How to Plan the Ultimate Charcuterie Board

Name: The Ultimate Charcuterie Board for Holiday Entertaining
Prep time: 30 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 20
Cuisine: Appetizers
Ingredients: 4 oz Prosciutto; 4 oz Salami; 4 oz Coppa or Chorizo; 8 oz Brie; 8 oz Manchego cheese; 8 oz Aged cheddar cheese; 8 oz Marinated mozzarella balls; 8 oz Crackers/bread; 1 cup Olives; 1 cup Cornichons; 2 oz Whole grain mustard, dijon or tapenade; 1 cup Marcona almonds; 4 oz Raspberries; 4 oz Blackberries; 6 oz Grapes; 1 Green apple or pear, sliced; 1/4 cup Honey; 4 oz Dried fruit; 4 oz Yogurt covered pretzels; 4 oz Chocolate covered nuts; 1 oz Rosemary or parsley (for garnish)

Updated onJanuary 4, 2021

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With the holiday season ramping up and Thanksgiving around the corner, I thought I’d share my best ideas for the ultimate charcuterie board! Let the feasting begin!

Charcuterie board with mix of specialty meats, cheeses, salty snacks, savory treats, crackers, fruit, preserves, pickled foods and more

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What is a Charcuterie Board?

Here’s the official definition of “charcuterie”:

Charcuterie is a delicatessen specializing in dressed meats and meat dishes.
–Merriam Webster

What I’ve put together for my holiday feast would be considered a charcuterie and cheese board in the most technical sense.

Call it whatever you like! Your guests will love grazing on this mix of sweet and savory treats!

What Goes on a Charcuterie Plate?

Charcuterie board ingredients are limited only by your imagination! It just depends on your guests and whether their tastes lean more toward the foodie or toddler side.

Charcuterie tray with brie, crackers, fig preserves, cornichons, pretzels and other fruit and crackers.

For my charcuterie tray, I’ve included a mix that would entertain any holiday crowd, including both grown-ups and kiddos.

The best charcuterie board will have some representation from the following categories:

Cured meats
Cheeses
Olives or cornichon pickles (or both)
Crackers or crostini
Bread or toast
Mustard and relish
Fruit
Nuts
Fruit jams or preserves

To give readers a sense of the possibilities, I threw in a smorgasbord of snacks for my antipasto tray.

At the end of this post, I’ll include my charcuterie board recipe to print for your next gathering.

Charcuterie Board Tray Options

In my case, I already had a large round wooden tray I owned that worked to contain smaller dishes inside. (It’s 28.5″ in diameter to give you a sense of the size.)

Large wood charcuterie board with serving trays and servingware before placing cured meats and cheeses on tray.

I used one elevated cake stand and two other main platters to display my appetizers. For the sauces, preserves and pickled items, I strategically placed ramekins and small dishes.

I like the modular aspect of this tray arrangement, so I can move pieces around as needed.

You can also place items directly on the board using parchment paper or by seasoning the wood with mineral oil and beeswax in advance.

How to Make a Charcuterie Board

Placing items on a charcuterie board is part art and part science. I’ve broken down my thought process below in the hopes it will help you arrange your own large charcuterie board.

Start with a Cheese Assortment

Three is always a magic number in design, right? The same goes for cheeses.

Charcuterie board with cheeses, crackers, grapes, mozzarella balls, olives and deli meats.

If you’re going to pick three kinds of cheese to feature, the conventional picks include some combination of the following:

Soft: Brie, Camembert
Aged: Cheddar, Gouda
Firm: Manchego, Parmigiano-Reggiano
Blue cheese

For my board, I also included marinated fresh mozzarella balls, since these are always a hit with kids and adults alike.

Arrange Charcuterie Meats

If you’re new to fancy deli meats, I suggest sticking with salami, prosciutto, and coppa. Chorizo or pepperoni can also work depending on your theme.

Food Republic has a great article on essential cured meats with more than you’d ever want to know. (Fun fact: They also have a post on meat apparel, as in the Lada Gaga sense.)

Add Fruits (Fresh and Dried)

Adding seasonal fruits to a charcuterie tray really serves to bring out the flavors of meats and cheeses and add some acidity.

Raspberries, blackberries and green apple slices with honey on cake stand in charcuterie board

You can include fresh sweet berries, like raspberries, grapes, and blackberries along with tart green apples to create flavor variety. I also love adding a little honey for dipping.

