Easy Crudité Platter with Spring Pea Goat Cheese Dip

When I host family and friends, I usually always create a large charcuterie board or cheese board. However, this year after all the heavy holiday food, I wanted to serve a healthy option. I decided to create a beautiful crudite platter full of colorful veggies and one of my favorite dips, spring pea with goat cheese.

What is a Crudité Platter?

A crudité or crudités is the French term for raw vegetables served with a dip. It is actually pronounced “Kroo-di-tey“. It is basically a fancy word for a vegetable platter or veggie tray. Regardless of what you call your platter, they are incredibly easy to make, beautiful, more nutritious, and lower in calories than most other appetizers. 

The Best Vegetables for a Beautiful Crudité Platter

Here is a list of the best fresh vegetables to use when creating your crudité platter. You can serve your vegetables completely raw, blanch them for a few minutes in boiling water, grill them, or roast them in the oven.

• heirloom rainbow carrots or baby carrots
• snap peas
• green beans/string beans
• cherry tomatoes with mozzarella cheese
• Persian cucumbers
• watermelon radishes or regular radishes
• mini bell peppers
• heirloom raw cauliflower
• snow peas
• artichoke hearts
• brussels sprouts
• broccolini or brocoli 
• small zucchini
• pattypan squash
• celery
• asparagus
• mushrooms
• beets

Tips for Creating the Perfect Crudités Platter

Here are some tips to help you take your board to the next level and create visual interest for the most picture perfect crudité platter.

1. Always use the freshest vegetables you can find. Try not to have your heart set on any specific vegetable if it does not look fresh.
2. Choose seasonal veggies. Visiting a local farmers market, Whole Foods, or Trader Joe is a great way to find a selection of great options.
3. Select fresh veggies that include a wide variety of colors. I always look for heirloom vegetables which are often found in different colors like purple, pink, red, yellow, green, and orange.
4. Instead of only serving raw vegetables, you can roast and even grill a selection of vegetables. 
5. serve a variety of different dips, like our spring pea and goat cheese dip below!
6. garnish your Crudité board with fresh herbs, green onion, and edible flowers.

Dips for Vegetable Platters

There are so many delicious dips that go great with a variety of vegetables. of course, my Spring Pea & Goat Cheese Dip is amazing, but I also like to serve a variety of dips. Some of my favorites include hummus, ranch dressing, and French onion dip. Trader Joe’s also has some great dips like their Jalapeno Artichoke Dip.

Other Accompaniments

In addition to vegetables, you can also serve a variety of other accompaniments on your platter.  If you’re serving hummus, I would also include some crispy pita chips. Other suggestions are unique cheeses, slices of French bread, breadsticks, nuts, dried fruits, fresh fruits, olives, and crackers.

How to Assemble Your Crudité Platter

First, decide if you are going to roast some of your vegetables. If you choose to roast or grill your veggies, all they need is a light spray of olive oil and a sprinkle of sea salt. Alternatively, you can also quickly blanch some of your veggies in boiling water. 

Next, Choose your dipping sauces and transfer them to small bowls. Place the bowls on a large board or round board. Be sure to stagger them so there is room to place the veggies around them.

Then, arrange your veggies so the same types of vegetables are together, and start your placement from around the bowls first, making your way outward. Space out the different colors so they are arranged on opposite sides of the board. Also, make sure you extend the veggies out to the edges of the board.

Finally, fill up any open spaces with your other items such as crackers, pita chips, and breads. Once your board is finished, you can place your various garnishes around the board.

How to Make Spring Pea Goat Cheese Dip

This dip is so delicious, that no one will know how easy it was to make. I love serving this dip during the holidays, especially Easter. It’s also a great low-calorie option to sneak in extra veggies and enjoy as a healthy snack throughout the week. 

To make this spring pea dip, add the goat cheese, defrosted peas, fresh lemon juice, garlic, olive oil, salt, pepper, and fresh mint leaves to a food processor. Then blend on high until you have a luscious creamy dip. 

If you are looking for a great food processor, I really love the Ninja Food Processor & Blender. I’ve had it for several years now and it has been a game-changer for me when it comes to making purees (like pumpkin), dips, salsas, and sauces. The blender attachment also crushes ice with no problem and makes perfect smoothies.

Storage

You can cover your platter in saran wrap, and place it in the refrigerator for 1-2 days. Any extra dip can be saved in an air-tight container for 1 week. If you do not have room in your refrigerator for the entire board you can grill or roast your veggies the day before. I am all about doing as much in advance as possible so you are running around less on the day you’re hosting.

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