Charcuterie and cheese boards look impressive, but they’re surprisingly easy to make! I’ll show you how to make a charcuterie board with a variety of meats, cheeses, and accompaniments for a party or snack.
An Epic Charcuterie Board Is Easier Than You Think!
Charcuterie and cheese boards are my go-to for super chill, no stress year-round entertaining. With a little bit of planning and creativity, you can create a stunning and tasty appetizer that will impress your guests, whether you are entertaining for 4 or 40 people. Load up your charcuterie boards with all your favorite cheeses, cured meats, fruit, nuts and spreads. Add a salad platter, veggie platter or a pasta salad, some wine and baguettes, and you have yourself a meal!
What to Add to a Charcuterie Board
The most important part of a charcuterie board is the selection of meats and cheeses. Choose a variety of textures and flavors to provide balance and interest. Then, to add more flavor and texture, consider adding some accompaniments like olives, pickles, nuts, fruit, and crackers or bread.
Why Charcuterie Boards Are My Favorite Party Trick
Charcuterie boards are easy to assemble and can be customized to fit any occasion or dietary preference. They look so fancy and are always a staple in my house when I have a party that I serve along with hot and cold dips, sangria, and more appetizers like my avocado shrimp salad. Here’s why it works:
- Visually stunning: Charcuterie boards are a feast for all the senses, starting with the eyes. They just look so beautiful, like edible art. They instantly draw the eye to the table.
- Something for everyone: I love that charcuterie boards have such a wide variety of items, everyone can find something they like.
- Simple to make: I’ll show you how to make a beautiful charcuterie board, step-by-step. The best part is that if you don’t like how it looks, you can always start again!
- Scale up or down: Sometimes I even make a charcuterie board for one to have as a snack or lunch! On the opposite end of the spectrum, you can get a huge board and make something big enough to feed a large event.
Cured meats: Prosciutto, genoa salami, chorizo, sopressata, ham, and cured sausages are all classic choices for a charcuterie board. If you live near an Italian deli or market, that’s a great source for creating an impressive selection!
Cheese: Choose a variety of textures and flavors. A few soft options are brie, burrata and camembert. For firm cheese options, try cheddar, manchego, Parmesan and gouda. Be sure to add some creamy options too like creamy blue cheese, gorgonzola or goat cheese. My personal favorite hard cheese is Bella Vitano Merlot. If your grocery store has a cheese monger, they can help you with your selection and maybe even introduce you to some new varieties!
Accompaniments: Olives, pickles, cornichons, nut, and pickled vegetables are all great options. I love using the olive bar at my grocery store; in addition to olives, they have marinated cheeses, pickled veggies, roasted red peppers, and other fun add-ons for charcuterie and cheese boards.
Fruit: Choose whatever fresh fruit is in season. Some options are grapes, raspberries, blueberries, pears, sliced apples, figs, strawberries or raspberries. I like keeping grapes in bunches for visual appeal; smaller bunches are great for filling in gaps on the board. You can also opt for dried fruit such as dried apricots or cranberries.
Fresh Herbs: Herbs that don’t wilt such as rosemary or thyme make a beautiful addition to a board for color and visual appeal. They’re another item that’s good for filling in empty spaces and also for adding texture.
Spreads and dips: Hummus, tapenade, honey, and other spreads and dips can add flavor and variety to your board. I love adding this Whipped Feta Dip too, which is always a crowd-pleaser at parties.
Vegetables: Roasted vegetables, such as bell peppers, eggplant, and zucchini, add color and flavor to the board. In the summer, I also like to include crisp raw vegetables like cherry tomatoes on the vine, cucumbers, carrots, and radishes.
Crackers and bread: Add these as a base for serving cheeses and spreads. I include both regular and gluten-free options so there’s something for everyone.
How to Arrange a Charcuterie and Cheese Board
Once you’ve selected your meats, cheeses, and accompaniments, it’s time to start arranging them on the board.
- Choose your board: Use a large platter, cutting board, slate cheese board, marble slab, etc.
- Start with the larger items: If you have anything in bowls, that will go first. Otherwise, add meats and cheeses to the board first.
- Fill in the gaps: Add any smaller accompaniments. Consider the visual appeal of the board as you arrange the items, using different heights, colors and textures to create a cohesive and attractive display.
- Serve and enjoy: Once your charcuterie board is assembled, it’s time to serve! Make sure to provide knives for slicing the meats and cheeses, as well as plates for guests to use.
More Meat and Cheese Board Tips
- More is more: You don’t want empty spaces or gaps on a charcuterie and cheese board. We’re going for a look of abundance here, so fill every empty spot with something, even if it’s just a sprig of herbs or a small bunch of grapes.
- Play with shapes: Slice the cheeses differently, with some in cubes, others in triangles, and still others in thin slices. Do the same with the meats—get creative and make some rosettes or thread ribbons of prosciutto onto skewers. This adds more visual interest.
- Add height: Don’t just look at your board from above when you’re making it! Look at it from the side too since that’s how your guests will first see it when they walk into the room. Bowls and stacks help add another dimension to your board.
- Use a variety of colors: It’s easy to create a charcuterie board that’s all orange, white, shades of pink, and brown. Be intentional about adding pops of color with fruits, vegetables, and spreads.
Make-Ahead Game Plan
If I’m making a charcuterie and cheese board ahead of time for a party, I add anything to the board that can be refrigerated without compromising its texture or flavor: cheeses, most fruits, vegetables, meats, etc. Crackers, breads, dried fruits, and nuts I set aside in a separate container so I can layer them onto the board just before serving.
- variety of sliced cured meats and salumi such as Sweet Sopressata, salami, proscuitto, pepperoni
- variety of soft and hard cheese options such a Brie, Havarti, Gouda, Mozzarella, Provolone, Blue Cheese, etc.
- cured olives and colorful antipasti
- roasted and fresh veggies on the side, optional
- spreads, jams and mustards with with a variety of crackers and bread sticks
- a colorful variety of fresh and dried fruit such as grapes, berries, and dried fruit
- variety of nuts , such as pignoli, pistachios and almonds
- fresh herb sprigs such as mint or rosemary
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Grab a large platter or two, you can use cutting boards, ceramic platters, slate cheese boards, marble slabs, etc.
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Artfully arrange where you want your cheese selection and jars, bowls of olives, jams, and antipasti to go, then place varieties of meat slices and rolled up meats around.
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Scatter crackers and bread sticks to fill up space, then add your fruit, nuts, and herbs to make keep the colors balanced and beautiful.
Last Step:
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