Making a Charcuterie Board is easier than you think. We’re sharing our best charcuterie board ideas with yummy flavor pairings, and tips for arranging a meat and cheese board.
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There are some appetizers like Shrimp co*cktail and Bruschetta that everyone loves, and this Charcuterie will impress everyone.
Charcuterie Video Tutorial:
This homemade Charcuterie Board is the perfect Appetizer and often it’s all you need on the menu for special occasions. Watch the video tutorial and see how easy it is.
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What is Charcuterie?
Charcuterie is a display of cured meats. It has gained popularity in recent times and now includes meats, cheeses, and accompaniments that pair well with meats and cheeses such as fruit, olives, nuts, spreads, etc). When people think of charcuterie boards, they are essentially referring to a cheese board.
Tools for Making a Cheese Board:
You don’t need fancy equipment to make a gorgeous spread. You can even serve them directly off a clean kitchen counter. Here are some tools that make displaying and serving easier.
- A serving board – a rimmed board (we got the large board from Frontgate) helps contain everything but any cutting board, rimmed baking sheet, or serving platter will work.
- Serving utensils – you can use specialty cheese serving knives and forks or use normal salad forks and butter knives to serve.
- Ramekins – or any small dishes work well for messy or moist items like jam, honey, olives, pickles, etc.
What to Put on a Charcuterie Board:
To make the best Cheeseboard, focus on 3 things: variety, taste, texture. Variety makes a great board – add items that are sweet, salty, crunchy, fatty, savory, carb-rich, pickled and brined.See the full list of items and quantities that we used in the print-friendly recipe below.
The Best Cheese for a Charcuterie Board
We highly recommend a combination of cheeses ranging from creamy spreadable cheese to hard cheeses. These are our favorites.
- Spreadable Cheese– “Triple Cream Cheese” is super creamy. Some great options include Saint Andre (Trader Joes) or De Bourgogne (Costco). These are perfect for spreading on toasts and crackers. Less expensive options include making herb-flavored cream cheese, or you could even make a Cheese Ball.
- Soft Cheese – My favorite for a cheeseboard is Brie. It is mild in flavor, creamy, and wonderful served with honey, walnuts or pecans, and water crackers. Flavored goat cheese such as blueberry or cranberry goat cheese is great for the holidays. Another inexpensive option would be marinated mozzarella balls.
- Hard Cheeses – One of the most popular picks for a cheeseboard is Manchego because it pairs really well with fruit, crackers, and cured meats. It’s mild, nutty, and pleasant. A less expensive and very tasty option is a Vermont white cheddar which I love to dice for added texture on my board.
Hosting Tip: Label the cheeses on your cheeseboard to make it easy for guests to select the ones they like. You can make your own or buy an inexpensive labels online.
How to Build a Charcuterie Board
To make a charcuterie board, arrange things so they are easy to grab – fan out the slices of cheese, cut grapes into small segments.
- Cheeses. Arrange them around the board. Pre-slice hard cheeses and cut a few wedges into the brie.
- Meats. Fold them in a variety of patterns. Watch the video to see how to fold meat for a cheeseboard.
- Pickled Items. Add items that require a dish so you can gauge your space.
- Condiments and Spreads. Place condiments near cheeses that pair well. (i.e. honey next to brie). Keep condiments in jars and ramekins.
- Fresh Fruit. Cut grapes into small portions and pre-slice apples, rinse, and pat dry berries. Arrange fruit with cheeses they pair well with (see notes below).
- Nuts and Extras. Place pecans or walnuts and pistachios next to brie or soft cheeses. Also add chocolate squares.
- Arrange crackers and toasts in remaining spaces or serve them in a separate platter.
Design Tip: Work in odd numbers to make it more visually appealing.For a smaller board, I will use 3 kinds of cheeses and for a large board, I use 5.
Common Questions:
How to pronounce charcuterie?
Charcuterie is pronounced “shar-koo-ter-ee”
How much does it cost to make a cheese board?
The cost can vary greatly depending (from $75 to $300) on the types of meat, cheeses, and fruit you buy. The cheese board photographed here costs about $130.
Can I make a less expensive cheeseboard?
