Tips and Tutorial for a Small Charcuterie Board - Healthfully Rooted Home (2024)

Date nights, picnics, small parties, or get-togethers call for a small charcuterie board. Charcuterie boards are hors d’oeuvres typically seen on a large platter ready to feed a crowd. But when a more intimate occasion occurs, you need a smaller appetizer.

In fact, it can be challenging to make a smaller charcuterie platter, so I’m going to give you some tips on how to downsize your next grazing board.

Related: How to make a salami rose

Related: Butter Board Tutorial

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What is a Charcuterie Board

A charcuterie board is typically an assortment of cured meats and has lately been expanded upon to include cheeses, crackers, and other snack food that pairs well with the meat.

I like to even add chutneys, and glazes to my charcuterie boards to drizzle on top meat and crackers. Charcuterie boards are the perfect appetizer for social gatherings as they make for great grazing tables.

How to Make a Small Charcuterie Board

Small charcuterie boards are perfect for a night in alone, a date night at home, or a get-together with one other couple. Your charcuterie board could be a starter, or the star of the show and be the main course.

It’s easy to go overboard when shopping for a small charcuterie board because there’s so much that would be delicious on one – use my tips below on how to make a small charcuterie board.

Ingredients

See the section “elements of a charcuterie board” below where I talk about ratios and how to keep your board small.

Meat – Cured meats are the obvious choice for a charcuterie, whether you choose peppered salami, genoa salami, prosciutto, pepperoni, or any others you prefer. For the small charcuterie board, I made in the recipe below, I made a salami rose as the focal point of the board.

Cheese – Even more options than one could imagine when it comes to cheese. There are soft cheeses, hard cheeses, smoked, blue, goat, and so much more.

Fruit – Fresh fruit is a great addition to balance out the hearty meats and cheeses of a grazing board. Keep it small and just use one type of fruit. I chose grapes, but you could use apple slices, pomegranate, or whatever your heart desires.

Crackers – You need a vessel to enjoy the meats and cheeses and crackers, crostini, or your favorite crusty bread are a perfect vehicle.

Sauces/dips – It’s nice to have something to dip your mini meat/cheese sandwiches in too! I like to use chutney, balsamic-fig glaze, honey with the honeycomb, or stone-ground mustard for this. This is totally optional and might not make it to your small charcuterie.

Sweets – Also optional, but adds to the excitement of a charcuterie board, in my opinion! I like to get fancy chocolate, like Himalayan sea salt almonds, cocoa-dusted nuts, or chocolate-covered graham crackers to act as a filler for my small charcuterie boards.

Related: chocolate-covered graham crackers recipe

Steps for making a small charcuterie board

1. Choose a platter – see tips below on how to choose the right platter.
2. Create a focal point – this is optional, and some people like more of a random assortment, but I like to work off of a focal point.
3. Raid your pantry – use what you already have to get your charcuterie board started. You might have more than you think!
4. Shop for the extras – the fun part, make a list and fill in any gaps (see tips below for saving money on a charcuterie board).
5. Assemble the board – see below for specifics.

How to assemble a charcuterie board

There are so many ways to assemble a charcuterie board. Some say to start with the cheese, some say the meat. Others like to start with the jar or big things first.

Personally, I like to start with the larger items and then work my way out to the smaller items. Here’s exactly how I make assembling a charcuterie board easy.

How to Store a Charcuterie Board

Since you’re making a small charcuterie board, it’s likely you won’t need to store anything after all, but, if you do, here’s how to store your leftovers.

The storing process of a charcuterie board starts before you even assemble the board – by saving your packaging! For example, if you have nuts that came in a bag or container, save it so you can pour the nuts back in.

Then, be sure to pack things separately and store them properly. Meat and cheese should go in airtight containers and be stored in the fridge, crackers in the pantry, etc.

Tips for a Small Charcuterie Board

Use canisters & ramekins – these can help to add texture, height, and functionality to your charcuterie. Use them to add sauces, nuts, or anything you’d like to keep separate from the rest of the board.

Don’t overthink it – just start and don’t overthink it. Once you get the ball rolling with assembling your board the rest comes easy.

Shop discounts – give yourself a goal to find everything at a discount store or in the discount section – this can help to spark your inspiration for the whole board!

Find inspiration – go to Pinterest and find inspiration!

Use what you already have – You probably have some charcuterie board elements in your pantry right now! I always find weird things in my pantry that we wouldn’t eat on a regular basis, but are great for a charcuterie board.

Make a focal point – I like to use a focal point, like a salami rose, to be the centerpiece for my charcuterie boards.

Vary heights – Use variable heights to create aesthetic appeal.

Add a variety of colors and textures – this also adds to the visual appeal of a charcuterie board. Using contrasting colors and textures makes for a beautiful board.

Garnish with something edible – I like using fruit as a garnish, but you could use a tasty herb too!

Have a theme to draw back to – having a theme to your charcuterie can act as a good anchor for creating your board.

How to Make a Charcuterie To Go

To make a charcuterie board to go, you have a couple of options. First, you could bring everything and assemble it on location, or, you could assemble the board in a baking dish with a lid (or plastic wrap over it).

