Fall Charcuterie Board

Berries: I like to add strawberries, blueberries and raspberries. Blackberries are also a great choice.

Other Fresh Fruit: you can’t have an epic charcuterie board without grapes, in my opinion! I went with red grapes but green and black are perfect, too.

Cheese: I like to use 3 or 4 different kinds of cheese on my board with different textures and flavors. Some great choices include cheddar, fontina, manchego, gouda, Havarti, goat cheese, blue cheese in a hunk, brie or marinated mozzarella balls. See my note on Trader Joe’s products below to see which three cheese kinds I picked for my fall board.

Meats: I used a mix of salami, prosciutto and sopressata I picked up at Sam’s club. My tip for cured meats is to fold them twice and fan them like a deck of cards. It makes for a stunning presentation and really fills the board.

Nuts: I like to keep things interesting in the nut department so I usually go with a fun mix but adding some pecans, walnuts or almonds will also work great. Don’t forget to serve the nuts with a little spoon!

Dried Fruit: mission figs, dried apricots, dates or prunes are a great addition to a festive board.

Olives: I used pitted kalamata olives because that’s what I have but any olives will work. Whole Foods has some amazing mixed olives in the self-serve department.

Crackers: There are so many cracker options to choose from! Use what you like best. For this Fall Charcuterie Board, I used multigrain Wheat Thins, Fig & Pumpkin .. and bread sticks. Some other kinds I like include water crackers, Ritz crackers, parmesan crackers, Triscuits or whatever you like! Pretzels, bagel or pita chips are all great, too!

Pickles: I used gherkins because they’re small, cute and I like to serve them vertically in a ramekin.

Jam or Preserves: I used Trader Joe’s fig butter but I also like to use red pepper jelly, plum butter, raspberry or blackberry jam. I usually shop for preserves for a charcuterie board at a European deli or Home Goods.

Chocolate: this is not mandatory but I absolutely love to add some chocolate to my grazing boards because who doesn’t like chocolate? You don’t need much but adding a couple squares of dark chocolate, chocolate covered almonds or pretzels is always a good idea and I’m sure your guests will appreciate it! For my board I went with cute fall-themed Belgian chocolates.

Mini Pumpkin: this is for decorative purposes only but I think a mini pumpkin gives a fall charcuterie board a truly autumnal and festive vibe.

SEASONAL TRADER JOE’S PRODUCTS

Cheese: I love shopping for cheese at Trader Joe’s! There are so many fantastic and affordable options and I always seem to find a new, exciting kind of cheese there. For this charcuterie board I picked:

• Unexpected Cheddar Cheese – aged white cheddar with a note of parmesan. So good!
• Creamy Tuscan Cheese Soaked in Syrah – this one is perfect for Holidays! Soaked in red wine and creamy? Yes, please!
• Pumpkin Spice Goat Cheese – if it sounds weird to you, don’t fret. The combination of earthy goat cheese and sweet and spiced pumpkin is a fabulous flavor match.

Note: for more fabulous Trader Joe’s cheese options, check out this Ranking of Trader Joe’s Cheeses from Popsugar.

Pumpkin Cranberry Crisps: the fall version of the popular Trader Joe’s Fig & Olive Crisps, these yummy crackers are made with pumpkin puree and studded with tart cranberries.

Italian Breadsticks with Olive Oil: light and airy, these bread sticks are perfect for picky eaters and kids. My sons absolutely love them!

Olive & Herbs Mixed Nuts: I love this mix of almonds, cashews, pecans, dried olives and spices. It’s savory, delicious and goes really well with the fall theme of the board.

Belgian Chocolates – Harvest Collection by Chocolatissimo: these little chocolate gems are insanely decadent and come in fun fall shapes.

HOW TO CREATE A GREAT CHARCUTERIE BOARD

Creating a charcuterie board is a truly fun experience. If you’re feeling creative, visualize what you want your board to look like. You can use mine as inspiration but depending on what ingredients you have, you can make it truly unique and create your own design. You can even draw a simple sketch of your board and write down what goes where (I don’t typically do that but I LOVE the idea of it).

Once you are ready to start, take out your board and lay out all the ingredients on the counter and figure out what will go in small bowls and what will be served “loose”. Then, I recommend assembling your board in this order:

STEP 1: Start with laying out jars and ramekins

STEP 2: Add the cheese

STEP 3: Arrange the meats

STEP 4: Lay out the fresh fruit

STEP 5: Fill the gaps with crackers

STEP 6: Add finishing touches

MORE TIPS AND VARIATIONS

• Line your board with parchment paper. This prevents any staining or exposing the board to excessive moisture. I usually use 2 sheets of brown parchment paper layered on the bottom of the board.
• Prep the fruit ahead of time. Washing, drying and cutting fruit is time consuming so I like to do this ahead of time. I wash my berries and grapes and lay them out on paper towels to dry. For best results it’s important that the fruit is mostly dry when you arrange it or else it will get soggy and lose its freshness quickly.
• Group items that go together. If you are serving creamy cheese, serve a harder kind of crackers next to it. Pickles should be near cured meats, honey near brie, grapes near hard cheese and so on. You get the pattern.
• Use height for interesting presentation. I like to use at least one tall item for an interesting visual effect. For this board I went with bread sticks in a mason jar.
• Start cutting the cheese. Seriously, for some reason people don’t like to be the first one to cut into a hunk of cheese or cut the first triangle of a brie disc. To help the process, just start cutting it and leave the cheese knife nearby. A couple pieces will do.
• Fill the gaps. I’m a firm believe that the more, the merrier. If you see any empty gaps after your board is done, just fill them with some additional fruit or crackers. The best looking charcuterie board is one that’s very full, almost overflowing.
• Be mindful of food allergies. Since grazing boards are to be shared among a number of people, it’s a good idea to know if anyone has any food allergies and avoid foods that may cause an allergic reaction or serve some items separately. Tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, milk and strawberries are among common red flag foods for people with allergies. One way around it is to serve foods that your guests are allergic to in a separate dish.
• Provide a gluten free option. Rice crackers or parmesan crackers are a great alternative to wheat crackers and bread sticks.
• Serve crackers and crostini separately. If your board will be shared among many people, skip the crackers and serve them in a separate dish. That way you can serve more cheeses, meats, fruit, nuts and condiments on the board.
• Don’t forget about utensils! Cheese knives, small spoons and mini forks will make serving easy.

WHERE TO BUY A LARGE CHARCUTERIE BOARD AND HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?

My board came from Home Goods and I absolutely love it. There are many great charcuterie board options that you can choose from. Personally, I like a board that’s large with a low “wall” around it and handles because it’s easy to move it and food doesn’t fall out of it.

• 24 x 24 Large Ottoman Table Tray
• Wine Barrel Inspired Charcuterie Board with handles
• Teak Wood Charcuterie Board from Etsy (different size options)
• European Style Cheese Board with a handle

WHAT TO DO WITH LEFTOVERS

If you have any leftovers, group them by “food group” and store in airtight containers in the fridge. I’m a firm believer in no waste philosophy and try to rescue as much of my charcuterie board as I can after my guests leave. Cheese and fruit is usually still fine. If the crackers don’t get soggy, I store the leftovers in ziplock bags. The cured meats may be the only item that you may need to discard, especially if the board had been out for a few hours.

OTHER FALL MEAL IDEAS

Roasted Pumpkin Cauliflower Soup
Carrot Butternut Squash Ginger Soup
Healthy Caramel Yogurt Apple Dip
Pumpkin Spice Blended Baked Oats
Healthy Pumpkin Mug Cake
Healthy Banana Oat Bread

If you’ve made this Fall Charcuterie Board, I would love for you to leave me a comment! If you want to connect with me, you can find me on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest.

This post includes affiliate links. 

Fall Charcuterie Board

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★★★★★

5 from 12 reviews

• Author: Agnieszka
• Prep Time: 60 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour
• Yield: 1 charcuterie board

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Description

This Fall Charcuterie Board is the only appetizer you need at any family gathering or holiday in autumn months. Filled with a mix of healthy ingredients, decadent treats and seasonal products from Trader Joe’s, it is perfect for Halloween, Thanksgiving or a casual fall dinner party.

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Ingredients

Cheese
Unexpected Cheddar Cheese
Creamy Toscana Cheese
Pumpkin Spice Goat Cheese

Meats
Salami
Prosciutto
Sopressata

Fruit
strawberries
blueberries
raspberries
red grapes
dried apricots
dried mission figs

Nuts
Olive & Herb Mixed Nuts

Preserves & Condiments
Fig Butter
gherkins
Kalamata olives

Crackers and Bread
Pumpkin & Cranberry Crisps
Multigrain Wheat Thins
Olive Oil Bread Sticks

Sweets
Harvest Collection Belgian Chocolates by Chocolatissimo

Mini pumpkin (for decoration)

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Instructions

1. Wash and dry all fresh fruit on paper towels.
2. Lay a large round board with 2 sheets of parchment paper.
3. Place gherkins, olives, fig butter, nuts and goat cheese in ramekins or small bowls. Put the bread sticks in a mason jar.
4. Arrange the ramekins, bowls and jars around the board. If you are using a mini pumpkin, add it to the board now.
5. Cut up cheddar cheese and start cutting Creamy Toscana cheese leaving most of it in a hunk (or cut it all up if you prefer). Arrange the cheese on the board.
6. Fold and fan the salami, sopressata and prosciutto and add to the board.
7. Place all the berries and grapes around the cheese and meat. Add dried apricots and mission figs.
8. Fill the gaps with crackers and finish the board off with chocolates.
9. Add mini spoons, forks and cheese knives, as needed.

 

Notes

Place gherkins vertically in a ramekin. It will hold a lot of them and it looks really pretty.

Instead of fig butter you can use raspberry preserve or red pepper jelly.

Use any fruit or nuts you like. Blackberries, plums, dried cranberries, dates, cut up pineapple and apple slices are great fruit choices. Similarly, any nut mix will work.

If your board is not very large, consider serving crackers in a separate dish to save space.

• Category: appetizer, dinner
• Cuisine: American

Keywords: fall charcuterie board, fall cheese board, Thanksgiving charcuterie board