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 Cocktail 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.
If you enjoyed this video for how to make a Charcuterie, please (P.S. Click the BELL icon so you can be the first to know when we post a new video).
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 (or Stuffed 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 (like our Manchego Cheese Bites). 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:
Charcuterie is pronounced “shar-koo-ter-ee”
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.
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.
A rimmed baking sheet, large cutting board, or large serving platter or tray would work well.
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
Ingredients
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 stuffed olives, or pitted green olives
- 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.
What can you suggest to substitute the pork dry meats.l have friends who do not eat pork are there any other meats l can use?
This is amazing—- a huge hit at a family Christmas party! (And little hint that everyone was getting Natasha’s cookbook for their present)
I got nervous about the apple and left it out.
Do you think it would turn brown if it was left out during a few card games?
Hi Jackie! What a great idea with the recipe and cookbook. Yes, the apples do turn brown but you can squeeze some lemon juice on them to help slow down the process.
Thank you so much for the great tips!! My board was a big hit at our family Christmas Party! I’d love to share a picture of how mine turned out!! Happy Holidays Natasha and Family!
That’s awesome! I’m so glad that it was a huge hit.
What are the dimensions of the board you are using. The place that you bought yours is out so I thought I could have my father in law make me one.
Hi Cindy! I looked up the dimensions on the website for the board that is sold out. The Large Palma Serving Tray is 20″W x 25″D x 1-1/2”H. I hope that helps.
Hi Natasha, what size is your charcuterie board? Front gate doesn’t sell it anymore. I wanted to find a similar geese tray in your specific size.
Hi! I was still able to see the dimensions on Frontgate’s website. Large Tray is 20″W x 25″D x 1-1/2″H.
Amazing, thank you. I made the platter for lunch today with all my in-laws; they loved it 😊
You’re very welcome! I’m glad it was enjoyed!
I made a board for my sisters 80th birthday. It was wonderful and easy to do. It came out great. Now I am going to make one for a holiday party. Love the tips and easy instructions on how to plan the board. Thanks
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it, Alyce!
Hi, i was wondering where to get the Staub dish that you have the olives in?
Thank you
Hi Janice, you can find the kitchen tools that I am using in our Amazon Affiliate Shop. Hope that helps!
Charcuterie looks like it should be 4 syllables but it’s not. The proper French pronunciation is shar-cu-tree. I have to say it kind of hurts my ears to hear you say shar-cu-ter-ee. Your boards are beautiful though!
You might want to goggle “charcuterie pronunciation” either you are wrong or everyone who does pronunciation videos including the French are…beside that, what difference does it make, really?
Where can I buy the Charcuterie Board I have looked all over .
Hi Dorothy, I have this note in the recipe, but I’ll link the board here also. We used 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.
iwant your charuterie boad, byut i can not find one like yours… all the ones i see are ones with out the edge that helps keep the food on the board…
Hi Barbara, I have this note in the recipe, but I’ll link the board here also. We used 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.
I found one in target, Joanna Gaines not as big but big enough
Hi Natasha, love all your recipes and copy them but wondering why I can’t copy the Charcuterie Board recipe? Please keep your recipes coming. Praying for all the people in Ukraine…God Bless them all!
Hi Debra, I’m happy to know that you are enjoying my recipes. How do you usually copy the recipes? I suggest clicking on Jump to recipe to go to the recipe card then click Save, then save the recipe as PDF.
need the measurements of your board> i am having one made for me since i can not find your nanywhere,,amazon are out of stock.
Hi Barbara, this is the that I used.
I live in France so I used French cheeses instead of American ones. It turned out beautiful and delicious!
French cheese sounds wonderful! I’m happy to hear that you loved how it turned out. Thank you for the review, Emily.
I followed your instructions for making a charcuterie board for my niece’s bridal shower. Everyone loved them! They looked beautiful. Thank you!
I’m so glad to hear that, Cheryl! Thank you for sharing.
Do you ever line your wood board with anything?parchment or something else?
Hi Barbara, I didn’t but you sure can! I bet either a plastic wrap or parchment would work great to protect the wood!
What size is your charcuterie tray?
Tried to buy from your link, but they were sold out.
Hi Inna, I’m seeing it’s out of stock also. We purchased the large size: Large Palma Serving Tray (166636): 20″W x 25″ D x 1-1/2″H, 4 lbs. I hope this helps!
Can you supply the measurements for your charcuterie board used in your recipe? The one you linked to is sold out. I try to purchase the items you recommend but in this case it is unavailable. Your help greatly appreciated.
This was a great idea for Christmas this year. We made one to serve the kids, and gave them a board, cheese, meats, and home canned pickled veggies. Was great to serve. The only problem with the one you made was it did not have any Wisconsin Cheese on it. Living in Wisconsin that is a must. Some very nice 3-year-old cheddar along with the spreadable cheese. Thanks for the idea.
You’re most welcome, Randy. Totally understand about the cheese, the recipe is also so versatile so feel free to add/omit some ingredients from the list.
Where did you buy the charcuterie board you were using.?
I like the round with the rim & handle
Hi Sandee, I have a link to the one I purchased last year in the section titled: “Tools for Making a Cheese Board:”
Natasha,
Who makes a fig strawberry spread – I am in Canada and if there is a brand name it could help.
Thanks!
Hi Theresa, we got it from our local grocery store in the deli section. I bet your store may have some in the jam section also!
Thankyou, I didn’t think to check the deli area. Couldn’t find fig and strawberry but found fig and apple so will give it a try. Merry Christmas!
Thanks Natasha. I used to make a more modest charcuterie board until I ran across yours. It’s all about variety and presentation to get everyone to start noshing. This is a great tutorial. Merry Christmas to you all!
Hi Greg, glad it was so useful for you! I hope everyone will enjoy it, Happy Holidays too!