This turkey veggie platter will be the star of the Thanksgiving table! An easy and healthy centerpiece that both kids and grown-ups will love!
Easy Turkey Vegetable Platter
The cold vegetable platter is a staple at holiday gatherings, but admittedly, it’s not usually very exciting. However, this turkey veggie tray is super cute and takes the plain ol’ veggie platter to the next level!
All we did was arrange the cut veggies into layers that form the shape of a turkey with its feathers fanned out. It’s quite easy to prepare, but it looks very impressive on the party table!
If you want to get the kids to eat their veggies at the Thanksgiving dinner this year, the turkey tray is the way to go! Even the grown-ups are going to love this one! It may just be one of the favorite appetizers of the whole day!
Related: These painted mason jar pumpkins will also make a beautiful Thanksgiving centerpiece!
Ingredients
Here’s what we used for our Thanksgiving turkey veggie tray, but feel free to swap out any of the below with your favorite veggies!
- Cucumber
- Red Bell Pepper
- Yellow Bell Pepper
- Sugar Snap Peas
- Baby Carrots
- Candy Eyes
- Your Favorite Dipping Sauce
Kitchen Tools Used
- Large round serving tray or round platter (you can use any size: 10″ – 14″)
- Square dip bowl
Instructions
To Prep: Any veggies that are not already in bite-sized pieces (such as the baby carrots) will need to be cut and sliced. Devein the pepper and cut intro strips. Cut the cucumber into thin slices. Etc.
- Line up the sugar snap peas in a ring along the outer edge of the platter. Place a dish at the bottom of the platter with your dipping sauce.
- Arrange the baby carrots or carrot sticks in a ring that just overlaps the sugar snap peas.
- Place the bell pepper strips in a smaller circle, just overlapping the baby carrots.
- Fill the remaining space in the middle of your platter with cucumber slices.
Once your platter is complete, use the end of a red pepper and two baby carrots to make the turkey face and wattles. Use a drop of mustard or something similar to act as “glue” and hold the candy eyes in place on top of the pepper face.
Prep Tips
- We usually serve our vegetable platters with ranch dressing — learn to make your own ranch seasoning mix here! Blue cheese would also make a delicious option, but you are welcome to use your favorite dipping sauce. Hummus or guacamole would also be delicious and healthy!
- The vegetables we chose create an array of colors, plus they are the right shape to make a fan of “turkey feathers” on our platter. But again, these are just suggestions and you can absolutely swap any of the vegetables we use with your own personal favs. Celery sticks, broccoli florets and grape tomatoes are other options.
- If you don’t have candy eyes handy, you could also use black olives for the eyes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can You Make This Vegetable Tray Ahead Of Time?
Yes! That is one of the great things about this dish: you can prep it up to a full day in advance so on the actual holiday you don’t have to do any of that work! Simply prep, arrange, cover, and refrigerate until you’re ready to serve.
While a veggie tray can last up to 3-4 days in the refrigerator, I don’t recommend making it that far in advance because once cut, veggies start to lose their luster after a day or two.
How Long Can A Veggie Tray Sit Out?
Generally, it’s not recommended to have food sitting out at room temperature for more than two hours. Vegetables are probably ok for a bit longer, but any dipping sauce needs to be refrigerated or swapped out after 1-2 hours.
More Fun Thanksgiving Recipes To Try:
- Thanksgiving Margaritas
- Texas Chocolate Pecan Pie
- Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake
- Easy Herb Stuffing
- Pumpkin Pie Bread Pudding
- Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes
- Turkey Marshmallow Pops
Turkey Veggie Tray Recipe (Printable Recipe Card)
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Turkey Veggie Platter
Equipment
- 1 Serving Platter
Ingredients
- 1 Cucumber sliced thinly
- 1 Red Pepper
- 1 Yellow Pepper cut into strips
- 50 Sugar Snap Peas 8oz bag
- 40 Baby Carrots 10oz bag
- 2 Candy Eyes
- 1/2 cup Ranch Dressing or your favorite dipping sauce
Instructions
- To Prep: Any veggies that are not already in bite-sized pieces (such as the baby carrots) will need to be cut and sliced. Devein the pepper and cut intro strips. Cut the cucumber into thin slices. Etc.
- Line up the sugar snap peas in a ring along the outer edge of your serving platter. Place a dish at the bottom of the platter with your dipping sauce.
- Arrange the baby carrots or carrot sticks in a ring that just overlaps the sugar snap peas.
- Place the sweet pepper strips in a smaller circle, just overlapping the baby carrots.
- Fill the remaining space in the middle of your platter with cucumber slices.
- Once your platter is complete, use the end of a red pepper and two baby carrots to make the turkey's face and wattles. Use a drop of mustard or something similar to act as "glue" and hold the candy eyes in place on top of the pepper face.
Notes
Nutrition
Pin our Turkey Vegetable Tray on Pinterest:
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