Adding dried fruits like apricots, cranberries or currants can also create interesting textures and richness to your charcuterie tray.

Tip: Help your guests grab smaller portions of grapes by cutting the bunch into smaller bundles of 3-5 berries.

Fill in with Nuts

Hands down, my favorite nuts for entertaining are Marcona almonds, but you can add walnuts, pecans or regular almonds to the mix.

Mixed berries, nuts, dried cranberries, honey and green apple on cake stand

You might notice I filled in the empty space on my tray with mixed nuts (in shell) and gourds just for visual interest.

(Plus, I got nostalgic thinking about shelling nuts around the dinner table as a kid, and I wanted my kids to have that experience this holiday season.)

Add Dips, Relishes and Preserves

For a really powerful flavor, you can pair cured meats with whole grain or dijon mustard as well as olives and cornichons.

Any kind of chutney, tapenade or olive oil dipping sauce also works well on a charcuterie plate.

Fresh figs, fig preserves and brie with crackers on charcuterie board

On the sweeter side, you can add fruit jam or try my homemade strawberry fig preserves to complement the cheeses.

Include Sweet Snacks

As you’ll notice, I created two “hemispheres” on my board: one sweet and one savory. Try adding chocolate-dipped nuts and yogurt pretzels to satisfy guests with a sweet tooth.

Garnish with Herbs or Flowers

To add a final natural element to your charcuterie platter, you can include garnishes of herbs or edible flowers. I placed some rosemary strategically around the meats and cheeses.

Putting it All Together

Here are a few more charcuterie board images for your viewing pleasure. Don’t hate me if you get a little hangry.

Brie cheese, chocolate covered nuts, yogurt covered pretzels, crackers, figs and fig preserves on charcuterie tray as appetizers. #charcuterieboard #appetizers #holidayappetizer #cheeseboard #firstdayofhome

Charcuterie tray with various meats, cheeses, pickled foods, dips, preserves, crackers, nuts, fruits and honey

Charcuterie tray with grapes, crackers, Manchego cheese, olives and deli meats

Where to Find Charcuterie Board Ingredients

When creating my charcuterie plates, I always try to use ingredients found in a typical supermarket. There’s no need to go to a specialty store for these items.

The most difficult and important elements of a charcuterie board are the meats and cheeses (and to a lesser extent, bread), so focus most on those items.

If you need a beverage option to accompany your charcuterie board, try my latest holiday punch recipe!

Shop the Look

For your convenience, I’m including links to get you started with a wood charcuterie board and other entertaining essentials that might come in handy this holiday season.

Pin it for later!

Charcuterie board ideas with meats, cheeses, crackers, olives, preserves, nuts, honey and more

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The Ultimate Charcuterie Board for Holiday Entertaining

Yield: 20

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Learn how to make the ultimate charcuterie tray, including specialty meats, cheeses, crackers, fruit, nuts, preserves, pickled foods and more!

See how to put it all together to get the maximum flavor and a beautiful presentation. It's the perfect appetizer for any gathering, especially around the holidays.

Ingredients

4 oz Prosciutto
4 oz Salami
4 oz Coppa or Chorizo
8 oz Brie
8 oz Manchego cheese
8 oz Aged cheddar cheese
8 oz Marinated mozzarella balls
8 oz Crackers/bread
1 cup Olives
1 cup Cornichons
2 oz Whole grain mustard, dijon or tapenade
1 cup Marcona almonds
4 oz Raspberries
4 oz Blackberries
6 oz Grapes
1 Green apple or pear, sliced
1/4 cup Honey
4 oz Dried fruit
4 oz Yogurt covered pretzels
4 oz Chocolate covered nuts
1 oz Rosemary or parsley (for garnish)

Instructions

Begin by arranging cheeses on charcuterie board.
Add deli meats in color block fashion.
Fill in with a variety of crackers, bruschetta, bread or crostini.
Add fruits (fresh and dried) and fruit jam or preserves to accompany cheeses.
In separate ramekins or small dishes, add pickled items like cornichons or olives.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 20 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 462Total Fat: 29gSaturated Fat: 13gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 14gCholesterol: 61mgSodium: 885mgCarbohydrates: 34gFiber: 4gSugar: 19gProtein: 19g

The calories are approximate and will vary based on products used.