Charcuterie boards come in all shapes and sizes, quite literally, but this appetizer charcuterie board is the best pairing of salty, sweet, and savory to get your dinner party started!
Is there a wrong way to make a charcuterie board?
No! That’s the beauty of it! Charcuterie boards are made the way you want it. And it doesn’t just have to be meet and cheese; there are breakfast boards, dip boards, fruit boards, you name it! Add toothpicks and cheese knives throughout to give your guests easy access to the goods and give your board some depth.
In my opinion, for appetizer purposes, you’ll never fail to please your crowd with a meat, cheese, and fruit tray. Here’s what’s in mine to make the best appetizer charcuterie board:
- Meat: a good mixture of salty and spicy
- Prosciutto-wrapped asparagus
- Salami milano
- Coppa
- Cheese: complimenting dry, smooth, and spicy
- Parmesan
- Smoked gouda
- Chipotle BellaVitano
- Fruit
- Raspberries
- Blackberries
- Blueberries
- Tapenade
- Vegetables
- Caprese Salad Skewers
- Asparagus (wrapped in prosciutto)
- Artichokes – marinated in olive oil and herbs
- Grains
- Everything bagel whole grain crackers
- Italian herb flatbread crackers
How to build your charcuterie board
Again, there’s no right or wrong way to build a charcuterie board. But after practice, you’ll learn there are easier way. Here’s how I put mine together:
- Start with anything that you’re serving in a bowl.
- This way if you have multiple items in bowls, you can disperse the bowls evenly throughout and smaller, loose items can be spread around them.
- Lay out your larger items to balance the bowls.
- Things like blocks of cheese.
- Stack-ables, spread-ables, clump-ables
- Stack up meat skewers and asparagus-wrapped prosciutto to give depth to your board.
- Spread crackers around cheese blocks and bowls.
- Clump together loose fruit and nuts together to fill in gaps on the board.
Need some more appetizer inspiration? Try one of these:
Sweet, Salty and Savory Charcuterie Board
Ingredients
Fruit
- Tapenade – https://laurathedietitian.com/easy-olive-tapenade/
- Blackberries
- Blueberries
- Raspberries
Cheese
- Mini mozzarella balls
- Parmesan block
- Smoked gouda block
- Chipotle BellaVita block
Meat
- Prosciutto
- Coppa
- Italian salami
Vegetables
- Marinated artichokes
- Fresh basil
- Fresh asparagus
Grains
- Italian herb flatbread crackers
- Everything bagel whole grain crackers
Instructions
- Prepare the caprese salad skewers – https://laurathedietitian.com/caprese-salad-skewers/
- Prepare the tapenade – https://laurathedietitian.com/easy-olive-tapenade/
- Put "runny/wet" items in bowls – such as marinated artichokes, tapenade, balsamic vinegar, dips, etc.
- Lay out bowls on board making sure they are dispersed.
- Add bulkier items to the board, such as blocks of cheese, where there are large gaps.
- Spread crackers around bowls and alongside cheeses and stack meats/skewers to give depth.
- Fill in holes with loose items, such as chopped fruit and berries.
