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.
Recipe Tips and Tricks
- Don’t prepare it too far ahead of time: We know that you’re as excited about making this charcuterie and cheese platter as your guests are to eat it. But don’t set it too far in advance. Warm meat and dried-out cheese are just as bad as refrigerated toast. If you want to do prep work, cut up any ingredients and store them in the fridge. Then, do your arranging last minute (up to a few hours before).
- How to make ahead: You can make this charcuterie board a few hours ahead of time (leaving out the crackers and nuts), wrapped tightly in plastic cling wrap, and stored in the refrigerator. Allow it to come to room temperature about 30 minutes before serving and add the crackers and nuts.
- How to store: Cheeseboards are best served fresh. If you end up with leftovers, remove the crackers and nuts and store in airtight containers at room temperature. Cover the rest of the board with plastic cling wrap and store in the fridge for up to one day.
- Customize the quantities: Whether you are serving 4 guests, 10 guests, or 20 guests, this easy to follow recipe will guide you in what you need. Depending on the number of guests, you may need more (or less) items in each category. For instance, if you are serving 4 guests, you should have at least 2 types of cheese. For 20 guests, you may want to consider 4 or more types, and of course in larger quantities.
More Appetizers
- 30 Best Thanksgiving Appetizers
- Veggie Tray
- Antipasto Skewers
- Tomato Bruschetta with Balsamic Glaze
- Bacon Cheddar Cheese Ball
- Marinated Mozzarella Balls
Did you make this recipe? I would greatly appreciate a comment and rating below, letting me know what you thought of the recipe. You can also snap a picture and tag me on Instagram @aheadofthyme or share it on the Pinterest pin so that I can follow along.
Don't forget to sign up for my email newsletter so that you don't miss any recipes. You can also follow along on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook for more recipe updates.
Recipe
How to Make a Charcuterie Board
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 6-8 servings
Description
This easy charcuterie board is the perfect appetizer to impress with minimal effort — made with cheese, cured meats, crackers, dips, olives, fruit, and nuts.
Ingredients
- 2-3 (½ cup each) dips and spreads (such as hummus, whipped feta, whipped ricotta, jam)
- ⅓ cup olives and antipasti
- 2-3 varieties of cheese (both soft cheese and hard cheese)
- assorted crackers and/or bread (such as pita chips, artisan crackers, breadsticks, mini french baguettes).
- 200 grams cured meats (such as salami, prosciutto, pepperoni)
- 1-2 fruit (such as grapes, figs, pomegranate, berries)
- ½ cup nuts
Instructions
- On a large platter, arrange the items that are in a bowl (these are your dips, jam, antipasti and olives), 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.
- Arrange the cured meats around the bowls and cheese. 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).
- Fill any large gaps with fruit, and all remaining gaps with nuts.
Notes
Don’t prepare it too far ahead of time: We know that you’re as excited about making this charcuterie and cheese platter as your guests are to eat it. But don’t set it too far in advance. Warm meat and dried-out cheese are just as bad as refrigerated toast. If you want to do prep work, cut up any ingredients and store them in the fridge. Then, do your arranging last minute (up to a few hours before).
How to make ahead: You can make this charcuterie board a few hours ahead of time (leaving out the crackers and nuts), wrapped tightly in plastic cling wrap, and stored in the refrigerator. Allow it to come to room temperature about 30 minutes before serving and add the crackers and nuts.
How to store: Cheeseboards are best served fresh. If you end up with leftovers, remove the crackers and nuts and store in airtight containers at room temperature. Cover the rest of the board with plastic cling wrap and store in the fridge for up to one day.
Customize the quantities: Whether you are serving 4 guests, 10 guests, or 20 guests, this easy to follow recipe will guide you in what you need. Depending on the number of guests, you may need more (or less) items in each category. For instance, if you are serving 4 guests, you should have at least 2 types of cheese. For 20 guests, you may want to consider 4 or more types, and of course in larger quantities.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Assemble
- Cuisine: French
Food Blogger Business School
A step-by-step program that teaches food bloggers how to grow and scale their blogs into a full-time business
in less time and without posting endless content until you burn out.
Connie says
I love how charcuterie boards can satisfy everyone at the party. Whether you want something sweet or salty or even savory, everyone has something to choose from the board.
Sam | Ahead of Thyme says
So true, I had never thought of it that way! There is something for everyone on there 🙂
Tami Price says
I made this for my family the other night when we were having a movie night! Big hit! Thank you so much for sharing!
Sam | Ahead of Thyme says
This is so perfect for a movie night! So glad you enjoyed it 🙂