Fall Charcuterie Board
This show stopping Fall Charcuterie Board will be the star of your parties and holidays! This fall appetizer is nearly effortless with just a little planning and the right ingredients, and it’s guaranteed to impress!
When I’m entertaining, I love creating beautiful, show stopping boards for my guests to gather around and graze. It’s such a fun way to eat isn’t it?
My crudités platter and chocolate dessert board are also great ways to feed a crowd, but this Fall Charcuterie Board is the ultimate!
This is your answer to fall entertaining whether you’re hosting a holiday, dinner party, game day celebration or movie night!
For a fun, festive Christmas appetizer, be sure to check out my Christmas Tree Charcuterie Board!
Why you’ll love this recipe
- A fall-themed charcuterie board is one of the easiest ways to entertain.
- It’s a beautiful, show stopping way to feed any amount of people.
- It’s extremely versatile and may be customized for any season, occasion, or dietary requirement.
- It may be assembled in advance so you can relax and enjoy your party too!
Charcuterie board tips
Follow these simple tips to create a show stopping charcuterie board for fall. Use your creativity and most of all, have some fun!
- Choose your board(s). Use one large cheese board or group a few smaller ones together if you don’t have anything big enough. Anything goes!
- Select a minimum of 3 cheeses. Choose a variety of soft (brie, goat, feta, fresh mozzarella, blue), hard (cheddar, parmeggiano-reggiano, pecorino), and aged (gruyere, manchego, gouda).
- Choose a minimum of 2 cured meats. Proscuitto, salami and serrano ham are great options.
- Include fresh, seasonal ingredients such as fruits, vegetables and herbs. Choose an array of colors and flavors that will pair well with the cheeses you’ve chosen.
- Select crackers and bread in a variety of shapes, colors and textures. Water, whole grain, seeded and even grain free crackers, sliced baguette, crostini or breadsticks are great options.
- Include a spread and/or honey or maple syrup. Fig jam, chutney, cranberry sauce, pesto and whole grain mustard work well with almost any meat and cheese selections.
- Add sweet and savory accompaniments. These include dried fruits, nuts, cornichons, olives, roasted bell peppers or pickled vegetables.
Recipe ingredients
Charcuterie board ingredients include cured meats, cheese, crackers or bread, along with fresh or dried fruits, jam, olives, nuts and more.
I chose to do a fall-themed meat and cheese board that includes the ingredients listed below.
- Cheese. I used a combination of Brie, goat, gouda and manchego cheeses to ensure there was something for everyone.
- Cured meats. Good quality salami and prosciutto are always crowd pleasers.
- Fresh fall fruits. I opted for a mixture of grapes, figs, kumquats, pomegranate, apple and pears. Use any fall fruit(s) you like.
- An assortment of crackers. As with all of the ingredients for a fall charcuterie board, variety is key.
- Homemade fig jam. Can be made up to 3 weeks in advance.
- Honey. If you want to go all out with the fall theme, purchase a fall honey from your local farmers market. It’s darker and richer in color than the spring / summer honeys typically sold at the grocery store.
- Mixed nuts. Choose any seasoning you like.
- Olives. Use any kind, or omit if you don’t like olives.
- Cornichons. These tiny pickles are especially great for charcuterie boards.
- Dried apricots. Any dried fruit may be used.
- Fresh rosemary and sage. Fresh herbs are the perfect finishing touch!
See the recipe card below for the full list of ingredients and quantities.
How to make a charcuterie board
Assembling a fall meat and cheese board is extremely easy — with a bit of planning and following the simple instructions below.
Pro tip: A charcuterie board may be assembled a few hours in advance. Be sure to place the cheese out at room temperature for one hour prior to serving.
See the recipe card below for full instructions.
- Place larger items on the board(s) first, such as the cheeses and items in bowls.
- Arrange the meats and crackers around the cheeses.
- Add fresh fruits and vegetables in remaining large spaces.
- Fill in remaining small spaces with your accompaniments.
- Decorate your board with fresh herbs, and adorn your cheeses with a drizzle of honey or fresh fruit if desired.
