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.

What is a relish tray?

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.

Is it the same thing as a vegetable tray, or a charcuterie board?

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.

What to put on a relish tray:

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.

Unique Relish Tray Ideas

Greek Pitted Mixed Olives
Garlic Parmesan Toasted French Rounds
Kay’s Southern Pimento Cheese Spread
Parmesan Cheese Crisps
Stuffed Green Olives
Hot Cherry Peppers
Marinated Mushrooms
Pickled Green Beans
Pickled Carrots or carrot sticks
Cornichons
Pickled Okra
Easy Southern Boiled Peanuts

Other great additions:

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

Bourbon Candied Bacon
Caprese Skewers or Cherry Tomatoes
Giardiniera
Black-Eyed Pea Hummus
Southern Caviar Dip
Olive Tapenade
Marinated Cheese
Cheeses: Provolone, Manchego, Cheddar, the list is endless
Marinated or Roasted Vegetables
Meats: Salami, Prosciutto, Pepperoni, and Ham
Fruits: Dried Apricots and Pineapple, Fresh Berries, Grapes
Crispy Cheesy Southern Cheese Crackers, toasted baguette slices, etc
Sweet and Spicy Tomato Jam, fig jam
Nuts: Roasted Pecans, Candied Pecans, Cashews, Almonds
Artichoke hearts
Deviled eggs
Black Olives
Bread and Butter Pickles
Fresh Vegetables
Pickles
Pickled Celery Sticks
Finger Foods
Pickled Beets

Creative ways to serve your relish tray:

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:

Serving trays
Baking pans or dishes covered with a kitchen towel can hold a variety of options
Mason jars
Coffee Cups
Saucers
Gravy boats
Parfait glasses
Ice cream dishes or dessert bowls
Muffin tins
Cutting Boards
Vases
Measuring cups
Bar glasses: highball, margarita, champagne, wine, etc.

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

How to Make a Relish Tray

Drain all of the marinated or pickled ingredients and arrange them.
Serve immediately or cover and store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Sharon’s Expert Tips:

Relish trays can be served chilled or at room temperature.
This recipe, as written, readily serves 20. Pick and choose from the ingredients and ideas presented here to serve fewer folks and serve on fewer dishes.
I used a combination of dishes in this post to give you as many ideas as possible. You want your dishes or a combination of dishes to look appealing, so think about color and texture when filling them. Select as few ingredients or as many as your dish(s) can hold, and keep it simple.
Be sure to provide your guests plenty of small plates, cocktail forks, and napkins.