What you’ll need:

Don’t get board silly

Start with a wood cutting board, serving platter, or cheese block, but keep it interesting with a unique shape that will complement your arrangement. And most important of all: make sure it’s big enough to hold your masterpiece. Additional equipment you’ll want to have on-hand: Some nicer cheese knives or serving utensils, sauce bowls, and serving plates.

Nice to meat you

The core of your DIY charcuterie board will revolve around your cured meats, so make sure to choose flavors that work with the other ingredients. Pre-sliced and cured meats are the way to go here. Some of our favorites: prosciutto, salami, pepperoni, and soppressata if you’re feeling fancy.

Crack them up 

You want your guests to get creative with the options before them, so you’ve got to give them a tool to create with! Crackers are the perfect device for this, allowing them to stack and dip as they please. Wheat thins or Ritz crackers are tried and true, but you can get fancy with pita crackers or flavored crisps.

Say cheese

Fresh-cut cheese is what life’s all about. Get creative here with hard and soft cheeses, from creamy brie cheese, goat cheese, and blue cheese to salty parmigiano, smoked gouda, or cheddar.

The fruits of your labor

A fresh burst of fruity flavor perfectly offsets the heavy hitters you’ve got in this DIY charcuterie board so far. Figs, grapes, apple slices, and pears are all great fresh options. Dried fruit is a must as well to add balance—try out dried apricot!

We know it’s not a fruit, but pickles need a home on this board too for a salty, vinegar touch. Add some sweet pickles to not overwhelm the mix. 

Spread out + sip on

Now you’ve got the fundamentals in there, it’s time to throw in some spice. Add some small sauce bowls to your board and fill them with fresh jams and spreads. Fig jam, classic strawberry jam, and pepper jam are great options, and for added flavor, add dijon mustard and orange marmalade to the DIY charcuterie board. Really want to go all out? Pick up fresh honeycomb with honey to really wow ‘em. 

Beyond spreads, you’ll want to keep your guests hydrated as well as satiated. Pair the DIY charcuterie board with fruity, yet smooth wines that will wash everything down nicely. Pinot Blanc, Champagne, and Shiraz are all good options.

How to arrange it: 

Here’s where the magic happens. Now that you’ve got oodles and oodles of fresh ingredients to work with, you can let your imagination run wild! We’re not here to reign in your creativity, but to get you started, make sure to follow these pointers:

1. Place your board in its serving location and build it out right there to prevent any sliding of your masterpiece. Add your fancy sauce bowls in scattered places on the board to save room for your spreads, and make sure to add some nice cheese knives and butter knives so guests can help themselves.
2. Roll up your meats and stack, spiral, or wind them around the board to start.
3. Stack your various crackers and lay them on their sides, placing them around the board in pockets.
4. Cut your cheese into a large wedge or cube for a more elegant look (and less mess for soft cheeses). Space out your cheeses across the board and use them to prop up your meat and cracker stacks. Slide in some write-on chalk tags if you’re using exotic cheeses to let your guests know what you’re serving up.
5. Next, add some bundles of grapes and other fresh fruits throughout for a splash of color. Place your pickles in a dish to prevent the strong pickle juice from mixing with other flavors.
6. You’ve already got your sauce dishes placed, which makes this part easy. Scoop your spreads out of their original containers and into your clean, color-coordinated bowls to set the scene.
7. Now’s our favorite part! Sprinkle on your pecans and other nuts throughout wherever there’s open space. Have fun with it!