My step-by-step guide for how to make a Charcuterie Board, including food ideas, what pairs well together, and how to assemble it for any season, group size, or occasion. Charcuterie Boards are such a fun and beautiful way to enjoy a delicious snack or appetizer.
Your Charcuterie Board Cheat Sheet!
Your Charcuterie Board Cheat Sheet!I’ve loved a well-done Charcuterie (shahr-koo-tuh-ree) for years, but particularly since our move to Spain, since meat and cheese boards are such a staple here. I look for an excuse to put one together; holidays, showers, book club, or even casual snacking on a Sunday afternoon.
The term “charcuterie” really refers to the preparing of cured meats, but most people use it to refer to a snack board filled with various meats and cheeses with crackers, nuts, fruits, vegetables, sauces, and spreads. Let’s dig into what you need to know to make your own!
And, don’t miss my other tasty appetizers like Bacon Wrapped Dates, Blistered Shishito Peppers, Burrata Appetizer, and Spinach Artichoke Dip.
What to add to a Charcuterie Board:
When building a crowd-pleasing board I usually include these five things:
- Cheese: Choose 2-3 oz per person and select hard and soft cheeses and cheeses made from different animals (cow, sheep, goat). My personal favorites are Manchego, goat cheese, Gouda and cream cheese with jalapeño jelly on top. Use an odd number of cheese (3, 5, or 7) depending on how many people you’re serving.
- Meats: Choose 2-3 oz per person of a few cuts like prosciutto, ham, salami, cured chorizo, soppressata, capricola, or summer sausage.
- Savory Accompaniments: I choose at least one of each of the following:
- Nuts: Candied pecans, pistachios, cashews, macadamia nuts, almonds (marcona almonds from Trader Joes are my favorite), etc.
- Pickled, Marinated, or Briny: Olives, cocktail onions, dill pickles, pepperoncini, or. cornichons. I love to add green olives stuffed with garlic or feta, and olive tapenade and bruschetta is fun to include too.
- Savory Dips and Spreads: Hummus, ranch, balsamic dip, romesco, whole ground mustard, etc.
- Vegetables: Carrots, broccoli, snap peas, or any of your favorite cold veggies.
- Sweet Accompaniments: I choose at least one of each of the following:
- Fresh Fruit: Apples, pears, oranges, grapes, rasperries, blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, etc.
- Dried Fruit: Mango, pineapple, figs, cherries, apricots, etc.
- Sweet Spreads: I include this Fig Butter from Trader Joes on every board, orange marmalade, blackberry jam, or other sweet spreads.
- Chocolate: Include some chocolate covered nuts or a few pieces of high quality dark chocolate.
- Crackers: Include a variety of crackers, mini toasts, or sliced baguette. It’s fun to have different shapes, sizes, and flavors. I love thin croccantini crackers, pita crackers, and Trader Joes raisin rosemary crisps.
How to make a Charcuterie Board:
Select Your Board: Choose the size depending on the number of people you’re serving. For an extra large group you can even have multiple boards. Any type of board will work: cutting board, serving tray, or even butcher paper laid directly on the countertop.
Target inexpensive cheese boards and I have a few fancier ones I love from Etu home.
Arrange Cheeses, to anchor the board. I use an odd number of cheese (3, 5, or 7) depending on party size.
Arrange Meats: Watch my video below for hot to fold charcuterie board meats. I like folding them in half and fanning them like a deck of cards or folding then in half twice so it’s easy to pick up. For thin meat (like prosciutto) it’s fun to fold them like a ribbon.
Add Accompaniments: Arrange the sweet and savory accompaniments around the board. Separate the colors to stand out, and place foods next to each other that pair well (see more on that below).
Add Crackers all throughout any gaps on the board. Add small nuts or dried fruit to fill any gaps. Serve and enjoy!
What Goes Well With What?
Go the extra mile and arrange items together that taste good together. Here are some examples of which items compliment others, to keep in mind as you assemble your board.
Cheese Pairings:
- Manchego: pairs well with spicy or smoky meats, like chorizo. It pairs well with dried apricots too.
- Cheddar pairs well with any cured meats. Place cashews, apples, and dark chocolate close by too.
- Gruyère: The nutty flavor of gruyère pairs well with salami or ham. Also grapes, figs, honey and mustard.
- Brie or Triple Cream: is my favorite with fig butter or other flavor preserves (like orange marmalade or blackberry jam), candied pecans, grapes, apple, prosciutto, almonds, baguette slices or mini toasts.
- Goat Cheese works well with sweet and juicy grapes, or apples. It’s also great with dark chocolate.
Meat Pairings:
- Prosciutto: Pairs well with gouda, fresh fruit (especially grapes or pears), olives, cornichons, pears, and almonds.
- Salami: Arrange next to cheddar, olive tapenade or mustard, and fresh apples, figs, or pears.
- Chorizo: Delicious with manchego, pistachios, pickled onions, and dried apricots.
- Soppressata: Try with Gruyère, olives, baguette slices, or toasted croccantini.
Pro Tips:
- Don’t Overcomplicate It! Make sure to design your board with your guests in mind, and include cheese and meats they like and recognize. When in doubt, avoid fancy or expensive items they may not care for.
- Add Color: I love the bright pops of color red apples, red and green grapes, strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, or blackberries provide.
- Where to Shop: I find my favorite items at Trader Joes and Kroger stores, like smaller cuts of cheese, and good quality crackers. I also like the dips and spreads from Trader Joes, like fig butter, artichoke dips, hummus or romesco. I like the briny options at Kroger, like various types of olives (green olives with feta are delicious!). Costco has great cured meats and charcuterie cheese in bulk, if you’re shopping for a big group.
