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This Fall Charcuterie Board is the perfect cold appetizer to get the party started and your guests mingling. With seasonal flourishes like maple cream cookies and bourbon smoked gouda, you can’t go wrong with this board for a fall party or Thanksgiving appetizer.

When the fall season rolls around, one of my favorite comfort foods is a meat and cheese board paired with a good glass of wine. Preparing a full-fledged charcuterie board requires a bit more planning and tinkering, but the result can be a fun seasonal spread for all your guests to enjoy.

What to include on a Fall Charcuterie Board:

Cured Meats

Include 2-3 varieties of cured meats including some that are mild, spicy, or smoky.
My Favorites: Fennel Hard Salami, Maple Smoked Turkey & Landjäger.

Cheese

Include a variety of hard cheeses and some soft cheeses. Ideally, the hard cheese should be pre-cut into bite-sized pieces so guests can quickly and easily fill their plates. Make sure soft cheeses have their own serving knife/spoon to avoid cross-contaminating the flavors.
If you are hosting children as well make sure to include some mild cheeses like Cheddar or Monterey Jack that they will enjoy.
My Favorites: Havarti, Muenster, Smoked Gouda, Gruyere, and of course a rich and creamy Brie.

Crackers & Bread

Make sure you have at least one plain bread option (like a sliced French baguette) that will pair well with robust cheeses.
Include sturdy crackers that will complement the flavors of your meats and cheeses, but not overpower them.
My Favorites: Jovial Sea-Salt or Rosemary crackers. These Einkorn crackers are flavorful, bite-sized, and will hold up when spreading on soft cheeses.

Fruits & Nuts

I prefer dried fruits for charcuterie boards as they don’t start to brown like pears and apples do, and their sweetness helps to balance the salty meats and cheeses. If you want to include fresh fruit, I would recommend grapes or peeled tangerines which also add fall color.
My Favorites: Dried apricots, figs, cherries, crystallized ginger, and cranberries.
Nuts are great to fill in the gaps, and provide a crunchy element. Include both salted and unsalted varieties for flavor balance and consider adding in some candied or spicy nuts as well.
My Favorites: Pistachios, candied pecans (my favorite recipe), smoked almonds, and walnuts.

Spreads & Dips

Think of this as the icing on the cake. While everything on its own tastes great, the dips and spreads take it up a notch.
Mustards, hummus, olive tapenades, and jams are all great options to include.
For fall I like to top the Brie with fresh Cardamom Cranberry sauce.
My Favorites: Honey Mustard, Spicy Brown Mustard, Garlic Hummus, and Apple Butter.

Pickled & Marinated Items

Pickled vegetables are a fun and unexpected addition to a charcuterie board, but I find that most guests prefer olives.
My Favorites: Castelvetrano, Kalamata, and garlic-stuffed olives.

Fresh Herbs & Garnishes

Herb garnishes are a great option for fall. Especially rosemary, sage, and thyme. These garnishes help the board to look fresh and add seasonal aromatics.
For some bright color, pomegranate seeds or fresh cranberries look great scattered around the board.
Small pumpkins and gourds can also be used as a focal point or accent decoration.

Sweets

While sweets aren’t required for a charcuterie board, I find that it is a nice addition that most guests will appreciate.
For fall choose appropriately themed sweets like pumpkin mellowcreme candies, maple candies or seasonal snack cakes (like Little Debbie).
My Favorites: Maple Cream Sandwich Cookies & Chocolate Covered Cherries.

Ingredients for this Board:

Tools You Will Need:

A food-safe Board, Platter, or Tray. For a party of 8 it should be around 18″-20″ (round), or 12″x24″ (rectangular) in size. Scale it up or down accordingly for your guest count. This CB2 Walnut Board makes a fabulous statement!
Cheese Knives
Tongs or Mini Serving Forks
Small Bowls (for dips, spreads, and olives)
Food Picks. These are optional for family affairs, but essential for a formal gathering. These copper picks are a great re-usable option (I use them for cocktails too!) that add a bit of elegance.
Food Labels. These are optional, but recommended if you are hosting a large event and don’t know everyone’s tastes or dietary restrictions.

How to arrange a Charcuterie Board:

STEP 1:

Start with the largest items first. This is typically your centerpiece item like a cheese wheel or pumpkin garnish. If you have multiple large items, space them out evenly around the board. For my tray, I added a small pumpkin plate with Brie as my centerpiece.

STEP 2:

Add any small dishes or bowls that hold olives or dips. Since these dishes will be taller than the rest of the items they act as anchors to nestle other items around.

STEP 3:

Next add sliced bread, if you are using it. This is bulky and takes up space so nestle the slices together and cascade them toward the center of your board.

STEP 4:

Evenly distribute your cheese and meats around the board, alternating them to separate the colors and shapes. Large pieces of deli meat like turkey look best folded or rolled, and sliced cheese should be fanned out or stacked.

STEP 5:

Add smaller crackers, veggies, fruits, and cookies in between the meats and cheeses. Keep them grouped in small clusters for visual appeal.

STEP 6:

Fill in the remaining spaces with smaller items like nuts, dried fruits, and candies.

STEP 7:

Add your garnishes like sprigs of fresh herbs, wheat, or cinnamon sticks tucked around the outer edge of the board or nestled in between items for a natural look.

