Print

Cozy Spider Web Veggie Tray with Easy Ranch Dip

spider web veggie tray with ranch dip - featured image
Print Recipe

A festive Halloween appetizer featuring a spider web-shaped vegetable platter with a creamy homemade ranch dip. Perfect for parties, this quick and easy recipe turns vegetables into a fun, crowd-pleasing centerpiece.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 1/2 cup mayonnaise
  • 1 packet dry ranch seasoning mix
  • 1 tablespoon fresh dill, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon fresh chives, chopped
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
  • Pinch of black pepper
  • 1–2 tablespoons milk
  • 1 large head of broccoli, cut into small florets
  • 1 large head of cauliflower, cut into small florets
  • 1 bag baby carrots (about 10 ounces)
  • 1 English cucumber, sliced into rounds
  • 1 pint cherry tomatoes
  • 1 red bell pepper
  • 1 yellow bell pepper
  • 1 cup snow peas or sugar snap peas
  • 1/2 cup black olives, sliced (optional)

Instructions

  1. Make the ranch dip first. In a mixing bowl, combine sour cream, mayonnaise, and dry ranch seasoning. Stir until well incorporated. Add fresh dill, chives, garlic powder, onion powder, and black pepper. Mix again. If too thick, add milk one tablespoon at a time until desired consistency. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
  2. Prep all vegetables. Wash and thoroughly dry every vegetable. Cut broccoli and cauliflower into bite-sized florets. Slice cucumber into 1/4-inch rounds. Cut bell peppers into 1/2-inch rings, then cut each ring in half to form crescents. Leave baby carrots whole. Halve cherry tomatoes. Trim ends off snow peas.
  3. Arrange the web pattern. Place a small bowl in the center of a large round serving platter. Create a ring of broccoli florets around the bowl, about 2 inches from the edge. Then create a second ring of cauliflower florets about 2 inches outside the first ring. Continue alternating rings of broccoli and cauliflower until you reach the edge of the platter (about 4-5 rings total).
  4. Create the web strands. Place bell pepper crescents like spokes radiating outward from the center bowl, spacing them evenly (about 8 spokes). Each spoke should cross all rings of vegetables. Use red and yellow pepper pieces alternately.
  5. Add connecting web lines. Using cucumber rounds, create curved lines connecting the pepper spokes. Place a cucumber round at each intersection where a pepper spoke crosses a vegetable ring.
  6. Make spiders. Use larger broccoli florets as spider bodies, placing them at various points on the web. Use two half-slices of black olive for eyes (optional). Arrange bell pepper rings as spider legs, 4 on each side of each broccoli spider.
  7. Fill the center bowl. Spoon chilled ranch dip into the small bowl in the center. Smooth the top. Optionally, create a web pattern on top using a toothpick and paprika.
  8. Fill in gaps with cherry tomatoes, snow peas, and any remaining vegetables. Ensure the tray looks full and abundant.
  9. Final touches. Adjust any shifted vegetables. Serve immediately or cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 4 hours.

Notes

Dry vegetables thoroughly to prevent sliding. For best results, assemble the tray a few hours before serving. The ranch dip can be made a day ahead. For dairy-free, use vegan sour cream and mayonnaise. For gluten-free, ensure ranch seasoning is certified gluten-free.

Nutrition

Keywords: Halloween appetizer, veggie tray, spider web, ranch dip, party platter, fall recipe, vegetable platter

Find it online: https://cookluma.com/cozy-spider-web-veggie-tray-with-easy-ranch-dip/