Okay, the vegetables have their own tiny trick-or-treat buckets. That is freaking adorable.
These pumpkin veggie cups turn carrots, celery, cucumber and broccoli into little Halloween party snacks, with dip tucked underneath. Everybody gets a pumpkin. Everybody gets their own ranch. The broccoli gets to have ridiculous hair.
The idea comes from Charcuterie & Things, whose step-by-step photos show how the whole thing comes together. Here’s how to recreate the look for your own Halloween spread.
What You Need
- Mini jack-o’-lantern buckets or pumpkin-shaped food-serving cups
- Small food-safe cups that fit inside any decorative buckets
- Ranch dressing or your favorite veggie dip
- Carrots, cut into sticks
- Celery, cut into sticks
- Cucumber, cut into spears
- Small broccoli florets with enough stem to tuck into the cup
- A knife, cutting board and serving tray
Check the buckets before filling them. If they aren’t labeled for direct food contact, use them only as decorative holders. Nest a food-safe cup inside each one, with its rim above the bucket’s edge, and keep the dip and vegetables inside that cup. If an insert won’t fit, use a pumpkin-themed cup made for serving food instead.
How to Make Pumpkin Veggie Cups
1. Get the cups and vegetables ready
Wash and dry the vegetables, then cut the carrots, celery and cucumber into sticks. Check one against your cup before cutting the whole batch: you want enough sticking out to grab, with the bottom resting inside the cup. Trim the broccoli into small pieces, keeping a little stem on each.
Set the buckets on a tray, add the food-safe inserts if needed, and fold the handles down so they stay out of the way.
2. Add the dip
Spoon a shallow layer of ranch into the bottom of each food-safe cup. Start with less than you think you need; the vegetables will take up room, too. You can always add a little more before the cup gets crowded.
3. Start with the carrots
Stand a few carrot sticks in the dip, leaving space around them for the other vegetables. Keep their ends reasonably close in height so the finished cup looks full without becoming a very top-heavy vegetable bouquet.
4. Tuck in the celery and cucumber
Add celery beside the carrots, then slide in cucumber spears. Spread the orange and green pieces around the cup instead of putting all of one vegetable on the same side. Leave a few small gaps for the broccoli.
5. Give the pumpkins their broccoli hair
Tuck the broccoli stems into those gaps, with the florets sitting just above the rim. This is the part that makes the whole thing look like a tiny pumpkin with a leafy little hairdo.
Keep the vegetables loose enough that someone can actually pull one out. Cute matters. Being able to eat the snack also matters.
6. Chill until it’s party time
Cover and refrigerate the filled food-safe cups until you’re ready to serve. If your decorative buckets aren’t suitable for refrigerator use, chill the inserts separately and set them into the buckets when serving.
For a longer party, bring out a few at a time and keep the rest cold. FoodSafety.gov advises discarding perishable food left at room temperature for more than two hours. That window drops to one hour when it’s above 90°F.
A Few Easy Ways to Make Them Your Own
Change the dip. Hummus or a thick veggie dip can go in the bottom instead of ranch. Pick a flavor your guests already like.
Use what you’ll actually eat. Bell pepper strips can stand in for one of the other vegetables. The pumpkin cup is doing most of the Halloween work here.
Prep in batches. Cut the vegetables and portion the dip into covered containers ahead of assembly. Build one cup first to check the fit, then use it as your guide for the rest.
Line the finished pumpkins up with their little faces pointing out. The vegetables deserve a decent Halloween costume, too.
