This Owl Veggie Tray is a fun low carb snack tray made from baby carrots, cucumber, bell peppers and celery, with two bowls of creamy chipotle ranch dip as the owl's big round eyes. It takes about 25 minutes to put together, looks adorable on a party table, and it's a snack everyone can dig into, whether they eat low carb or not!
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I love preparing fun food, and this isn't the first time I've created a picture with veggies. Check out my low carb vegetable Christmas tree and my Festive Olive Christmas Tree! With Halloween approaching I was looking through my Low Carb Halloween Recipes and realized that I didn't have owls!
Creating an owl vegetable tray isn't exactly an original idea, but I wanted to make sure that low carb vegetables were used, and that it was served with a delicious keto veggie dip. And this chipotle ranch is SO good!
Why This Makes a Great Low Carb Snack Tray
Party food is usually where eating low carb gets tricky. The table fills up with chips, crackers, cookies and candy, and you end up standing next to the cheese. A big, colorful veggie tray fixes that, and when it's shaped like an owl, it's the thing people actually crowd around (and take pictures of) before they start dipping.
It's also just a really practical snack tray. There's no cooking, the dip takes five minutes in a mini food processor, and the whole thing is made from ordinary grocery store vegetables. Kids love helping to build it, and it works for Halloween, fall birthday parties, a woodland-themed baby shower, or an after-school snack that feels a little bit special.
Key Ingredients (and Which Veggies Are Lowest in Carbs)
All of these vegetables fit a low carb diet, but some are lower than others. The net carb numbers below are rough figures per 100 g (about 3½ oz) of each vegetable, so you can see where the carbs on the tray really come from.
- Celery (about 1.5g net carbs). The lowest carb veggie on the tray. Two stalks make the branch the owl sits on, and you can add extra sticks for dipping. Keep the leafy tops on; they look like little twigs.
- Cucumber (about 3g net carbs). The slices make the owl's feathery chest. An English (seedless) cucumber gives nice even rounds and doesn't need peeling.
- Bell peppers (about 3-5g net carbs). Green peppers are the lowest in carbs and red, yellow and orange ones are a little higher, but all of them are fine for a snack tray. I used yellow and orange for the wings, and the offcuts make the beak and feet.
- Baby carrots (about 5-6g net carbs). The highest carb veggie here, so they're used as an accent for the head feathers rather than the main event. If you're keeping carbs very low, swap some or all of them for more pepper strips.
- Black olives. One olive, sliced, makes the pupils. Olives are mostly healthy fat, so they barely add any carbs.
- Chipotle ranch dip. Mayonnaise, sour cream, onion powder and chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. It's creamy, smoky and just a little bit spicy, and it has well under 1g net carbs per two-tablespoon serving.
How to Arrange an Owl Veggie Tray, Step by Step
I recommend making the veggie dip first (the method is below and in the recipe card), so it has time to chill while you slice the vegetables. Then here's how I made the owl.
Step 1: Make the eyes and head. Divide the dip between two small round bowls or ramekins, and place them side by side near the top of a large serving board, where you want the eyes to be. Surround the bowls by fanning out baby carrots above and to the sides.
Step 2: Add the chest feathers. Slice the cucumber into rounds about ¼ inch thick. Place the slices in an overlapping pattern, starting from the bottom of the board and working up toward the bowls, like fish scales.
Step 3: Add the wings. Cut the bell peppers into thin strips and place them along both sides of the cucumber to form wings. Curved strips from the rounded part of the pepper look the most like feathers.
Step 4: Finish the details. Use some offcuts of pepper to make a beak, claws and ear tufts. Add celery sticks across the bottom as a branch, and finish with a slice of black olive in the middle of each bowl of dip for the eyes!
How to Make the Keto Chipotle Ranch Dip
In a small food processor, combine the mayonnaise, sour cream, onion powder, two chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, and a spoonful of the sauce. The chopper attachment on a hand blender works perfectly for a small batch like this.
Blend until smooth, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to a bowl (or two!) and keep it covered in the fridge until you're ready to build the tray. You can also turn this dip into a pourable dressing by adding a few tablespoons of water and blending again.
