Everyone loves a good charcuterie board and I’m going to show you how to make an EPIC cheese board in just 10 minutes. What cheeses to buy and style then how to fill your board with delicious accompaniments to wow your guests!
Starting from scratch and want something simple? Then you need to check out our tips on Making a Simple Cheese Board for Beginners.
Looking across Instagram or Pinterest for inspiration can seem a bit overwhelming. I’m sure you’re first thought is “I cannot do that!” But here’s a little industry secret — it’s easier than it looks.
Follow our step-by-step tips and you’ll be the cheese board champ in no time!
How to make a cheese board
There are five main categories when it comes to a tasty cheese spread — cheese, meat, vehicle, fruits & nuts, and (the best part) extras. Depending on the size of your crowd we’ll walk through how much and our favorite local offerings that will give your board some gouda vibes.
Cheese
It’s called a cheese board, well because cheese should be the star of the show! Pick out 3-4 flavors or styles of your favorite cheese and for a full epic affect pick out a style from each cheese type: soft cheese, semi-soft cheese, semi-hard cheese and hard cheese. Or look for cheeses of different colors: cheddar, Gouda or Monterey jack, a marble cheese, or even a port wine or blue cheese. The more diverse of color scheme the more fun it will be for guests to explore your board.
A few of our seasonal picks:
- The Creamery Gouda Cheese
- The Creamery Pepper Jack Cheese
- Troyer® Blue Marble Cheese
- Troyer® Cheddar Horseradish Cheese
- Gosssner Foods® Swiss Cheese
- Cache Valley Creamery® Sharp Cheddar
Want to learn how to cut cheeses like a pro? Check out our cutting guide.
Meat
There’s a reason the terms charcutier board and cheese board seem almost interchangeable. The simple truth is salty cured meats are the perfect partner to creamy and smooth cheeses. As with the cheeses the more the merrier, pick out a couple different cured meats. The classic choice of meats include prosciutto, salami, capoccollo or serrano ham.
Carbs
Like a boat, plane or car taking the goods to the destination is all a part of the fun. So should be the crackers, baguettes or breadsticks when it comes to your cheese board and helping guest get the goods to their mouths! These don’t have to be fancy but something that compliments or supports the favors of your board.
A few of our savory and sweet picks:
- Memaw’s Country Kitchen Cheese Tiddies
- Rustic Bakery Organic Sourdough Flatbread
- Rustic Bakery Organic Sourdough Flatbread Bites
- Verweij 100% Butter Stroopwafels
- Carr’s Cheese Melts
- Rustic Bakery Artisan Crisps
Fruits & Nuts
While we may use the term “space fillers” to describe this step, fruits and nuts don’t have to be an underwhelming addition to your board. They have a supportive role in creating an orchestra of flavor. To play up the holiday feel of this board pick out seasonal fruits and nuts. Our winter fruit favorites include pears, passionfruit, candied clementines, dried figs and of course cranberries (dried or as a jam). Then for nuts do a mix of raw, salted and candied: pecans, walnuts, cashews, almonds or pistachios.
The Extras
This is where it’s at! Think condiments and marinated or jarred vegetables. Dips, drizzles, jams, schmears, preserves, pesto’s, marinated vegetables, olives … oh the possibilities are endless, but we want to keep this short and simple. Think about what extra flavors you want to include in your board that are not already highlighted in the four categories above but are supportive to the overall theme.
A few of our current favorites:
- Bluebird Candy Company Candied Cashews
- Van Den Berg Krakelingen
- Runamok® Maple Holiday Spiced Infused Maple Syrup
- Uncle Hoss’s Crisscross Crunch Death by Chocolate Crunch
- Bluebird Candy Company Assorted Chocolates Box
- Mike's Hot Honey®
Basically, have fun with it and enjoy.
Now that you’ve hunted and gathered, how do you ASSEMBLE it all?
Check out our simple, step-by-step cheese board assembly guide to master any ingredient list and make it Instagram worthy.
