Our Christmas tree crudité platter is a festive, easy-to-make appetizer that’s full of fresh vegetables and budget-friendly. Perfect for holiday gatherings.
Why You’ll Love This Healthy Festive Appetizer
Fresh and healthy amid all the sweet treats. Add a vibrant vegetable crudité platter to balance richer, carb-heavy holiday dishes. It lightens the spread while offering color and crunch.
Simple to assemble. This impressive yet straightforward appetizer can be customized with your favorite raw vegetables. Shape the tree large or small depending on your guest list.
What is a crudité?
Crudités are raw vegetables, cleaned and cut for easy dipping and serving. They’re typically arranged on a platter for a shared appetizer.
Best vegetables for a crudité platter
Choose vegetables that are enjoyable raw and offer a variety of colors, textures, and flavors. Consider:
- Cucumber
- Carrots
- Bell peppers (red, yellow, orange)
- Zucchini
- Broccoli (including purple broccoli if available)
- Radishes
- Cauliflower
- Cherry tomatoes
- Celery
- Sugar snap peas
Good dips to serve with a crudité platter
Dips can be homemade or store-bought depending on your schedule. Popular choices include ranch, hummus, sour cream and chive dip, guacamole, and salsa. Offer a couple of different textures—creamy and chunky—so guests can choose.
Festive Christmas Tree Crudité Platter Recipe
Serves – 8
Prep Time – 30 minutes
Total Time – 30 minutes
Equipment Needed
- Chopping board
- Sharp vegetable knife
- Large platter or board — a tree-shaped plate makes assembly easier but any large tray works
Ingredients for a Christmas Tree Crudité Platter
Everything you need for a simple, healthy holiday appetizer
- Head of broccoli, broken into bite-sized florets
- 1/2 English cucumber, sliced
- 1 red bell pepper, sliced into strips
- 1 yellow bell pepper, sliced into strips
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1/2 cup radishes, sliced
- 2 handfuls of arugula (rocket) to fill and shape the tree
- 1 cup baby carrots or a mix of rainbow carrots
- Dips to serve
How to Assemble the Christmas Tree Crudité Platter
This is an easy appetizer to assemble—just use a bit of creativity.
Step One – Prep the veggies
- Wash, dry, and prepare all vegetables so they are ready for arranging.
Step Two – Create the tree shape
- Use a tree-shaped platter or lay parchment on a large tray. Arrange green vegetables—broccoli, cucumber slices, zucchini, and arugula—to form the triangular tree shape.
- Place a row of carrots vertically at the base to serve as the tree trunk.
Step Three – Decorate the tree
- Use strips of red and yellow pepper as garlands or tinsel. Scatter halved cherry tomatoes and radish slices as colorful ornaments.
- Cut a small star from a piece of yellow pepper with a cookie cutter to top the tree, or create a simple star shape with any small yellow vegetable.
Step Four – Serve
- Place bowls of your favorite dips around the platter and let guests help themselves.
Get More Christmas Recipes Here
Straight from the Daisies & Pie kitchen!
Tips for Making Your Crudité Platter Extra Tasty
To elevate the platter, include extras like marinated olives or antipasti vegetables and a selection of dips such as beetroot hummus or baba ganoush. Fresh herbs—dill, basil, parsley, or oregano—add aroma and visual appeal when sprinkled over the tray.
Arrange complementary items nearby: crackers, breadsticks, or small cheese portions make the spread more substantial. Consider serving a charcuterie or cheese board alongside the vegetable tree for variety.
Recipe Swaps and Tips
This recipe is flexible—swap any listed vegetables for others you prefer, provided they’re safe to eat raw. Mix colors and textures to keep the platter interesting.
Can you make crudités ahead of time?
You can prepare the vegetables ahead, but dry them thoroughly and store in airtight containers in the refrigerator to keep them crisp. For best presentation, assemble the tree within a day so the vegetables stay firm and fresh.
Need Some Family Meal Ideas?
Try meal planning to make family meals easier. Explore seasonal recipes and mix-and-match ideas to keep dinners simple and satisfying for everyone.
Get all our latest meal ideas and easy recipes
…straight from the Daisies & Pie kitchen, taste tested and approved!
Festive Christmas Tree Crudité Platter
Serve 8
30 minutes
30 minutes
A healthy festive appetizer to add to your holiday table.
Ingredients
- head of broccoli – broken into bite-sized florets
- 1/2 English cucumber
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 yellow bell pepper
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes – halved
- 1/2 cup radishes – sliced
- 2 handfuls of arugula (rocket) to fill in and add shape
- 1 cup baby carrots
- Dips to serve
Instructions
- Wash, dry and prepare all the vegetables.
- Use a tree-shaped platter or cover a tray with parchment and outline a triangle for the tree.
- Fill the triangle with green vegetables to form the tree.
- Add carrots at the base to serve as the trunk.
- Decorate with pepper strips, halved cherry tomatoes and radish slices as ornaments.
- Cut a small star from yellow pepper to top the tree.
- Serve with bowls of dip for guests to enjoy.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8
Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving:
Calories: 49Total Fat: 2gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 2mgSodium: 78mgCarbohydrates: 8gFiber: 3gSugar: 3gProtein: 2g
Nutritional content varies with ingredients and portions; use as a general guide and calculate based on the exact items you use if you have specific dietary needs.
More Easy Christmas Recipes to Try
- Christmas Sausage Rolls
- Halloumi Pigs in Blankets
- Easy Trifle Recipe