Have you watched those organizing videos where people put all their pantry or home items in rainbow order and it’s so satisfying and happy at the end?! This is that, but for party food! I made a separate platter for fruit and one for veggies. But, you could totally combine them into one platter too. It’s a super crowd pleaser and very easy to make. Check out my rainbow fruit & veggie platter tutorial and videos below. Have fun!
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What You’ll Need:
For Fruits:
- Red fruit options: Strawberries, Raspberries, Apples, Cherries, Cranberries, Watermelon
- Orange fruit options: Oranges, Mango, Clementines, Apricots, Cantaloupe, Papaya, Persimmons
- Yellow fruit options: Banana, Pineapple, Mango, Starfruit, Golden Kiwis
- Green fruit options: Kiwi, Grapes, Honeydew Melon, Avocado (technically), Pear
- Blue fruit options: Blueberries, Blackberries, Acai, Concord Grapes
- Purple fruit options: Grapes, Plums, Figs, Raisins, Passion fruit
- Dips & Toppings options: Granola, Coconut, Chocolate Chips, Whipped Cream, Nut Butter, Honey, Sprinkles, Yogurt
For Veggies:
- Red veggie options: Tomatoes, Red Peppers, Radishes
- Orange veggie options: Carrots, Pumpkin, Orange Peppers, Butternut Squash, Sweet Potatoes
- Yellow veggie options: Yellow Bell Pepper, Yellow Squash, Yellow Tomato, Corn Ribs/Cob
- Green veggie options: Snap Peas, Green Beans, Broccoli, Celery, Cucumber, Zucchini
- Blue veggie options: Potato, Blue Corn (if you have any other ideas, let me know in the comments!)
- Purple veggie options: Eggplant, Peewee Potatoes, Eggplant, Purple Cauliflower, Purple Carrot
- Dips & Toppings Options: Yogurt Dips (I used Everything But the Bagel from Trader Joes), Ranch Dip, French Onion Dip, Peanut Sauce (Thai), Chick-Fil-A dipping sauce, Cheese Sauce, Hummus, Honey Mustard
Prepping Your Rainbow Fruit & Veggie Platter
The prep work really just comes down to washing and chopping. I use a salad spinner to dry my washed veggies. The fruits and veggies I have already prepped from my meal prepping are in these containers. They are awesome because you can rinse the fruits and veggie in the container and strain them in the sink. Then just pop them in the fresh keeper. Any residual water falls through to the bottom and stays away from your food. Anyways….wash everything first!
Then chop what you need to chop. If you’re me and lazy, get things that are prechopped. I got a bag of carrot chips, so the carrots were already good to go. I’d rather pay $2 more than peel and chop carrots! But, to each his/her own. Some people love the prep work and find calmness in it. Up to you!
Making the Fruit Dip
You can use many things to go on your fruit platter. From peanut butter to honey to yogurt, you can get creative! One of the things I did was make this super yummy and easy cool whip dip. You just need three things: Cool whip, Vanilla Pudding Mix and Sprinkles. You’re basically going to add the pudding mix to the cool whip. But, I usually add a little at a time because sometimes adding the full thing can be overpowering. I also sometimes add a couple of drops of vanilla extract. Totally up to you and your preference. Then mix well and top with sprinkles!
Creating the Rainbow Fruit & Veggie Platter
To begin, you’ll want to grab a couple of boards. I used one round and one long one to vary the shapes for the table. If you need a suggestion, this round one is awesome. It’s super good quality and comes with all the pieces you need (little bowls, little utensils). So, to assemble your boards, you’re going to go in rainbow order.
For a circle board, you want to make little wedges for each color. This may mean laying your veggies in a certain way. For things like the carrots, I started on the outside and worked my way to the center. That way the veggies laid the way I liked. Then you’re making a wheel of rainbow veggies! I put the dips int he little bowls that came with the set. I also left most of my veggies raw. The only one I cooked was the potatoes (because we obviously aren’t eating those raw). I microwaved the peewee potatoes for three minutes and then mixed with butter and Herbs de Provence seasoning. Overall, really easy.
Check out the video of putting the rainbow veggie platter together:
For the long board, I put the fruit in this one. The particular board I used has slats, so that helped keep the round fruit in place (looking at you blueberries). This board also has end ceramic bowls that I used for the toppings and cool whip dip. But, similar process. I added colors left to right in rainbow order. I started any laying from the top of the board and worked my way to the bottom. That way the fruit looks very nice and the presentation is consistent.
Check out the video of putting the rainbow Fruit platter together:
Wrap Up
That’s really it! It’s a quick and easy thing to setup. Honestly, planning the fruit and veggie choices took longer than setting it up. There are a bunch of options for different types of fruit and veggies to use, but if you have others, feel free to drop them in the comments below! This Rainbow Fruit & Veggie platter is not only easy, but super visually appealing. It’s always a crowd pleaser and great for summer parties, though you could theme your food to the season. If you want more party ideas and tutorials, check out EventOTB’s Pinterest. Happy platter prepping!
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