Easiest Crudités Platter Ever!
A Crudités Platter is an easy way to serve all vegetables that you love in a simple and beautiful display. The traditional veggie tray just got a little more exciting!
Why is it called crudité?
First things first, what does the word crudité mean and how do you pronounce it? It seems like a strange name but it does have meaning.
Crudité is pronounced like “Crew-Dee-Tay” and is much easier to eat than say or spell.
The word crudites means raw in French. That basically describes the ingredients on board: tons of raw veggies for snacking on. And we all need to eat more veggies right?
So really the only difference between a veggie tray and crudite is the fancy word. I might call it a crudite when having a fancy brunch, but a veggie platter for a tailgate party.
Easy Party Foods
When I have a party or even a small gathering with a few friends, I find that a board or platter of some kind is the easiest way to feed them. The guys usually hang around the charcuterie board, while I love the tangy and sour flavors on a traditional relish tray.
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What veggies are in crudité?
It’s so much more than fresh vegetables like carrot and celery sticks! Try any of these delicious options:
- Broccoli
- Cauliflower
- Cucumber
- Radishes
- Mini Bell Peppers (yellow and red peppers are my fave)
- Celery
- Baby Carrots
- Green Onions
- Shishito Peppers
- Endive
- Cherry Tomatoes
- Asparagus
- Green Beans
- Snap Peas
- Zucchini
- Yellow/Baby Squash
Take a walk through your local farmers market or grocery store to check out what’s in season and local. I love finding as many fresh veggies as I can that aren’t just green. Bright and colorful means pretty and nutritious!
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How to Make a Crudite Platter
First: Cover the board or tray with parchment paper to protect it and make for easy cleanup. Place the bowls of dips on the board, leaving room between them to add all those crisp veggies.
Second: Place the vegetables around the board, being sure to mix up the colors and textures. You don’t have to group them all in one place. It’s cool to put carrots and cucumbers in multiple places so your guests can reach everything from all sides of the board.
Third: Start filling in the gaps with extra veggies until the board is full. I like to vary the colors around the board to balance it out
Fourth: If you have fresh herbs, you can use them as garnishes to complete the vegetable platter. Keep chilled until ready to serve. Enjoy!
For the full recipe and detailed instructions, please refer to the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
What’s the difference between crudite and charcuterie?
The best part of a Crudite board is that all the chopped raw vegetables are great by themselves or you can use them as a vehicle for a dip or hummus that is usually served with them. Not to be confused with a Relish Tray, a Charcuterie Tray, or a Cheese Platter.
A Relish Tray contains pickled vegetables like various pickles, olives, and other items like pickled peppers and veggies.
A Charcuterie Board (or cheese board) has various forms of meats, like hard salami and summer sausage, various types of hard and soft cheeses, with mustards, jellies, and crackers to eat with them.
What else goes on the platter besides the veggies?
I like snacking on the veggies myself, but having a creamy dip or two to add some extra flavor is not a bad idea. Plus you can make them tangy or spicy to some extra kick.
When I am putting my crudite board together I like to pick three dips to go with them. You can put as many as your board will hold but I like three since I prefer an odd number.
My go-to spreads are a hummus, a sour cream dip, and a cream cheese dip.
Hummus: A basil pesto hummus or a white bean hummus are perfect choices for all types of raw vegetables.
Sour cream dip: A French onion dip or sour cream and onion dip are easy and popular so you know a bunch of people will like them.
Cream cheese dip: An herb cream cheese dip or an everything bagel dip are yummy with a large number of different veggies.
Don’t be scared to add some crackers like pita chips and even fresh fruits, to serve with these. Especially if you have some extra room on the board. Make it your own creation!
How do you keep vegetable crudite fresh?
I like to store my prepped vegetables in ice water or wrapped in a damp towel and stored in a plastic bag in the refrigerator. Make things even easier and prep them the day before.
I will admit that most of the foods I put on my boards are raw, but a few are steamed or blanched to make them easier to eat.
Easy Party Boards
Do I need to cook the vegetables first?
Most of the vegetables are perfectly tasty raw, but I prefer to have my green beans, peas, and asparagus slightly cooked to take out the fibrous nature of them. A quick 1-minute blanch in boiling water will do the trick!
If you are serving some vegetables that might need a little softening, try a quick blanching. Not only will it lightly cook them, but it will help them maintain their vibrant green colors on the serving platter!
How do you blanch vegetables?
- Prepare a large pot of boiling salted water, and fill a large bowl with ice water.
