How To Make A Charcuterie Board People Will Actually Eat

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Charcuterie boards have become one of my favorite food items to make for showers, parties, and practically any occasion, formal or chill. I wrote this post to explain everything you need to know to help you get started. Think of this as your charcuterie board basics: how to begin making fun boards people will enjoy!

Why You Should Learn:

In case you needed any more encouragement to try your hand at making these, aside from viewing Instagram worthy pictures in your spare time, think of charcuterie boards as the perfect, aesthetically pleasing addition.

I think my desire to get started making charcuterie boards stems from my poor eating habits combined with a love to try new food items. Ever since I first saw a charcuterie board on social media, I was hooked. I love munching on food rather than sitting down and making myself a whole meal. Let’s face it, I’m a “grazer”.

Additionally, these boards actually can be more on the healthy side. You’re focusing on fruits, veggies, assorted nuts, meats and cheeses. Aside from the sodium content on the meats that you’re choosing, you’re going to get some quality nutrients in a board.

It’s so much more fun than just a meats and cheese board, and you can make them look ten times fancier with a little practice. Also, the possibilities are endless. There’s so many different ways to make a charcuterie board that you’ll never get bored with just making the same old same old.

Before We Get Started,

Before we dive in, let me just say I for sure am not a professional at this. There’s no way I would even begin to charge money for these because honestly, I’m still at an amateur level. That’s okay! First off, every professional was once only a beginner. My favorite quote is “Be brave enough to be bad at something new”, and I embrace that with these boards quite well, haha.

Do Some Pre-planning Research

When I decided I wanted to try my hand at them, the first thing I did was gather some inspiration. I started looking at pictures and videos of them on Instagram (mostly) and Pinterest.

I would purposefully make a stop at the meats and cheese departments at the grocery store just to make a mental inventory in my head. This gave me an idea of where to shop and what to look for in different stores as well.

I started small. The first one I made was for my family. The second one was delivered with a meal to a friend who recently had a baby. I began to make them for small events, and usually asked beforehand if it was okay to try to make one.

A Big Mistake I Made

One thing I’ve struggled with is realizing that no matter how pretty or unique your board is, there’s going to be times that a vast majority of it goes untouched. That’s a big deal for me. I don’t want to spend a substantial amount of money on food that’s going to end up in the wastebasket.

So I’ve learned to keep it simple. Yes, people love variety, but they also love familiarity. Unless you’re in a room full of like-minded individuals who are rarely picky, will try anything at least once, and love culinary adventures, skip some of the extravagance.

There is beauty in balance. Knowing that I have multiple opportunities to make another board in the future, I tend to try one or two new food items, just to see if they’re a hit or not. Not only does this give my board a unique difference every time I make one, but it allows people to try something new while still sticking with their main favorites.

A Few Smaller Mistakes I’ve Made:

I’m pretty sure there’s a Bible reference about counting the cost. I think it applies quite nicely to preparing yourself for charcuterie boards. These are not the cheapest food items you can bring to a dinner party.

Something that helps make it worth it in my opinion, is knowing that all of the leftover ingredients that don’t fit on the board end up in your home, enjoyed by your family. Even when Peter was away on corn run this year and I made one for a shower, my boys devoured a “charcuterie kid friendly platter” for lunch the next day. It was a win-win, because I really didn’t have to fix anything for them. Most stress free lunch they’ve eaten in awhile.

Remember the Presentation

If your focus is on making your board as user friendly as possible, take into consideration how you’re presenting your food items. Every now and then I’ll come across a board on Instagram with an entire block of cheese sitting in a perfect spot on the board.

Are they pretty that way? Of course. Will it get touched when it’s served? Odds are not likely. Especially if your board is in a serving line, no one’s going to take the time to cut off a piece of cheese from a cheese block. The same is the case for those perfect meat roses. Typically, people don’t want to take them away. I still make the roses, but I make sure they’re not as tight as they could be, and that there’s a toothpick or tongs resting near it to encourage people to dig in.

That brings me to my last point: be sure you have the right tools to go with your board. Cocktail skewers work great for people to pick and choose all the foods on the board they want. Have spreading knives as opposed to butter knifes or plastic knives to get the dips onto individual plates. Even having little toothpick signs like this one to label the different kinds of meats and cheese are helpful to the passerby.

A Few Tips and Tricks

From the boards that I’ve made so far, (I’ve been making them for about a year now) I’ve learned a few tips and tricks that have really come in handy. That’s part of the reason why I’m writing this post! I want to be able to share with you, someone new at the charcuterie board game, looking to gain some insight before attempting it on your own.

First off, let’s talk about what are the basics. In example, these are the ingredient items I tend to look for and use on most of the boards I make.

Depending on the size of my board and how many items I’m wanting to include, I typically try for at least two different kinds of meats, cheese, and crackers. I like to add fruit and veggies to give the board some pops of color. Lastly, I look for the nuts, herbs, dips/spreads, chocolates or cookies to add those finishing touches.

Here are my go-tos:

Meats:

I absolutely need salami and pepperoni on every board. These, in my opinion, form the foundation for the look and feel of the board. The different sizes of meats help as well. For instance, if I choose a larger, thinner slice of salami to make those infamous charcuterie board roses, I’m going to pair it with a smaller diameter pepperoni.

