Learn how to make an easy charcuterie board for any occasion! They're super easy to make and always a conversation piece at any gathering--who doesn't love bright colors of fresh and dried fruits, nuts, pickled goods, cured meats, and of course - a variety of cheeses? Let's start with the basics!
Make a large or small charcuterie board for any occasion! I love charcuterie boards for any holiday. and use cute cutouts, themed picks, and colors to match. Choose an array of items to fill the size of board you need---think about colors, textures, and complimenting flavors for the best board!
You'll Love These Easy Charcuterie Board Ideas
Start with the basics. Basic ingredients artfully arranged are all you need. Keep it simple and only buy what you can find in your local grocery store. Buy pre-packed, if you can, so you don't need to have the deli specially slice anything (unless you want them to)!
Quick and Simple. Once you have your basic board ingredients, it takes only a few minutes to assemble your board! Have cute little dishes and pretty picks on hand.
Wow Your Guests. Every party that I take a charcuterie board to has always been a focus of attention. They are always a great way for people to gather around and snack while you socialize before dinner.
What is a Charcuterie Board?
A charcuterie board consists of a variety of cured meats, cheeses, and accompaniments such as nuts, fruits, crackers, and chocolate served on a wooden or stone board arranged artistically--using small bowls to keep some things separated and make festive!
Basic Charcuterie Board Ingredients
Here are the ingredients you will need to make the above easy charcuterie board:
- Dried Fruit: In the above image, I used dried pineapple, apricots, and cranberries.
- Dried Nuts: I typically use a variety of raw nuts, roasted and salted, candied, and smoked. I used almonds and pistachios in this board idea.
- Fresh Fruit: Stick to seedless grapes or berries - things you can easily pick up and won't turn brown or squish easily. Green grapes are the only fresh fruit on the board above.
- Assorted Cheese: You can use any variety of cheeses--I tend to use flavorful cheeses and cut in different styles. In the board shown above, I used lacy Swiss cheese, smoked gouda, and sharp cheddar cheese.
- Cured Meats: Salty, smoky Italian cured meats or sausages are used for most classic boards. I used genoa salami and sopresetta. Accordian your meats so they look nice on your board, and you can even make roses out of your meats!
- Pickled Goods: Great for a variety of textures on your board, such as pickles, cornichons, olive varieties, beets, or any favorite pickled varieties. I used pitted black olives, green olives, and cornichones with cocktail onions.
- Crackers: Use a variety of cracker options if available, such as wheat, seeded, plain, or any others! In this board, I just purchased a variety pack of crackers all ready to go. No thought required. 🙂
For exact ingredient quantities, please see the recipe card below!
Be sure to save this pin to Pinterest for later! 😉
Substitutions and Variations
- Use any variety of cheese--I like to use at least 3 different options for an array of choices. You can use soft cheeses such as a cheese ball, spreadable cheese blends, cream cheese, or goat cheese.
- Incorporate seasonal ingredients where possible.
- Use easy-to-grab fresh fruits like a variety of berries, grapes, or peeled clementines.
- Add chocolate-covered nuts or fruits, special chocolates, or truffles for a sweet indulgence.
- Use petite dill pickles (cornichons), gherkins, or other pickled veggies such as beans, cauliflower, pepperoncini, or beets.
- Used a variety of pitted olives, including stuffed olives--my favorite is the garlic-stuffed green olives, yum!
- You can use any dried fruits such as mango, blueberries, apricot, pineapple, banana chips, dates, figs, etc.
- Cured meats are most commonly use on a charcuterie board. Choose 2-3 varieties if possible. Prosciutto, Spanish chorizo, pepperoni, salami, or capicola are great other options!
- Other easy-to-grab nut options are toasted walnuts or pecans, macadamia nuts, or candied nuts if you need some sweetness on your board.
How To Make A Simple Charcuterie Board
Here are the step-by-step instructions for making this easy charcuterie board:
- Choose the board that you would like to use that will fit the ingredients that you've chosen.
- Next, fill and place any small dishes you may be using to hold your wet or loose ingredients. I typically will use 2-3, depending on the board size. You don't want pickle juice or jams running into the rest of your board. I use these for pickled items, small nuts, or dried fruits.
- Work your larger items like meats and cheeses in clusters around the bowls in 2 to 3 locations. It looks visually pleasing to fold meats in half, roll it them up, or place them in a fan shape.
- Start working in the smaller items like fruits, nuts, and olives. Place the items into smaller sections around the other items on the board, allowing them to naturally spill out.
- Add in any remaining fillers such as chocolates, wrapped candy, etc.
- Next, this is optional but you can use a small cookie cutters to cut cute designs into a few of your cheese slices, salami, or pieces of fruit. These make a fabulous eye catchers. Check out the stars and trees I cut out on my Christmas boards.
