A fresh vegetable crudite platter is a perfect appetizer for your next gathering. Arrange vibrant, colorful vegetables alongside your favorite dips, creating an inviting spread for snacking.
For all of you veggie lovers, try these vegetable rainbow wraps!
Why is it Called Crudité?
In its simplest form, a cruditè platter is an assortment of mixed vegetables with dips and dressings to accompany them. Crudite or ‘crew-dee-tay’ is a French word for raw, hence the colorful platter with heaps of fresh vegetables to snack on.
What Goes on a Crudités Platter?
- Vegetables: Use at least 4-6 different kinds of vegetables on your platter. Prioritize using what’s in season and aim for different textures, colors, and flavors.
- Dip: Include 2-3 dips on your board, each with a different flavor and consistency, so you have something for everyone.
What Vegetables are in Crudité?
Fresh, raw vegetables are the focus of this dish. I recommend using what is in season for the best-tasting board. Walk through a local farmers market or see what’s on sale in the grocery store. Here are a few of my favorites:
Raw Vegetables:
- Bell Peppers
- Carrots
- Celery Stalks
- Cucumbers
- Green Onions: Wash and trim the green onions. Their length adds dimension to the board, making them the perfect ingredient to fill in the gaps on the board.
- Jicama
- Lettuce: Use smaller leaves from endives, romaine lettuce, radicchio, or butter lettuce. You can also include edible flowers on the board, such as marigolds, butterfly peas, chamomile, or lavender. I have luck finding edible flowers at Whole Foods, or you can order them online.
- Radishes
- Snap Peas
- Snow Peas
- Tomatoes: I prefer including grape or cherry tomatoes. You can cut them in half or leave them whole.
- Yellow Squash
- Zucchini
Blanched Vegetables:
While vegetable crudites typically feature raw vegetables, cruciferous vegetables taste better and appear more vibrant on the platter after a quick blanch and ice bath.
- Asparagus
- Broccoli
- Broccolini
- Cauliflower
- Green Beans
- Snap Peas
- Snow Peas
Additions and Substitutions
Apart from raw and blanched vegetables, pickled and marinated vegetables can be a tasty addition to the platter. Some of my favorites are marinated olives, sumac onions or cucumbers, pickles, and artichoke hearts. Gather them in cute, decorative bowls or use them as a brightly-colored garnish to fill in the gaps.
How to Make Vegetable Crudite Platter
The full recipe with measurements is in the recipe card below.
Step 1: Cover a charcuterie board or serving platter with parchment paper. Place the dips on the board, leaving room in between for the vegetables.
Dips on this board: butter bean hummus, beetroot dip, and haydari.
Step 2: Arrange the vegetables around the dips.
Step 3: Look for gaps on the board and fill them in with more vegetables.
Step 4: Garnish with fresh herbs, edible flowers, and lettuce, such as smaller romaine leaves, radicchio, or endives for decoration.
Expert Tips
- Cover your board or serving tray with parchment paper for easy cleanup.
- Use a variety of fresh, seasonal vegetables, and try to mix up the colors and textures for a brightly-colored board. You don’t have to group all of the vegetables in one place. Actually, it’s kind of nice to have the vegetables in more than one place on the board to make it easier for guests.
- Fill in the gaps on the board with extra vegetables, lettuce, or edible flowers until it’s fully covered.
If you enjoy the veggie platter, try more appetizer recipes!
What Goes on a Vegetable Crudite Besides Vegetables?
Serve the vegetable crudite platter with classic dips like homemade ranch dressing, avocado green goddess dressing, or zesty dill pickle ranch dressing.
However, you can pair almost any thick sauce or dressing with crudités. I love creamy lemon dill aioli, butter bean hummus, Moroccan beetroot dip, Lebanese toum, tzatziki, and sun-dried tomato dressing.
And don’t forget to make room on your board for warm, heartier spreads such as havuc tarator, zaalouk, baba ganoush, or mirza ghesemi.
More Dip Ideas:
- Whipped Ricotta Dip
- Labneh
- Crab Spinach Dip
- Blue Cheese Dressing
- Buffalo Chicken Dip
- Tahini Dressing
Meal Prep the Veggie Tray
- Prepare the Dips: Do you have a big event or party coming up? Or maybe you want to meal prep a vegetable tray for a quick grab-and-go snack or summer grazing board for kids? You can make most of the dips the night before you serve the tray. Some dips will last several days, but I prefer making them the night before so they are fresh and delicious the next day.
- Slice the Vegetables: I recommend cutting the vegetables and blanching them (as needed) 1-2 hours before serving time to keep them fresh.
