Date: Jun 22, 2019 · Updated: Apr 26, 2023 Author: Sharon Rigsby

Welcome to the ultimate guide for making beautiful, family-friendly, and flavorful relish trays that will have everyone raving! And, discover creative and modern ideas for quickly putting together these unique platters for parties and special occasions.

There was a time when relish trays were front and center on every holiday and special occasion table. These versatile appetizers also did double duty as side dishes. They were served on beautiful cut glass dishes with partitions.

In the early days, most everything served on them was either marinated or pickled, with olives and pickles usually taking center stage. 

Vegetable or crudité trays usually contain fresh cut-up or bite-size vegetables such as carrots, cauliflower, and celery. Often they also contain a dip for the veggies.

On the other hand, a simple charcuterie board (pronounced shar-koo-tr-ee) is full of a variety of meats, cheeses, and, many times, fruits and nuts.

The main difference between a relish tray and a veggie tray or charcuterie board is that relish trays usually only contain marinated or pickled produce.

Fast forward to today, and modern relish trays are a place to let your creativity and uniqueness shine. The lines have blurred between crudité or vegetable trays and charcuterie boards, the newest kid on the block. Today there are no hard and fast rules about what should or shouldn’t be on it.

The best thing about entertaining with these marvels is they hardly require any prep. Usually, you only need to make a quick trip to the store.

While I added a few things from my fridge, most of these items can easily be found in your grocery store olive bar, salad bar, or in the section where pickles and olives are sold. You may already have most of what you need in your pantry. 

This assortment of relish trays is my twist with a southern spin.  In addition to the ever-popular olives and pickles, I added some boiled peanuts, pickled okra, and pimento cheese.

Of course, you can use whatever you like. These are just suggestions; you can change it up; however you want. I hope you do! And if you do, please be sure to leave a comment to let me know what your favorite combinations are.

These tasty suggestions are in addition to the basic marinated, pickled, or fresh veggies. The possibilities are endless:

I have a few vintage glass dishes but I did borrow several of these beautiful dishes from my friends Mary Carroll and Kerri Mohar to fill in the gaps. Thanks so much, ladies!

If you need the platters, no problem. You can find plenty of inexpensive options at your local thrift store. Or, the easiest, use what you have:

Nothing has to match.  Feel free to mix things up!