Option 1: Assemble on location

1. Pack all the ingredients to your charcuterie board, along with the platter itself, and assemble at the party.
2. Be sure to save the containers, or bring separate containers and bags to store the leftovers.

Option 2: Charcuterie in a dish

1. Find the right-sized baking dish, preferably one with a lid.
2. Assemble all the ingredients that can be refrigerated without getting soggy. Things like meat, cheese, fruit, and even chocolate can go in there. Then, save things like crackers and bread that would dry out in the fridge for when you arrive onsite.
3. Store the pre-made charcuterie dish in the fridge until you’re ready to go. When you arrive at the party, just add your bread and crackers, rearrange as needed, and enjoy!

Elements of the Perfect Charcuterie Board

There are so many options when it comes to the specific ingredients you use for a charcuterie board. Here are some ideas!

Meat

For a small charcuterie board, I’d choose 1-2 meat options. consider 2-5 oz. per person when deciding on how much meat. Choose a couple of options from different categories below. For example, choose one whole meat and one smooth, or one dry and one cured.

Meat options

• Whole meat: prociutto, bresaola and jamòn
• Smooth meat: rillettes, and pate.
• Cured: Salami, Saucisson sec, Spanish chorizo
• Dry: bacon, or pancetta

Cheese

I like to stick to the same principles for cheese and have 1-2 options and consider 2-5 oz. per person. Choose a couple of options from different categories below. For example, choose one hard cheese and one soft, or one crumbly and one firm.

Cheese options

• Hard cheese: chunks of parmesan, smoked gouda, asiago
• Firm cheese: gruyere, comte, manchego, colby, cheddar
• Semi-soft cheese: havarti, butterkäse, muenster
• Soft cheese: burrata, mascarpone, brie
• Blue cheese: gorgonzola, Dunbarton blue, marbled blue jack
• Crumbly cheese: feta, goat cheese

Crackers/Bread

For small charcuterie boards, you should have about 2 types of bread or cracker options as a vehicle for the meats and cheeses. This is where you can get creative with textures! Have some crackers with sesame seeds, some with ripples on the surface, etc.

Bread & cracker options

• Bread: French sourdough, asiago ciabatta or raisin-pecan rye, crostini
• Crackers: water crackers, crispy breadsticks, dried fruit crackers, multigrain crackers.

Fruit

Fruit is a refreshing addition to your charcuterie! For small boards choose just one fruit, and maybe one more dried fruit option (not necessary).

• Fresh fruit: grapes, pomegranate, apples, pears, melon balls, pineapple, berries, figs.
• Dried fruit: figs, apricots, mangos, cherries

Spreads

At most, one spread is sufficient for a small charcuterie board.

• Sweet: apple butter, apricot jam, fig spread, and local honey with the honeycomb, balsamic fig glaze.
• Savory: stone ground mustard, mango chutney, ancho aioli

Sweets/extras

Chocolate is always a good idea in my opinion. For small boards, I’d choose 0-2 sweets/extras options. These help to act as filler for those blank spots in your board, and add variety and garnish to your board.

• Chocolate: chocolate-covered raisins, chocolate-covered pretzels, chocolated-covered bark, chocolate-covered nuts, chocolate-covered graham crackers.

• Candy: candied nuts, caramel popcorn, cookies, yogurt-covered pretzels.
• Savory: olives, sage leaves, nuts.

Serving Suggestions

Serving charcuterie boards are perfect for any occasion, grand or ordinary. Here are some ideas for when to serve a charcuterie board!

• Thanksgiving appetizer charcuterie board (make it look like a turkey)
• Christmas grazing board (make it look like a Christmas tree)
• Easter charcuterie platter (make it look like a bunny)
• New years eve charcuterie board
• Date night charcuterie board
• Picnic grazing board
• Summer get-togethers

Themed charcuterie board ideas

• Brunch charcuterie board (using all brunch foods)
• Dessert charcuterie platters (using all sweets)
• Hot chocolate board
• French fry theme (all types of fries and sauces like my ancho aioli and dill aioli!)
• Taco-themed charcuterie board
• Wine tasting theme (use foods that pair well with the wine you’ll be serving)

How to Choose a Platter for a Mini Charcuterie Board

To choose the perfect platter for your charcuterie board you’ll need to know what size you need. Small, medium, or large. Once you know that, you can look around for what you already have on hand. I guarantee you have something!

• Small charcuterie board platter idea: use a dinner plate (or salad plate for something very miniature).
• Medium grazing board idea: use a wooden cutting board that’s about medium size.
• Large charcuterie platter idea: use a baking sheet!

How to Save Money on Charcuterie Boards

• Go in with an open mind. Having a rigid idea of the vibe you want for your board will only make you spend more money to achieve that vision.
• Buy what’s on sale. Having an open mind helps you to be more willing to take advantage of sale items.
• Raid your pantry for what you already have. You’d be surprised! Most of that weird pantry stuff you’ve had forever is perfect for a charcuterie!
• Less is always more. Only buy one of everything (even if its’s something you really like!). Even that will be too much!

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