This mezze platter is perfect for serving a crowd! Filled with fresh veggies, pita, and assorted spreads and dips, it offers a little something for everyone.
If you ask me, a mezze platter is the perfect solution for feeding a crowd. This Middle Eastern tradition of serving a medley of appetizers and small plates before a meal (or even as a meal) ensures that there’s always something for everyone. Folks can munch on fresh veggies, salads, bread, cheese, dips, spreads, and more.
I love that you can prep every component ahead of time, so if you’re entertaining, you just have to pull the dishes out of the fridge and assemble your mezze platter when your guests are ready to eat. They’ll love sampling all the different elements, and you’ll love the easy prep. Win-win!
Mezze Platter Components
Traditional Middle Eastern mezze include a wide range of dishes – examples like stuffed vegetables, fritters, and falafel just scratch the surface. But personally, when I assemble a mezze platter, I like to keep things simple. I start by making a few dips and a salad. Then, I round out the platter with pita bread, olives, fresh veggies, and cheese.
Here’s what I included on the mezze platter you see pictured here:
- Muhammara – A bold roasted red pepper and walnut dip.
- Whipped feta – A creamy, tangy spread that’s perfect for scooping up with fresh veggies.
- Tabbouleh – This Lebanese herb salad brings a pop of bright, fresh flavor to the platter.
- Fresh veggies – I used cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, and radishes.
- Cubed feta, olives, and artichoke hearts – For salty, briny flavor.
- And pita bread – For dipping!
This combination is fantastic, but feel free to make it your own. Here are a few variations to get you started:
- Add (or swap) a dip. Make hummus, baba ganoush, or creamy tzatziki. Homemade labneh, topped with olive oil and za’atar or dukkah, would also be great.
- Switch the salad. Not a tabbouleh fan? My tomato salad, couscous salad, or Greek salad would work nicely too.
- Change up the veggies. Include sliced carrots or red bell peppers.
- Add something sweet, like a dish of honey or dried fruit. I often include dried apricots, dates, or figs.
- Make it heartier. Pile on falafel balls or (store-bought) stuffed grape leaves.
Let me know what variations you try!
Mezze Platter Tips
- Garnishes go a long way. I definitely eat with my eyes first, and I love the visual appeal of a well-designed mezze platter. My biggest tip for making your mezze platter look as great as it tastes is to include garnishes like fresh herbs and lemon wedges. They’ll fill in any awkward gaps between components and add gorgeous pops of color.
- Spread out the prep. A mezze platter is easy to put together…IF you don’t do all the prep in one go. Many dips and spreads will keep for up to 4 days in the fridge, and my tabbouleh lasts for 3. Prep one component each day leading up to a gathering, and making a perfect platter will feel like a breeze.
- Take a shortcut. All that prep not for you? That’s totally fine! You can (and should) look for tasty pre-made additions to your platter at the grocery store. I recommend snagging marinated olives from the olive bar, grabbing a can of artichoke hearts, and seeing what dips and prepared salads you can find. You might not have to make anything in order to assemble a delicious platter.
More Favorite Platters and Boards
If you love this mezze platter, try one of these stunning appetizer spreads next:
For more appetizer ideas, check out these 25 Easy Summer Appetizers or these 50 Best Appetizer Recipes!
Mezze Platter
Ingredients
- Whipped Feta
- Muhammara
- Tabbouleh
- Pita bread
- Cherry tomatoes
- Sliced Persian cucumbers
- Halved or quartered radishes
- Halved artichoke hearts
- Green and kalamata olives
- Cubed feta
- Lemon wedges
- Sprigs of fresh mint and/or parsley
Instructions
- Choose desired components from the list above and arrange on a large platter.
I grew up in Lebanon. Most of these dishes were always a staple on our breakfast, lunch and dinner tables. Messa comes in 40 different dishes and every home always have a few of them all the time. I still make most of these dishes that are always available in my refrigerator such as Hummus, Labneh, Cabbage salad with Pomegranate seeds, Lebanese Potatoes Salad, Stuffed Grape Leaves, Kibbeh balls, Taboule, Baba Ghanouj, Feta Cheese, Kasari Cheese, Lebanese green olives, Zeit & Zaatar dip or Baked Mankushe, Spinach Pies etc…etc .I even make my own Labneh…I used to have “Just Messa Parties” and once I really served 40 different varieties of Lebanese Dishes. I used to have these Parties sometimes for charitable fund raising that became very popular, sold out and raised lots of money
They sound like great parties!
Absolutely wonderful! What a treat it must be to be your friend, and what a gift to the community with all your generosity!
My favorite food…I am going to try all these delicious recipes. thank you
Jeanine, thank you for sharing this yummy meal! Hummus, dips, chips, vegetable sticks, cheese, falafel, olives, and figs make up the ideal Mediterranean appetizer tray. The perfect snack tray for entertaining a crowd in style and with the least effort. The best part is that this easy-to-refill appetizer tray is usually a crowd-pleaser and allows me to sway a leg or two when hosting the party. Keep posting such delicious meals.