Super Simple Crudités Cups with Pesto Dip
This post might have affiliate links. For full details please see my disclosure policy.
These crudités cups with pesto dip make a good a case for eating your veggies. With creamy, lemony, herby dip and a rainbow of veggies, they’re fresh, gorgeous, and amazing for a crowd. Served in individual cups, this is a lovely appetizer for dinner parties, bridal showers, holidays, and everything in-between!
Here’s what we’re doing this weekend, friends. We’re chilling a couple bottles of sparkling wine, we’re texting friends, and we’re hosting happy hour on the patio. Complete with some no-cook apps like charcuterie skewers, these lemony marinated mozzarella balls, my five-ingredient boursin and roast beef crostini, or crudités!
Crudités are such an underrated app. Crunchy garden veggies with all the dips? I’m so in. But, when I make this recipe for friends, I like to serve the veggies in individual cups because you never end up with wilted veg. Or a communal bowl of dip sitting out for hours on end, because, no thanks I’m good.
When I was in culinary school, crudités was a staple appetizer when we catered parties and events. The amount of hours I’ve spent julienning veggies is honestly ridiculous haha. But it was all worth it because this is a snack that hasn’t failed me once in the 10+ years I’ve been making it for parties!
This is a fresh and elegant but low key appetizer for any time of the year. Because we always love a no-cook app no matter the season! It’s flavorful, easy to make, and comes together in under 20 minutes.
Ingredients & variations
When it comes to veggies, I like to use a mix of carrots, Persian cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, mini sweet bell peppers, sugar snap peas, radishes, and some kind of seed crackers (like Mary’s Gone Crackers or Top Seedz). But feel free to try other veg like celery, fennel, broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, asparagus, endive, radicchio, etc.
To make the dip, you just need 5 basic ingredients: a batch of this basil lemon pesto (or store-bought), mayo, Greek yogurt, lemon juice, and garlic. Plus some Morton’s Kosher salt and freshly-cracked black pepper.
Since the veggies are the star of the show, you’ll want to use good-quality crisp, & freshly-cut veggies. I tried testing this recipe with pre-cut veggies and they weren’t super crunchy and tasted a bit stale. If you can, use fresh veg!
Pesto dip
Make the veggie cups
The first time I made these cups, the dip got everywhere, it was such a mess haha. So, to keep the dip from spreading on the sides of the cups, use a piping bag or #60 cookie scoop to divide it up. I like to use a piping bag but as long as you get about 2 Tablespoons in each cup, you’re good to go!
Glasses or cups to use
For this recipe, you’ll want to pick cups with high sides so the veggies don’t fall out. I’ve made them with champagne flutes, rocks glasses, and drinking glasses which all work great for keeping the veggies in place. But, if you’re hosting a BBQ, backyard dinner party, or other outdoor party, I would definitely use break-proof cups. There’s nothing worse than sweeping up shards of glass on the patio. IYKYK. I like paper snack cups best but plastic party cups will work too!
Refrigerating leftovers & make-ahead
To store leftovers, cover the cups with wrap. Refrigerate the appetizers for up to 3 days. You can also make these cups up to 1-2 hours in advance. Prep the cups, cover them with wrap, and refrigerate. Then, pull them out of the fridge as your guests arrive!
If the veggies are prepped too far in advance, they will dry out. So I don’t recommend prepping these cups more than 2 hours in advance. If you do want to prep the veggies the night before, store the sliced carrots and cucumbers in containers of cold water. The rest of the veggies can be washed and stored in airtight containers. Just make sure to dry the veggies right before assembling this appetizer.
Make a platter instead
If you don’t want to make single servings of these vegetables cups, you can always make a platter instead! First, spoon the dip into a bowl and set it in the middle of the platter. Then, scatter the veggies in piles around the board. You can also add more bowls of nuts, olives, or other snacks. If you want to add garnishes, try adding micro-greens, edible flowers, or fresh herbs to the board. Just don’t forget serving utensils like spoons, tongs, or bamboo skewers!
If you make this recipe, I would love it if you left a star rating and review! I read every single comment and love hearing what you think about my recipes. Thank you for supporting Sunday Table!
Easy Individual Veggie Cups with Pesto Dip
Ingredients
Pesto Dip
- 240 grams mayonnaise (1 cup)
- 120 grams whole milk Greek yogurt (1/2 cup)
- 120 grams basil lemon pesto or store-bought pesto (1/2 cup)
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon grated garlic
- Kosher salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
Crudités Cups
- 8 small carrots
- 8 Persian cucumbers
- 560 grams cherry tomatoes (20 ounces)
- 8 mini sweet peppers
- 16 sugar snap peas
- 16 small radishes
- 16 seed crackers (or crackers of choice)
Equipment
- Chef's knife
- Cutting board
- Vegetable peeler
- Bamboo skewers
- Piping bag, or #60 cookie scoop
- Rocks glasses or champagne flutes
Instructions
Pesto Dip
- In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, Greek yogurt, and basil lemon pesto. Stir the dip until smooth.
- Whisk in the lemon juice, garlic, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed. Set aside.
Crudités Cups
- First, prep the veggies. Peel the carrots and cut them in half diagonally. Quarter the Persian cucumbers into spears. Skewer 2-3 cherry tomatoes on bamboo skewers or toothpicks and set aside. Cut the mini sweet peppers in half and discard any seeds. Slice the snap peas and radishes in half, if desired.
- Next, spoon the pesto dip into a piping bag and pipe about 2 Tablespoons of dip into the bottom of each glass. Alternatively, use a #60 cookie scoop to divide the dip between the glasses.
- Add one carrot half, two cucumber spears, one cherry tomato skewer, and one pepper half to each glass. Arrange a snap pea, radish, and seed cracker next to the rest of the veggies. Stagger and arrange the veggies around the cup so you can see all of the pretty colors and textures. Enjoy!
