How to Make a Charcuterie Board

A charcuterie board is the perfect appetizer to serve when you want to impress with minimal effort. With a variety of cheese, cured meats, crackers, dips, olives, fruit, and nuts, this beautiful meat and cheese board is a lot easier to make than you think. When you are at a dinner party or gathering and the host serves a charcuterie board, it just takes the food table to another level. There is something about them that just screams fancy. They are a work of art that are sure to impress.

Why You'll Love This Charcuterie Board

• The perfect holiday appetizer. A charcuterie board is the perfect appy to serve during any holiday. It's easy to make, packed with different flavours and textures, and looks stunning.
• Ready in minutes. This cheeseboard recipe only takes a few minutes to prepare. That's because you simply lay out your ingredients for your guests to pick from. Give yourself more time if you want to make it look truly artisanal - but don't expect any cooking. And the clean-up is minimal, too.
• A quick and easy strategy. Building a charcuterie board might seem like a daunting task if you've never done it before. Luckily, we have a game plan for you that makes arranging a charcuterie board easy.
• Completely customizable. Just like a Veggie Tray, every charcuterie and cheese platter is unique. That's what makes them so fun! Choose your favorite fruits, cheeses, nuts, and more. Want to put out toasted mini-bagels and peanut butter? Do it. There are no rules here.

What To Add to a Charcuterie Board

To make this easy charcuterie cheeseboard, you will need a variety of items (full quantities in recipe card below):

Cheese. You want to use a variety of cheese in different colors, texture, and sizes. Try some soft cheeses (such as brie or blue cheese), and some harder cheeses (such as cheddar or gouda). Some cheeses that work really well in a cheeseboard are:

• brie
• blue cheese
• cheddar cheese
• gouda

Dips and spreads. Use an assortment of dips and jams spooned out into small bowls and in a non-symmetrical pattern. These are some dips that go really well in a charcuterie platter:

• Whipped Feta
• Strawberry Jam
• Hummus
• Whipped Ricotta
• Pesto Hummus
• Caramelized Onion Dip
• Baba Ganoush Eggplant Dip
• Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

Cured meats. Add in a variety of cured meats in different colors and arrange them away from each other on the meat and cheese board. Any deli meat will work, but some of my favorites to add are:

• salami
• prosciutto
• pepperoni

Crackers and/or bread. A classic charcuterie and cheese platter always has some crunchy crackers to balance it all out. Try:

• Sourdough Crackers with Sesame Seed
• Rice Croutons
• Pita Bread or pita chips
• Ciabatta Rolls
• Garlic Breadsticks
• Toasted crostini (without toppings)

Olives and antipasti. These items add a little tang when paired with the other ingredients. Add some olives into a bowl (or use them to make Olive Tapenade) and arrange it on the platter. I also like to add in some antipasto skewers if I am making a large charcuterie board.

Fruits. Fruits are great to fill in any large gaps on your board. Use whatever you have on hand that is in season. Try grapes, pomegranate, figs, apples, and berries.

Nuts. Nuts are also great to fill in any remaining gaps in the board. You can use any nuts that you like. Try pecans, walnuts, almonds, or pistachios.

How to Make a Charcuterie Board

So you've gathered all your ingredients, but how exactly do you go about arrange them into a beautiful charcuterie board? It might seem a little daunting to set up a perfect cheeseboard, but just give yourself a chance. Try it once, and you will be surprised how easy it is to just arrange. few items together to create a masterpiece.

First, I like to arrange the items that are in a bowl (these are your dips, jam, antipasti and olives) onto a large platter, spacing them apart from each other in a non-symmetrical pattern. Arrange the cheese around the bowls, also spacing them away from each other to keep things pleasing to the eyes. Do the same with the cured meats. You can use your hands to roll up the meat to create an aesthetically pleasing texture. Arrange the crackers and bread in gaps (also keeping them apart from each other). Finally, fill any large gaps with fruit, and any remaining gaps with nuts.

More Appetizers

• 30 Best Thanksgiving Appetizers
• Veggie Tray
• Antipasto Skewers
• Tomato Bruschetta with Balsamic Glaze
• Bacon Cheddar Cheese Ball
• Marinated Mozzarella Balls

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