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You are here: Home / Recipes / Thanksgiving Charcuterie Board

November 27, 2024

Thanksgiving Charcuterie Board

This Thanksgiving Charcuterie Board how-to has everything you need to create a professional-looking cheese board in your home for just $60! All of the ingredients come from Trader Joe’s and the step-by-step instructions will show you exactly how to put them together to create a beautiful board for your Thanksgiving or holiday table. 

cheese board on dining table this !

Thanksgiving Charcuterie Board Tutorial

If you’re looking for the perfect Thanksgiving day appetizer, look no further than this abundance board of meat and cheese, crackers, fresh and dried fruit, and snacks galore.

You can copy this charcuterie board step by step and confidently serve it for your big day. (And all the holidays and parties beyond!)

Just change up the decorations for the seasons – add mini pumpkins and dried cranberries in the fall, swap in seasonal fruit like berries in the summertime, or make the festive holiday red, white, and green version!

Thanksgiving Board cheese from the side

Looking at a finished board, it’s hard to know how much of everything to buy, so we have done all the hard work for you and have everything from your shopping list to details on exactly how to cut the cheese (har har har) and arrange each group of ingredients into beautiful layers.

Once you get the hang of the formula and method, you’ll be able to design your own boards using whatever ingredients you desire.

What’s On Our Board: Cheese Board Ingredients

3 Cheeses

a variety of different types of cheeses will please all people. I like a soft cheese like brie, a sharp cheese like cheddar, and a manchego or gouda!

3 Meats

these come in a 3-pack at Trader Joe’s so they’re easy! Look for a variety of mild-to-spicy flavors

4 Kinds of Crackers

pick 3-4 different kinds, including cool ones like cheese straws, neutral ones, and maybe sweet ones too!

Dried Fruit

The TJs candied oranges are so yummy and pretty + dried apricots or cranberries are great too

Fresh fruit

Crisp apples and grapes in both colors

Fig preserves
Nuts

Truffle marcona almonds = 100%. Cashews. Salted or smoked almonds. Chocolate almonds!

Fresh Herbs

And the best part? The entire board cost only $60 from Trader Joe’s!

Thanksgiving Charcuterie Board

Charcuterie Board Shopping List

Yup, everything comes from Trader Joe’s!

The ingredients don’t look as fancy in boxes right? But all assembled your guests will think this is the board of all boards.

What To Include:

  • Manchego cheese
  • Unexpected Cheddar cheese
  • Triple Cream Brie cheese
  • Fig butter or other preserves (Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Butter is also amazing!)
  • Truffle marcona almonds (you’ll use half) (6 oz)
  • Bag of dried apricots (you’ll use half or so – save the rest)
  • 2 colors of grapes (get the mixed grape container)
  • One honeycrisp apple
  • Sweetened Dried Orange Slices (5 oz) (these are SO good, but you can also use fresh oranges)
  • Trio of Spanish meats (6 oz)
  • Fresh sage
  • Fresh rosemary
  • Stone ground wheat crackers
  • Pistachio Pomegranate Crisps
  • Cheddar Cheese Sticks
  • Pita Bite Crackers

There’s an extra goat cheese in the photo that we decided not to use, but of course you can mix and match any cheeses like blue cheese or an herbed or cranberry goat cheese.

Board Shopping Tips

Try to choose three different styles and flavors of cheese so you’ll have variety.

You can also consider adding little bowls with hummus or more savory options like marinated artichokes or olives.

A little bowl of chocolate covered nuts or a few dark chocolates is also a nice touch!

You won’t use ALL the crackers, nuts or fruit, on the board, but you can also keep a stash to the side to replenish if needed.

Thanksgiving Charcuterie Board

How To Put Your Thanksgiving Charcuterie Board Together

Watch the how-to video on YouTube here!

Gather Your Equipment, Prep Fruit, Unbox Crackers

Do your chopping and prep on one board and assemble on the serving board. That way the serving board stays nice and neat.

So you’ll need two cutting boards, cheese knives, and a few prep plates to corral ingredients.

prepping Charcuterie Board
fruits
crackers

 

Prep the cheeses

Keep the brie whole and cube the cheddar.

How to cut triangle cheese for charcuterie

Turn the manchego on its side and slice into triangles. Then stack them vertically. Once you have a tower, you can turn on its side to be seen as zig zags on the board.

How To Fold And Roll Meats

  • Roll oval meats into cigars
  • Fold circular meats into “flowers”

Thanksgiving Charcuterie Board meats and cheeses on board

Assembly

Once everything is all unwrapped, washed, cut, you can start assembly!