Recipe FAQs
Classic charcuterie boards are typically meat-focused with the addition of cheese and accompaniments, whereas cheese boards don’t necessarily contain any cured meats.
If you don’t own a cheese board, the good news is that you don’t need to run out and buy one. Use a large rimmed baking sheet, wooden cutting board or platter, or group a few smaller items together.
Use a variety of cheeses to create the perfect board. I suggest using a minimum of three, including an assortment of soft (brie, goat, feta, fresh mozzarella, blue), hard (cheddar, parmigiano-reggiano, pecorino), and aged (gruyere, manchego, gouda).
Cured meats such as prosciutto, salami, pepperoni and soppressata are all great options.
This fall cheese board may be assembled in advance. Leave the cheese out for one hour prior to serving as it is best at room temperature.
Recipe notes
- Make-ahead tip: Cheese board may be assembled a few hours in advance. Be sure to place the cheese out at room temperature for one hour prior to serving.
- I’ve provided specific suggestions for creating your own fall charcuterie board, but you can use any combination of meats, cheeses, and crackers you like.
- When assembling any charcuterie board, remember to provide a few options for everything. That means more than one type of meat, cheese, fruit, and so on. That’s what makes charcuterie such a fun dining experience!
Great additions to your next charcuterie board
Did you try this recipe? If so, be sure to leave a review below and tag me @flavorthemoments on Facebook and Instagram
Fall Charcuterie Board
Ingredients
- 6 ounces manchego cheese
- 8 ounces gouda cheese smoked
- 4 ounces brie cheese
- 4 ounces goat cheese log
- 3 ounces proscuitto
- 8 ounces salami
- 4.4 ounces water crackers
- 4 ounces seeded crackers
- 4 ounces almond flour crackers
- 1 cup nuts
- 5 ounces dried apricots
- 1 cup olives
- 1/2 cup cornichons
- 8 ounces figs
- 8 ounces grapes
- 1 pomegranate arils
- 1 apple
- 1 pear
- 1 cup kumquats sliced (or substitute with orange or persimmon)
- 1/2 cup fig jam
- 1/4 cup honey
- fresh rosemary sprigs
- fresh sage note that fresh sage is not edible — it is just for garnish!
Instructions
- Place the cheeses and any ingredients in bowls on a board (or group of boards).
- Arrange the meats and crackers around the cheeses, followed by the fruit, dried apricots and accompaniments, filling in any gaps that you see.
- Decorate the board with fresh rosemary sprigs and sage, serve and enjoy!
Notes
- Pro tip: Cheese board may be assembled a few hours in advance. Be sure to place the cheese out at room temperature for one hour prior to serving.
- If using fruit that is prone to discoloration such as pears and apples, cut them and add them to the board a little while before serving.
- The nutrition information is an estimate only and is based on the ingredients that I’ve included here. This will change based on the ingredients and quantities that you include on your own board!
- This is a versatile appetizer or snack that may be customized with your favorite ingredients and scaled to feed any number of people.
- Don’t own a cheese board? Use a rimmed baking sheet, serving tray, cutting board or whatever you have on hand.
Nutrition
Nutrition is estimated using a food database and is only intended to be used as a guideline for informational purposes.
6 Comments on “Fall Charcuterie Board”
Such a beautiful cheese board! I’m a big fan of the O Organics brand. I always love a great cheese board… They’re so much fun & always a crowd pleaser!
Thank you so much Nicole! I love the brand too and cheese boards are such a fun way to eat!
This is an AMAZING grazing board, Marcie! I would love to come to one of your parties and be greeted by this beauty – you would honestly need to drag me away. That homemade fig jam looks absolutely delicious too – I need to give it a go!
I’d love you to come to one of my parties too! And I’m with you…when there’s a cheese board around that’s where you’ll find me. 😊
We love a good cheese board Marcie and this one has all the things I love! While we always have one or two for entertaining during the holidays, we love preparing one for ourselves for dinner on the weekend or for a movie night! They’re perfect for a relaxing night in.
Fall ingredients are my favorite, so this was so fun. And having this for dinner on movie night is such a great idea!