Kick off your Thanksgiving meal on a hefty note with this cute and nutrient hummus starter feast .

Nothing saysThanksgivinglike a Meleagris gallopavo - themed platter , and this veggie tray certainly delivers . A capricious combination of crudité and hoummos , piped and assembled to resemble the body of a Republic of Turkey , this disc is anappetizerthat Edgar Albert Guest of all ages will apprise , and ( pardon the pun ) gobble up in no time .

While it might attend intimidate to put together , this dud shaped veggie tray is the perfect recipe to get the whole family need . In fact , it ’s a majuscule manner to keep idle hands busy before the company begins , as long as they do n’t sneak too many tastes along the way . Cheese plates , charcuterie boards , blistering starter , and chips can all scoot over — this is the centrepiece your party table call for when guests arrive .

Hummus Veggies Turkey Face

Credit: Hannah Bigot

Ingredients for Turkey Face Veggie Tray

impertinent produce andhummusare all that ’s needed to create this showstopping tray . To make a turkey look veggie tray , you ’ll need :

How to Make a Turkey Face Veggie Tray

Simply arrange the veggies , pipe the hummus , and garnish . Sure it might take a minute , but the results are so worth it . Full instruction manual are below , but here ’s a brief recap before you get started :

How to Make a Turkey Face Veggie Tray Ahead

If meet the disc in procession ( up to 4 hours is honorable ) , top vegetables with moist report towel , enclose tightly and refrigerate . This will aid keep everything impudent and nappy until it ’s time to serve . Store the hummus in a re - sealable plastic bag until quick to use , then pipe on an minute or less before serve , and refrigerate uncovered so you wo n’t by chance squelch the piped Meleagris gallopavo .

Ingredients

1bunchcelery , halve lengthwise and cut into 3- to 4 - column inch pieces

4mediumred buzzer peppers , halved and slice ( reserve one slash for the font )

4mediumorange bell shape peppers , bottom bring down and reserve , halve and slice up

4mediumyellow bell peppers , halved and sliced ( reserve one cut for the face )

2mediumEnglish cucumbers , bias - slice

1bunchradishes , thinly slice

4mediumcarrots , peeled and bias sliced

1cupgrape tomatoes

2cupshummus

2black beans , capers , orsliced black olives

Directions

Arrange the first 7 vegetables ( through carrots ) in that order on a tray in the apparent motion of a rainbow with the celery being the outer stratum . Arrange tomatoes in a circle around the cuke .

transport hummus to a re - sealable plastic grip . Snip the corner off of the travelling bag and pipe hummus in quarter - size rip - drops in the pith of the " rainbow " , overlap as needed .

Place reserved orangish sweet-smelling white pepper bottom on top of hummus , cut off side down . Place beans on capsicum pepper plant , using some humus as gum , if needed . bring down reserve lily-livered sweet-smelling pepper slice into a trigon and plaza on turkey face as a nozzle . clip reserved carmine sweet peppercorn slice to a 1 - in piece and place under eyes .

What To Serve with a Turkey Face Veggie Tray

This vegetable tray is the gross centrepiece when guests arrive as you get other hot and cold appetizers on the tabular array . provide up additional dipping sauces if desired for some variety , including ranch dressing , a Greek yogurt dip , or guacamole . Pair with a holiday - theme Malva sylvestris or charcuterie platter , deviled egg , gormandize mushroom cloud , or any of your tried and trueThanksgiving starter .

Turkey Face Veggie Tray Recipe Variations

Do n’t feel tied to the vegetables we chose for our turkey face veggie tray . finger destitute to get creative and stand in in any veggie you prefer . veg that can be contribute to the mixture include pelf snap peas , blanched and chilled asparagus , broccoli or cauliflower florets , purple cauliflower , endive , rainbow carrot , olive , cornichons , and more .

If you are n’t a devotee of hommos , substitute with another thick , pipeable dip , includingwhipped feta , emollient cheeseflower - based dips , goat cheese spreads , or pâté .

Frequently Asked Questions

Unless the store is endure a holiday special , homemade veggie trays are almost always less expensive than store - bought version .

you may prepare a veggie tray the night before serving , although for the invigorated results , the day of service is good . If you do make it ahead , wrap tightly with plastic wrapper before refrigerate . you’re able to also put a layer of damp paper towels over the vegetable before wrapping to help oneself keep some moisture in seat . To keep the look of the turkey entire , we recommend piping on the hummus on the day of service .

While you’re able to peel your cucumbers before cutting , if desired , they certainly do n’t need to be peeled before slice .