How To Make A Simple Holiday Charcuterie Board

Thank you Heluva Good! for sponsoring this post. Include Heluva Good! Dips are the perfect way to add flavor to any occasion.

Celebrate and host a party with this charcuterie board! This winning charcuterie platter is loaded with meats, dried fruit, the perfect dips, gluten-free crackers and tips on how to make the perfect holiday charcuterie board- the greatest focal point to every party!

The holidays are busy with traveling and preparing time with loved ones, so I like to keep things in the kitchen easy and simple. I prefer to have things prepped in advance to be able to spend as much time out of the kitchen and more time with family and friends. Heluva Good! is my go-to when I need a tasty snack that gets my boys eating veggies.

If you are looking to impress your family and friends with a delicious dip, but don't want the hassle of spending hours whipping it together, pick up some Heluva Good! Dip. It is great as a snack or in addition to a charcuterie appetizer board.

What is a Charcuterie Board

For years I was mind blown about how gorgeous and versitile a meat and cheese appetizer platter can be. Some believe the creation of this appetizer board to be in-depth, expensive and time consuming, but the good news is- it is not! I will show you how easy it is to create a gorgeous charcuterie board of your own!

To start…

Charcuterie is the creation of arranging a stunning display of meats that are cured or smoked. This arranged display most commonly includes salami, ham, bacon, pepperoni, and prosciutto. The meats can be presented by rolling them up, layering them into the visual of a “fan”, served rolled with slices of cheese or on skewers with olives. The visuals and possibilities are endless!

This charcuterie board is wonderful to serve as hors d'oeuvre appetizer, for a happy hour party with friends, a movie night dinner (hey, it incorporates all food groups!), at a birthday party, Thanksgiving party or Christmas party- ummm, pretty much how about at any party! ?!

Not only does it incorporate meats, it includes all seasonal food groups including favorite savory Heluva Good! dips, pumpkin butter, fresh and dried seasonal fruits, vegetables (good for dipping), and gluten-free crackers. You can change up the board to add cheese, or summer seasonal fruits such as strawberries, blueberries and blackberries. Just gather the basics.

What Is Needed For a Charcuterie Platter

A board to display the food. There are so many kinds of charcuterie boards such as a circular board or rectangular board, both big or small. Personally, I prefer larger is better😊. I love using a large circular board or the large rectangular board that I use in this Healthy Kids Party Platter and this Red White and Blue Fruit Platter.

How To Make A Charcuterie Appetizer Board

~Meat

Meat is the star of the show for a charcuterie board! For this board and any board here are a few meat selections to choose from. I shopped at our local grocery store for ours and purchased a pack that includes three flavors of meat: spicy coppa, spicy sopressa salame, and cooked spicy capocolla. More meats to add are prosciutto (plain or as shown wrapped with mozzarella cheese), salami hand rolled with sliced mozzarella, Salchicholn (Spanish salame), dry-cured ham, chorizo cantimpalo, peppered salame,  and (my kids favorite) pepperoni.

~Dip and Cheese

For this charcuterie Board we incorporated Heluva Good! dip (for a Heluva good time of course! – all pun intended😊). They have French Onion Dip, Buttermilk Ranch Dip, Jalapeño Cheddar Dip, and more!

The dips are wonderful for dipping vegetables and crackers and even to add as a spread or dip with meat! Keep reading and I will show you how to use any leftovers of a charcuterie board!

You can also add your favorite hard cheese like blue cheese, sharp cheddar cheese, brie cheese, goat cheese, and favorite gourmet cheeses to the board. Or, as shown here, wrap the meat with mozzarella cheese slices.

~Fruit Spreads

Delightful fruit spreads such as pumpkin butter, or a fig butter spread is immaculate. Chutneys, marmalade and jams can be used as well.

~Seasonal Fresh Fruits & Vegetables

Summer and Spring: Strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, mandarins, tangerines, carrots, celery, jicama slices, cucumbers, asparagus, herb infused black and green olives.

Fall & Winter: Figs, persimmons, apples, pears, pomegranate seeds, grapes, golden berries, broccoli, celery, carrots, brussels sprouts, herb infused olives.

~Dried Fruits

Year round: Cranberries, figs, apricots, dates, berries, sugared orange slices, sugared ginger slices.

~Nuts

Add to the board cashews, almonds, walnuts, candied nuts, pecans, Brazilian nuts, chestnuts, and truffled marcona almonds.

~Gluten-Free Crackers

Load the board with gluten-free crackers, wafers and rice crackers spread in pretty designs like swirls and loaded in layers or stacks.

How to make a festive holiday Charcuterie Board

Have a large board ready to assemble your charcuterie recipe. Slice all of the fruits and vegetables, meats, cheese, dips and dry fruits and fresh ingredients. You will want your board to have a variety of textures, colors and depth.

Start your arrangement by placing dips, dishes, spreads and/or jams around the board. You can also add dried fruit or fresh berries into mini bowls, which should also be placed on the board at this time.

Next add meats (and cheese if using) by rolling some of the meat with mozzarella cheese slices. Arrange the meat around the dips and spreads on the charcuterie board followed by fresh fruit and vegetable slices.

Place the rest of the ingredients including dried fruit (and olives if using) and gluten-free crackers around the meat. Fill in any gaps and blank space with dried fruit, fresh herbs, and edible flowers such as carnations and roses!

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How to use leftovers of  a Charcuterie board

• Turn the meat into a sandwich. Layer it with cream cheese, or Heluva Good! dip spread over bread.
• Make an epic cracker layer sandwich. Layer meat, dip, crackers repeatedly. Stack that beauty high! Enjoy!
• Pizza toppings! We love pizza and all this meat and everything is delicious topped on pizza and roasted to a crisp perfection.

More Party Platters & Appetizers to Love!

• Crostini Tuna Melt Appetizers
• Healthy Snack Party Platter For Kids

I hope you make a holiday charcuterie board like this one! It is so simple to start gathering ingredients then adding flavorsome dips that you can find easily in the ails of your neighborhood supermarkets!