Step 1: Begin by anchoring the board with the cheeses.

sliced cheese on cheese board - first step

Step 2: Add meats as a winding river around cheeses, turning rolled “cigars” up vertically.

cheeses on board plus meats

Step 3: Add fruit

Stand grapes up as much as possible so the stem is up in the air.

Place piles of dried fruit around.

Anchor corners with oranges slices (I think these are soooo pretty!) and thinly slice apples to display in a fan.

cheeses, meats, fresh and dried fruits

Step 4: Add crackers in groups and bunches, like fans, dominos and piles.

Note how the breadsticks are halved and standing up as much as possible.

Thanksgiving Charcuterie Board - add in layers of crackers

Step 5: Filling remaining empty spaces with nuts.

Charcuterie Board details added

Step 6: Make a dent in the brie and pour on preserves.

add jam to the cheese

Step 7: Add fresh herbs in remaining spaces.

Decorate your Thanksgiving Charcuterie Board with herbs

Watch it magically build:

cheese board gif

Charcuterie from above

Charcuterie Board Tips

Board Size

If you don’t have a large enough board, you can put two boards together or use a platter. Since you’ll do most of the cutting on your prep board, the serving board is more for display. 

Charcuterie Board hand enjoying cheese

Transporting to a party

If you need to transport board, you can put rosemary vertically or use the knives to keep plastic wrap from smushing the board.

I also like to put the whole board inside of a large tray with sides to prevent it from shifting. A large shallow box would work too. 

Charcuterie from the side

Use Bowls For Dips

If you’d like to add a dip like hummus, use a small bowl and anchor it with the cheese. 

Add something sweet

Every charcuterie board needs a tiny bit of chocolate! 

crackers and cheese

More party and charcuterie board ideas:

  • Small Charcuterie Board
  • Christmas Charcuterie Board
  • Picnic Charcuterie Board
  • Kids Charcuterie Board
  • Breakfast Charcuterie Board
  • Make-Ahead Toothpick Appetizer Ideas
  • Bedazzled Goat Cheese

More Themed Charcuterie Board Ideas:

Christmas Charcuterie Board
Picnic Charcuterie Board

Special thanks to my gal Della for sharing her creative process with us! 

Kath and Della with cheese board

Have a wonderful holiday season!

Better yet, serve it with some delicious drinks: Easy Cocktails for Thanksgiving or 10 Alcohol Free Cocktails. 

You might also like: Fall Salads for Thanksgiving or How To Have A Mindful Holiday. 

Kath and Della Cheers

Filed Under: Featured Posts, Recipes

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Comments

  1. Louise, RD says

    November 19, 2019 at 7:31 am

    That is simply gorgeous ! And you make it seem SO doable-thanks for sharing. Happy Thanksgiving!

    Reply
  2. Andrea says

    November 19, 2019 at 7:55 am

    Helpful tips and beautiful board! Yum.

    Reply
  3. Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog says

    November 19, 2019 at 8:37 am

    I love how photogenic everything is! Great photos! 🙂

    Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog
    http://charmainenyw.com

    Reply
  4. Jill says

    November 19, 2019 at 8:42 am

    That is absolutely gorgeous!! Thank you for the step by step tutorial!! By the way, in step three, you’ve got ass instead of as! ?

    Reply
    • KathEats says

      November 19, 2019 at 9:34 am

      Hahah oooooops!!

      Reply
  5. Kelli H says

    November 19, 2019 at 9:06 am

    Looks beautiful! What a great how to.

    Reply
  6. Tonya says

    November 19, 2019 at 9:22 am

    omg omg omg i’m so excited that I can’t even finish reading this before commenting! I’m SOOOO making this and taking it to PA for thanksgiving! Printing now. thank you! I’ll send you a pic on IG.

    Reply
    • KathEats says

      November 19, 2019 at 9:33 am

      YAY! Can’t wait to see it!

      Reply
    • Lesley says

      October 16, 2020 at 7:26 pm

      I am curious how many do you think this would feed ?
      So lovely

      Reply
  7. Nikki says

    November 19, 2019 at 9:40 am

    That was an excellent post, and a perfect step by step tutorial! Also loved getting to see pics of Della after drooling over her creations for so long lol. I’ve never attempted a cheese board, but you’ve inspired me to give it a shot at one of our holiday gatherings! Thanks 🙂

    Reply
  8. Nancy says

    November 19, 2019 at 9:54 am

    Love it! You make it look so do-able. What size board do you like? Any suggestions on accessories – love your knives

    Reply
    • KathEats says

      November 19, 2019 at 10:18 am

      I’ll have to double check on the board size when I get home, but I would guess 12×18.

