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This turkey veggie tray is such a fun way to take basic veggies and dip and turn them into the cutest Thanksgiving appetizer or no-cook side. It’s easy, fresh, colorful and always a huge hit!
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Pin It4 Reasons To Make This Thanksgiving Veggie Tray
- It’s just so cute! If you’re looking for a fun way to add some fresh colorful veggies to your Thanksgiving or Friendsgiving table, this turkey shaped veggie tray is it! And if you adorable Thanksgiving appetizers are your thing, you should check out this Thanksgiving Turkey Charcuterie Board too!
- It’s so easy! No cooking, no fancy skills, just some simple arranging!
- The dip is actually usable! Lots of turkey veggie trays stick the “turkey face” right into the dip bowl, which is cute but nobody wants to be digging that out. This version keeps the dip fully accessible and mess-free.
- It’s super customizable! Pick your favorite veggies, a dip you love and make it your own. Serve it as a Thanksgiving appetizer, a snack board or an easy no-cook veggie side.
What You’ll Need
- Board or platter: Use any sized round board or platter (go big or keep it small, totally works either way). I used a 14-inch round wooden charcuterie board.
- For the turkey “body”: Grab a small shallow bowl for your dip, your favorite veggie dip, 2 pecan halves (or candied pecans) for the feet and a mini orange or yellow pepper for the wings.
- For the turkey “head”: You will need a circle-shaped piece of white or creamy colored cheese (I used a thick slice of smoked provolone cut with a circle cookie cutter), 2 candy eyeballs (or little slices of black olives), a piece of baby carrot for the beak and little strip of red bell pepper for the snood or wattle.
- For the “feathers”: All the veggies get arranged in rainbow-like arcs to form the tail feathers. Feel free to swap in whatever veggies you like! Just try to incorporate some fall colors like orange, red, yellow, etc. For my veggie tray, I used cucumber, bell peppers (red, orange and yellow), purple cauliflower, baby carrots and snow peas.
How To Make This Turkey Veggie Tray
Let’s walk through how to put this cute turkey-shaped veggie tray together for Thanksgiving!
Step 1: Make the “turkey body”
- Grab a round board or serving platter. I used a 14-inch round wooden board but any size works! You can make this as big or as small as you like!
- Spoon your favorite veggie dip into a small shallow bowl and set it near the bottom center of your board.
- For the feet, place two pecan halves or candied pecans right below the dip bowl (a tiny dab or honey or dip can help them stay put).
- For the wings, slice the top off a mini orange or yellow pepper, remove the seeds, cut the remaining pepper in half lengthwise and place each half on either edge of the dip bowl.
Step 2: Arrange the “tail feathers”
- Create the feathers by layering your veggies in a semi-circle rainbow shape, beginning at the top of the board and working your way down. Overlap each layer slightly and mix up colors and textures. For mine, I started with a layer of cucumber slices in an arc around the top of the board.
- For the next layer, I added strips of red, orange and yellow bell peppers, alternating the colors.
- Then I added purple cauliflower florets (white cauliflower or broccoli works too).
- And finally, I tucked in baby carrots and snow peas closest to the dip bowl.
Step 3: Make the “turkey face”
- To finish things off, our turkey needs a face! Use a thick circle-shaped slice of white or cream colored cheese for the head (I used a circle cookie cutter and a thick slice of smoked provolone). You can grab a cheese that’s already circular, cut one out with a circle cookie cutter or just trace around something round with a paring knife. Set the cheese circle right over the veggies, just above the dip bowl.
- Now for the finishing details. Add two candy eyeballs (or small slices of black olives), a carrot beak (cut off the end of a baby carrot and slice out a small “V” shape), and a thin strip of red bell pepper for the snood/wattle.
Step 4: Enjoy
And that’s it! Your adorable turkey veggie tray is ready to serve!
TIPS
A Few Tips
- A round board or platter works best for shaping the turkey since you can just follow the curve when arranging the veggies into “feathers”. But don’t stress if all you have is square or rectangular – just arc the veggies into a rainbow shape!
- Save yourself some time by prepping the veggies the day before. Wash, chop and store them in airtight containers in the fridge so it’s all ready to go.
- You can only choose one dip to display on the veggie tray but if you want options, just set out some extra dip bowls next to the board.
- Use your favorite veggies! You don’t have to use the exact ones I did.
