Simple Charcuterie Board the Whole Family Will Love!

Are you wanting to build a charcuterie board but aren’t sure what to put on it? If you are looking for a simple charcuterie board you can do with your family, here are some tips!

I love charcuterie boards. When Josh and I got married, I told our caterer that all I wanted was meat and cheese and fruit. And root beer floats of course! Even though it wasn’t all laid out like charcuterie boards are now, I fell in love with the combination of flavors you get with all of those foods mixed together. Now we do charcuterie boards whenever we can! It’s such a fun meal and super easy to make. Believe it or not, it doesn’t have to be expensive! We usually use food that we either already have and buy a few extra items that will go well with what our spread.

Without further ado, here is how you can make a simple charcuterie board the whole family will love. I’m going to be sharing how to build a charcuterie board and what to put on a charcuterie board, so get out your pens and papers folks! It’s going to get good.

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Simple Charcuterie Board

Board

I’m sure you’ve seen all the cute charcuterie boards on giant, round boards. Those look beautiful, don’t they? You don’t need that if you don’t have it though! Honestly, we just use our cutting board. Granted, it is a granite cutting board, but it is just a cutting board with grooves on the edges. We love it. It would be nice to have a nicer charcuterie board that is specific for our charcuteries (since we make the so much), but that will probably be a ways down the road. I tried to find the link to our cutting board but wasn’t able to find the exact link. I’ve included a similar item for you guys and a couple of other cute ones that won’t break the bank!

Layout

The layout of your board will depend on how you want it to look! Some people like to clump all of the same items together. Others like to split up the items throughout the board. I’m personally a fan of the second style. I like how this makes the board look and how people all around the board will have easy access to each type of food. 

Meats

All good charcuterie boards need some good meats! However, what is good for someone may not be super good for others. Just buy what you like and what will get eaten! Here are some ideas of some examples of meats that are delicious but not too pricey. You can even check Costco, Walmart, or Target for some sampler packs that will have 2 or 3 different types.

• Pastrami
• Prosciutto
• Copa
• Salami
• Pepperoni
• Lunch Meat
• Deli Meat (from Deli counter)

Cheese

I have some picky cheese eaters in my family, so we typically stick to the safe cheeses for our simple charcuterie board. You can either buy cheeses blocks or sticks where you can and cut them up in fun shapes. We typically stick to cubes, but I’ve seen some pretty cool things other people have done on YouTube that makes me want to try it.

• Cheddar Cheese
• Colby Jack Cheese
• Cream Cheese
• Baby Bell Cheese
• Laughing Cow Cheese
• Goat Cheese
• Mozzarella

Fruit

Sometimes our simple charcuterie board comes out looking more like a fruit board, but I don’t even care! We love our fruits and tend to add a ton to our charcuterie boards. The key to this is picking fruit that is easy to grab and eat, unless you are putting them in small bowls on your board. I tried mango once and it didn’t turn out super great. It may have been the mango I used though… haha!

• Grapes
• Sliced Apples
• Strawberries
• Blueberries
• Raspberries
• Blackberries
• Kiwi

Vegetables

If you don’t add vegetables, they will feel left out. Plus, they do taste delicious paired with the other items!

• Carrots
• Olives
• Celery
• Cucumber
• Olives (these are best in their own bowl)
• Bell Peppers
• Grape Tomatoes 
• Tiny Pickles

Citrus

I could have lumped this in with fruit, but I wanted to have this as a separate list so you wouldn’t miss it. I love adding some sort of citrus to our charcuterie boards. There are so many flavors sometimes that things tend to mesh into one another. A citrus can be a palette-cleanser of sorts so you can enjoy all the flavors from your charcuterie board!

• Grapefruit
• Orange

Bread/Crackers

Whether you choose bread (like french bread cut into small slices) or crackers, find something that you enjoy either by itself or with the other items you are adding to your charcuterie board. If you’re looking for crackers, you may be able to get a cracker sampler from your local grocery store. 

• French bread
• Wheat Thins
• Nut Thins 
• Saltines
• Crackers

Dips/Jellies

If you like jams or jellies with your bread or crackers, you can get small jars of your favorites to add to your charcuterie board. You can also put dips in small bowls and add them to your charcuterie board! Or even fruit dip. The sky’s the limit!

• Jams
• Jellies
• Dips
• Hummus

Others

This is where you can let your imagination go wild! I’ve seen chocolate-covered pretzels, dried fruits, nuts, even goldfish! The cracker, not the fish. There are so many fun things you can add to your charcuterie board that will make it unique and delicious. 

• Chocolate Covered Pretzels
• Pretzels
• Goldfish Crackers
• Dried Fruit
• Nuts

There you have it! That is how you can make a simple charcuterie board that the whole family will love! I know we do. Like I mentioned, we make an easy charcuterie board so often that it is now one of our frequent dinner meals. It’s great and it doesn’t have to be super difficult! Buy what you will eat and make it your own. Bon Appetit!

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