A simple and delicious healthy snacks party platter for kids and everyone to enjoy! Get the best tips on how to make a healthy snack tray with wholesome, vegan-friendly and gluten-free ingredients! If it is a birthday party, after school snack time, or a get together with friends, this party platter has you covered!
Need more easy snacking? My broccoli tots and 5-minute high protein energy bites both live on this tray.
In a hurry? Put the dips and small bowls down first, then layer fruits and vegetables around them by color. Everything else on this page is the detail: which produce to buy, how to cut it so kids actually eat it, and what to prep ahead.
Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 30 minutes
- 🌡️ Cook Time: 20 minutes, only for the roasted beets and energy balls
- ⏳ Total Time: 50 minutes
- 🍽️ Serving: 1 large platter
- ⚡ Diet: Plant-based, gluten-free and dairy-free friendly
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Sweet, salty, crunchy and soft all on one tray
- ✋ Difficulty: Easy, no cooking required if you skip the roasted beet fries
Quick Answer
Start with the main items, fruits and vegetables, then add dips. Gather a wide array of colorful seasonal produce, slice it into sticks, ribbons and shapes, and set small bowls of hummus, Greek or coconut yogurt dip, popcorn and energy balls around a large platter or cutting board first. Then layer the fruits and vegetables around those bowls, keeping the colors separated so the eye feasts on each food.
Jump to:
- Quick Look
- Quick Answer
- Why This Recipe Works
- Why You'll Love This Platter
- Key Ingredients
- Substitutions and Variations
- How to Make a Healthy Snacks Party Platter
- Recipe Tips and Tricks
- Serving Ideas and Suggestions
- Healthy Snacks Party Platter FAQs
- Other Recommended Kid-Friendly Snack Recipes
- Healthy Snacks Party Platter For Kids
No matter what the occasion it always feels like winning when you have a spread of foods that everyone enjoys. One of my favorite events as the kids are little are our playdates and happy hours with friends. Either everyone brings a snacky food appetizer to share or the host prepares the food.
Not only are healthy party platters great for parties, but they are also wonderful for everyday snacks for kids that like to graze eat, like mine. I leave this out on the counter after school so the boys can play and grab a few veggies or popcorn as they need! Then I am not too worried if kids skip eating their vegetables at dinner. Or sometimes we just eat this as a main dish on lighter evenings!
This healthy snacks party platter is one that caters to most food allergies and has an array of sweet, salty, crunchy, soft flavors and textures not to mention the beautiful colors! It is plant-based with colorful produce being the main ingredients. Of course have fun and play with it by adding more of your favorite healthy snacks like nuts, black olives, watermelon, crackers and other favorite energy bites!
Why This Recipe Works
Click to see the technique science
- Color does the selling. A wide array of beautiful colors with fresh produce is what makes a tray look worth eating, and seasonal produce tastes best.
- Texture keeps hands coming back. Soft foods like strawberries, blueberries and olives next to crunchy celery, broccoli, radishes and carrots means there is always something new to reach for.
- Sweet and salty around the edges. Hummus dip, yogurt dip, salty nuts, popcorn and sweet energy balls circle the produce so every craving is covered.
- Shapes beat sticks. A vegetable peeler turns carrots into ribbons and cookie cutters turn cantaloupe, cucumber and watermelon into shapes, which is what gets kids to try them.
- Bowls first, then produce. Placing the small bowls around the board before layering means nothing gets squashed and the tray holds its shape.
- It caters to most food allergies. Keeping it plant-based, fruit and vegetable focused and mostly dairy-free means almost every guest can eat from it.
Why You'll Love This Platter
- It works for every occasion. Birthday party, after school snack time, or a get together with friends, this party platter has you covered.
- No cooking required. Everything except the roasted beets and the energy balls goes straight from the cutting board to the tray.
- The kids graze all afternoon. Leave it on the counter after school and you are not worried if vegetables get skipped at dinner.
- It caters to most food allergies. Plant-based, vegan-friendly, gluten-free and mostly dairy-free out of the box.
