Middle-Eastern Inspired Vegan Mezze Platter
Recipe Highlights
When you want to feed a crowd without spending hours in the kitchen right before guests arrive, a mezze platter solves the problem. Most components can be made the day before or bought ready-made, leaving you with just assembly work when people show up.
The variety is what makes mezze work—different textures (crispy, creamy, crunchy), temperatures (warm and cold), and flavors (tangy, spicy, earthy, fresh) mean there’s something for everyone. And because traditional Middle-Eastern cuisine relies heavily on chickpeas, tahini, fresh herbs, eggplant, and olive oil, most dishes are already naturally vegan, so it’s not too out of the box for people.
Ingredients
Building Your Mezze Platter
You want a mix of dips, proteins, fresh vegetables, pickled elements, and bread for scooping.
Dips:
- Hummus – smooth and creamy
- Herby Vegan Tzatziki – tangy and refreshing
Salad:
- Tabbouleh – fresh parsley salad with quinoa and pomegranate
Protein:
- Vegan Falafels – crispy outside, soft inside
Fresh vegetables:
- Baby carrots – left whole or halved
- Baby cucumbers or Persian cucumbers – left whole or halved lengthwise
- Radishes – halved or quartered
- Cherry tomatoes – left whole, or cut in halves or quartered
Cooked and marinated elements:
- Grilled eggplant (aubergine) slices – brushed with olive oil and grilled until soft
- Marinated olives – or use store-bought
- Dolmades – stuffed grape leaves (easiest to buy)
Cheese and sweets:
- Vegan feta – cubed with olive oil, red chilli flakes, and green herbs added
- Almond-stuffed dates – sweet contrast to savory elements
Bread:
- Turkish bread – cut into pieces
- Flatbread or crackers – for scooping, store-bought or homemade
Garnish:
- Fresh herbs – parsley, mint, or dill
- Pomegranate arils – scattered for color and sweetness
- Lemon slices – for acidic balance
What Else Could You Add?
Mezze platters are endlessly adaptable.
More dips:
- Baba ganoush (smoky roasted eggplant)
- Muhammara (red pepper (capsicum) and walnut)
- Warm whole chickpea hummus (musabbaha)
- Vegan labneh (strained yogurt)
Additional vegetables:
- Grilled zucchini (courgette) ribbons
- Roasted red peppers (capsicum)
- Roasted cauliflower
- Fresh capsicum strips
Pickled elements:
- Pickled turnips (bright pink)
- Pickled cucumbers
- Pickled cauliflower
- Pickled beets
Extras:
- Fresh figs or grapes
- Toasted nuts (almonds, pine nuts, pistachios)
- Flatbread crisps with za’atar
- White beans in olive oil
- No-bake fig, walnut, and chocolate roll
A note on buying vs. making: Good quality store-bought hummus, dolmades, olives, pickles, and flatbreads can save you hours. Save your energy for one or two homemade elements—like the falafels or tzatziki—and buy the rest.
Serving Ideas
Drinks to pair:
- Mint tea (hot or iced)
- Fresh lemonade with mint
- Ginger Grapefruit Spritzer
- Pomegranate juice
- Homemade kombucha
- For adults: crisp white wine or rosé
Make it a meal:
- Casual lunch spread for 4-6 people
- Appetizer course before a main meal
- Light dinner on warm evenings
- Party food for entertaining (scales up easily)
TIP: Use a large wooden board or tray. Place dips in small bowls first, then arrange larger items (falafels, dolmades, bread) around them. Fill gaps with fresh vegetables, olives, and garnishes.
Storage
- Hummus and tzatziki: Keep in airtight containers in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Tabbouleh: Best fresh, but will keep for 1-2 days in the fridge. It will keep longer if not dressed.
- Falafels: Store in the fridge for up to 3 days, reheat before serving. Or store-made mix in the fridge and fry fresh.
- Grilled eggplant: Keeps for 2-3 days in the fridge.
- Fresh vegetables: Prep the morning of serving and store in containers with damp paper towels.
- Assembled platter: Consume within 2 hours at room temperature.
Middle-Eastern Inspired Vegan Mezze Platter
- Yield: 6-8 as an appetizer, 4 as a light meal
Description
This Middle-Eastern mezze platter brings bold, vibrant flavors and exciting variety that makes it way more interesting than a standard platter. Make the dips and salads ahead, then just arrange everything before guests arrive for an interactive, flavor-packed spread everyone loves.
Ingredients
Dips:
- 2 cups hummus (homemade or store-bought)
- 1½ cups vegan tzatziki (homemade or store-bought)
Salad:
- 3 cups tabbouleh (homemade or store-bought)
Protein:
- 10–15 vegan falafels (homemade or store-bought)
Vegetables:
- 200g / 7.05 ounces baby / snacking carrots, halved or quartered
- 200g / 7.05 ounces baby cucumbers (or Persian cucumbers), halved or quartered
- 1 bunch radishes, halved or quartered
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered
- 2 medium eggplants, sliced and grilled
Other components:
- 1 cup marinated olives
- 200g / 7 ounces dolmades (stuffed grape leaves)*
- 200g / 7 ounces vegan feta, cubed (optional: tossed with red pepper flakes, dried oregano, dried thyme in olive oil)
- 10–12 Medjool dates
- 20–24 almonds
- 1 loaf Turkish bread, cut into pieces
- Flatbread or crackers, for serving
Garnish:
- ½ cup pomegranate arils
- 1 lemon, sliced
- Fresh herbs (parsley, mint, or dill)
Instructions
- Prepare or purchase components: Make your hummus, tzatziki, tabbouleh, and falafels according to the linked recipes, or use good-quality store-bought versions.
- Grill the eggplant: Slice eggplants into ½-inch rounds, brush with olive oil, and grill on a barbecue or grill pan until tender and lightly charred. Set aside.
- Prep the vegetables: Leave some baby carrots, baby cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, and radishes whole; others halve and quarter. Arrange on a platter or keep in containers until ready to serve.
- Marinate the feta (optional): Cube the vegan feta and toss with olive oil, red chilli flakes, and fresh or dried herbs (such as oregano, thyme, or parsley). Let it sit while you prepare the other components.
- Stuff the dates: If not already prepared, carefully slice each date open and tuck two almonds inside.
- Assemble the platter:
- Place the hummus and tzatziki in small serving bowls on your platter or board.
- Add the tabbouleh to another bowl or spread it on one section of the board.
- Arrange the falafels, dolmades, and grilled eggplant on the platter.
- Fill in with fresh vegetables, olives, feta, and stuffed dates.
- Tuck in pieces of Turkish bread, crackers and flatbread around the edges.
- Scatter pomegranate arils over the top.
- Place lemon slices around the platter.
- Garnish with fresh herbs.
- Serve: Let guests build their own plates, scooping dips with bread and vegetables, adding falafels and other components as they like.
Notes
Time-saving: This recipe assumes you’re using a mix of homemade and store-bought items. If making everything from scratch, start the prep of the dips and falafels the day before.
Scaling: This serves 6-8 as part of a larger meal. For a main course, plan on this serving 4 people.
Dolmades: These are easiest to buy. Look for them in jars or tins in the international aisle or deli section. Check the label—most are naturally vegan, but some contain meat.
