Christmas Tree Veggie Tray
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This Christmas tree veggie platter is almost too cute to eat! If you need an appetizer to bring along to your next holiday party, this is it! With carrots, broccoli, snap peas, green beans, cucumber and green pepper, you can create your very own Christmas tree appetizer with minimal effort. Just serve with your favorite dip!
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Why this recipe works
Who knew you could take simple vegetables like broccoli, cucumber, and bell peppers and turn it into a piece of Christmas art! It’s so simple but so effective to shape your favorite veggies into a Christmas tree. It’s the perfect appetizer for any holiday party!
Here’s what you’ll need:
Equipment
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Ingredient Notes
While you could use any vegetable to form into the shape of the tree, I was very strategic about my choices to make this Christmas tree as realistic as possible. Using all green vegetables helps to make this tree feel really festive.
I used long stringy vegetables like green bell pepper slices, sugar snap peas and green beans because they mimic the shape of the tree branches. I cut the cucumber on a bias so that it was an oval shape as opposed to a round circle.
The broccoli was a fun play on the way they look like mini trees! If you want to change up your vegetables, just keep in mind the color, shape, or different ways you can cut them to make them look just like a Christmas tree!
Step-by-step instructions
- Cut all of your vegetables into bite size pieces.
- Start assembling your veggie Christmas tree from the trunk up. It helps to have a wide platter where you can start with the widest part of the tree toughing almost the edges.
- As you go up the tree with each layer of vegetables, make each row slightly narrower than the row before.
- Once you’ve finished the tree, top with cherry tomatoes for ornaments and a piece of cheese cut into a start for the top. Serve with ranch dip.
Expert tips
- I recommend blanching the green beans, as they are a tougher vegetable. To do so, bring a medium sized pot of salted water to a boil. Once boiling, add the green beans and cook for 2-3 minutes, until slightly tender but still have a crisp to them. You don’t want them to be overcooked and wilted. Transfer the green beans with a slotted spoon or spider spatula to a bowl of ice water to shock them and stop cooking. Pat dry before putting on the veggie platter.
- If you switch up the vegetables at all and use something tougher like asparagus, I’d recommend blanching those as well. You could even blanch your broccoli if you’d like!
- Use a really big platter to make sure your Christmas tree is the right size for serving a crowd. I personally like to use a large jelly roll pan with a rim because it’s large and the rim helps the veggies stay on the platter. Plus, it’s easy to cover and carry to your party!
Christmas Tree Veggie Tray FAQs
You can make this veggie tray up to a day in advance. I prefer to make it morning of my event so my veggies stay really fresh and crunchy. I find that cut veggies like bell peppers start to curl on the edges after a day.
I used ranch with my veggies. However, french onion dip, garden vegetable dip, or even queso dip would be great with vegetables!
You can use a yellow bell pepper cut with the star cookie cutter for the top of the tree instead of cheese. Jicama would also work well!
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Christmas Tree Veggie Tray
Ingredients
- 1 large carrot, peeled and cut into sticks
- 1 english cucumber, sliced on the bias
- 1 broccoli crowns, cut into florets
- 1 cup sugar snap peas
- 1 green bell pepper, sliced
- 1 cup green beans, blanched
- 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes
- 1 thick slice of white cheddar cheese
- 1 cup ranch dip, or other dip, for serving
Instructions
- Cut all of your vegetables into bite size pieces as listed. Use a star cookie cutter to cut the white cheddar cheese into the shape of a star.
- Start assembling your veggie Christmas tree from the trunk up. Use carrot sticks to create the trunk.
- Start with the cucumbers and place them in a straight line from edge to edge of the platter.
- Continue with the broccoli florets, sugar snap peas, green bell pepper, and green beans, making each row narrower than the row before until you finish with the green beans at the top.
- Once you've finished the tree, top with cherry tomatoes for ornaments and a piece of cheese cut into a star for the top.
- Serve with ranch dip.
Notes
- The green beans are best served blanched so they are easier to chew. You want them to be just tender, but not overcooked, so that they are still able to be dipped into the ranch.
- To blanch the green beans, bring a medium sized pot of salted water to a boil. Once boiling, add the green beans and cook for 2-3 minutes, until slightly tender. Remove with a slotted spoon or spider spatula and place in a bowl of ice water to shock them and stop the cooking. Pat dry before placing on the board.
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