Key Ingredients
- Crunchy vegetables - cucumbers, celery and carrots sliced into sticks, broccoli florets, watermelon radishes and raw or roasted asparagus.
- Sweet fruit - strawberries with the stems removed, blueberries, raspberries, orange wedges and grape tomatoes.
- Dips - hummus and coconut or Greek yogurt, garnished with a little parsley. My cannellini tahini hummus dip is the one I reach for.
- Popcorn - I like to make my own homemade popcorn so I can control the amount of salt and fat added. Sometimes I use a store-bought version for convenience.
- Chocolate chia energy balls - almond flour, tapioca flour, cocoa, chia seeds, vanilla, coconut oil, maple syrup and baking powder. The recipe below makes 44 small balls, and my high protein energy bites work here too.
- Roasted beets or sweet potato fries - my roasted beet fries add the purple, and they can be prepared in advance or skipped to save time.
As always, please see recipe card below for full ingredient list.
Substitutions and Variations
- Build the rainbow. Red: grape tomatoes, apples, red bell peppers, strawberries, cherries, raspberries. Orange: oranges, tangerines, carrots, orange tomatoes, orange bell peppers, kumquats, cantaloupe. Yellow: lemon slices, yellow tomatoes, yellow bell peppers.
- Keep going through the colors. Green: broccoli, asparagus, cucumbers, snap peas, green grapes, kiwi fruit, green olives, celery. Blue: blueberries. Purple: roasted beets, blackberries, purple grapes.
- Finish with the neutrals. Pink: watermelon radishes and watermelon. Black: black olives. Brown: energy bites, dates and nuts. White: jicama, radishes and cauliflower.
- Add cheese and meats. I wanted to keep our party platter vegetarian, fruit and vegetable focused and mostly dairy-free because it is lighter for after school snacking, but feel free to add cheese slices and meats too.
- Make it a fruit tray or a veggie tray. If you are focusing on fruit, slice up your favorites and serve them with peanut butter or yogurt dip. If you are making a vegetable tray, gather seasonal vegetables and serve them raw, roasted or grilled.
How to Make a Healthy Snacks Party Platter
Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.
1Start with the produce and the dips. Gather your favorite seasonal fruits and vegetables and slice them up. Serve the vegetables raw, roasted or grilled, then add the sides: hummus, Greek or coconut yogurt dip, nuts, energy balls and popcorn or crackers.
2Add textures and flavors. Make sure your platter has soft foods like strawberries, blueberries and olives, and crunchy ones like celery, broccoli, radishes and carrots. Then add sweet and salty around it with hummus dip, yogurt dip, salty nuts, popcorn and sweet energy balls.
3Make shapes with a peeler and cookie cutters. Cut the carrot in half and use a vegetable peeler on the thicker part, then roll the peels into ribbons. This works for cucumbers too. Cookie cutters are perfect for cantaloupe, cucumbers and watermelon.
4Layer everything on a platter or board. Add popcorn, dips and energy bites to small bowls and place them around the sides first. Then layer fruits and vegetables around them, separating the colors so the eye feasts on each food, or spread them out in rainbow order.
Recipe Tips and Tricks
- Shop for color first. At the grocery store or farmer's market, look for the produce that is most vibrant in color so the tray covers all the colors of the rainbow.
- Prep the roasted pieces ahead. The beets or sweet potatoes can be prepared in advance, or skipped entirely to save time.
- The energy balls make 44. Roll them small, store them in the refrigerator, and you have snacks for the rest of the week.
- Bowls go down before produce. Place the small bowls around the board first, then build the fruit and vegetables around them so nothing shifts.
- Control the popcorn. Making it on the stovetop lets you control the amount of salt and fat added, which matters when it sits out all afternoon.
- Separate the colors. Keeping like colors together, or laying them out in rainbow order, is what makes a simple tray look like a centerpiece.
Serving Ideas and Suggestions
Once your healthy snacks party platter is created you are all set! Set it out for a birthday party, after school snack time, or a get together with friends. On lighter evenings we eat it as the main dish, and on party days it sits alongside broccoli tots and a batch of grilled stuffed jalapenos.
