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If you want an easy appetizer to bring to a Halloween party, this Halloween veggie tray is a refreshing option. It requires minimal assembly time (yay!) and looks downright adorable.
Depending on which shortcuts you use —like grabbing store-bought dip or a big bag of baby carrots —you can assemble this recipe in 10 minutes or less.
All of the adults will thank you, and even kids might walk by and grab a carrot or cucumber slice on the way to their candy bags. It’s an easy way to sneak some fiber and hydration into an otherwise candy-filled evening.
Halloween Snack Tray Ingredients
- Carrots. These provide the orange base for your pumpkin tray. I like to use full-size carrots sliced into sticks for the best flavor, but when I want something faster, I just buy a big bag of baby carrots instead. (Or better yet, petite carrots, which my son prefers.)
- Cucumbers. I like to add sliced cucumbers for a mouth, because cucumber is my son’s favorite veggie to snack on. If you have another favorite, it’s easy to customize.
- Celery. These make a perfect “stem” for your pumpkin platter. But, if you want to use sticks of cucumber instead, that will work, too.
- Dip. I used guacamole in these photos because my family prefers that as a dip, but ranch would also be a popular option. Use any dip you love! Since it’s Halloween, the eyes can be any color and still look fun. (Even queso would work!)
- Radish or Black Olives. These two items create a fun-looking eyeball on top of the dip, but you can get creative with any other veggies you like.
How to Make a Halloween Veggie Tray
Step 1:
Grab a large platter and place two small dip bowls in the center. These bowls will be the “eyes” of your jack-o-lantern, so place them appropriately. Any favorite dip can create a spooky eyeball look, so feel free to use ranch, tzatziki, hummus, or guacamole.
(You can adjust this later, so there’s no pressure for perfect placement.)
Step 2:
Arrange the carrot slices in a large oval shape, placing them between and around the dip bowls. This is the orange base for your pumpkin look!
Add celery stalks at the top of the platter to make a “pumpkin stem.” (Again, you can use sliced cucumber sticks instead of celery, if that’s what you’d rather snack on.)
Slice a cucumber into rounds and arrange those to make a smile on your pumpkin platter. Cut one of those slices into a triangle-shape, and arrange it as a nose below the two dip bowls. Alternatively, you can use a radish slice as the triangle-shaped nose.
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Step 3:
Finally, finish off your dip eyeballs. You can add a thin slice of radish for a white look, then add a black olive slice to make the pupil. Or skip the radish, and just add the black olive.
You can also add red pepper slices as “eyebrows ” to this pumpkin veggie tray. It’s easy to customize!
Variations
Make a Ghost Shape. Use cauliflower florets instead of carrots as the base of your veggie platter. You can still use the two bowls of dip for eyeballs!
Make Frankenstein. Use broccoli florets as the base of your tray, keeping the bowls of dip as eyeballs. I think whole mushrooms could act as the “screws” coming out of his head, and you could use blue corn tortilla chips as his dark hair on top. (Or use black olives, if you have people who like them… I personally don’t.)
Halloween Veggie Tray (Easy Tutorial!)
Ingredients
- 1 cup guacamole (or dip of choice)
- 2 pounds carrots (or baby carrots)
- 1 bunch celery
- 1 large cucumber
- 1 radish (optional; for eyeballs)
- 1 black olive
Instructions
- Grab a large platter and arrange two small bowls in the center. Divide the guacamole (or other dip) between the two bowls.
- Peel and slice the carrots into sticks, about 2-inches long. Sliced carrots taste better than baby carrots, but you can use baby carrots as a time-saving step. Arrange the carrots into a large oval shape around and between the dip bowls on the platter. (See the photos for reference.)
- Cut the celery into even pieces and arrange them at the top of the orange oval shape to create a "pumpkin stem." Then slice the cucumber into rounds and arrange them as a smile under the dip bowls. Slice one of the rounds into a triangle shape and place it where a nose would be on a jack-o-lantern.
- To finish the look, slice the radish into rounds and place one round in the center of each bowl. Then, cut the black olive into rounds and place a slice on each radish for a "pupil" look. Then, the Halloween veggie tray is ready to serve!
Notes
Nutrition
More Recipes to Try
If you try this Halloween Vegetable Tray, please leave a comment and star rating below, letting me know how yours turns out!