- Remove the tough bottoms of the asparagus stalks and the strings from the green beans and snap peas.
- Starting with one vegetable at a time, lower the trimmed vegetable into the boiling water.
- Stir and let cook for 1 minute.
- Remove from the boiling water and immediately plunge in the ice bath to stop the cooking process and maintain the vibrant green color.
- Continue with the additional vegetables that you want to cook.
- Once you blanche the vegetables, store in the correct containers until you are ready to assemble your platter.
Tapas Tips & Tricks
- Use the freshest vegetables you can find. Think seasonal too!
- Blanch the veggies that have lots of fiber or strings to make them easier to eat.
- Vary the colors and textures
- Add your favorite dips to eat with them. A simple ranch dressing works great!
- Keep everything chilled until ready to enjoy.
If you love this recipe as much as I do, please write a five-star review in the comment section below (or on Pinterest with the “tried it” button – you can now add pictures into reviews, too!), and be sure to help me share on facebook!
Looking for pictures of Vegetable Tray Ideas to take to a party you’ve been invited to? Check out my Pinterest Board dedicated to all things Vegetable Platters!
Easiest Crudités Platter Ever!
Ingredients
Raw Crudites
- 1 cup Broccoli
- 1 cup Cauliflower
- 1 cup Cucumber
- 1 cup Radishes
- 1 cup Mini Bell Peppers
- 1 cup Celery
- 1 cup Carrots
- 1 cup Green Onions
- 1 cup Shishito Peppers
- 1 cup Endive
- 1 cup Cherry Tomatoes
Blanched Crudites
- 1 cup Asparagus
- 1 cup Green Beans
- 1 cup Snap Peas
Dips
- Hummus I prefer a spicy one
- Greek/Ranch Dip or any sour cream based dip
- Garlic Cheese Spread I prefer Boursin
- Fresh Dill and Parsley for garnishes
Instructions
- Arrange all your crudites or vegetables on your board and serve!
- Enjoy with friends!
Video
Notes
- Use the freshest vegetables you can find. Think seasonal too!
- Blanch the veggies that have lots of fiber or strings to make them easier to eat.
- Vary the colors and textures
- Add your favorite dips to eat with them.
- Keep everything chilled until ready to enjoy.
Nutrition
{Originally posted 11/19/18 – recipe notes and tips updated 04/05/24. Recipe remains the same.}
©TakeTwoTapas.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited.
Wonderful! Oh my add this to your pins. Really great tips and recipes. I had large white platters worked great no parchment, special pepper out of season, used thin sliced diakon radish, beautiful purple. Going to try all her tapas. Landscape on a platter thank you.
Thank you so much! I love the addition of the daikon radish. Purple is a great color on a veggie platter. Thank you for the kind words and happy holidays.
What dip/spread is pictured in middle of your board? It looks delish!
I have my herb cream cheese dip, a spicy hummus, and my sour cream and onion dip.
This board is a work of art!
What is the right amount of vegetables per person on a crudités
If you are serving just heavy appetizers and not a full meal I would serve 6-8 ounces per person. This also depends on how many appetizers you are serving. The general rule is 6-8 pieces/bites per person per hour. If you are serving them just as finger foods before a meal, I would opt for 2-4 ounces of veggies per person. For bites before a meal, the general amount is 3-4 pieces per person per hour. I hope this helps:)
Very very exciting ideas. I will apply them at the next opportunity.
I always go to your site when entertaining. Your crudite platters are beautiful!
So thorough and helpful! And the pictures are just gorg 🙂
When I found this recipe a while back I made it for a party we were having at my husband’s office. It was incredibly well received and now I make it for everything! I love that there is always something for everyone to nosh on and you can’t beat the gorgeous presentation!
Thank you for this excellent guide. I especially appreciate your photos that walk through how to arrange the crudités on the board around the dips. Love your technique for layering on the colors. 🙂
Awesome tray of veggies. Huge hit!
Hi, love the platter. All of the crudité ideas I’ve seen seem to forget there are usually leftovers…what do you do with the leftovers?
Thanks.
I keep them stored in air tight containers in the refrigerator and then chop them up for salads.
Love the photos of the Veggie Tray. Looks absolutely gorgeous!
Will use your ideas for my sons Wedding Rehearsal Dinner:
Love it! Please send me some pics so I can see! Congrats to the happy couple!
Have A Good Day
Love this platter
Thanks for the correct pronunciation and all the ideas. I have made many of these but love the look of yours.
