Modern Relish Tray
Do you remember having relish trays at parties? Check out my modern twist on an old-fashioned relish tray and see if it doesn’t become your new favorite finger food for a crowd!
What is a relish tray?
Did your parents entertain a lot while you were growing up? Whether it was a party or just a large family dinner, my parents loved having people over and feeding them.
One of my favorite appetizers that my mom always put out was a relish tray. Simple to put together, she always had the ingredients on hand, and it was always the first to empty!
Full of tangy pickled beets, salty olives, and sour pickles, I hung around the relish tray and stuck black olives on the ends of my fingers and slowly ate them off one by one.
What’s the difference between a relish tray and a veggie platter?
A relish tray is different from a crudite platter, a charcuterie plate, or a cheese board because it contains pickled or marinated items.
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Ingredients
You can basically use anything pickled as the name suggests, but some of my favorites are olives, Brussels sprouts, green beans, asparagus, okra, and old fashioned pickles.
Some other items you can include are:
- artichoke hearts
- radishes
- peppadew peppers
- garlic cloves
- eggs
- onions
- mushrooms
- green tomatoes
What kind of pickles do you use for a relish tray?
A Relish Tray is often called a pickle tray or an olive tray because these tend to be the most popular items on the tray. Olives and pickles are often the easiest to find, and I think everyone on the planet has a jar of olives or pickles in their pantry or fridge.
My favorite olives to have on my Relish Tray are jumbo black olives, Castelvetrano, and olives stuffed with things like cheese, garlic, and jalapeño. All those flavors really get my mouth watering for dinner later.
For the pickle side of the pickle and olive tray, I like bread and butter pickles, super sour dill pickles, and extra garlicky and spicy pickles for the more adventurous types.
Other popular choices for a Relish Tray are pepperoncini peppers, pickled cauliflower and vegetables known as giardiniera, and beets.
How To Make Put Together A Relish Tray
- Grab all your items and a tray to put them on. Because a lot of the items have a lot of juice, you will need a tray with sections or use cups or small bowls.
- Fill all the containers or bowls with the pickles and other ingredients.
- Place all the items in their individual sections or containers and place on the tray.
- Fill in extra spaces with fresh herbs like parsley or rosemary sprigs if you need to. Serve!
Since most of the items are shelf stable it can sit our for a little longer than other items. You can also put everything together ahead of time, cover it with plastic wrap, and store in the fridge until ready.
For the full recipe and detailed instructions, please refer to the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Relish Tray Ideas
- Add some unique pickled items that you can make yourself or pick up at a specialty food store or online. Think baby corn or roasted red peppers.
- Trade in the clunky glass tray that weighs 1000 pounds and doesn’t fit into your dishwasher for a new container that you can find in your kitchen or craft room. Wine glasses and mason jars work great!
- Have plenty of ways for your guests to get their pickle on. I suggest toothpicks, tiny tongs, and these mini forks.
- Don’t take yourself too seriously and try to follow too many “rules” that no longer apply.
They make great Thanksgiving appetizers and are perfect Christmas Party foods. Everyone needs a few party trays for your guests to nibble on while you are greeting new guests or making cocktails.
And they aren’t just great for holidays parties, try them at your summer BBQ or Easter brunch!
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These are questions that I frequently get regarding making pickle and olive trays. If I don’t have our answer listed, please email me or leave a comment.
Can I include raw vegetables and dips?
You can, it’s your tray! If you want to add a dip or two, add some crackers or carrot and celery sticks to eat it with. I tend to leave them off since they aren’t pickled and add them to a veggie tray, but you do you!
Can I use all store bought pickles and olives?
Absolutely! Not everyone is into home preserving and pickling, plus I can’t find those baby carrots raw. So feel free to grab all the items you need at the store. It is great for last minute guests as everything is shelf stable and ready in your pantry!
Looking for a unique dish to take to a party you’ve been invited to? How about a quick appetizer you can make ahead of time for a get-together that you are hosting and are already stressed to the max?
Try the easiest crudite platter, a classic charcuterie board, or a walking taco bar. Check out all my party food recipes, both sweet and savory, to fit your special occasion!
If you love this recipe as much as I do, please write a five-star review in the comment section below (or on Pinterest with the “tried it” button – you can now add pictures into reviews, too!), and be sure to help me share on facebook!
The only rule to follow when making your relish tray is that there are no rules. It’s your party, so fill it with what you like to eat!
Modern Relish Tray
Ingredients
- Pickled Brussels Sprouts
- Pickled Asparagus
- Black Olives
- Giardiniera
- Pepperoncini
- Pickled Corn
- Pickled Okra
- Gherkins/Cornichons
- Pickle Slices
- Mixed/Stuffed Green Olives
Instructions
- Drain all your pickles and olives.
- Arrange all your ingredients in small containers and place on a tray.
- Enjoy!