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STEP 8:

Lastly, Add the cheese knives, spreaders, and spoons where needed.

Tips & Best Practices

For a fall charcuterie board, consider choosing ingredients that emulate fall colors.
Make sure to separate colors for balance and visual appeal.
For a bold board, go monochromatic. A board full of shades of orange would be a striking composition.
Vary your shapes and textures as much as possible. Round crackers, square cubes of cheese, oval sliced salami, and leaf-shaped items will add visual interest and help to separate the items.
Consider a shaped board. For fall a turkey or pumpkin-shaped board would stand out and add festive flair.
Include a variety of flavors to entice guests. This allows guests to be creative and build custom combinations of sweet, salty, and spicy bites.
Make sure most of the board is bite-sized and easy to grab. Cutting cheese can sometimes be a challenge and most guests don’t want to make a mess of your board, so keep this to a minimum.
Use a turkey or leaf cookie cutter to cut shapes out of cheese slices for a festive look.
Make sure you bring your cheese to room temperature (or around 68°F-72°F) to experience the best flavor and texture.
Make sure olives (and any other juicy items) are in their own dish to keep their juices from running into your other items.

Common Questions:

What are the rules for a charcuterie board?

There really are no rules when it comes to creating your board. You can pick whatever items you want and arrange them however you want. These guidelines are just that…guidelines.

What foods should I avoid on a charcuterie board?

While you are free to include anything you want on your board, you may want to consider avoiding certain items if you know you have a large crowd with varied tastes and possibly dietary restrictions. These are the things you may want to avoid:

Overtly spicy foods. This can catch people off guard and potentially upset stomachs.
Extremely pungent foods. Think stinky cheeses or anchovies.
Messy or sticky foods. Crumbly feta cheese, overly sauced meats that drip, and sticky honey or syrup are all a bad idea, especially if you are hosting a formal event.
Highly allergenic foods. You can use these, but make sure they are labeled and/or in separate dishes.
Raw or undercooked meats. Since the board will be left out for some time these items can create a health hazard.

What is the 3-3-3-3 rule?

Somewhere someone decided that a well-balanced board should have 3 cheeses, 3 meats, 3 carbs (bread & crackers), and 3 accompaniments (fruits, nuts, spreads). By no means is this a hard and fast rule, just a guideline to help anyone who might be making a charcuterie board for the first time. I recommend choosing what looks good to you, fits your budget, and you know will please your guests.

What drinks go best with a fall charcuterie board?

Wine is always a safe bet, both red and white varieties…however, don’t leave out the beer drinkers. Having a variety to offer guests is the best practice, and you may even want to offer a signature fall drink like a Maple Boston Sour or Cardamom Cranberry Old Fashioned to get things started on the right foot.

Do I need to supply picks for the board?

You don’t have to supply picks if it is an informal gathering (perhaps just family) and everyone is comfortable with eating with their fingers. However, consider offering them if you have juicy or wet items (like olives) so guests don’t have to get their fingers wet.

What you absolutely do need to supply is plenty of serving utensils (tongs, cheese knives, etc.) so that guests can take things off the board without using their hands. There should be a spoon for every sauce and dip. No chip dipping!

I hope I’ve given you some autumn inspiration for your next charcuterie board. Feel free to comment and share!

♥ Jessica

Fall Charcuterie Board

This fall charcuterie board is the perfect way to get the party started and your guests mingling. With seasonal flourishes like maple cream cookies and bourbon smoked gouda, you can’t go wrong with this board for a fall party or Thanksgiving appetizer.

Print Recipe

Prep Time:30

Total Time:30

Ingredients

Fall Charcuterie Board

10 oz. Meats – Fennel Hard Salami & Italian Dry Salami
4 oz. Smoked Gouda Cheese
4 oz. Bourbon Smoked Gouda Cheese
4 oz. Muenster Cheese
1 wedge Brie Cheese
8 slices Cheddar Jack Cheese cut into turkey shapes
1/2 cup Spiced Cranberry Cream Cheese Dip recipe below
1/4 cup Cranberry Sauce
1/2 cup Castelvetrano Olives
1/2 French Baguette Sliced
4 oz. Rosemary Crackers
12 Maple Cream Sandwich Cookies
Candy Pumpkins
Pistachios
Crystalized Ginger
Rosemary & Thyme Sprigs for garnish

Spiced Cranberry Cream Cheese Dip

8 oz. Cream Cheese softened
1/2 cup Cranberry Sauce
1/2 cup Powdered Sugar
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1/2 tsp Clove
1/2 tsp Nutmeg

Instructions

Fall Charcuterie Board

Arrange foods on a large (approx. 12" x 24") board or tray. Start with the Brie in the center, then place the olives and dip bowls. Arrange the bread slices, cheeses and meats, and cookies around the board. Fill in with crackers, nuts, ginger and candies. Garnish with rosemary and thyme and serve!

Spiced Cranberry Cream Cheese Dip

With a stand or hand mixer beat the cream cheese and powdered sugar until light and fluffy.
Add the cranberry sauce and spices and mix to combine.

Notes

See body of post for details and tips for arranging charcuterie boards.
If you need a good Cranberry Sauce recipe you can try my Cardamom Cranberry Sauce or Bourbon Cranberry Sauce, you wont be disappointed!

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: American

Keyword: charcuterie

Servings: