• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Home
  • About
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact

The Welcoming Table

Helping You Build Friendships and Community, One Meal at a Time

  • Recipes
    • Charcuterie
    • Appetizers
    • Main Dish
    • Sides
    • Desserts
    • Roundups
  • Friendship
  • Invite Them Over
    • Everyday Entertaining
    • Cooking
    • Real Stories
  • Gift Guides

13 Charcuterie Board Ideas for Easy Entertaining

August 30, 2018 By sandi 15 Comments

27022 shares
  • Share
  • Tweet

collage of charcuterie boards

Table of Contents

  • Easy Charcuterie Board Ideas for 2019
  • What is a charcuterie board?
  • What Kind of Board to Use
  • How to Assemble a Charcuterie Board
  • When to Serve a Charcuterie Board
  • French Charcuterie Platter 
  • Greek Antipasto Platter
  • Southern-Inspired Charcuterie Board
  • TopGolf Pretzel Board
  • Low Carb Cheese Platter
  • Kid-Friendly Cheese Board
  • Summer Antipasto Platter
  • Autumn Harvest Cheese Board
  • Winter Harvest Cheese Board 
  • Holiday Cheeseboard
  • Spring Cheese Board
  • Walmart Charcuterie Board
  • Trader Joe’s Charcuterie Board
  • Aldi Holiday Board
  • 13 Charcuterie Board Ideas for Easy Entertaining

Easy Charcuterie Board Ideas for 2019

I am a big fan of EASY when it comes to entertaining. And if you don’t feel like cooking or don’t have a lot of time to prepare, a charcuterie board can be a great option for feeding a large group of people. All you have to do is make a trip to the store to buy all of your ingredients, arrange them, and you’re done. Today I’m sharing with you 13 themed charcuterie board ideas for your next casual get together.

What is a charcuterie board?

Charcuterie is just the French word for cured meats. A typical French charcuterie board contains a couple of meats, a pâté or terrine, slices of baguette, a few cheeses, mustard, some pickles, and maybe a few grapes. But in the last few years, charcuterie boards have taken on a life of their own.

They’ve become popular because they’re easy and yet impressive at the same time. (It doesn’t hurt that they’re super Instagrammable as well.) Everyone thinks they’re fun, and no matter what kind of diet you follow, you can usually find something to eat on a charcuterie board.

This post may contain affiliate links which means that if you make a purchase through one of these links, I may earn a small commission — at no extra cost to you. See my Privacy Policy for more information.

What Kind of Board to Use

When it comes to putting together a charcuterie board, first you have to decide what to use as your base. You can’t go wrong with a wooden or slate board.

Check out the 12 BEST charcuterie boards for sale online here!

How to Assemble a Charcuterie Board

Assembling a charcuterie board really isn’t hard and there’s no one right way to do it. But Lexi from Lexi’s Clean Kitchen has a great tutorial in this video below.

When to Serve a Charcuterie Board

Charcuterie boards can be served in a lot of different situations.

Make a charcuterie board as…

  • An appetizer for a party
  • A meal for 3-4 people (or for a large group if you have a HUGE board)
  • A dish for a potluck
  • An after-school snack for kids and their friends
  • A light lunch

If you want access to ideas for charcuterie ingredients that you can always refer to, download my Charcuterie Cheatsheet below!

Each of these charcuterie board ideas below give you step-by-step “recipes” for making an awesome board that your guests will love. Let’s dig in!

French Charcuterie Platter 

This board from Recipes From a Pantry is a classic example of simplicity at its finest. A traditional charcuterie board with just the basics.


wooden board with pate, salami, grapes, brie cheese and baguette
Greek Antipasto Platter

I love the Greek slant to this board from Half Baked Harvest. Feta-stuffed cherry peppers, hummus, marinated feta, and marinated olives? Yes, please. It looks so beautiful and yet easy to put together.

an arrangement of food including fresh mozzarella, salami, ham, cherry tomatoes stuffed with feta, hummus, and olives

Southern-Inspired Charcuterie Board

Take a trip down south with this unique board from Call Me PMC. With sausage, black-eyed pea salsa, and pimento cheese, it combines some of the best Southern flavors — all on one board.

wooden board with an assortment of cheeses, smoked sausage, pimento cheese, black eyed pea salad, fried zucchini, pecans, peaches, and crackers

TopGolf Pretzel Board

Charcuterie ingredients in a giant homemade pretzel is genius. A lot of people have only seen this at TopGolf, but now you can make it at home, thanks to Call Me PMC.

giant pretzel stuffed with cheeses, apples, grapes, cured meats, nuts, and fruit

Low Carb Cheese Platter

When so many are following low-carb or grain-free diets, this platter from My Life Cookbook is a perfect option for entertaining. With so many meats, cheeses, fruits and veggies, you won’t even miss your carbs.

charcuterie board with meats, veggies, olives, cheeses and raspberries

Kid-Friendly Cheese Board

What do you do when your get together includes both adults and kids? Make a board that both will love. This cheese board from Foodie Crush features kid-friendly cheeses and crackers and enough fruits and vegetables to please Mom, too.

charcuterie board with pepperoni-wrapped mozzarella sticks, cheeses, crackers, nuts, veggies, and mustard

Summer Antipasto Platter

Take advantage of tomato season and make this board from Just a Little Bit of Bacon during the summer months. Juicy tomatoes, creamy mozzarella, cured meats, and marinated butter beans — what’s not to love?

charcuterie board with fresh tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, white bean salad, baguette, cherry tomatoes, and cured meats

Autumn Harvest Cheese Board

Peppered salami, candied bacon, bourbon apple butter, and pumpkin hummus are the stars of this beautiful cheese board from Host the Toast. It’s the perfect way to celebrate fall.

fall-themed charcuterie board with cheeses, pumpkin hummus, pomegranate, blueberries, salami, and bread

Winter Harvest Cheese Board 

This colorful board from The Baking Fairy is filled with seasonal fruit that will brighten up any winter party. The pears with blue cheese and prosciutto add a special touch so guests can just grab and go.

charcuterie board with prosciutto and blue cheese-wrapped pears, bread, cheeses, cured meats

Holiday Cheeseboard

Winter’s best is featured on this holiday-themed board from Eat Yourself Skinny. Pomegranate seeds and a homemade cranberry salsa makes this board extra special.

Spring Cheese Board

Welcome spring (and your guests) with this board from The Forked Spoon. Candied Meyer lemons and lemon yogurt dip add brightness to the salty flavors of salami and prosciutto.

charcuterie board with fruits, goat cheese, jam, chocolate, and a bottle of wine

Walmart Charcuterie Board

Everything on this board from Spend with Pennies can be bought at Walmart. The colors of the fruit really pop alongside all of the other yummy ingredients.

charcuterie board made from walmart ingredients

Trader Joe’s Charcuterie Board

Fans of Trader Joe’s will love this board from Luci’s Morsels. And I love that she leaves room between ingredients so guests can get to them easily.

charcuterie board made with ingredients from Trader Joe's

Aldi Holiday Board

This cheese board with a homemade cranberry salsa from The Welcoming Table itself is made up entirely of ingredients from Aldi, proving that delicious doesn’t always have to be expensive.

Charcuterie boards are a fun — and easy — way to entertain. I’m dying to make one of these boards. Which one do you want to try? Tell me in the comments!

And don’t forget to download a Charcuterie Cheatsheet below so you can always remember what to put on your boards!

Download it now!

Love this post? You may also like:

  • 42 of the Best Homemade Charcuterie Ingredients
  • Chocolate and Cheese Charcuterie Board
  • The BEST Charcuterie Boards for Sale on Amazon and Etsy

13 Charcuterie Board Ideas for Easy Entertaining

Filed Under: Appetizers, Charcuterie, Recipes

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Bintu | Recipes From A Pantry says

    August 31, 2018 at 6:14 am

    So many delicious charcuterie board ideas – thanks for including my French board!

    Reply
    • sandi says

      August 31, 2018 at 7:51 am

      You’re welcome, Bintu!

      Reply
  2. Jennifer says

    August 31, 2018 at 7:45 am

    Love these ideas!

    Reply
    • sandi says

      August 31, 2018 at 7:50 am

      I’m glad you like them, Jennifer! I’m kinda obsessed myself.

      Reply
  3. Meg says

    August 31, 2018 at 8:22 am

    What a fun read! The Southern-Inspired board reminded me of a Black-eyed Pea humus I have always intended to make. There will be charcu happening this weekend at our house, for sure.

    Reply
    • sandi says

      September 2, 2018 at 10:25 am

      Ooh — black-eyed pea hummus sounds good! You’ll have to share the recipe if it’s good.

      Reply
  4. Ann says

    December 12, 2018 at 8:00 pm

    Such wonderful ideas! Thank you for sharing at Party In Your PJs!

    Reply
  5. Carrie says

    December 14, 2018 at 5:23 pm

    I have been pinning this lately. I want to do one for New Years Eve…. all we do is snack anyway. Yours look wonderful.

    Reply
    • sandi says

      December 15, 2018 at 3:11 pm

      I served one at a little get together last weekend, and I loved how it drew everyone to just sit/stand around and eat while they visited. They’re so fun! I hope yours goes well, Carrie!

      Reply
  6. Dyan says

    January 4, 2019 at 12:41 pm

    Just found your blog from A Morning Cup of Joe and LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this post! I have a small house so am always looking for “pick-up” food so that I don’t have to try and fit more than 4 around the table! Thanks for the effort in research.

    Reply
    • sandi says

      January 4, 2019 at 2:47 pm

      You’re welcome, Dyan! I’m so glad that it was helpful to you!

      Reply
  7. Michele McDonough says

    September 6, 2020 at 8:45 pm

    With the Covid virus, I don’t want to do a board that everyone picks on. I’d rather do individual boards. Any ideas?

    Reply
    • sandi says

      August 10, 2022 at 11:55 am

      I am so sorry for the late response — I took a break from the blog during the height of the pandemic because I felt conflicted about encouraging people to get together. But I thought this was a really great question. What I did when we finally felt comfortable inviting people over again, was to make a board where everything was in individualized portions. So I made charcuterie skewers with cheese tortellini, olives, meats, and roasted red peppers and had little cups with hummus and veggies, etc. That way no one was touching serving utensils OR each other’s food.

      Reply
  8. Ann Miller says

    July 8, 2022 at 6:37 pm

    I just fumbled over your wonderful website. You have given me the best ideas for my canasta days.
    I will look forward to more great information.

    Ann

    Reply
    • sandi says

      August 10, 2022 at 11:06 am

      Great, Ann! I’ve been inactive on the site for a bit but am hoping to update and get back to encouraging people towards community. Thanks for stopping by.

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

Hi, I’m Sandi!

I love connecting with friends and family over a good meal, and I want to help you gain confidence to invite people over for dinner. I believe friendships grow when you gather around the table.
More about The Welcoming Table

Search this site:

Holiday Entertaining

Over 30 Christmas Party Themes for Adults!

30 Easy, Stress-Free Christmas Party Ideas

Cranberry Salsa — quick and easy holiday appetizer!

13 Charcuterie Board Ideas for Easy Entertaining

 38 Christmas Food Gifts for Your Neighbors 

Copyright © 2023 · Terms & Conditions