Make your family and friends smile with this adorable Turkey-Shaped Vegetable Tray for Thanksgiving. Serve it with guacamole, hummus, or your favorite dip. This healthy appetizer recipe is naturally vegan, vegetarian, dairy-free, and gluten-free for your allergy-friendly holiday table.

vegetable tray in the shape of a turkey.

Vegetable trays with a healthy dip are always a welcome addition for any party. I have a similar healthy Halloween snack tray that was a big hit this year. You can also try making a Vegan Charcuterie Board.

This healthy plant-based appetizer is perfect for Thanksgiving because the vegetables are arranged into the shape of a turkey.

This one is guaranteed to make even the grumpiest relative or moodiest teenager smile! After all, family events can be stressful and laughter is the best medicine, don’t you think?

Benefits of Turkey Veggie Tray

  • This Thanksgiving Vegetable Tray is naturally vegan, vegetarian, low-carb, dairy-free, and gluten-free, so it’s perfect for a variety of dietary needs.
  • You can get creative and use the types of vegetables and dip that you like. To make your life easy, use pre-sliced vegetables, baby carrots, and a container of prepared guacamole or hummus.
  • Assemble this the day before and then just bring out the tray when the party is starting. This cute turkey veggie tray is perfect for a snack before Thanksgiving dinner.

Ingredients

photo with labels ingredients for turkey vegetable tray.

Celery, bell pepper, cucumber, and carrots are colorful vegetables that can make up the “body” of the turkey shape. These veggies are also great served raw with a dip. Be sure to save the base of the red bell pepper to make the beak!

See my complete list of the best vegetables for picky eaters if you hope the kids like what you serve them.

Guacamole, hummus, or your favorite dairy-free dip acts as the turkey’s head in our creation. Make your life easy and grab a prepared dip at the store, or try my oil-free hummus.

See the full recipe card at the end of this post for the details and measurements.

How to Make a Turkey Veggie Platter

collage with process photos for turkey vegetable tray.

Step One

Chop your celery and arrange them around the outside of a large dinner plate. The celery sticks look like turkey feathers.

Please see the recipe card at the end of this post for the exact ingredients and measurements.

Step Two

Chop the bell peppers into slices, being careful to save the bottom of one of the peppers for the turkey face on the turkey head.

Step Three

Layer the bell pepper slices and then the carrots.

Fill the center with sliced cucumber, leaving a space at the bottom of the plate for your dip or dip bowl.

Step Four

Place the dip at the bottom of your plate. Then, carefully cut a small hole in the center of the bottom of the bell pepper. Cut two small holes for the eye shapes.

Cut two notches into two baby carrots for the turkey’s feet. Then, cut a notch into one baby carrots for the beak. Carefully push the beak through the bell pepper turkey mouth.

Share your adorable creation with your party guests and family! I hope they love this Thanksgiving turkey veggie tray as much as mine does. It’s a fun way to celebrate and a great way to get some healthy food in your system.

vegetable tray in shape of a turkey with guacamole.

Recipe Tips

  • If you aren’t on a vegan or dairy-free diet, you can use a regular dairy-based dip like ranch dressing, sour cream, or your favorite veggie dip.
  • You can use other types of vegetables in this tray. Try sugar snap peas, yellow bell pepper, orange bell pepper, red peppers, green peppers, black olives, cauliflower, grape tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, carrot sticks, zucchini, or broccoli florets. Just be sure to use vegetables that are appropriate to eat raw.

Recipe FAQs

Can I make this ahead of time?

You can prepare your vegetable tray up to 2 days before the holiday or your party. Store your vegetable platter covered with plastic wrap or a lid in the refrigerator.

What kind of platter should I use?

Use a large round dinner plate as the base of your vegetable tray.

photo of vegetables in shape of turkey.

More Healthy Party Recipes You Might Like

I hope you make this recipe! If you do, please leave a comment and a starred review below.

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turkey veggie tray on a table

Turkey-Shaped Veggie Tray with Guacamole

Make your family and friends smile with this adorable Thanksgiving Vegetable Tray with guacamole, hummus, or your favorite dip. This healthy appetizer recipe is vegan, vegetarian, dairy-free, and gluten-free for your allergy-friendly holiday table.

 

  • Total Time: 45 minutes
  • Yield: 8 1x

Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 1 head of celery
  • 1 16ounce bag baby carrots
  • 2 red bell peppers
  • 1 cucumber, sliced
  • 1 8ounce container prepared guacamole

Instructions

  1. Prepare your Thanksgiving vegetable tray by starting with a large 12-inch round dinner plate or a round serving plate.
  2. Remove the celery ribs from the base and wash them well. Cut the celery ribs into 2-inch celery sticks.
  3. Place the celery sticks around the outer edge of the plate.
  4. Then, prep your bell peppers by cutting the bottom off of one of the peppers for decoration. Slice the rest of the bell peppers into thin strips and place around the plate around the inside of the sugar snap peas.
  5. Place the baby carrots around the plate as well, inside of the bell pepper slices. Reserve three baby carrots to make the turkey legs and beak.
  6. Use the cucumber slices to fill the center of the plate.
  7. Then, transfer the prepared guacamole to a small prep bowl and place it at the bottom of the plate.
  8. Place the bottom piece of the red bell pepper upside down on top of the guacamole and use a paring knife to cut the baby carrots into two leg and beak shapes. You can cut a round hole in the bottom of the bell pepper to stick the beak-shaped carrot. And you can cut two very small holes for the eyes.

Notes

  1. You can prepare your vegetable tray up to 2 days before the holiday. Store it covered in the refrigerator.
  2. You can use prepared guacamole or your choice of dip for this recipe. Hummus is also a great option!

Nutrition

  • Serving Size:
  • Calories: 65
  • Sugar: 5.1 g
  • Sodium: 207.1 mg
  • Fat: 2.3 g
  • Saturated Fat: 0.4 g
  • Carbohydrates: 10.3 g
  • Fiber: 4.4 g
  • Protein: 1.7 g
  • Cholesterol: 0 mg

Keywords: turkey vegetable tray, thanksgiving vegetable board, vegan thanksgiving appetizer

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About the Author: Carrie Forrest has a master’s degree in public health with a specialty in nutrition. She is a top wellness and food blogger with nearly 10 million annual visitors to her site. Carrie has an incredible story of recovery from chronic illness and is passionate about helping other women transform their health. Send Carrie a message through her contact form.