A Veggie Train with veggie dips is the perfect healthy and family-friendly appetizer!
While making gingerbread houses is a far more traditional December activity, we made these “Santa Veggie Trains” with veggie dips and the kids seriously loved them just as much, if not more! And while the boys *may or may not* have eaten cookie dough for lunch today, I’m taking their affinity for these veggie trains as a major December win.
Here’s the thing — my toddler would honestly pick veggies and dip over gingerbread houses any day and I’m not exaggerating here. A few weeks ago he saw a pre-made veggie platter at the store and begged me to get it. At first I said, “No, you won’t finish it,” but I ended up caving since, he was begging for VEGGIES after-all.
In two days, he finished the ENTIRE veggie tray all by himself and begged me for another one.That’s when I had the idea to make these Santa veggie trains together and it’s definitely going to be a holiday tradition now. The boys and I had a blast making our trains and even more fun dipping them in ranch dip and eating them!
More Holiday Appetizers:
Pistachio Crusted Goat Cheeseball
Santa Veggie Trains
Ingredients
- 4 to 5 bell peppers in a variety of colors
- 1 English cucumber
- Toothpicks
- Veggies to fill up the pepper “trains” such as carrots, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, celery, olives, and/or mushrooms
- Your favorite veggie dips such as Ranch, Dill, Light Dill, Light Ranch, Southwest Ranch, and/or Blue Cheese
Instructions
- Wash and dry the veggies.
- Lay peppers down and vertically slice off the top 1/3 of each pepper (slice straight down in front of the stem). Cut out the ribs and remove seeds. Discard.
- Slice an English cucumber into even-sized coins and attach 4 cucumber “coins” with toothpicks to each corner of the bell pepper to resemble wheels. Repeat until you have as many trains as you want.
- Add your favorite washed and cut veggies to the bell-pepper trains. Serve with your favorite veggie dips.
- Place the trains on a platter with each stem facing the pepper in front.
Recipe Notes
Two easy Holiday Veggie Platter Ideas to dress up your veggies this holiday season! We’re making a Christmas tree and an ornament with veggies and cheese.
video tutorial
Holiday Veggie Platter Ideas
For me, the holidays are all about cookies, candies, and treats galore (we’d never miss out on this honeycomb candy, toffee, or these chewy chocolate chip cookies!)
So, there is always a need for more veggies and these holiday veggie platter ideas are just the thing to get them in!
Holiday Veggie Platter Ideas
Ingredients
Christmas Tree
- Broccoli
- Cauliflower
- Cherry Tomatoes
- 10 stick pretzels
- 3-4 slices Cheddar Cheese
- 2-3 slices Swiss, Provolone, White Cheddar, or Pepperjack
- Miniature Christmas cookie cutters optional
- Marzetti Veggie Dips
Ornament
- Mini Carrots
- Cherry Tomatoes
- Cucumber
- 3-4 slices Cheddar Cheese
- Red and/or white pipe cleaner
Instructions
Christmas Tree
- Chop the broccoli and cauliflower into bite-sized pieces. Slice the stems of the broccoli and cauliflower very straight so they will stand up on the platter.
- Lay out the broccoli in the shape of a Christmas tree.
- Place cherry tomatoes to look like strands of ornaments.
- Place the cauliflower at the bottom of the platter to look like snow.
- Arrange pretzel sticks in between the broccoli tree and cauliflower snow.
- Using a small cookie cutter (or cut with a knife) cut out shapes in the cheese to decorate the tree. I use cheddar cheese for ornaments and the star on top and provolone for snowflakes outside.
- Serve with Marzetti veggie dip of your choice!
Ornament
- Fold a pipe cleaner to form a circle. Tape on to the back of a circular plate.
- Arrange miniature carrots around the top of the plate.
- Add cherry tomatoes below the carrots.
- Add a row of sliced cucumbers.
- Repeat: cherry tomatoes and then carrots.
- If desired, cut out shapes in the cheese to decorate.
- Serve with Marzetti veggie dip of your choice!
I love using the dips to make a quick spread for a meal when I don’t feel like cooking.