A classic crudité platter is a fresh, light, and colorful choice for any party menu. It works for any season, any occasion, and is endlessly customizable.
Whether you’re hosting a gathering or bringing a dish to a share, a crudité platter is one of the easiest things you can make. It’s a bit different then your typical charcuterie board and a welcome addition to a meat and cheese heavy appetizer spread.
There’s no cooking involved, most of the prep can be done in advance, and with easy extras like my Endive Appetizer and store-bought dips, it all comes together fast.
Table of contents
What is a Crudité Platter?
Crudité (pronounced crew-dee-TAY) is a French term for raw vegetables served as an appetizer, typically with a dip. Think of it as a vegetable-forward snack board — fresh, colorful, and perfect for everything from holiday parties to casual get-togethers.
It’s a classic entertaining option that had its heyday in the ’70s and ’80s, but crudité will never go out of style. Simple, versatile, and always a crowd-pleaser.
Unlike a charcuterie or antipasto board, a classic crudité platter sticks to fresh vegetables, dips, and simple veggie-based bites — not crackers, fruit, or cured meats.
Ingredients and Seasonal Swaps
No matter the season, crudité works! Just customize your platter with seasonal vegetables, easy dips, and include at least one simple assembled appetizer.
I included a variety of late spring and early summer vegetables on my platter, like baby rainbow carrots, celery, cucumber, mini bell peppers, grape tomatoes in assorted colors, sugar snap peas, and radishes. Feel free to add or swap any of the items listed below based on what’s in season.
Seasonal Vegetable Ideas
- Spring: Sugar snap peas, radishes (look for pretty Easter egg radish), asparagus spears (blanched), baby carrots (rainbow if available), endive
- Summer: Cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, mini bell peppers, jicama, green beans (blanched)
- Fall: Broccoli and/or cauliflower florets (blanched if desired), bell peppers, celery
- Winter: Roasted beets (chilled), radicchio, English/hothouse cucumber
Creamy Dips (Choose Two)
High-quality store-bought dressings like ranch or blue cheese double perfectly as veggie dips. Just be sure to dress them up — a sprinkle of crumbled blue cheese or fresh chives helps guests tell them apart. Fresh dill is a great garnish for ranch.
If you have a few extra minutes, try making your own. My Buttermilk Ranch Dressing, Light Blue Cheese Dressing, Basil Buttermilk Dressing, Tzatziki Sauce are all excellent with fresh vegetables.
Assembled Appetizer (Choose One)
My easy Endive Appetizer with Goat Cheese and Pears is spot-on perfect for a crudité platter and will be one of the first things to go! Other great options include Antipasto Skewers or Prosciutto Wrapped Mozzarella Bites, not classic crudité, but absolutely delicious. Both can be assembled in advance and always go over in a big way!
How to Make a Crudité Platter
- Include a variety of colors and textures: Some crisp vegetables, some juicy, some with a little bite like radishes or endive and COLOR is key! Aim for creating a literal rainbow of colors.
- Use creative cuts to make your platter pop: Try slicing cucumbers with a wavy knife, cutting carrots into coins or sticks, or trimming celery on a diagonal. Small touches like this add interest.
- Group or mound your vegetables: Instead of placing all of one type together in a single spot, scatter small clusters in a few different areas across the platter for visual balance and a more impressive look.
- Add at least one assembled appetizer: To add variety to your platter while still keeping it classic.
- Offer at least two dips: Homemade or high-quality store-bought salad dressings double very well as veggie dips. Garnish with herbs or crumbled cheese to help guests tell them apart.
- Prep ahead: Wash and cut veggies the day before and store them in airtight containers lined with a paper towel.
- Blanch harder vegetables: Veggies like green beans, broccoli, cauliflower, and asparagus can be briefly cooked to soften their texture slightly while preserving their bright color and crunch.
- Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and set up a bowl of ice water.
- Add vegetables and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, just until crisp-tender.
- Transfer immediately to the ice bath, then drain and pat dry before serving.
Sign up for my free newsletter for all the latest recipes and join me on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest for more cooking inspiration!
Crudité Platter
Ingredients
- 8 ounces mini bell peppers, assorted colors, halved or quartered, lengthwise
- 8 ounces baby carrots
- 3 or 4 ribs celery, sliced
- 1 medium cucumber, peeled in stripes and sliced
- 8 ounces sugar snap peas
- 1 small bunch radishes, thinly sliced
- 8 ounces grape tomatoes, assorted colors
Vegetables to Swap or Add
- Blanched vegetables like asparagus, green beans, brocccoli or cauliflower florets, see notes below for blanching instructions
- Roasted beets (chilled), jicama, raddichio
Dips (choose two)
- ¾ cup Blue cheese salad dressing, store-bought or homemade
- ¾ cup Ranch salad dressing, store-bought or homemade
- Basil Buttermilk Dressing
- Tzatziki Sauce
- 1 tablespoon crumbled blue cheese, or as needed
- 2 teaspoons chopped fresh chives or dill, or as needed
Assembled Appetizers (choose one)
Instructions
- Arrange the vegetables in small groups around a large board or platter, leaving space to nestle in a few pieces of an assembled appetizer.
- Spoon the dressings into two small bowls, garnishing the blue cheese dressing with a sprinkle of crumbled blue cheese and the other (ranch, Basil Buttermilk, or Tzatziki) with chopped fresh chives or dill. Set the bowls on the platter between the vegetables just before serving.
Notes
- Spring: Sugar snap peas, radishes (look for pretty Easter egg radish), asparagus spears (blanched), baby carrots (rainbow if available), endive
- Summer: Cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, mini bell peppers, jicama, green beans (blanched)
- Fall: Broccoli and/or cauliflower florets (blanched if desired), bell peppers, celery
- Winter: Roasted beets (chilled), radicchio, English/hothouse cucumber
- Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and set up a bowl of ice water.
- Add vegetables and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, just until crisp-tender.
- Transfer immediately to the ice bath, then drain and pat dry before serving.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated using generic ingredients, and is an estimate not a guarantee. For more accurate results, please refer to the labels on your ingredients at home.
