Savory, sweet, creamy, and crunchy charcuterie boards are edible centerpieces that your guests will ooh and ahh over every time.
Charcuterie boards feature a colorful arrangement of meats, cheeses, fruit, crackers, and nuts, for easy, elegant snacking.
Party-Perfect Appetizer
- You don’t need to be a professional caterer or chef to make a pretty charcuterie board loaded with delicious finger foods.
- Turn any combination of meats, cheeses, fruits, nuts, and crackers into an Insta-worthy ‘graze board’!
- Make a charcuterie board any time of year using fresh, seasonal fruits and veggies mixed with meats, cheeses, nuts, and spreads.
- Create elegant-looking mini boards, portable boards, or ‘jar-cuterie’ cups for fancy noshing on the go.
- If you have them, bring out your fancy small serving utensils, including spoons and tongs, for serving. I like to use small cocktail plates so people take a small portion and go back for seconds if they want more. User compostable paper plates for easy cleanup.
How Much to Serve Per Person?
If a charcuterie board is served as an appetizer alongside a larger meal like Thanksgiving or Christmas, calculate about 2-3 ounces of meat, 2 ounces of cheese per person, and 2-3 ounces of nuts. For a dinner charcuterie board, up that to about 5 ounces of meat, 5 ounces of cheese, and 6-8 ounces of nuts per person. While a simple board for a small group is beautiful and welcoming, adding a variety of veggies and dips for larger boards makes them even more interesting!
What’s on a Charcuterie Board?
Charcuterie boards can have a variety of meats and cheeses on them, but try to pair flavors and textures, like creamy with salty, and crunchy with sweet. Bocconcini (little balls of mozzarella cheese) add creamy balance to salty deli meats like Felino salami.
Cheeses: Hard cheeses like Parmesan, cheddar, and Manchego can be cut into small cubes or sliced into thick wedges. Dry cheeses like blue cheese can be scattered around the board or piled in one place. A quarter wedge of brie or camembert make a creamy addition. I look for the shelf stable brie and camembert at my grocery store and keep one on hand (or keep the shelf stable Hickory Farms set for myself for last minute guests). If you have a couple days, you can get a fancy charcuterie cheese selection (8 cheeses!) directly to your door! I like this more budget friendly cheese selection too, which includes 7 varieties.
Meats: Roll up slices of Felino salami or shape them into small roses and make sure they’re arranged so it’s easy to pick up one or two xpieces at a time. Candied bacon stacked in a clear glass is a tasty and impressive-looking addition to a charcuterie board.
Fruits: Charcuterie boards look best with a lot of colorful fruits like grapes, strawberries, blackberries, sliced apples, and dried fruits like cherries, apricots, figs, and raisins.
Crackers and Nuts: Flatbread crackers, nut thins, our very favorite (and super easy) sourdough crackers, and homemade crostini are perfect for bite-sized spreading and scooping. Pepitas (aka pumpkin seeds), pistachios, macadamia nuts, almonds, or other nuts should be shelled, roasted, and salted.
Spreads and Sauces: A small bowl of blackberry jam, honey, or red pepper jelly, is perfect for topping onto a cheese-covered cracker or of piece of bread.
Variations: Fill in empty spaces with chopped pieces of high-quality dark chocolate, chocolate covered pretzels (these ones are so reasonable!), chocolate-covered almonds, or pomegranate arils. Creamy cheeses like Boursin or brie can be offered in small decorative bowls.
How to Make a Charcuterie Board
- Arrange cheeses and meats on the board in any pattern you prefer. (Full instructions below.)
- Fill in the spaces with clusters of grapes, berries, apple slices, and dried fruit.
- Place crackers and nuts in various sections and sprinkle pumpkin seeds around everything.
- Nestle small bowls of spreads and sauces around the board.
- Fill gaps as necessary with extra nuts, dried fruit, or crackers. Garnish with fresh herbs and serve!
Storing a Charcuterie Board
- Assemble the charcuterie board, cover it with plastic wrap, and chill until ready to serve. Add small serving spoons or spreaders and garnish with fresh sprigs of rosemary or basil if desired.
- Leftover meats and cheeses can be tossed in an Italian pasta salad, added to a ham and cheese quiche, or piled high into a sandwich or wrap for a zesty workday lunch.
More Amazing Appetizers
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Charcuterie Board
Ingredients
Cheeses:
- manchego cheese sliced
- sharp cheddar cheese cubed or sliced
- white cheddar cheese sliced
- blue cheese crumbled or in a wedge
- mozzarella cheese sliced or in small balls (bocconcini)
Meats:
- felino salami sliced, or your favorite salami
Fruits:
- blackberries
- grapes
- apples thinly sliced
- dried cherries
- other dried fruits apricots, figs, raisins, or your favorites
Vegetables:
- bell peppers sliced
- tomatoes sliced or halved
Crackers & Nuts:
- Nut Thins Crackers almond or other variety
- Ancient Grains Flatbread Crackers or other crackers
- pepitas (pumpkin seeds), or sunflower seeds
- other nuts almonds, walnuts, pecans
Spreads & Sauces:
- blackberry jam
- honey
- roasted red pepper sauce
- pepper jelly
Optional Garnish:
- fresh dill or your favorite herbs
Instructions
- Prepare the Cheeses: Slice or cube the Manchego, sharp cheddar, and white cheddar. Arrange on the board. Crumble the blue cheese and arrange mozzarella slices or balls.
- Arrange the Meats: Fold or roll the salami slices for an elegant look and spread on the board.
- Add Fresh and Dried Fruits: Place blackberries and grapes in small clusters. Fan out the apple slices and scatter dried cherries and other dried fruits on the board.
- Include Vegetables: Arrange sliced peppers and tomatoes around the board for color and freshness.
- Add Crackers and Nuts: Lay down crackers in separate sections. Sprinkle pipits and other nuts in small piles or small bowls.
- Incorporate Spreads and Sauces: Serve blackberry jam, honey, roasted red pepper sauce, and pepper jelly in small bowls with spoons or spreaders.
- Final Touches: Ensure everything is evenly distributed for visual appeal. Fill any gaps with extra nuts, fruit, or crackers. Garnish with sprigs of fresh herbs if desired.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information does not include optional ingredients or garnish and is an estimate. It may change based on actual ingredients and cooking methods used.
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