How to make festive Christmas-themed veggie trays

Edible Christmas decorations are the life of the party, and the good news is that they’re good for you too.

Take, for instance, holiday ornaments — they come in all shapes and sizes. These festive bulbs hang proudly and sparkle from all sides. You may not even notice that they’re made of vegetables and olives until looking up close.

Hanging from spears of asparagus, these Christmas ornaments make a wonderful appetizer, made with zucchini, yellow squash, tomatoes, carrots, mushrooms and more. They’re almost too pretty to eat.

Holiday ornament veggie platter recipe

A colorful vegetable platter in the shape of hanging Christmas ornaments that’s made with zucchini, yellow squash, mushrooms, tomatoes, olives, radishes and asparagus. It’s a fun and festive, eye-catching appetizer.

Serves 2

Total time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

• 6 slices zucchini (cut widthwise about 1/4 inch thick)
• 6 slices yellow squash (cut widthwise and smaller in diameter than the zucchini slices)
• 6 thin quarter slices green olives
• 3 small cherry tomatoes, cut in half widthwise
• 1 small mushroom, cut into small slices
• 2 small radishes, cut in half widthwise
• 1 mini-size carrot, cut into small pieces
• 6 asparagus spears
• 1 large black olive

Directions:

1. On a long and fairly narrow serving platter or tray, lay the slices of zucchini in a staggered pattern.
2. Top with slices of yellow squash.
3. On 3 of the slices of yellow squash, add the tomatoes cut side down.
4. On the remaining 3 slices of yellow squash, add the radish cut side down.
5. Place the pieces of green olives, mushrooms and carrots around the tomatoes and radish to decorate each veggie “ornament.”
6. Cut each piece of asparagus in a length just long enough to fit between the top of the ornament and the top edge of the serving plate.
7. Lay each piece of asparagus on the plate with the point side down, touching the top middle part of the ornament so it looks like the veggie ornament is hanging.
8. Cut the ends off the black olive. Cut the remaining olive into 3 slices. Cut each slice in half, and lay them cut side down where the tip of the asparagus meets the ornament.
9. Serve with a side of your favorite veggie dip.

A happy snowman makes me happy when I see it. I love a snowman with happy eyes too. And a scarf around a snowman is a must, even if it’s made out of raspberries. The raspberry scarf looks so cozy on this happy snowman. This edible snowman even has dancing shoes on. He’s having a grand old time hanging out on this veggie platter. It’s fun to watch where guests will start eating on this veggie platter first. If it were me, I think I’d start with the scarf and eat that cute pair of shoes next.

Christmas snowman vegetable platter recipe

A holiday veggie platter made in the shape of a snowman is a happy sight. This snowman has no time to melt, because it gets eaten up quickly by guests. This cheery veggie platter brings veggies back to life.

Serves 3

Total time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 cups cauliflower florets
• 7 Chinese pea pods (for hat)
• 10 raspberries (for scarf and hat)
• 2 black olives (for buttons, eyes and nose)
• 2 Kalamata or black olives (for shoes)
• 1 tangerine or mandarin orange segment (for the mouth)

Directions:

1. On a long and fairly narrow serving platter or tray, lay a little more than half the cauliflower in the shape of a round ball to form the snowman’s body.
2. Just above the top of the body, lay the remaining cauliflower in the shape of a slightly smaller ball to form the head.
3. Lay the pea pods flat on top of the head to make the hat. Add 1 raspberry on the tip of the hat to form a “fuzzy” ball.
4. Make a scarf for the snowman with the remaining raspberries.
5. Cut the ends off 1 black olive, and then cut the remaining large piece of olive into 3 slices. Lay the slices in the middle of the snowman’s body to look like buttons.
6. Use 1 of the ends of the black olive for the nose.
7. Cut the remaining black olive into quarters lengthwise. Then cut 1 of the quarters in half lengthwise to form the eyes. Lay the eyes above the nose.
8. Add the tangerine segment to form a smile.
9. Lay the Kalamata olives (or black olives) at the bottom of the snowman’s body for the feet.
10. Serve with your favorite veggie dip.

A holiday wreath just has to have a pretty red bow on it, and this veggie wreath is no exception. A bow made with raspberries sets the scene for this colorful wreath made with broccoli, radish, jicama and cauliflower. This veggie platter has Christmas written all over it. The only thing missing is the smell of pine branches, so why not sprinkle some pine nuts on top of this as a bonus? Now I wish I had thought of that.

Christmas wreath veggie platter recipe

A veggie platter made in the shape of a Christmas wreath and topped with a beautiful red bow made of raspberries will put everyone in the holiday spirit. An edible wreath is a beautiful addition to any holiday table.

Serves 2

Total time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 cups broccoli florets
• 19 raspberries
• 1 large radish, thinly sliced
• 3 green olives, sliced widthwise
• 6 small cauliflower florets
• 10 bite-size pieces jicama (peeled)

Directions:

1. On a medium-size square platter or tray, lay out the broccoli in the shape of a wreath.
2. On the top part of the wreath, lay the raspberries in the shape of a bow, with 2 ribbons coming down in the middle of the wreath.
3. Decorate the wreath with radish, cauliflower, olives and jicama.
4. Serve with your favorite veggie dip.

See all our holiday articles

More cute Christmas food ideas

Vegetable and cheese Christmas tree platter
Christmas caramel apples
Christmas cupcake wreath