Helpful Tips
Pick the board first. A rectangular board about 16 x 12 inches is the right size for two small bowls and enough veggies to feed a group. If your board is smaller, use smaller ramekins for the eyes so the owl stays in proportion.
Dry the vegetables well. Wet veggies slide around and make the board look messy. Pat the cucumber slices and pepper strips dry with paper towels before you start arranging them.
Build from the eyes outward. Placing the bowls first gives you an anchor for everything else. Once the eyes are down, the head, chest and wings fall into place around them, and it's easy to adjust as you go.
Watch the spice level. Chipotles vary in heat. Start with one pepper plus the sauce, taste, and add the second if you want more kick. For a milder dip for kids, just use a spoonful of the adobo sauce and skip the peppers.
Variations
- Lower carb owl. Replace the baby carrots with red or green bell pepper strips, and use extra celery and cucumber for the body.
- Snowy owl. Use cauliflower florets for the chest and white radish slices for the wings, which is perfect for a winter party.
- Green owl. Make the whole owl from broccoli florets, snap peas, green pepper and cucumber for a woodland or St. Patrick's Day theme.
- Different dips. Swap the chipotle ranch for plain ranch, tzatziki, or guacamole. Two different dips, one in each eye, is fun too.
- Snack board owl. Add cubes of cheese, salami or pepperoni to the wings for a heartier low carb snack board.
Make-Ahead Tips
The dip can be made up to 3 days ahead and actually tastes better after the flavors have had time to blend. Keep it covered in the fridge and give it a stir before spooning it into the bowls.
You can slice the carrots, peppers and celery the day before and store them in airtight containers lined with paper towels. Slice the cucumber on the day, since it gets watery. The finished tray can be assembled up to 4 hours ahead, covered tightly with plastic wrap and kept in the fridge. Add the olive pupils just before serving.
Serving Ideas
Set the owl out as the centerpiece of a Halloween or fall party spread, alongside a meat and cheese board, Low Carb Antipasto Cups, or my Keto Halloween Snack Tray. It's a nice fresh contrast to all the richer party food.
It's also a great way to get kids eating vegetables after school. Build a smaller owl on a dinner plate with a single bowl of dip, and let them make the face themselves.
Storing & Freezing
Store leftover dip in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. Leftover vegetables keep for 3-4 days in a sealed container in the fridge, though the cucumber is best eaten within a day or two. Don't leave the tray out at room temperature for more than 2 hours.
Neither the tray nor the dip freezes well. Raw veggies go limp and watery once they're thawed, and the mayonnaise and sour cream in the dip will separate. Make just what you need and enjoy the leftovers over the next few days.
More Low Carb Halloween Recipes
If you loved this owl, here are a few more spooky snacks you might enjoy:
- Low Carb Halloween Recipes
- Low Carb Monster Bites - a Halloween appetizer!
- Halloween Spider Deviled Eggs
- Puking Pumpkin with Spicy Guacamole
- Halloween Jalapeño Poppers
📖 Recipe
Owl Veggie Tray with Chipotle Ranch Dip
Ingredients
Equipment
Step-by-Step Instructions
- In a small food processor (or the chopper attachment of a hand blender), combine the mayonnaise, sour cream, onion powder, chipotle peppers and adobo sauce.
- Blend until smooth, then season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Divide the dip between two small round bowls or ramekins. Cover and refrigerate while you prepare the vegetables.
- Place the two bowls of dip side by side near the top of a large serving board to make the owl's eyes.
- Fan the baby carrots out above and around the sides of the bowls to make the head feathers.
- Slice the cucumber into rounds about ¼ inch thick. Starting at the bottom of the board, lay the slices in overlapping rows, working up toward the bowls, to make the owl's chest.
- Cut the bell peppers into thin strips and arrange them along both sides of the cucumber to form wings. Cut a small triangle from an offcut for the beak and two small pieces for the claws (and ear tufts, if you like).
- Lay the celery stalks across the bottom of the board as a branch, with the claws resting on top.
- Slice the olive and place a slice in the center of each bowl of dip for the pupils. Serve right away, or cover and refrigerate for up to 4 hours.
Nutrition
Notes
Tried this recipe?
Let us know how it was!Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is my best approximation. Net carbs are calculated as the total grams carbs minus the total grams of fiber.
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