Themed Charcuterie Board Ideas:
- Fall Charcuterie: Use a few small pumpkins to decorate your board, and seasonal vegetables like pears. Fall dips like whipped caramel apple dip, pumpkin dip, or fall desserts like thinly sliced pumpkin bread or mini healthy pumpkin muffins.
- Christmas Charcuterie Board: Arrange meats, crackers, and cheese into the shape of a Christmas tree like this example. Include holiday treats like Chocolate Truffles, candied oranges, or fudge. Sprinkle fresh or candied cranberries to add a seasonal touch.
- Dessert Charcuterie: Make melted chocolate or caramel sauce and surround them with strawberries, bananas, apples, pretzels, marshmallows, graham cracker sticks, mini cookies, rice Krispies, and other dipping treats.
- Valentine’s Charcuterie: Arrange meats, cheese, and crackers into a giant heart and include chocolate covered strawberries, conversation hearts, and cinnamon bears.
- Kid’s Party: Lay a large piece of butcher paper on your counter and fill it with piles of kid friendly snacks like fruit, veggies, dips, chips, donuts, mini sandwiches, popcorn, cheese, crackers, juice boxes, etc.
- Hot Chocolate Board: Make homemade Hot Cocoa and have a board with marshmallows, candy canes, chocolate chips, caramels, whipped cream, etc.
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Recipe
Charcuterie Board
Equipment
Ingredients
Cheeses (Chose 3, 5, or 7, depending on party size):
- Hard cheeses: manchego, cheddar, swiss, gouda, gruyere, parmesan etc.
- Soft cheese: brie, triple cream, goat cheese, havarti, burrata, cream cheese with pepper jelly on top. Could also you blue cheese or gorgonzola, or anything you like!
Meats:
- Cured Meats like prosciutto, salami, ham, chorizo, capricola, soppressata , summer sausage is a good inexpensive option
Savory accompaniments:
- Nuts: almonds, candied pecans, pistachio nuts, cashews, walnuts, macadamia nuts.
- Briny, pickled or marinated: olives, cocktail onions, cornichons, dill pickles, pepperoncini, olive tapenade or bruschetta.
- Savory Dips and spreads: Whole ground mustard, hummus, ranch, balsamic dip, romesco.
- Cold cut veggies, if desired
Sweet accompaniments:
- Fresh fruit and berries: grapes, apples, pears, oranges, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, strawberries.
- Dried fruit: apricots, cherries, figs, pineapple, mango
- Sweet spreads: Fig butter, orange marmalade, blackberry jam or other sweet spreads.
- Chocolate: a few pieces of quality dark chocolate or chocolate covered nuts.
Crackers:
- Pita crackers, whole grain crackers, croccantini, or your favorite kind of crackers
- Toasted baguettes or mini toasts crackers
Instructions
- Choose your board, depending on your party size. You could always use multiple boards if needed. See my notes in the post for more board ideas and links.
- Start with the cheese as it anchors the board. Work in odd numbers, so, depending on the size of your party, choose 3, 5, or 7 types of cheeses to place around the board.
- Fold and add the meats: fold them in half and fan them out like a dec of cards, or folding them in half twice, so they are easy to grab. For thin meat (like prosciutto) fold them in a light and airy ribbon. Watch my video for visuals on how to fold cured meats before placing them on the board.
- Add savory and sweet accompaniments. Separate colors in a way that allows the brightest colors to stand out and place foods together that pair well together. For example, mustard, briny foods and nuts near salami and sopresseta, and sharp cheeses like parmesan. Pair sweet accompaniments like fresh fruit, jams, and candied nuts, near the brie cheese or goat cheese. Cheddar cheese pairs well with savory and sweet.
- Fill in extra space with crackers, and then any extra gaps with nuts or fruit.
Notes
Nutrition
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I originally shared this recipe December 2019. Updated December 2021 and January 2025.
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Hi Lauren Allen! I love your website and I shall return. These are great ideas for charcuterie boards almost too many, until I can plan a large enough party. For now, I will make more modest sized ones for myself and a couple of friends. Funny story… A few years ago, I spread out a looong sheet of paper and created a puppy charcuterie for my food obsessed dog’s birthday. She is crazily obsessed with food, more than any dog I have ever known. (Which is quite a few.)
I put different doggie treats, bits of cheeses, banana, nuts, peanut butter, carrot slices, broccoli florets, and much more all spread out on the paper. I should have known this would happen, that unlike the average dog my little girl hoovered it up in a minute hardly tasting it. I am looking forward to making one for a dog who doesn’t eat their food so quickly that they choke on it. In her defense she was lost out in the woods fending for herself and almost starving before she was rescued. I like the different suggestions for themed boards that you have, and wonder if perhaps you would like to add a doggie or a cat board?
yum
You took all the guess work out of the equation and I LOVE it! I always seem to get to the store and over-buy. Your system keeps it simple, easy, delicious and absolutely beautiful!
This recipe is so amazing. I love it. I am trying to make it home . and wow.
I was looking for your video on folding meat but can’t find it. Maybe because I’m on my phone. How do I find the video?
Very helpful Thank you!
Do you have any suggestions for a bridal shower. I would like to make a charcuterie board for the shower?
Hi Lauren, would you mind telling me where you found the small, shallow plates which you put the goat cheese on on your boards? I think that differentiating that little bit made a nice and also very potentially less messy detail