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Making a Charcuterie Board for a holiday, party or gathering is super simple and always looks amazing! Follow these easy steps to learn how to make a Charcuterie Board and get a beautiful display guaranteed to impress!
How to Make a Charcuterie Board
I love going to a party or an event and discovering there's a Charcuterie Board there! A giant spread of meats, cheeses, crackers, breads, toppings....I love it all. Served with a couple of bottles of good wine...it really is the perfect appetizer.
When there are lots of options and varieties of meats and cheeses, the flavor combinations are almost endless. It's a great appetizer to serve at a holiday gathering or party, since there are so many choices, it's hard to not have something for everyone. It's a step above your everyday cheese board.
My other favorite thing about making a charcuterie board is it's so incredibly easy! Just grab a big board or serving platter, get a variety of meats and cheeses and toppings, and that's it!
Elements of a Charcuterie Board
There are a few basic elements of a charcuterie board that you should include to make it complete:
- Large serving tray, board or platter
- Meats
- Cheeses
- Crackers/bread
- Sweet sides/toppings
- Miscellaneous
Above is the Charcuterie Board I made for our family last Christmas Day. We only had close immediate family at home that day, so this one is on the smaller side.
Serving Tray, Board or Platter
Be creative when looking for a serving board or platter to use. Above, I used a wooden serving tray similar to this one. You can also use old baking cookie sheets, and I think the older, more beat up the better.
Round serving trays like this one can also make for an interesting display.
Meats
Cured meats and sausages are typical for Charcuterie Boards. You want to have a selection of about two or three varieties. Go for more choices if you're serving a lot of people. Above, I used salami and pepperoni. Other great options could be:
- prosciutto
- capicola
- summer sausage
- chorizo
- sopressata
- Iberico ham
Cheeses
On my board I used cheddar, Swiss, pepper jack, and goat. The possibilities are really endless. Check out the gourmet cheese section at your local grocery store and try some new cheeses. It's good to have some cheeses that are hard, and some that are soft, as well as some sharp and some mild. A well balanced charcuterie board will have some elements of each. Some good choices include:
- Boursin
- Manchego
- Blue
- Gruyere
- Parmesan or Grana-Padano
- Gouda
Crackers or Bread
This element on a charcuterie board is fairly simple and straightforward. I like to have a couple of different crackers to choose from, maybe a buttery cracker and a whole wheat cracker, and some crusty baguette slices. Pita bread triangles work well also. Melba toasts are another option. Be creative!
Sweet Sides/Toppings
It's good to have a couple of sweet elements on the board, since they go really well with the salty meats and creamy cheeses. Some great ideas would be:
- honey
- fig jam
- chutney
- fruit such as apple slices, grapes or dried apricots
- sweet peppers
- cornichons
Miscellaneous
And finally, the miscellaneous items are just any extra items thrown on that make the display fun and interesting. I love seeing what creative foods and treats get added to charcuterie boards. On my board above I added two different flavors of hummus, mixed nuts, grainy mustard, green olives and roasted red peppers.
The possibilities are endless, but you can try:
- pickled onions
- micro herbs
- sun-dried tomatoes
- mini pearl onions
- pesto
- balsamic vinegar
How much to make?
If the charcuterie board is your only appetizer, (and I think if it's an awesome one, this is plenty), plan on about 2 ounces of cheese and meat per person. Crackers/bread and toppings should be enough to go with the 2 ounces per person.
How to Make a Charcuterie Board
Ingredients
- 2.5 ounces cheddar cheese
- 2.5 ounces Swiss cheese
- 2.5 ounces pepper jack cheese
- 2.5 ounces goat cheese
- 5 ounces pepperoni
- 5 ounces salami
- 16 ounces hummus
- 30 whole wheat crackers
- 30 butter crackers
- 1 small French baguette
- ¼ cup roasted red peppers
- ½ cup green olives
- 1 cup cornichons
- 1 cup mixed nuts
- ¼ cup deli mustard
- ¼ cup sweet peppers
Instructions
- Arrange all items on a wooden platter or metal baking pan. Place some items in small bowls for visual appeal.
Notes
Nutrition
Another great idea to include on the Charcuterie Board would be my Quick Homemade Southern Pimiento Cheese, since it would go great with the meats and crackers on this Charcuterie Board. Enjoy!
Monna Ellithorpe
Hi Teri,
Great post. I loved this tray of snacks you had ready at Christmas time. I believe I pretty much devoured the pepperoni, Swiss cheese and crackers.
It looked great before we started digging in to it.
Teri
Thanks! These are so easy to make and I love to make them when there's a big crowd so I can load it up with lots of yummy options.