Video
Notes
-
- Add some unique pickled items that you can make yourself or pick up at a specialty food store or online. Think baby corn or roasted red peppers.
-
- Trade in the clunky glass tray that weighs 1000 pounds and doesn’t fit into your dishwasher for a new container that you can find in your kitchen or craft room. Wine glasses and mason jars work great!
-
- Have plenty of ways for your guests to get their pickle on. I suggest toothpicks, tiny tongs, and these mini forks.
-
- Don’t take yourself too seriously and try to follow too many “rules” that no longer apply.
Nutrition
{Originally Published 11/6/18 – recipe notes updated 10/11/24}
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My mother was a gourmet cook, and we grew up with relish trays that had celery, green onions, olives, and several things that you describe. But it was considered gourmet to have celery and green onions on your relish tray and radishes.
Thank you for such great ideas. I am making one for our Thanksgiving at my moms this year. Have a Bless Grand Thanksgiving.
Thank you! Happy holidays!
I’ve been doing this for years using my great grandmother’s relish trays (smaller) but now I want to find a tray like yours!
How did you keep your parsley from wilting?
I got it at Michael’s on a clearance sale:) For the parsley, I trim the ends, then wrap them loosely in a wet paper towel to keep them fresher longer. The one thing about relish trays that I love is that they can sit out for longer so I have duplicate jars of goodies in the fridge that I can just switch out. Same with the parsley. I keep a few extra bundles in the fridge. You can also try rosemary sprigs! They last a little longer at room temperature:)
I’m going to do this for my book club next month! Now for the cute tray, container….have plenty of cute clear jars and plastic wine glasses…thanks!
Absolutely love this
Will do it for a party Thurs night
Thank you !
It’s beautiful! I love this idea and I can’t wait to try it!
How do you plan on how much to put out? I know we have to adjust it to the amount of guests. However, not having a good idea of guest:snack ratio, knowing the amount of guests seems irrelevant. Do you have any insight?
I usually follow the rule of 2-3 pieces per person per hour if you are serving this as an appetizer. If your meal is all appetizers then I would plan 4-6 pieces per person per hour. Noting that some of the items are smaller, you might just double the amount for those items. Thanks!
what is a good cheese to go with this relish tray?
Great question! Because the veggie tray is meant to be light, I would stick with cheeses that are also light to eat. I would avoid a heavy gouda or cheddar and go with something like a feta, a fresh mozzarella (they make tiny balls called bocconcini that are poppable :)) and maybe a Swiss. If you are looking for something with spice or herbs go with a pepperjack or spiced monterey jack cheese. And then a herb/nut crusted goat cheese log is a great choice too. I hope this helps!
What a beautiful platter. I’m hanging onto this one to recreate while holiday entertaining!
I remember mom and grandma had a small relish tray every family gathering. I did the same thing as you as a child — I’d put black olives on my fingers and eat them
Off. Good memories! Now that I am older, I have found I adore Greek kalamata olives and will use those instead. Love the idea of Putting each item in its own mason jar. Those older glass trays are quite heavy to bring with you, and this modernizes the look. Thanks for reigniting an oldie but a goodie! Happy holidays!
I did that too! Now I really like Castelvetrano green ones as they are bigger and fit my fingers better. Thank you I hope you have a great holiday too!
Was looking for ideas for a pot luck relish tray. These were very good suggestions. Thank you!
Great idea for a relish tray going to make for a friendsgiving this week. Thanks for this great idea.
Post some pictures so I can see! I hope you enjoy!
I love all the little vessels you use to display these on the tray… nothing is worse for me than mixing all the juices together… I cant wait to make this tonight… for our dinner… I mean, I have everything and we love small noshing so Im going for it!
Oh my goodness! I can see this being great for entertaining. I can also see me sitting by this and considering it my meal!
I love this! There are so many tasty bites on this tray and it would be great for light snacking before our big Thanksgiving dinner!
I love the idea of bringing back a relish tray! I’m hosting Thanksgiving this year and I told my mom no appetizers so we have plenty of room for the meal. I think light noshing can be the exception! It looks so festive and pretty!
I love making a fun relish tray! This looks delicious for the holidays! Thanks for the tips
I just love the idea! This would be so fun to make for Thanksgiving!
This is just so perfect! I little bits of different tasty things for entertaining! Love all the little containers you use.
Thank you!!
Great alternative to the classic relish tray.
I just love all of the pickled vegetables! Okra, Brussels sprouts and mushrooms are my favs! Thank you for all fo the tips and tricks to arrange and present a great relish tray!
I have never thought of a relish tray before. That is very creative. I love all the items in this tray and its perfect for a Sunday brunch too.
I love how everything is in jars so the flavors don’t all run together and it would make cleanup easier!
I love this twist on a traditional relish tray. I love setting out finger food like this and it’s perfect timing before the holidays!