Skip to Content

How To Make The Ultimate DIY Charcuterie Board

Sharing is caring!

Learn how to build the ultimate DIY charcuterie board with these tips and tricks. I’ll be featuring 30 amazing ideas to help you make the perfect appetizer!

the ultimate charcuterie boards

This post contains affiliate links at no extra cost to you. Please see my full disclosure here.

Whenever we have a family get-together, there is always one thing that you can expect to see served before dinner.

That is a charcuterie board, or a meat and cheese board. 

Depending on the number of people visiting, it may just be a simple tray with pepperoni, cheese, and crackers.

Or for a larger gathering, like Thanksgiving, it will be a full-on charcuterie board with all the fixings.

This is one that was just served at my sister’s house:

cheese tray

This lasted about 20 minutes and then it was pretty much devoured! One of the many things I love about meat and cheese trays is you can tailor them to include the guest’s favorites or any dietary needs.

It’s easily adaptable to a low carb, vegetarian or gluten-free diet. 

 

The great thing about this collection of 30 DIY charcuterie boards is there are so many varieties. 

There are dessert trays, kid-friendly boards, veggie boards, and more.

I’ve been inspired to make several cheese boards as gifts for Christmas.

Here is a handmade wood slice serving board that I made for my daughter’s co-worker:

diy cheese board

I plan to put the board together with a variety of packaged meats, cheeses, nuts, etc. 

Last year my niece was given this personalized wood serving tray and she absolutely loved it!

finished-wood-board

Take a look at these amazing platters and get ready for some incredible ideas.

How To Make The Ultimate DIY Charcuterie Board

Sharing tips and tricks for making the ultimate DIY charcuterie board with 30 amazing ideas. There are tips for kid-friendly boards, dessert boards and more.

[Tweet “How To Make The Ultimate Charcuterie Board @ourcraftymom #charcuterieboards #cheeseboard #charcuterietray”]

So what do you think? Are you ready to make your own charcuterie board now?

While I was looking for inspiration, I found lots of great information that you may find helpful too. These ideas would make great Christmas charcuterie boards or NY Eve charcuterie boards. 

christmas charcuterie boards



What Is A Charcuterie Board?

A charcuterie board is basically the assembling of meats and cheeses, usually accompanied by crackers, nuts, fruit, and vegetables. 

Wikipedia states charcuterie “is the branch of cooking devoted to prepared meat products” dating back to 15th-century France.

What Are The Best Cheeses For A Charcuterie Board?

Include a variety of cheeses, with a combination of both soft and hard kinds of cheese, with the hard cheese being sliced ahead of time.

It’s always best to include an odd number of cheeses, usually 3 or 5.

Recommended Cheeses

Hard cheeses:

  • Parmigiano-Reggiano
  • Gruyère

Soft cheeses:

  • Goat Cheese
  • Brie

Semi-soft cheeses:

  • Gouda
  • Cheddar

What Are The Best Meats For A Charcuterie Board?

Some of the most common meats for a cheese board are: 

  • Prosciutto
  • Salami
  • Ham

What Are The Best Breads And Crackers For A Charcuterie Board?

This is where you can really tailor the cheese board to make it unique. Include homemade bread or a favorite type of cracker.

Here are some favorite breads:

  • French Bread
  • Baguettes
  • Crostini

Crackers:

  • Artisan Crackers
  • Water crackers
  • Wheat Thins

What Are The Best Condiments To Include In A Meat And Cheese Tray?

What Are The Best Fruit, Nuts, And Vegetables To Include In A Cheese Board?

Fruit:

  • Grapes
  • Berries
  • Sliced Apples

Nuts:

  • Almonds
  • Pistachios
  • Walnuts
  • Pecans

Vegetables:

  • Roasted Red Peppers
  • Artichokes
  • Olives
  • Broccoli

One of my favorite places to shop for unique accompaniments for a cheese board is Trader Joe’s. They have a really great selection of cheeses, nuts and spreads for really great prices.

While you’re there, pick up a beautiful bouquet of seasonal flowers to really set a welcoming table. For about $5 you can find a beautiful bouquet. 

Add fresh herbs to make it look pretty!

What Are The Best Serving Boards For A Cheese Tray? 

You can use any large board including wood, slate, marble in any shape or size. It’s best not to overcrowd the board though and leave room to include ramekins to hold the condiments, which also add to the visual appeal. 

Don’t Forget The Cheese Knives:

What Is The Best Wine To Serve With A Charcuterie Board

Wine Country Table recommends serving champagne or sparkling wine due to high acidity, lower alcohol, and their affinity for salty dishes.

They also recommend  Chardonnay or higher alcohol content (above 14%) Napa Cabernet because it would draw out the flavors of the meat. 

I plan to put together an oversized charcuterie board to bring to my sister’s house on Christmas Eve and will definitely incorporate several of the meats and cheeses recommended in this article.

I hope you found it helpful as well. 

Please let me know if you have any questions and I would be happy to answer them if I can. Hope you have a great day!

Follow me on social media below:

 

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Visit to Read

Thursday 11th of November 2021

Thanks for your DIY! Now I can do the perfect charcuterie boards for all kinds of Holidays. Like it!

Susan

Saturday 14th of December 2019

These are all gorgeous. You have an amazing eye for layout. And some of the ideas are just brilliant like the peppers as containers. I love it! Thank you for putting this together. It is super details and super helpful.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.