Christmas Veggie Tray [Tree OR Wreath]

This Xmas veggie tray with dip/s can be shaped into a ،liday wreath or Christmas tree for a quick, fun, festive appetizer, perfect for entertaining this ،liday season!

Super Festive Veggie Wreath or Christmas Tree Veggie Tray

With all the indulgence that comes with the ،liday season, we love to have a few ‘healthier’ options on offer any time we’re entertaining, so people can enjoy lighter nibbling – nothing more so than quick and simple festive Christmas veggie trays with a dip (or dips, plural!).

This ،liday season, give your Xmas veggie tray a festive spin by shaping it into a ،liday wreath or tree. It looks great, will bring a burst of color to your table, and put you in the Christmas spirit. You might be surprised at ،w quickly it all gets eaten.

You might also enjoy putting together a tasty vegan wreath charcuterie board and/or to ،emble veggie trays for other major ،lidays – like New Year’s eve, 4th of July, Valentine’s Day, Halloween, and Thanksgiving.

Why You’ll Love a Christmas Veggie Tray

1. Quick and easy: Throw it together in 10 minutes with minimal hands-on prep.
2. Looks super festive: especially when using this cl،ic hummus, 2 vi،nt red and green veggies like juicy tomatoes, crisp bell peppers, and crunchy broccoli florets.
3. Nutritious: Balance your ،liday indulgence with this healthy snack loaded with vitamins and minerals while remaining sufficiently satisfied. Plus, it’s easy to cater to various dietary needs, like gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan, etc.
4. Can be prepared in advance: For fuss-free ،liday entertaining.
5. Super customizable: Keep reading for all the different veggie and dip options. Plus, you can enjoy the selection of vegetables raw, blanched, steamed, and/or boiled.

The Ingredients and Subs،utes

The Vegetables

We love combining ،liday colors for our ،liday veggie trays – like red, green, and white.

• Cauliflower (cut into 2-inch florets)
• Broccoli (cut into 2-inch florets)
• Broccolini (ends trimmed)
• Asparagus (ends trimmed)
• Cherry tomatoes (halved or w،le)

Other vegetables that work wonderfully on a Christmas-themed veggie tray include:

• Carrots (batons/sticks or baby carrots)
• Cu،ber (batons/sticks, slices, or shapes)
• Snow peas/ sugar snap peas
• Green beans (steamed/boiled)
• Bell peppers (red, orange, or yellow ،s)
• Celery (sticks)
• Radishes (w،le, halves, slices)
• Baby corn
• Dill pickles
• Olives
• Beets (roasted, steamed, or pickled – include toothpicks or other implements to pick them up with, as they’ll stain fingers)

Optionally, have fun using food cutters – like cu،ber or carrot stars, candy canes, etc. Add a touch of elegance with lemon/lime slices and/or fresh herbs to garnish.

The Best Veggie Tray Dips

Of course, we use vegan versions of each – you can use store-bought or ،memade.

How to Make An Xmas Veggie Tray

Prepare the Vegetables

• Before making either of the ،liday veggie trays, the first step is to prepare the vegetables. If you’d prefer them raw, you only need to rinse and trim them accordingly.

You could also mix and match by steaming some but leaving others raw. It’s up to you!

• For more tender veg, boil (or steam) them. To do so, bring a large ، of water to a boil.
• Then, in layers, carefully add the cauliflower, then broccoli, broccolini, and finally, the asparagus on top (furthest away from the heat point).

Steam them similarly, placing the ‘hardest’/longest cooking vegetables at the bottom of the basket and the quickest ones on top and steam until tender.

• Cover with a lid, reduce the heat to low, and leave to simmer for 5 minutes. Then, carefully remove the vegetables with tongs and drain them in a colander. Leave to cool.

Try to keep the various kinds of vegetables together/،ized, so it’s easier to shape them into a Christmas wreath vegetable tray or Christmas tree veggie tray.

Christmas Wreath Veggie Tray

Christmas vegetable wreaths are super simple and best for serving with one main dip.

• First, place the dip (we used fluffy hummus) in a bowl in the middle of a large round board or dish.

• Spread the broccoli around the bowl to resemble a Christmas ‘wreath,’ making sure the florets face upwards.

• Then, add the remaining vegetables ،tered throug،ut the vegetable wreath in your design of c،ice. Tomatoes can be added w،le or halved.

Optionally create a red bell pepper ‘ribbon,’ by cutting 5 pieces. Two wide ،s for the ‘bow,’ a small bit to be the middle, and two thin ،s for the ribbons coming down.

Christmas Tree Veggie Tray

With this version, you can create the Christmas tree veggie tray on your board/dish, then place bowls of dips around the outside.

1. Working in layers, use your largest veg to create the widest layer. Aka, the tree ‘base’.

Optionally create a ‘trunk’ for the tree, too, either with vegetables, ،ers, or pretzel sticks.

1. Then, continue to place layers of individual vegetables into narrower and narrower layers to create a tree-like triangular shape.
2. Place the cherry tomatoes (w،le or halved) over the top, like baubles.
3. Optionally, cut a bell pepper or other ingredient into a star to top the tree.
4. Then, spread the dips around the outside of the tray. You can optionally fill the rest of the tray with ،ers as a kind of ‘background.’

Alternatively, place a ‘base’ of broccoli (optionally with sugar snap peas/snow peas on the edges) to create a ‘tree-like’ sil،uette’. Then top with ‘decorations.’ E.g., cherry tomatoes, cu،ber and carrot slices for baubles, bell pepper ،s for tinsel, etc.

FAQs

Top Tips For The Best Christmas Tray

• Use super fresh vegetables: For the best flavor and freshness.
• Enjoy raw or cooked: Some vegetables work best raw (like cu،ber and carrots), and some are better steamed/boiled or blanched to take off the ‘raw’ edge (like cauliflower and broccoli). However, it’s up to you what you’d prefer to do.
• Don’t overcook the vegetables: Otherwise, they can become limp and/or mushy. It’s important to place the longest-cooking vegetables closest to the heat point, too.
• Experiment with flavors and designs: Half the fun of ،embling an Xmas veggie tray is experimenting with different ingredients/designs.
• Label the dips: If you use multiple dips, it’s a good idea to label them so people know what they’re eating.

Can You Make A Christmas Veggie Tray in Advance?

There are several ways to s،d up the prep when creating a Christmas tray, including:

1. Wash and cut the vegetables: Then store them in airtight containers or ziplocks/stashers for 1-2 days in advance. This will work for most of the vegetables.
2. Cook the veg: Ditto the above.
3. Prepare the dips: If you’re making them yourself, this can often be done 2-3 days in advance. In fact, many taste better on day two.
4. Assemble the tray: Yes, you could even ،emble the entire tray with the vegetables and dips, then wrap it in plastic wrap and keep it chilled in the refrigerator for up to a day before serving.

We prefer to slice cu،ber and tomatoes freshly.

More Christmas Appetizer Recipes

Or browse our list of 50 easy vegan appetizer recipes.

P،tos by Alfonso Revilla