For a bigger spread, add a bowl of easy gluten-free baked beans, a healthier potato salad, or a cold pasta salad with Italian dressing. For the drinks table, a pitcher of lemon cucumber mint water keeps everyone hydrated without the sugar.
And for the kids who want something sweet at the end, my black bean brownies and a Greek yogurt berry bowl both fit the same wholesome, allergy-friendly idea as the tray itself.
Healthy Snacks Party Platter FAQs
Crunchy vegetables like cucumbers, celery, carrots, broccoli and watermelon radishes, sweet fruit like strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and orange wedges, plus small bowls of hummus, yogurt dip, popcorn and chocolate chia energy balls.
The roasted beets or sweet potato fries and the chocolate chia energy balls can both be made in advance and refrigerated. Slice the fruits and vegetables the same day and assemble the tray shortly before serving so everything stays crisp.
Add a wide array of beautiful colors with fresh produce, keep like colors together or lay them out in rainbow order, and vary the shapes by using a vegetable peeler for carrot ribbons and cookie cutters for cantaloupe, cucumber and watermelon.
Yes. The platter is plant-based, gluten-free and vegan-friendly as written, using coconut yogurt in place of Greek yogurt for the dip. It caters to most food allergies, and cheese slices and meats can be added separately for guests who want them.
Hummus and a Greek or coconut yogurt dip topped with parsley cover the savory side. For a fruit-focused tray, peanut butter or a yogurt dip works beautifully.
That is exactly how we use it. I leave the platter out on the counter after school so the kids can play and grab a few vegetables or popcorn as they need, and sometimes we eat it as the main dish on lighter evenings.
Other Recommended Kid-Friendly Snack Recipes
I hope you enjoy this healthy snacks party platter! Tried it? I would love to see your creations! Follow along with me on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, YouTube and Twitter to be featured and for more recipe inspiration! And don't forget to rate the recipe in the recipe area and leave a comment below.
Healthy Snacks Party Platter For Kids
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Ingredients
- Cucumbers sliced into sticks
- Celery sliced into sticks
- Carrots cut into sticks and some for ribbons or a handful of baby carrots
- Grape tomatoes
- Watermelon radishes cut into slices
- Broccoli florets
- Green or black olives
- Strawberries stems removed and cut into halves or quarters
- Blueberries
- Raspberries
- Oranges cut into wedges
- Asparagus raw or roasted
- Beets or sweet potato sliced into fries roasted
- Lemon cut into slices (for color or to add to water)
- Popcorn
- Chocolate chia energy balls
- Hummus Dip
- Coconut yogurt or Greek yogurt for dip
- Parsley for garnish
- olive oil
- salt and pepper
Chia Energy Balls
- 1 cup almond flour
- 1 cup tapioca flour
- ⅓ cup cocoa flour
- 2 Tablespoons chia seeds
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- ¼ cup coconut oil melted
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons of baking powder
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Remove the skin of beets or a sweet potato. Slice into "fries" then lay on a pan. Drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast for about 15-20 minutes or until cooked through and desired tenderness is reached. Set aside.
Chia Energy Balls
- In a bowl combine the almond flour, tapioca flour, cocoa flour, chia seeds, vanilla, melted coconut oil, maple syrup and baking powder. Combine until it forms a dough. Roll with both hands into 44 small balls and place it on a baking pan lined with parchment paper. Store in the refrigerator until ready to use. After the balls have hardened, they can be stored in an airtight container.
Make the Party Platter
- Add small bowls around a large platter or cutting board. Add hummus to one yogurt to another topped with parsley (parsley is optional). Add the roasted beets or sweet potato fries in another bowl. Add chocolate chia balls to another bowl and popcorn to another bowl. Around the bowls and your prepared fruits and vegetables to the platter in a colorful combination or rainbow combination. Have fun with the creativity!
Notes
* The beets or sweet potatoes can be prepared in advance or can be a skipped ingredient to save time.
Albert Bevia says
That platter looks so colorful and beautiful, such an array of wonderful ingredients