You can make a less expensive cheese board using less expensive seasonal fruit and the low-cost cheese options mentioned above. The multi-packs of cured meats can also be less expensive. We get our cured meat packs at Costco.
What Can I use instead of a cheeseboard?
A rimmed baking sheet, large cutting board, or large serving platter or tray would work well.
How to fold meat for charcuterie?
We fold salami and coppa into halves or triangles. As you fold them arrange them in your hand as you would a deck of cards then set them down in groups. Arrange prosciutto directly on the board in ribbons.
How to Pair Fruit with Cheese:
Place fruit next to the cheese that it pairs well with. The key to the best tasting fruit is to buy what is in season.
- Apples – pair well with most cheeses, especially cheddar, mozzarella, brie, triple cream cheese (Saint Andre or De Bourgogne), and manchego.
- Grapes – pair well with mozzarella and hard cheeses. Avoid placing them with creamy or soft cheeses.
- Strawberries and blueberries – pair well with creamy, soft cheeses like goat cheese.
Make-Ahead:
The cheese platter can be assembled earlier in the day, covered, and refrigerated. The recommendation is to serve cheese and cured meats at room temperature. Remove the cheeseboard from the refrigerator at least 30 minutes before serving.
More Appetizers:
If you love this Charcuterie board, then you won’t want to miss these crowd-pleasing celebration-worthy appetizers.
- Deviled Eggs – so good with bacon and pickles
- Ceviche – this makes a big batch, perfect for events
- Guacamole – this one always goes fast
- Cowboy Caviar – you’ll get recipe requests for this
- Spinach Artichoke Dip – Creamy and easy, just mix and heat
Charcuterie Board Recipe
5 from 100 votes
Author: Natasha Kravchuk
How to build an impressive Charcuterie Board with a variety of meats, cheeses, fruits, nuts, condiments and treats. Use the list below as a shopping list, but for best flavor, buy fruit that is in-season.
Prep Time: 1 hour hr
Total Time: 1 hour hr
Ingredients
Servings: 12 people as an appetizer
Cheeses:
- 8 oz brie cheese
- 6 oz manchego cheese, cut into thin slices
- 8 oz triple cream cheese (Bourgogne), (sold at Costo as a 16 oz)
- 12 oz fresh mozzarella balls, (marinated)
- 8 oz Vermont white cheddar, diced
Meats:
- 8 oz salami
- 2 oz prosciutto
- 2 oz dried coppa
Pickled Items:
- 1/3 cup green olives, pitted
- 1/3 cup kalamata olives, pitted
- 1 cup baby dill pickles, (or Gerkins)
Fruit:
- 2 cups grapes, cut into sections
- 2 cups strawberries or figs
- 1 cup blueberries
- 1 apple or pear
Spreads and Condiments:
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/4 cup fruit spread, (we love fig and strawberry)
Accompaniments:
- 1 cup pecans, walnuts, or pistacios, (or a variety of nuts)
- 3 oz dark chocolate bar, broken into bite-sized pieces
Crackers or Toasts:
- 4 oz water crackers
- 4 oz artisan crackers
- 1 baguette, sliced into toasts (brushed with olive oil and baked at 400˚F for 6-8 minutes)
Instructions
Cheeses. Arrange them around the board. I pre-slice hard cheeses so they serve easier and cut a few wedges out of the brie to encourage guests to dig in.
Meats. Fold them in a variety of patterns. Watch the video to see how to fold meat for a charcuterie board.
Pickled Items. Anything that requires a dish such as pickles and olives goes down next so you can gauge your space.
Condiments and Spreads. Place condiments next to cheeses they pair well with (i.e. honey next to brie). Keep condiments in separate jars and ramekins to keep the board clean.
Fresh Fruit. Pre-cut grapes and pre-slice apples, rinse, and pat dry berries. Arrange fruit next to cheeses they pair well with.
Nuts and Extras. I like to place pecans or walnuts and pistachios next to brie or soft cheeses. I also like to add chocolate which is delicious with cheese.
Arrange crackers and toasts in remaining spaces or place them on a separate shallow bowl for serving.
- Full Nutrition Label
- Nutrition Disclosure
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: French
Keyword: charcuterie board, cheese board
Skill Level: Easy
Cost to Make: $$$$
Natasha Kravchuk