Adding summer sausages to the mix is a fun addition you can never go wrong with. However, depending on how much you’re wanting to spend, it’s easy to go without as well. If you or your husband enjoys hunting, you may have some venison summer sausage that you’re not going to find at the grocery store. Those are perfect additions that will really give your board an extra “oomph”.

Prosciutto and Sopressata are fun to have in case people want to try. In my experience, the vast majority of people don’t care to try new foods, though, so you’ll most likely end up with a ton of those two meats passed over.

Cheeses:

I cannot make a board without having gouda cheese on it somewhere. At Edward’s Cash Saver (it’s a more local grocery store chain in the South), they sell smoked gouda cheese with bacon bits. It’s my absolute favorite. Even if I decide I want to do sliced cheese as opposed to cheese blocks/cubes, I make sure gouda is one of the options.

Obviously, having pepper jack, Colby jack, and Cheddar cheese are simple additions that people will enjoy. I also like taking an extra step and including fresh mozzarella. That’s something most people don’t buy on a regular basis, but will for sure sample on the serving line.

Blueberry goat cheese is another fun option that typically gets eaten up pretty quickly. The best price is at Walmart. Again, this is a cheese that most people don’t buy on a regular basis, but when they see it on your board they’re going to want to grab a slice.

The only cheese I’ve completely steered clear of is brie cheese. Sorry, I’m just not a fan. It makes me gag, honestly. I’ve also noticed most people don’t care for it either and I end up tossing it. Typically Brie cheese is the most expensive cheese you can get, so it really doesn’t make it worth it for me.

Crackers:

You can go as fancy or relaxed as you want with this. My favorites by far are the Townhouse brand. For one, their crackers have no yellow food dye in them, and have the best ingredients listed while still tasting like a cracker (that’s a big deal for me). But, Townhouse offers so many varieties that I can buy two or three different packages and no one would know they’re all from the same brand (unless they’re a cracker connoisseur of sorts).

I opt for the pita crackers (especially if I’m including spinach artichoke dip), Italian herb flatbread crisps (these are the prettiest) and of course the originals.

Fruit:

Even if I want my board to be more meats/cheeses as opposed to fruits and veggies, I usually throw in some sort of fruit. My number one go to is green grapes. They’re the most affordable and they always end up being eaten (have you ever heard of a person who doesn’t like green grapes?). Also, if I only use up three or four small bunches, my sons will have the rest to enjoy.

Sometimes if I get tired of grapes, I opt for kiwi and cut them in the zigzag pattern most are familiar with. Usually those are going to get left on the board, but they’re more for decoration anyhow. Strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and blackberries are the other fruits I add if I’m wanting more pops of color. They’re easy to throw on last to fill in gaps and corners to make sure your board is full to the brim.

I don’t like putting watermelon, oranges, or other citrus-y fruits on the board. Those are usually more runny and seep onto crackers or other foods nearby. Fun fact about me: I have a serious pet peeve about food touching. I’ll spare you the rant, but because of this, I’m careful about what goes on my board.

Veggies:

Taking that last paragraph into consideration, my go-to veggie items are broccoli, cauliflower, and sliced peppers (red, yellow, and green). It’s very rare you’ll see a tomato added to the mixture unless it’s a cherry tomato. I usually don’t add baby carrots to the mix because I’m personally not a fan of them.

All of the Extras:

This is where the fun part comes in, in my opinion. The added extras give your board the flare and spice in order to make it unique.

I’m not a huge nut fan, but including them appeals to lots of people who are. I like to put them in mini cupcake liners for easier access.

Having different dips, olives and pickles available in ramekins or other small cups will give your board some height to it.

I love to add chocolates or cookies to the board to indulge everyone’s sweet tooth. I’ve bought a chocolate assortment box before and added the different shapes to the board at random places. I’ve also done the Ferrero Rocher because they’re wrapped up and look fancy.

Lindt Lindor’s are my personal favorite, so they usually make the appearance. Even on the relaxed girls night ideas, you can add individually wrapped snack size candy bars.

Don’t be afraid to go outside of the box; chocolate covered pretzels, chocolate covered strawberries, macaroons, and even decorated cookies can add something fun, especially if it’s for someone who loves one of those items in particular.

Anything Can Be a “Charcuterie” Board

Lastly, don’t just limit yourself to a basic charcuterie board of meats and cheeses. Yes, the definition of the word charcuterie is especially meant for meats, but in life you don’t have to always follow the rules. If you more loosely define charcuterie as a snack or meal board, you can turn your board into a “food board” if you really want to.

Here’s just a small list of ideas you can utilize for your next food board to bring to your next event, formal or not!

• Chili board (Chili in a bowl in the center, all of the toppings in ramekins surrounding it)
• Taco or Fajita board, or both (same idea; you can even add chips and salsa to fill in the gaps)
• Baked Potato board
• Waffles and toppings
• S’mores
• Build your own hot chocolate
• Popcorn and toppings
• French Fries and sauces
• Hot wings and sauces
• Chocolate covered (add fruits, pretzels, and a bowl of melted chocolate)
• Assorted cookies, chocolates, or candy
• Chips and Dips

Get Creative

Hopefully, this inspires and encourages you to start making your own charcuterie board to pass around to friends and family, or be enjoyed in your own home.