- Most importantly… have fun with it! Don’t stress about perfection (mine sure isn’t!). Seriously, it will look cute no matter what.
FAQ
Can I make it ahead of time?
Sure, if you have the fridge space! You can assemble the tray up to a day in advance. Just cover it tightly with plastic wrap and pop it in the fridge (Tip: Don’t add the candy eyeballs until serving since they can “bleed”). If you don’t have all that fridge space, you can prep all the veggies ahead of time so that everything is ready to assemble when you are.
What kind of dip works best?
Any kind you like!! Sour cream based like ranch or onion, hummus, tzatziki, etc. If you can’t decide, simply set out some extra dips next to the veggie tray.
What size should the board be?
A large round board or platter works best. It makes layering the veggies into “turkey feathers” easy and give you a nice curved guide to follow. I used a 14-inch board (since that is what I have) but you can use any size depending on what you have or how large you would like your veggie tray to be.
How do I store leftovers?
Store leftover dip and veggies in separate containers and keep in the fridge for up to 3 days.
More Thanksgiving Appetizers
I hope you have fun assembling your own turkey veggie tray! Please leave me a comment below if you make one or tag me on Instagram.
Thanksgiving Turkey Veggie Tray
- Prep Time: 20 min
- Cook Time: 0 min
- Total Time: 20 min
- Yield: varies
- Category: Appetizer, Snack, Side Dish
- Method: No Cook
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
This turkey veggie tray is such a fun way to take basic veggies and dip and turn them into the cutest Thanksgiving appetizer or no-cook side. It’s easy, fresh, colorful and always a huge hit!
Ingredients
- veggie dip (pick your favorite – sour cream based, hummus, tzatziki, etc.)
- 2 pecan halves (or candied pecans)
- 1 mini orange or yellow pepper (for the wings)
- circle shaped piece of white or creamy colored cheese, see notes
- 2 candy eyeballs (or little slices of black olives)
- 1 baby carrot (for the beak)
- small strip of red bell pepper (for the snood or wattle)
- variety of raw veggies, see notes
- round board or platter (any size, mine was 14 inches)
- small shallow bowl for the dip
Instructions
- Grab your board: A round board or platter works best. I used a 14-inch round wooden board but any size works! You can make this as big or as small as you like!
- Add the dip bowl: Spoon your favorite veggie dip into a small shallow bowl. Place it near the bottom center of the board – this is the “turkey body”.
- Add the feet: Place two pecan halves (or candied pecans) right below the dip bowl for the little turkey feet. A tiny dab of honey or dip helps them stay in place if needed.
- Add the wings: Slice the top off a mini orange or yellow pepper, scoop out the seeds, then cut it in half lengthwise. Set each half on either edge of the dip bowl.
- Arrange the tail feathers: Start at the top of the board and work your way down, layering veggies in rainbow-style arcs. Overlap them slightly and mix up textures and colors. For mine, I started with a layer of cucumber slices in an arc around the top of the board, followed by strips of red, orange and yellow bell peppers, a layer of purple cauliflower florets and finally baby carrots and snow peas closest to the dip bowl.
- Add the turkey head: Place your circle shaped piece of cheese right above the dip bowl, on top of the veggies.
- Add the face details: Add two candy eyeballs (or small slices of black olives), a carrot beak (cut off the end of a baby carrot and slice out a small “V” shape), and a thin strip of red bell pepper for the snood/wattle.
- Enjoy: Your adorable turkey veggie tray is ready to serve!
Notes
- Cheese: Pick any white or creamy colored cheese that you can cut into a circle smaller than your dip bowl. This will be the head for your turkey. I used a thick slice of smoked provolone and cut it with a circle cookie cutter. You could also find a cheese that is already in the perfect circle shape or trace a round object as a guide with a paring knife.
- Veggies: All the veggies get arranged in rainbow-like arcs to form the tail feathers. Feel free to use whatever veggies you like! Just try to incorporate some fall colors like orange, red, yellow, etc. For my veggie tray, I used cucumbers, bell peppers (red, orange and yellow), purple cauliflower, baby carrots and snow peas.
- Prep time and yield will totally depend on the size of the board you are making, the level of detail you want to put into the arranging and whether you’re whipping up a homemade dip or grabbing one from the store. It’s so versatile and customizable.
- Step-by-step photos can be found in the post for reference.
