Switch Up Your Charcuterie Board for Your Next Event

About Tori Thurmond

Tori Thurmond combines her creative writing background with her marketing experience in her role as the Content Specialist at Brookdale. When she's not writing, she's probably spending time with her two cats or knitting.

Cheese, crackers, dried fruit and more—who wouldn’t love a charcuterie board? But are you tired of bringing the same boards to every event? Here are a few ways to switch up your snack plate to add an unexpected twist that everyone will love.

Add What’s In Season

In addition to your usual apple slices and snap peas that are so common on charcuterie boards, try adding seasonal fruits and veggies. Not only does produce taste and look better when it’s in season but it’s often more affordable and nutrient dense. Aiming to add more seasonal foods to your charcuterie boards can help you think outside of the box and surprise your party guests with fun flavors. Here are a few suggestions of fruits and vegetables to include each season depending on where you live:

Spring:

Apricots
Blackberries
Carrots
Kiwi
Radishes
Strawberries

Summer:

Bell peppers
Blueberries
Cherries
Cucumbers
Raspberries
Tomatoes

Fall:

Grapes
Broccoli
Pears
Pomegranates
Figs

Winter:

Oranges
Grapefruit
Artichokes
Persimmons
Guava

Make a Monochromatic Board

While having a variety of color on a charcuterie board is part of the charm sometimes, try bringing a monochromatic board to your next function. Gather fruits, interesting cheeses, crackers and candy all in the same color family and get to arranging! You could even host an event dedicated to everyone bringing a different colored board to have a rainbow charcuterie night. If you’re making a purple board, switch regular cauliflower for purple cauliflower, or if red is your color, swap regular oranges for a few blood oranges. Who knows, you might even find a new favorite variety of fruit or vegetable by sticking to your chosen color scheme. For inspiration, check out websites like Pinterest to see what other people have done.

Create a Festive Holiday Board

If you’re going to an event around a holiday, try making a holiday-themed board. For a Fourth of July celebration, you could arrange your food in the shape of an American flag or just stick to a red, white and blue color palette. When Thanksgiving rolls around, try incorporating fall shapes. You could include a cheese ball formed to look like a pumpkin, leaf-shaped cookies or even arrange your whole board in the shape of a turkey. Pair these ideas with the rich oranges and browns of autumn and you’ll have the perfect Thanksgiving appetizer. A board in the shape of a tree or wreath would be perfect for any Christmas gathering. If you’re feeling especially ambitious next holiday season, make your board 3D by creating a vertical charcuterie tree using a saran-wrapped foam cone and lots of toothpicks. Holiday appetizers have never been so fun!

Experiment With Non-Traditional Foods

Tired of salami, cheese cubes and nuts? Try making a board out of unconventional fare. For those with a sweet tooth, make a s’mores board by arranging different chocolates, cookies, graham crackers and marshmallows or try out a candy board with a variety of sweet and sour treats. For the dip connoisseurs in your life, make a chips and dip board. If you’re looking to indulge, you could make a fried foods board with French fries, chicken nuggets, mozzarella sticks and all of the dips to pair them with (the grandkids will love this one). And who says charcuterie boards can’t be for breakfast? The next time you have overnight guests, make a breakfast board featuring pancakes, bacon, breakfast potatoes and all of your other morning favorites.

For more fun food related content, make sure to check out other Brookdale blogs like Superfood Salads for Summer and Try a Dense Bean Salad.