This was really fun to put together. And I had NO idea about blanching the vegetables- nor how to pronounce it! Thanks
Veggie trays have always intimidated me. Thank you for making it easy!!
This is such a great idea! Will definitely be serving one at our next party!
Hi! I love your presentation. Could you please tell me what size is your board? Where did you buy it? Thank you
It’s 20×24 inches. I found it at Michael’s craft store on clearance LOL.
Its the first time Ive made a snack platter with veggies that looked to appetizing. I love how you showed how to make it pretty and DELICIOUS!
This is the most appealing, beautiful looking tray I have ever seen! I am going to do this for an upcoming baby shower.
Just a quick question: what is the size of tray required for this veggie platter? I’m thinking of making it for a potluck New Years party. It looks amazing!
You can make it as big or as small as you want. This platter is a 2ft by 3ft board but feel free to use two smaller boards and put them side by side if you don’t have a large one! Enjoy!
Hi! Making this gorgeous platter for a party tomorrow night. Is it ok to make it ahead of time, cover and keep in a cold room? I’m just trying to manage my time!
of course!
I made this for Thanksgiving.
It was a hit beautiful and tasty.
thank you so much!
What a gorgeous platter! Seriously, the arrangement on the tray being rather irregular is what attracted me to it. Truly a work of art while nutritious and delicious. LOVE the unexpected use of vegies such as shishito peppers and endive, too. Thanks for the tips.
Thank you!
Inspiring and helpful
This crudite platter is the BEST thing for afternoon snacking AND for entertaining. Seriously–what a great way to enjoy veggies.
I love your platters! This looks so amazing! I also didn’t know you can store sliced cucumbers in water. I am so using that tip!
You seriously make the best platters EVER! This is amazing!
I have to make one of these for Thanksgiving! What a great idea!
Loved all of the tips, ideas, pretty pictures and more! Thanks for a great recipe and idea post!
I’ll definitely be keeping this handy for my holiday parties! Your trays are so colorful and your tips so helpful!
I followed your directions exactly, and brought this beautiful crudites platter to Friendsgiving this weekend. It was the hit of the party! THANK YOU for being my go-to for appetizers and unique party recipes!
This is one of my favorite things about a party or gathering! I love all the veggies and dips!
Thanks for the great tips to make the best veggie platter. I hope I can get mine half as pretty as yours!!
I literally bought everything on your board and did a carbon copy of yours for our party! It WAS GORGEOUS! Definitly a star presentation!
I was attracted the photo and after reading the clear and easy suggestions, I’m in! Love my veggies, but needed some guidance of how to present with a new look for Thanksgiving. Also, love the hints for prepping and storing ahead of time.
Thank you so much! I hope everyone will love it. Take pics 😉
Just Gorgeous!! I’m going to steal this for a party on Sat. Hope it comes out well. Thank you so much for sharing, was so helpful!! I would not have thought to Blanche the veggies you mentioned. Thinking of adding roasted brussel sprouts.
Thank you! I think roasted sprouts are genius!!
It’s beautiful!
Now, I’m going to be a picky stinker…
c(hw)ew-dee-tay
The French do not pronounce their “R”s. An “R” in French is what we, in the U.S., would view as a speech impediment in children. R= hw
Thank you. Everyone is reading it and not saying it out loud so I’m ok with how you choose to pronounce it around your kids.
Your picture of randomly arranged vegetables looks more appetizing than an organized tray and fits my personality
THANK YOU
Boursin cheese is very stiff. How can I soften it without loosing the flavor?
Thank you! I always favor organized chaos over specific rows etc. I agree about boursin! I usually leave mine at room temp for 20-30 minutes and then add a little sour cream to it. Cream cheese seems to be too stiff to loosen it so I would go with sour cream or even plain yogurt. Start with a teaspoon and add as it loosens. A little dash of salt and pepper after that will keep the seasoning level up as well. Thank you!
Cheese should be served at room temperature for maximum flavor and that will help soften up the Boursin.
Beautiful presentation! And a great comprehensive list of veggies. Thanks!
Thank you so much!
Thank you so much! That makes my day reading this:) Please send pics or tag me in one on social media so I can see how yours looks after:)
THANK YOU!!! I can make really, really good food. But when I’m supposed to make pretty food…my eyes glaze over. I just hit a wall and don’t even know how to make it happen! Your pictures showing how to put this tray together are so extremely helpful! You are a lifesaver and quite the little food artist! Bravo and much thanks!