- How do you keep vegetable crudite fresh? YCut the fresh vegetables one day ahead or a few hours before you are ready to serve. You can keep some sliced vegetables in a plastic or silicone bag, but store carrots and radishes in ice water or wrapped in a damp towel in a bag until you’re ready to assemble the platter. Please refer to the chart below for the recommended storage information.
| Vegetables: | How to Store: | How Long to Store: |
| Zucchini | Dry the zucchini slices and store them in a container with paper towels. | 3-4 Days |
| Yellow Squash | Dry the squash slices, wrap them in paper towels, and transfer them to a container. | 3-4 Days |
| Cucumber | Dry the cucumber slices and store them in a container with paper towels. | 2-3 Days |
| Bell Peppers | Dry the bell pepper slices, wrap them in paper towels, and transfer them to a container. | 3-5 Days |
| Carrots | Peel and slice the carrots. Store them in a container with water. | 1 Week |
| Celery Stalks | Place the sliced celery in a container filled with water. | 1 Week |
| Jicama | Peel and slice the jicama. Store them in a container with water. | 1 Week |
| Radishes | Place the radish slices in a container filled with water. | 5-7 Days |
| Green Onions | Dry the green onions and store them in a container with paper towels. | 1 Week |
| Cherry Tomatoes | If the tomatoes are ripe and you plan to use them in a few days, store them on the counter away from direct sunlight. If you need to store tomatoes for more than a few days, place them in a breathable container to allow circulation. | 3-5 Days |
| Broccoli Florets | Store broccoli in a breathable container to allow circulation. | 3-5 Days |
| Cauliflower Florets | Store cauliflower in a breathable container to allow circulation. | 3-5 Days |
| Green Beans | Dry the green beans, wrap them in paper towels, and transfer them to a container. | 5-7 Days |
| Asparagus | Place the asparagus stalks upright in a or jar with an inch of water at the bottom. Cover the tops loosely. | 3-5 Days |
| Snap Peas | Store snap peas in a breathable container to allow circulation. | 5-7 Days |
| Snow Peas | Store snow peas in a breathable container to allow circulation. | 5-7 Days |
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s the difference between crudite and charcuterie?
Do I need to cook the vegetables first?
The goal of a vegetable crudite is to highlight fresh vegetables in their purest form. However, some vegetables look and taste better after a quick blanch, giving them a brighter color and making them easy to bite into.
I like blanching vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, snap peas, snow peas, and asparagus for one minute before arranging them onto the platter.
How do you blanch vegetables?
1. Bring a stockpot filled with water and a pinch of salt to a boil and fill a large bowl with ice water.
2. Peel, slice, and prepare the vegetables for blanching.
3. Add one vegetable type at a time to the pot and cook for 1 minute.
4. Remove from the water and immediately transfer them to the ice bath to halt the cooking process.
5. Remove the vegetables from the water and set them aside to dry. Then, repeat with the remaining vegetables.
More Vegetable Recipes:
Vegetable Crudite
- Board or Serving Platter
- Parchment Paper
- Sharp Knife
- 3 medium zucchini, cut into spears
- 3 medium yellow squash, cut into spears
- 2 medium cucumbers, cut into spears
- 3 medium bell peppers, cut into strips
- 8 carrots, peeled and cut into spears
- 8 celery stalks, cut into spears
- 2 jicama, cut into spears
- 1 bunch radishes, quartered or sliced
- 1 bunch green onions, trimmed
- container cherry or grape tomatoes
- 2 cups broccoli florets
- 2 cups cauliflower florets
- 1 bunch broccoli
- 2 cups green beans
- 2 bunches asparagus
- 2 cups snap peas
- 2 cups snow peas
- 1 cup butter bean hummus
- 1 cup beet root dip
- 1 cup havuc tarator
- 1 cup ranch dressing
- cup haydari
- 1 cup tzatziki
- Cover a charcuterie board or serving platter with parchment paper. Place the dips on the board, leaving room in between for the vegetables.
- Arrange the vegetables around the dips.
- Look for gaps on the board and fill them in with more vegetables.
- Garnish with fresh herbs, edible flowers, and lettuce, such as smaller romaine leaves, radicchio, or endives for decoration.
- Cover your board or serving tray with parchment paper for easy cleanup.
- Use a variety of fresh, seasonal vegetables, and try to mix up the colors and textures for a brightly-colored board. You don’t have to group all of the vegetables in one place. Actually, it’s kind of nice to have the vegetables in more than one place on the board to make it easier for guests.
- Fill in the gaps on the board with extra vegetables, lettuce, or edible flowers until it’s fully covered.
- The nutritional information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for professional advice.