What better way to lay out an epic spread for your guests than with a tantalizing cheese board that’s as appealing to the eye as it is to the palate? We pulled some of our favorite, Instagram-worthy boards to help inspire your own cheesy adventures at home. As always, be sure to check out our cheese-friendly wine finds to pour alongside!
Cheese Boards 101:
When designing a cheese board, we like to center it on three cheeses—you don’t want to overwhelm your guests with too many options. Typically, this is a blue cheese, an aged cheese, and a soft, fresh cheese. If you are making a big board, then do large wedges of cheese or smaller wedges scattered around the board. To make your guests feel like they can dig in, crumble or slice some of the cheese on the board before serving. After you’ve picked your cheeses, then you can fill in with nuts, fruit, jams … your imagination is the only limitation! Here are a few of our favorite cheese board add-ons:
- Fresh figs
- Grapes
- Sliced apple or pear
- Sliced citrus
- Dried citrus
- Toasted nuts
- Candied pecans
- Fragrant fresh herbs like rosemary, sage, and lavender
- Chunks of dark chocolate
- Assorted crackers or Italian taralli (we like to play with different shapes, sizes, and textures)
- Sliced chorizo, sopressata, or ribbons of thinly shaved prosciutto or coppa ham
- Honeycomb, fig jam, or sour cherry preserves
- Assorted olives and pickles, like cornichons, pickled pearl onions, caper berries
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Charcuterie skewers make it easy for guests to grab a selection of meats, cheeses, and hors d’oeuvres without making a mess! Mix up these skewers from Greens & Chocolate by adding fruit, like grapes and strawberries.
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Charcuterie croissants are another inventive and sanitary way to serve your selection of meats and cheeses without the hassle of cutting your own slices. Plus, the buttery bread makes a great accompaniment to soft cheeses like Brie in these creations by Charcuterie Dreams FL.
Chocolate and Cheese Board
Believe it or not, cheese and chocolate make for a heavenly match, as proven here by Damn Delicious. Dark chocolate, in particular, boasts fruity notes that complement the sweet and floral characteristics of many cheeses.
Cheese Board with German Beer Cheese Fondue
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Foxes Love Lemons offers up this stunning collection, making a beer cheese fondue the focal point of your charcuterie board. This creamy dip works well with everything from bread and crackers to dried fruits.
Pizza Dough Cheese Board
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The best part of this platter featured in Rachel Ray in Season is that every element down to the board it’s served on is edible! A basic pizza dough stretched thin creates a perfectly sturdy, no-waste charcuterie board.
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Your board should absolutely be inspired by the season and what is fresh and abundant at that time of the year. We love the moodiness of this fall-inspired board from Quince catering in Minneapolis.
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The focal point of your board does not need to be in the middle. This epic cheese board from Rancho Meladuco Date Farm in California uses an elevated bowl to make the Medjool dates the star and positions them off to the side for more visual interest.
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If you are hosting a big crowd, why not turn an entire table into your cheeseboard! Here, Cheese by Numbers uses ribbons of charcuterie to connect the separate boards and make one cohesive spread.
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Sometimes one homemade element can really make your board stand apart and be as much of a focal point as the cheese. Here, the Pineapple Chef accomplishes this with homemade puff pastry braids.
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This board from What’s Gaby Cookin’ uses a trio of cheese balls instead of wedges of cheese! It’s a fun way to mix up your typical board. Plus, it’s a great way to use any bits of leftover cheese in your fridge.
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Mix it up a bit with a cute-shaped board, like this one from Saratoga Grazing Co. The heart is perfect for a Valentine’s Day board for two. Did we mention that we also love this charcuterie rose?
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Here Board and Slate makes small cutouts on a soft cheese like Brie using a small cookie cutter. It’s a creative way to add a jam or spread and a pop of color!
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There is so much to love on this board from the Indigo Platter Co.. The cream cheese–stuffed peppers with Everything Bagel Spice are an unexpected addition to the cheeseboard, and the playful theme is perfect for a game day spread.
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These cheese cones from RVA Cheese Girl are perfect for any socially distanced gatherings or a more personalized (and portable!) spin on a classic board.
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Sometimes it’s fun to let one cheese be the star! This board from For Love and Graze stacks rinds of soft-ripened cheese to look like a mini wedding cake. It is beautiful, unusual, and a cinch to assemble.
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