Impress your guests with the perfect cheese board – the ultimate crowd-pleaser! Always a delicious choice, cheese boards are trendier than ever, offering endless possibilities to match your taste and the occasion.
Discover expert tips and tricks for crafting an unforgettable charcuterie board that will have your guests raving...and coming back for seconds!
Explore the other Easy Appetizers available that you can prepare for your family and friends.
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My husband and I have a cherished tradition: a few times a year, we create a cheese board or antipasto platter, pop on a movie, and savor a cozy night in.
When the kids were younger, we'd wait until they were tucked in bed before assembling our special spread.
Make sure you grab the free printable cheat sheet to help you craft your own appetizer board at the bottom of this post!
Table of Contents
What makes a good Charcuterie Board?
A good charcuterie board often consists of a variety of meats and cheeses and often fruit or nuts. In other words, it's "antipasto" which means “before the meal.”
It's small bites of food to get you ready for the main meal. And when put together properly, a cheese board can be almost like a work of art.
Putting together a cheese board is probably one of the easiest things you can do when entertaining.
Crafting a Crowd-Pleasing Spread
Cheese boards are simply colorful offerings of marinated vegetables, artichoke hearts, roasted red peppers, olives, deli meats and most importantly, a variety of different cheeses. However, it’s always best to keep things simple:
- Cheese – mozzarella, provolone, Parmesan, cheddar are a few of our favorites. We love to use fresh mozzarella that’s been marinated as well.
- Thinly sliced ham, Genoa salami or pepperoni.
- Canned marinated artichokes.
- Olives – look for an assortment. Our local supermarket has an olive bar that I love to use when putting together an antipasto platter or salad.
- Peppers – marinated or just freshly sliced. Look for an assortment of colored peppers as well.
- Fruit – keep it simple. Seedless grapes are usually the best.
- Jams - lately I have been serving fig jam alongside my cheese boards. Jam goes great with cheese!
- Bread or Crackers – try not to have too much if you’re serving your antipasto platter before the main meal. You don’t want your guests filling up too much so they’re no longer hunger for the main meal.
- If you are serving bread, you can also offer a fruit or olive spread to use. Homemade French Bread would be perfect to serve alongside!
- Don’t forget to keep your platter pretty. Use fresh basil leaves or rosemary to help bring the colors together for a beautiful platter.
Helpful Kitchen Tools
- You can find a huge collection of Cheese Boards in most stores these days. I have purchased a few from Amazon that I love.
- What you may not know is you don't actually need a "board" to put your cheese, crackers and meat on! You can use a Marble Tray, Slate Tray or regular tray. Even a large platter will work.
- It always helps to have cheese knives and forks available for your guests.
- Cheese Markers are always a great idea to help you label the different cheese or meats used.
Recipe Ingredients
Recipe Variations
- For this recipe, I used Blue Diamond Nut Thin Crackers, Cranberry Nut Crackers and Harvest Baked Snap Crisps.
- Feel free to use your favorite crackers, nuts and cheeses.
- You can add either fresh fruit, dried fruit or a combination of fruit.
- Don't forget the meat! When choosing meats for a charcuterie board, opt for a variety of textures and flavors, such as thin-sliced prosciutto, spicy salami, and rich, spreadable pâté.
- Check out my New Year's Eve Charcuterie Board for a fun tip on creating a message in cheese using mini alphabet cookie cutters!
Step-by-Step Directions
Step 1: Arrange your cheeseboard starting with the brie in the center. Form a circular border around the brie, using the nut thins for one half and the cranberry nut crackers for the other.
Step 2: Pile extra cranberry crackers alongside. Place the applewood cheddar along one side of the board, then fan out the mortadella and roasted turkey along the other edges, creating a rough triangular shape with the cheddar.
Step 3: Fill in remaining gaps with green pea snacks, fresh cranberries, and clementines. Then add a generous pile of sweet and spicy pecans, using extras to fill any small spaces on the board.
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How Far in Advance Should you Prepare a Cheese Board?
- The last thing anyone needs is to be putting together the cheese board as your guests are standing around watching you. So what should you do?
- I recommend prepping the different cheeses by cutting or slicing them earlier in the day. Place the cheeses in plastic containers or plastic bags in the refrigerator. Make sure to keep the different flavors of cheese separate. Otherwise, the cheeses will all start to taste alike.
- You can even prep the meat ahead of time and store in plastic bags as well in the refrigerator. You can have the rest of the ingredients that don't need refrigeration in their packages near the board you are going to spread everything out on.
- Around 30 minutes or so before guests begin to arrive, arrange everything on the board. Since cheese tastes better at room temperature, it's okay to put the cheeses and meats on the board a few minutes before you expect your guests.
- Cover the board with plastic wrap and remove right before you're ready to serve.
Storage Tips
Wrap cured meats (salami, prosciutto) tightly in plastic wrap or place in an airtight container. Refrigerate for up to a week.
Store in an airtight container any cooked meats and refrigerate for 3-4 days.
Wrap hard cheeses in wax paper or cheese paper, then place in an airtight container. Refrigerate for several weeks (check specific cheese types for recommended storage time).
Store fruits and vegetables in airtight containers or reusable produce bags in the refrigerator for a few days.
More Recipes to Love
Try my recipe for Bacon Wrapped Jalapenos, their smoky, savory notes contrasting the jalapeno's vibrant kick. Or you might like these Caprese Antipasto Skewers, showcasing juicy cherry tomatoes, creamy mozzarella, and fragrant basil drizzled with balsamic glaze.
Another family favorite are my Mini Spinach and Bacon Quiche, their flaky crusts holding a rich, cheesy filling. For a healthy twist, try the low-carb, low-calorie Zucchini Pizza Bites, offering satisfying cheesy goodness with a light, zesty zucchini base.
📖 Recipe Card
Tips on Creating the Perfect Cheese Board
Ingredients
- 1 wheel Brie
- 1 8 ounce Applewood Cheddar
- 2 cups Roast turkey shredded,
- 8 ounces Mortadella
- ½ cup Fresh cranberries
- 1 cup Pecans
- 2 Clementines peeled and segmented
- 2 cups Crackers assorted
Instructions
- Place the brie in the center of your cheeseboard.
- Use the nut thins to form a half circle around the brie cheese, and then use the cranberry nut crackers to form the remaining half of the circle, then add a large pile of the cranberry crackers alongside.
- Place the applewood cheddar along one side of the board.
- Fan out the mortadella and place that and the roasted turkey along two other edges of the board, forming a rough triangle with the applewood cheddar.
- In remaining spaces on the board, add in the green pea snacks, fresh cranberries, and clementines.
- Add a generous pile of the sweet and spicy pecans, and then use extras to fill in any small spaces on the board.
Fuji says
Looks like a great recipe. Thanks!
Ramen says
Pinned and can’t wait to try this!