip and cut the vegetables the day before and the ingredients will have a chance to mingle and get really flavorful.
- More veggies: Looking for tasty ways to eat more veggies? Zucchini Lasagna has thin, flavorful ribbons in place of regular lasagna noodles. Shakshouka has eggs cooked in a rich, spicy tomato sauce. Asparagus Frittata is a spectacular breakfast dish featuring asparagus, feta cheese, a lovely green salad on the side. And Pasta Primavera is a springy pasta dish full of tomatoes, peas, zucchini, asparagus, and a light lemon sauce.
Recipe FAQs
When paired with dip and the main appetizer recipe in your spread, vegetables go surprisingly quickly! Plus it’s much better to have extra than too little, so I suggest erring on the generous side. Estimate about 1 to 1 ½ cups of vegetables per person, or about 4 to 6 ounces. Put any leftovers to use in Vegetable Casserole, Veggie Pizza, Vegetable Stock, or simply roast them on a sheet pan. (As far as the dip goes, ⅛ to ¼ cup is a good guesstimate, but again, I suggest aiming high; extra makes for a tasty and healthy snack option for the next few days!)
Great question! We did the math to help you adjust this recipe to suit your crowd size.
One 16-ounce bag of baby carrots = about 4 cups
One 12-ounce bag of broccoli florets = about 4 cups
One 10-ounce bag of cauliflower florets = about 3 cups
One 10-ounce pint of cherry tomatoes = about 2 cups
One 16-ounce bag of celery sticks = about 30 (3-inch) sticks
One 8-ounce bag of sugar snap peas = about 2 ½ cups
Two medium cucumbers = about 2 ½ cups
6 ounces of green beans = about 1 ½ cups
Three radishes = about 1 cup
6 ounces of baby bell peppers = about 2 cups
If you’re not a huge dill fan, or simply want to offer multiple dunking options, consider Hummus with Za’atar Butter, Knorr Spinach Dip, or French Onion Dip.
If you’re lucky enough to have fresh herbs, such as dill or parsley, use some to sprinkle on the top, mix in the dip, and garnish the platter. Or fill in any gaps with olives, cornichons, or your favorite toasted nut to round out the snack spread.
More veggie-forward favorites
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Stuffed Zucchini
Salad Recipes
Orzo Pasta Salad
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Veggie Platter
Ingredients
- Dill dip homemade or store-bought, for serving (see note 1)
- 1 (16-ounce) bag baby carrots
- 1 bunch celery leafy tips and bases removed, cut into 3-inch sticks
- 1 (12-ounce) bag broccoli florets
- 1 (12-ounce) bag cauliflower florets
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes
- 1 (8-ounce) bag sugar snap peas
- 2 medium cucumbers sliced on the bias
- 6 ounces green beans trimmed
- 3 watermelon radishes or regular radishes, sliced
- 6 ounces baby bell peppers assorted colors
Instructions
- On a large board or serving platter, create some anchor points with dill dips or your other favorite dips.
- Add piles of baby carrots, celery, broccoli, and cauliflower. Fill in gaps with tomatoes, snap peas, cucumbers, green beans, radishes, and baby bell peppers.
Recipe Video
Notes
- Homemade Easy Dill Dip: To make this better-than-store-bought dip recipe, in a medium bowl, combine 1 ½ cups sour cream, 2/3 cups mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons dill weed, 2 tablespoons dried minced onion, 2 tablespoons dried parsley flakes, and 1 teaspoon celery salt. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes to let flavors meld. This makes 2 ¼ cups dip, enough to serve about 10 adults.
- Fresh veggies: Since they can be crafted into easily scoopable shapes and are crowd-pleasers, I recommend a mix of carrots, celery, broccoli, cauliflower, cherry tomatoes, sugar snap peas, cucumbers, green beans, watermelon radishes, baby bell peppers (or a selection of your favorites from that list). For bonus points and to save money while eating nature’s best, customize the selection to the season. Check out my produce guide for the month you plan to make this easy appetizer recipe, then adjust accordingly to highlight the items that are in season.
- Yield: Aim for about 1 cup or more of vegetables and about 2 to 4 tablespoons of dip per person. This tray will easily serve 10.
- Storage: This is a cold platter, so keep it chilled in the refrigerator until you’re ready to party.
- Make ahead: Yes, please. Make the dip and cut the vegetables the day before and the ingredients will have a chance to mingle and get really flavorful.
Nutrition
Meggan Hill is a classically-trained chef and professional writer. Her meticulously-tested recipes and detailed tutorials bring confidence and success to home cooks everywhere. Meggan has been featured on NPR, HuffPost, FoxNews, LA Times, and more.
In the recipe for the dip, after it lists the mayonnaise, it lists 2 Tablespoons but doesn’t give the ingredient.
This was actually just a typo, a duplicated “2 tablespoons” that I ended up removing. It’s the mayo, sour cream, dill, dried onion, parsley, and celery salt. So sorry for the confusion!! Nothing was missing, it was just extra text. It’s gone now. Sorry again but thank you for letting me know! – Meggan