A guide to building and assembling a Grazing Platter or Appetizer Board with Indian and Pakistani snacks and sweets, perfect for Eid, Diwali, or any other celebrations!
Today, we are revealing our entire Eid Appetizer Platter!
If you’ve been following along, over the week we released six recipes that made the perfect Appetizer Grazing Platter!
What to include in your Appetizer Grazing Platter?
We included six different recipes ideas on our Appetizer Grazing Platter. This appetizer platter would be perfect for 4-6 people.
We followed the following “formula”:
- Non-Vegetarian Appetizer
- Vegetarian Appetizer
- Savory Snacks
- Sweet Snacks
- Dessert Option
Here is a full breakdown of what we included, as well as other ideas for your own appetizer grazing platter.
Non-Vegetarian Appetizer: Chicken Shami Kabab
Shami Kabas a popular Pakistani appetizer, a meat patty made with shredded chicken and split chickpeas, then fried in an egg mixture.
This recipe can be made ahead of time and frozen, which makes it perfect for this appetizer platter!
Other Ideas for Non-Vegetarian Appetizers
- Chicken Puffs: Pakistani Style Chicken Patties
- Ground Beef Cutlets: Spiced Pakistani Beef Burgers/Kababs
- Keema Samosa – Beef Samosa
Vegetarian Appetizer: Paneer Tikka Skewers
Paneer Tikka Skewers are a delicious vegetarian addition to this appetizer platter! They are colorful and add color to your appetizer platter.
Tip: Prepare the vegetables and paneer cubes ahead of time, to save time when putting together the paneer tikka skewers!
Other Ideas for Vegetarian Appetizers
Dessert: Mango Trifle Cups
Mango Trifle Cups are an indulgent dessert for this Appetizer Platter. Not only are they delicious, but they also look impressive with layers of mango custard, cake, and jelly!
Adding individual desserts to this platter added visual appeal, and it makes it easy for your guests to serve themselves!
Other Ideas for Dessert
- Firni – Semolina Dessert
- Sheer Khurma: Vermicelli Pudding for Eid
- Gajar Ka Halwa: Pakistani Carrot Pudding
Savory Snack: Masala Peanuts
No appetizer grazing platter is complete without a few things for your guests to snack on. We included masala peanuts, an easy spiced peanut snack.
These peanuts are made in under an hour and can be made ahead of time. They stay fresh for at least 2-3 weeks if stored in an airtight container.
Other Ideas for Savory Snacks
- Cornflake Chivda: Indian Snack Mix
- Mixed Nuts
- Spicy Popcorn
Sweet Snacks: Mithai Truffles or Barfi Balls
Finally, we included a sweet snack as well for our guests to snack on. We made two versions of mithai truffles, or barfi ball – one with Chocolate Peanut Butter and another with White Chocolate and Pistachio.
Other Ideas for Sweet Snacks
- Khopra Pak: Easy Coconut Fudge
- Cardamom & Almond Puff Pastry Twists
- Gur/Jaggery Popcorn
- Nankhatai: Cardamom Shortbread Cookies
- Shakarpara: Bite-sized Sugar Cookies (With Air-Fryer Option)
Tips for building your own Appetizer Grazing Platter
Appetizer Grazing Platters are a fun way to serve a variety of foods for your guests! They are fun. to assemble and since we eat with our eyes, we strive to make them as visually appealing as possible.
Here are our best tips to help you assemble your own South Asian Appetizer Grazing Platter.
Select your base and bowls
The first step when building your grazing platter is to think about how you want your final board to look. You can use any wooden board you have on hand, or lay the baking paper on a no-rim baking sheet.
If you are serving a large number of people, you can even lay parchment paper on a countertop or table for optimal space.
Mix Homemade and Store-bought Elements
We included many homemade elements on our board. But you can just as easily combine store-bought snacks or even frozen appetizers on your platter to make this board easier to assemble.
Sweet and Savory
We combined both sweet and savory items on our platter. Consider the time of day you will be serving your appetizer platter, and whether it will be followed by lunch or dinner.
The platter can be made of all savory or all sweet items as well!
Add Colors
Add appetizers and snacks that are different colors so that your platter is visually appealing!
Chutneys and sauces can add colors. You can even add seasonal fruits or vegetables (like onions, cucumbers, and tomatoes), to add more colors to your platter.
Prepare snacks ahead of time
Select snacks that have a longer shelf life, and can be prepared ahead of time. Some tips from the platter we assembled:
- The masala peanuts and mithai truffles can be prepared at least a week in advance.
- All the components for the mango trifle cups can be prepared ahead of time, and assembled on the day of or the night before.
- The Shami kabab patties can be shaped and frozen, and fried on the day.
Chutneys and Sauces
Make sure to include sauces and chutneys to pair with your appetizers. Since we included South Asian Appetizers, we added some sauces like green chutney and chili sauce to our pair with our appetizers.
Platter Assembly Tips
- Build your board first by laying the bowls for sauces, and smaller items like peanuts.
- If you’re making a mixed platter, plan to add savory items on one side of the platter and sweet items on the other side of the platter, so that sweets and savory items are not touching each other.
- Add chutneys and sauces that go with the appetizers near each other.
- Place larger items first, and fill out any empty spaces with smaller snacks and appetizers.
Share your own South Asian appetizer grazing platters with us, we’d love to see them! Tag us on Instagram @thespicemess