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Spooky Skeleton Veggie Tray – Easy Halloween Party Appetizer

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A visually stunning and healthy Halloween appetizer that looks like a skeleton, made entirely from fresh vegetables. Perfect for parties, it’s customizable, make-ahead friendly, and sure to be a conversation starter.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 large head of cauliflower (for the skull)
  • 1 large English cucumber (for the spine and long bones)
  • 1 bunch of celery (for the ribs and arm bones)
  • 1 red bell pepper (for the heart)
  • 1 cup of snow peas or sugar snap peas (for the smaller bones in the hands and feet)
  • 1 cup of cherry tomatoes (for the joints and knuckles)
  • 1 large carrot (for the fingers and toes)
  • 1 cup of broccoli florets (for the hip bones and pelvic area)
  • 1 small bowl of your favorite dip (for the ‘marrow’ or to serve alongside)
  • 1 small black olive (for the eye socket)
  • 1 tablespoon of black sesame seeds (to sprinkle around the platter for ‘dirt’ or ‘shadow’)
  • Fresh rosemary sprigs (to look like small bones or grave grass)

Instructions

  1. Prepare the Skull (Cauliflower): Wash the cauliflower head and pat it completely dry. Trim the bottom stem so it sits flat on the platter. Using your paring knife, carefully carve out two deep eye sockets in the front of the cauliflower. They should be about an inch deep. Insert half a black olive into each socket, cut side out. For the mouth, carve a jagged, slightly grinning slit. Don’t worry if it is uneven—a crooked smile is spookier. Set the skull at the top center of your platter.
  2. Build the Spine (Cucumber): Wash the cucumber and cut it in half crosswise. Then, cut each half lengthwise into quarters. You will have four long cucumber spears. Arrange these in a straight line down the center of the platter, starting just below the cauliflower skull. This is your skeleton’s spine. Leave a small gap between the skull and the first cucumber piece to look like a neck.
  3. Create the Ribcage (Celery): Wash the celery stalks and cut them into 3-inch lengths. You will need about 10 to 12 pieces. On each piece, make two shallow, angled cuts on the top and bottom to create a ‘bone’ look—like you are carving a little notch out of each end. It sounds fussy, but it takes two seconds and makes a huge difference. Arrange these celery pieces on either side of the cucumber spine, angling them outward like ribs. Start with the top pair, placing them close to the neck, and wor…
  4. Place the Heart (Red Bell Pepper): Wash the red bell pepper. Cut it in half and remove the seeds and white pith. Using a small cookie cutter or a sharp knife, cut a heart shape out of one of the pepper halves. Place this heart in the gap you left in the center of the ribcage. This is the skeleton’s heart, and it adds a fantastic pop of color.
  5. Form the Pelvis and Legs (Broccoli and Carrot): Arrange two large broccoli florets at the bottom of the spine, angled outward like hip bones. For the legs, cut the carrot into thin, 4-inch long sticks. Arrange two carrot sticks extending downward from each broccoli ‘hip.’ Use a few snow peas to create the feet, fanning them out slightly at the bottom.
  6. Build the Arms (Celery and Carrot): For the upper arms, use longer pieces of celery (about 4 to 5 inches). Place one on each side of the ribcage, angling them outward and slightly upward. For the forearms, use shorter pieces of celery or carrot sticks. For the hands, arrange a few carrot sticks and cherry tomatoes in a fan shape at the end of each arm. The tomatoes look like knuckles.
  7. Add the Dip and Final Details: Place your small bowl of dip right in the center of the belly area, nestled between the ribs. This looks like the skeleton’s ‘marrow’ or soul. Sprinkle black sesame seeds around the edges of the platter to look like dirt or shadow. Tuck a few rosemary sprigs around the hands and feet for a graveyard feel. Step back and admire your work. Take a picture. You earned it.

Notes

Pat every single vegetable bone-dry with paper towels before cutting to prevent the skeleton from sliding apart. Cut celery notches at a 45-degree angle for a bone-like look. Use a thick dip to avoid puddles. The skeleton is best assembled no more than 2-3 hours before serving.

Nutrition

Keywords: Halloween, veggie tray, skeleton, appetizer, healthy, party, spooky, vegetables, gluten-free, vegan

Find it online: https://spoonluma.com/spooky-skeleton-veggie-tray-easy-halloween-party-appetizer/