From savory to sweet, these charcuterie board ideas will help you celebrate any occasion in style! From traditional meat and cheese boards to dessert boards, a crowd pleasing board never fails to impress.
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Charcuterie Board Recipes and Ideas
Charcuterie (pronounced “shahr-kyu-tuh-ree”) boards have become very popular recently and with good cause – they provide an effortless way to serve a variety of items to many guests.
Plus, you can design your charcuterie platter around a theme of colors, seasonal fruits and veggies, or decorative items to celebrate any holiday or event.
Steps to Plan a Well Designed Charcuterie Board
Most people think of charcuterie boards as a platter of meat and cheese (and many are just that), but there are so many other ways to make a board these days. You can make it sweet, savory, spicy, or simple.
There are some things I like to consider when planning a charcuterie board for a party.
- Type of board. Will I use round, rectangular, square, or a fun shape? I typically like a wooden board, but marble or ceramic work well, too, for any charcuterie board ideas.
- Small bowls. It is nice to have small bowls to offer separation, even when you are not serving a dip. I like to keep the focus on the food so I choose white bowls, but use whatever looks good to you and fits on the board.
- Serving utensils. Small spoons and cheese knives can range from decorative to simple.
- Color. I like to consider what colors are the foods I am using and if I need to add anything to break up monotone items.
- Variety. How can I vary the ingredients so anyone can find something to enjoy? I also want to be sure that everything goes well together and nothing feels too out of place. See my categories below when trying to choose things.
- Textures. This is often overlooked but really important to a well-made charcuterie board. Is there enough crunch against the soft cheeses and meats?
How to Make a Charcuterie Board
Now that you know what you need for a charcuterie board, it is time to pull one together. I have gathered my best tips and tricks on how to make a charcuterie board and
how to make a fruit platter to help you get started.
When making one of these simple charcuterie board ideas, I like to choose a variety of items that will work well together. I usually pick a few from these categories and I always start in the pantry before I buy extra items. You can create an entire platter from items you have at home.
- Cured meats
- Various cheeses (including my favorite cheese ball recipe)
- Olives and/or other pickled veggies
- Roasted or candied nuts
- Fruit (grapes, figs, strawberries, blueberries, gooseberries, or anything else that goes well with cheese)
- Veggies (cherry tomatoes, sweet peppers, celery, snap peas, cucumbers, etc.)
- Dried fruits
- Crackers, bread, or chips
- Jelly or jam
- Dips (hummus, olive tapenade, guacamole, Knorr spinach dip recipe, etc.)
- Dark chocolate
- Fresh herbs for decoration
Savory Charcuterie Board Ideas
Meat. Cheese. Pickled. Crunchy. Fresh. Here are a few of my favorite ways to make savory boards for any get together.
- Mezze Platter. I love this board of Mediterranean dips and snacks as a lighter way to end the year.
- Fruit and Veggie Platter. This is such a great way to get creative with colorful and healthy food options. Feel free to add some cheese and meat.
- Italian Antipasto Platter. Talk about a variety of meat, cheeses, and pickled veggies. You could even turn the platter into mini antipasto skewers which is a fun variation.
- Christmas Charcuterie Board. It doesn’t have to be Christmas to enjoy the goodies on this platter.
Charcuterie Cheese Board Ideas
Who doesn’t love a board featuring cheese? Get creative with adding all your favorite soft and hard cheeses. Here are a few charcuterie board recipe to get you started!
- Fruit and Cheese Platter. It really is as simple as it sounds, but will also be a hit at every party.
- Easy Spanish Inspired Cheese Board. Travel to another place with the flavors of Spain.
- Cheese Fondue Board. Just a little bit fancier than your typical cheese board, this is perfect for the holidays. Try it with my cheese fondue recipe.
- Game Day Board. Make a board for your next big game with pretzel bites, pretzel cheese dip and lil smokies.
Sweet Charcuterie Ideas
Who doesn’t love choices when it comes to dessert or breakfast? These boards are such a fun way to display a variety of treats for fondue chocolate or create a fun activity for the entire family.
- Hot Chocolate Charcuterie Board. I make this platter on chilly days when the kids (or adults) need a warm and sweet pick-me-up.
- S’mores Charcuterie Board. This is always a huge hit with the little ones and gives them something fun to do.
- Christmas Dessert Board. Filled with treats perfect for the holidays, or any time of year, really.
- Chocolate Dessert Board. If this platter tastes half as good as it looks, you are in for a real treat.
- Pancake Charcuterie Board. I love serving this breakfast platter to a group as it always wows.
- Valentine’s Day Charcuterie Board. Share this special charcuterie board with those you love!
Full List of Charcuterie Boards Ideas
Click on the links below to find the recipes for all of the easy New Year’s Eve charcuterie boards mentioned above.
Olivia
Thank you for sharing! This helped so much when making a charcuterie board for a get-together and it ended up being a huge hit!
Eva Willis
Loved these charcuterie board ideas! I used them to make a smaller board for game day (just meat, crackers, cheese, veggies and used 2 bowls for dip and spread). Thank you!
Jessica
This was so helpful when I was making my board for a party! Thank you so much for the ideas!
Jamielyn Nye
So glad you enjoyed the charcuterie board ideas!
Dana
I just got a new charcuterie board for Christmas so this is so helpful! I love the hot chocolate charcuterie board idea!! So cute.
Diane V
All great ideas! I copied your savory board for NYE and for our girls’ night! Such a hit, thank you!
Jamielyn Nye
So glad it was a hit!
Sharina
These are brilliant charcuterie board ideas! I made the Christmas Charcuterie Board last Christmas and it was a hit! I’m excited to use these ideas in the future. Worth saving!