- Place the crackers around the outside of the board, incorporate within the board, or place on a nearby platter.
Charcuterie Board Top Tips
- Buy only ingredients that you can find easily at your local grocery store.
- Cluster items in 2 or 3 different places. It always appealing to the eye when you cluster the same things together in at least 2 different places.
- Balance textures, flavors, and colors on your board—large items with small, hard with soft, salty with sweet, etc.
- Use small dishes to add flair and let small pieces spill over for a rustic, natural look.
- Cut cheese into shapes such as cubes or triangles. You can also use a cookie cutter to make interesting seasonal shapes.
FAQs
Items should be stored in their original packaging or individual air-tight containers to preserve for longer. Some items need to be refrigerated like cheese and meats, but the nuts, dried fruits, and crackers need to go into the pantry.
You want a variety of items that include crackers, cheese, cured meats, fruits, nuts, and pickles goods. You still want a variety of each item but for a basic board you can choose 2 to 3 options in each category.
This means you should have 3 different meats, cheeses, starches and accompaniments. Starches are crackers, crostini, or other breads, and accompaniments would be nuts, olives, pickles or other small options.
If you tried this recipe, let me know! I'd love for you to come back and give the recipe a 5 star rating and leave a review in the comments! 🙂 Let's stay connected, so please follow me on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest! Subscribe to my newsletter to get healthy fresh recipe ideas every week!
Easy Food Board (Basic Charcuterie)
Equipment
- wooden board or platter (Our board is a rectangle approximately 18" x 14" in size.)
- small picks
- cheese spreader (Use if you are serving a spreadable cheese or a cheese ball or log.)
- small spoons for picking up nuts or other small items
- small bowls for small items such as nuts, dried fruit, and spreadable cheese or chutney.
- small plates for serving
Ingredients
- 2 to 3 (4 to 6-ounce packages) cheese varieties (If needed, pre-slice or cube before serving; Use a variety of cheeses - in taste, color, texture, and shapes - cut or spreadable) We used sharp cheddar, smoked gouda, and lacy swiss.
- 2 to 3 (6 to 12-ounce packages) salami varieties (If needed, pre-slice your salami before serving; Think taste, shape, and color. Thin salami can be rolled or folded) We used genoa salami and soporasatta.
- 1 to 2 nut varieties (raw or salted) (Use shelled, raw or salted; Think colors like green pistachios or white macadamia nuts; Use some sweet nuts like candied pecans or walnuts; Smoked, salted, and even spicy nuts also work well.) We used raw almonds and roasted and salted pistachios.
- 1 to 2 dried fruit or fresh fruit varieties (We used seedless green grapes, dried pineapple, dried cranberries, and apricots.)
- 2 to 3 Variety of crackers (Choose a variety of shapes, sizes, and tastes. We used a cracker variety package.)
- 2 Variety of olives (Use pitted, well-drained) We used a basic black olive and a castelvetrano.
- 1 to 2 Optional: raw vegetables (Think color and texture like cherry tomatoes, cauliflower, broccoli, celery, radishes)
Instructions
- Decide which board you would like to display your charcuterie.
- Use petite bowls for anything you want to elevate, that is wet and needs to be contained, or is hard to scoop up. Use 2 or 3 to balance them visually.
- Work your larger items like meats and cheeses in clusters around the bowls in 2 to 3 locations. It looks visually pleasing to fold meats in half, roll it them up, or place them in a fan shape.
- Start working in the smaller items like fruits, olives, and nuts for last. Place your dried fruit in small clusters on your board. Add your nuts into small piles on your board where you can fit them in as well. Let them spill over a little bit to give a more natural look.
- Add any finishing touches, such as chocolates, preserves, or wrapped candies.
- Next, this is optional, but you can use a small cookie cutters to cut cute seasonal designs into a few of your cheese slices, salami, or pieces of fruit. It adds a lot of visual interest. Check out the stars and trees I cut out on my Christmas boards.
- Place the crackers around the outside of the board, incorporate them within the board, or place on a nearby platter.
Kori's Tips
- Buy only ingredients you can find in your grocery store.
- Everything looks better in clusters and odd numbers (2' and 3's). Cluster the same types of ingredients in 2 or 3 different places. This balances everything visually. For example, take a look at the image - I placed clusters of it in 2 or 3 places.
- Balance the textures and the colors. Put large pieces with small, soft items with hard, salty with sweet, cubes next to flat pieces, and so on.
- Balance flavors - salty, sweet, mild, spicy, smoky, etc.
- Use small dishes to add drama, and let small bits (nuts & dried fruit) spill over slightly onto the board for a more natural look.
- To add interest, cut cheese slices into shapes - squares, triangles - or use a small cookie cutter to make circles.
- If serving a spreadable cheese or a cheese ball or log be sure to remove from the refrigerator about 30 minutes prior to serving so it can soften.
Nutrition
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