Learn how to make this Easy Charcuterie Board for your next holiday get-together! This is a must-have appetizer for Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, birthdays, showers… and everything in between! Made with cheese, fruit, charcuterie, and more, this is the ultimate large charcuterie board for entertaining!
Easy Charcuterie Board
Okay, I’m feeling pretty high class right now! This easy charcuterie board is the first “real” cheese and meat board I’ve ever made, and I loved it! The flavors, textures, and combination of fruit, honey, meat, and cheese were seriously to die for.
Now, I do realize this will cost more than the regular meat and cheese tray you get from the grocery store, but it is totally worth it. Plus, I typically only make it for special occasions, so you don’t have to worry about making it on a weekly basis. Or, maybe you will once you start nibbling on this platter of goodness!
I often rotate between serving this easy charcuterie board, a Bruschetta Board, a Vegetable Tray, a Fruit Tray, and my famous Taco Cheese Ball Board. And, if I know I’m expecting a big crowd, I’ll almost always choose this charcuterie board with cheese and one of those other boards and trays!
If you’ve ever wondered what cheese for a charcuterie board is best, what other ingredients to use, or how to arrange it all for a gorgeous presentation, you’ve come to the right place!
Why You’ll Love This Large Charcuterie Board
- Perfect for parties
- Big enough to satisfy a crowd
- Made with wholesome ingredients like fruit and cheese
- Totally customizable
- Impressive presentation
Key Ingredients for a Charcuterie Board with Cheese
Remember, feel free to get creative with the meat, fruit, and cheese for the charcuterie board! This appetizer can be customized to your specific preferences, and honestly, the sky is the limit.
That said, if you don’t know where to start, here are some good jumping-off points:
- CHEESES – You will want to pick one cheese from each of these 4 categories to serve. Plan to serve about 3 ounces of cheese per guest:
- SOFT – Goat cheese rolled in chopped fresh herbs (my favorite), Brie, Camembert, Humboldt Fog
- SEMI-SOFT – Gouda, Jarlsburg, Havarti
- SEMI-HARD – Manchego, Gruyere, Comte
- HARD – Aged cheddar, Parmesan, aged Asiago
- BLUE – Optional, but most cheese boards feature a good quality blue cheese
- NUTS – Almonds, pistachios, and candied walnuts are all great choices.
- HONEY – An absolute must for me! Try it with blue cheese. Trust me.
- MEATS – Prosciutto, salami, or other cold cuts all work well.
- FRUIT – Depending on the year — grapes, blackberries, fresh figs, dried apricots, and olives are really good!
- CRACKERS – You will need some really sturdy, crispy crackers (no Ritz!). Even crispy breadsticks or crostini would make a great addition.
- WINE – Optional, of course. But, if you are offering wine with your cheese board be sure to research which types to offer with the cheeses you have selected.
How to Make My Easy Cheese Board
RECIPE PREP: Gather your preferred ingredients based on my list above. If anything needs washing or chopping, now is the time to prepare it! Remove any crackers or bread from their packages and slice those as needed.
CREATE SMALL LABELS: This step is optional, but I love going the extra mile when I have people over! Labels can also be really helpful for guests with allergies or folks who don’t know much about meats and cheese for a charcuterie board!
ASSEMBLE THE EASY CHARCUTERIE BOARD: Here’s the fun part! I suggest getting everything set up about 30 minutes before serving so that everything comes to room temperature.
Start with a large charcuterie board, made from wood or slate. Then, begin to fill your charcuterie board with cheese. Remember to place a small knife with each different variety for easy serving. Next, arrange the meats in between the cheeses — I suggest folding or layering them for a good presentation. Add the labels, then fill in the gaps with your extras: nuts, fruits, honey, etc.! Place the bread and crackers in small bowls to the side for easy access. Or, you can place them directly on the board as shown in the pictures.
If you really want to go above and beyond, you can even garnish your large charcuterie board with dried herbs, flowers, or berries. Try some sprigs of evergreen around Christmas, or some fun candy eggs for Easter!
FAQs
If you’re really stuck on what to include in terms of nuts, fruits, meats, and cheese for the charcuterie board, you can always use the 3-3-3-3 rule: three types of meat, three kinds of cheese, three “vessels” like bread or crackers, and three extras like nuts, fruit, and honey.
You can make a charcuterie board with very simple ingredients — don’t feel the need to use gourmet cheese and meat. If you only have the budget for cream cheese, cheddar, olive, and some salami, that’s totally okay! Feel free to make this easy charcuterie your way, no need to break the bank.
In terms of meat, cheese, and nuts, there aren’t any that come to mind that you’d want to skip. However, I wouldn’t suggest using watery fruit like watermelon, tomatoes (unless using cherry or grape), or pineapple. Grapes, berries, apples, and dried fruit like raisins are your best bet!
Tips for Making My Easy Charcuterie Board
- Let your cheese come to room temperature for 30 minutes before serving to your guests. This will allow for the cheese to come to maximum flavor, which is always a good thing!
- When in doubt, keep it simple. While I’ve been known to create a large charcuterie board with 5-6 different types of cheeses and just as many meats, you don’t have to! That’s the beauty of creating an easy cheese board — sometimes, less is more!
- Be strategic when assembling. I know that when I first started, I was intimidated by the idea of assembling all of the fruit, nuts, condiments, meats, and cheese for my charcuterie board. But, it really is easy if you follow my specific instructions above. Remember to begin with the cheese, then add the meat, and then move on to the rest. The board will practically assemble itself!
More Appetizers To Try
Thanks so much for reading! Let me know what you think about my easy cheese board!
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Easy Charcuterie Board
Ingredients
- Goat cheese rolled in freshly chopped herbs
- Jarlsburg
- Manchego
- Aged white cheddar
- Blue Cheese
- Prosciutto
- Capocollo
- Salame Calabrese
- Green and red grapes
- Blackberries
- Black and green olives not the ones from the can
- Honey with comb
- Almonds
- Pistachios
- Multi grain crackers
Instructions
- To assemble: start by placing your cheeses on your board. Cut a few slices from each and lay beside to make the platter feel more inviting. Fill in with your extras and keep things grouped together. If it is something runny like honey place in a small bowl.
- Don’t forget the cheese knives, plates and napkins.
Notes
**Plan to serve about 3 ounces of cheese per guest.
Beautiful pictures, Malinda!
Thank you very much, Tristan!! 🙂