How To Build a Crudité Platter

Entertaining friends and family doesn’t have to be difficult! It can all start with some great apps – like a crudité platter, so today I’m doing something a little different and walking you through How to Build a Crudité Platter!

I’m also sharing my go-to recipe for easy roasted fingerling potatoes, so keep reading for the recipe!

I’m pretty sure entertaining and being a hostess is in my genes. I grew up with a mom who made hosting large family holidays look like a breeze. While I’m not personally there yet, I do love to entertain, welcome friends and family into our home, and stay in much more than go out (yes, even living in one of the best culinary capitals of the world!).

Whether we’re hosting cocktails, a game night, or a casual family Sunday night dinner, I’m a firm believer in starting the evening with appetizers! Since most of our get-togethers have been on a whim lately, I haven’t had time to plan formal starters…

That’s where a delicious crudité platter comes in!

Not only do I like to practice what I teach (more VEGGIES, always!) and set an example when I set the table, but it’s fun to mix and match different dips, veggies, and accessories, while using different platters (thank you wedding registry).

If you’ve never built a crudité platter before, here are the essential ingredients:

• Veggies – in a variety of shapes and sizes
• Dip(s) – after all, the veggies are a vehicle for something creamy and delicious!
• Accessories – these are the “extras” that can make your platter SHINE!

So let’s take a look at each of these aspects…

How to build a crudité platter…

VEGGIES

Vegetables make up the majority of your crudité platter. After all, according to Merriam-Webster, crudités are “pieces of raw vegetables (such as celery or carrot sticks) served as an hors d’oeuvre often with a dip.”

It’s French.

And pronounced “krew/dee/tay.” 

Yes, feel fancy!

We’ll get to the dips in a second, but let’s talk about the VEGGIES. Sure, sliced carrots are traditional (we see you ranch dip), and not to be forgotten, but I think a crudité platter is the perfect place to experiment and think outside the celery stalk.

I put this month’s Cal-Organic Farms produce to good use on this crudité platter and even included some COOKED veggies – baby potatoes (scroll down for the recipe)! I also included the green beans they sent me, since they’re SO sweet and in season.

Using a variety of veggies contributes different flavors and textures. And that’s pro-tip numero uno. You want different flavors and textures to keep your platter interesting! Roasted potatoes are slightly salty and soft on the inside, whereas raw green beans are crunchy and skinny.

Here are some other veggies I suggest including and why:

• Bell peppers – they’re sweet and a crowd-pleaser
• Radishes – they’re slightly spicy with a good crunch. You can even leave them whole
• Jicama – it’s a new veg for a lot of people, so a great way to try something new
• Carrots – they’re classic, and you can’t go wrong with another crowd-pleaser
• Grape or cherry tomatoes – they’re juicy and fun to pop in your mouth!

I also included some PICKLED vegetables on this platter (see the white ramekin). Pickled veggies provides another layer of flavor – a tangy one – to switch things up.

Dip(s)

Now that you have a ton of veggies, don’t forget about the DIP! Now you’ve probably seen those grocery store veggie platters with the ranch dip in the middle. Those are OK, but we can do SO MUCH BETTER people!

The dip above was thrown together in minutes in my Vitamix. I used the tops of my Cal-O beets, added some spinach, lemon juice, olive oil, and nutritional yeast and a delicious dip was created (although nothing measured – stay tuned!).

You can elevate your crudité platter with one of these tried-and-true tasty tastes:

• Guacamole – who doesn’t love it? Have you tried adding blueberries to your summer guac?
• Turmeric hummus – although label it – my friends thought it was mustard ????
• Avocado dill dip
• Roasted red pepper and mung bean dip
• Vegan spinach and artichoke dip

Now if you really want to take a plain ol’ veggie plate from meh to WOAH, be sure your dip is in a fun container…

One of my favorite tricks is to cut off the top of a bell pepper, scoop out the ribs and seeds, carefully cut the bottom so my pepper will sit flat, and use that as a “holding vessel” for something delicious – it’s like a stuffed pepper on your platter!

[Tweet “Liven up your crudite platter by using a bell pepper as your dip holder! Find out how >>”]

Accessories and accoutrements

This is the time to let your creativity SHINE! Since we’re essentially dressing up vegetables, making your crudite board interesting is what it’s all about!

First, you need the hardware…

A large platter as your base

Large wooden boards are very trendy, but also not realistic for a smaller gathering. Here’s one of my favorite medium-sized boards and it’s just a sturdy cutting board!

 

Smaller dishes to divide up your platter

In this example, I used a small ramekin to hold some pickled vegetables. Other times, I’ll use a shot glass to hold green beans. And don’t forget to think about how you can utilize the vegetables themselves – like the bell pepper to hold your dip!

[Tweet “Entertain with EASE! This is how to build a crudite platter you’re proud of >>> “]

Then, think about other ways you can make your platter FUN…

Ask yourself these questions:

• Is there something from an antipasti station in your grocery store (you know, with the olives, pepperoncini, pickles) that you can add to spruce up your flavors?
• Is this a crowd that would appreciate any meats or cheeses added to the board? (the answer is usually yes!)
• Is there some fresh or dried fruit that could make this interesting?
• Can I cook one of the vegetables to surprise people?

In the example above, I switched things up by roasting the potatoes (see the SIMPLE recipe below!). Everyone loves potatoes, so this was a huge crowd-pleaser!

This also happens to be my go-to method of roasting fingerling potatoes because they’re SO good! The nutritional yeast adds just a hint of cheesy flavor that is to. die. for! Enjoy! 🙂

Don’t forget to PIN IT…

Are you ready to entertain like a PRO now? At least we have some appetizers down…
XO

 

Here are some other recipes you may enjoy while entertaining…