      And I’d check Williams Sonoma or Crate + Barrel for knives. I LOVE these from C&B. (They have gorgeous boards too)

      Reply
  9. Joanne says

    November 19, 2019 at 9:59 am

    How much did the whole thing cost to put together?

    Reply
    • KathEats says

      November 19, 2019 at 10:04 am

      $60!

      Reply
  10. Hillary says

    November 19, 2019 at 10:02 am

    This is definitely a beautiful board! Packed to the brim with goodness! I guess I’m just not thinking that 60 dollars is what you should be expected to spend. That’s a whole thanksgiving meal to me.

    If you go the Aldi route, maybe you could save some money?

    Reply
    • KathEats says

      November 19, 2019 at 10:12 am

      I think for what you’re getting it’s a steal of a price!! Remember this feeds 10-12 as an appetizer, so it’s not for one person.

      Reply
    • The Many Thoughts of a Reader says

      November 19, 2019 at 11:33 am

      I bought similar stuff to take to book club this week and yes, Aldi is cheaper!

      Reply
    • Minda says

      November 19, 2019 at 12:59 pm

      $60 for an appetizer seems steep to me too. I make food for holiday dinners, and the total cost to make one dish that feeds 15 people is maybe $30-40 max. This cheeseboard and how it’s arranged looks fantastic though. Very appealing to the eye.

      Reply
    • Tonya says

      November 20, 2019 at 8:30 am

      Aldi is a great idea! Thanks. $60 didn’t seem to steep to me, but I’m single with a grown kid. My job is to bring booze and maybe something interesting. $60 seemed like what I would payfor a pre-wrapped item like this at a specialty store. It’s definitely just as pretty.

      Reply
  11. The Many Thoughts of a Reader says

    November 19, 2019 at 11:33 am

    This looks delicious! I am taking a charcuterie board for my dish to pass for our book club pot luck this month.

    Reply
  12. Emily says

    November 19, 2019 at 12:21 pm

    Thank you for the “plating” instructions – super helpful!!!

    Reply
  13. Sara says

    November 19, 2019 at 2:40 pm

    When Della expands to Richmond…
    #ReadyToLineUp

    Reply
    • KathEats says

      November 19, 2019 at 2:47 pm

      Hahaha yes!!

      Reply
  14. Julia says

    November 19, 2019 at 4:43 pm

    LOVE this!

    Reply
  15. connie says

    November 19, 2019 at 5:38 pm

    i love everything about this. love love love!

    Thanks to both of you for my thanksgiving appetizer 🙂

    Reply
    • Connie says

      January 28, 2020 at 1:21 pm

      We’re doing it again for Superbowl Sunday!

      Reply
  16. Erica says

    November 19, 2019 at 5:57 pm

    This is one of my FAVORITE POSTS! Keep em coming!

    Reply
  17. Danielle says

    November 19, 2019 at 8:57 pm

    This is the most amazing post! It looks so easy! Can’t wait to try it.

    Reply
  18. Shanae says

    November 19, 2019 at 10:22 pm

    Such a helpful tutorial! Thank you!

    Reply
  19. Courtney Jacques says

    June 5, 2020 at 10:11 pm

    Thank you for your “how to” post! We love a good charcuterie board! And all of that for $60 is amazing! I usually end up spending $100 or so. But we usually serve 12-16 people with it. It is so great because guests can cruise by and try a little of this and a little of that… thanks again for the excellent post!

    Reply
  20. Courtney Jacques says

    August 28, 2020 at 2:21 pm

    Okay, so I am posting again because I have now made several of these boards and give all of the credit to you. Your how-to was SO helpful! I follow your steps to a “T” on how to cut the cheese and arrange everything. There are several articles out there on charcuterie boards, but yours look so high-end compared to theirs and all of your little details make it look so professional and gourmet. Anyone can throw those ingredients on a cutting board, but to arrange it the way you do with varying colors and textures is a true talent. I am so grateful I found your post!

    Reply
    • Kath Younger says

      August 28, 2020 at 2:25 pm

      Thank you so much for the feedback!

      Reply
  21. Bonnie Cooper says

    October 1, 2020 at 7:41 pm

    This is stunning and thank you so much for explaining in detail how to put it together.. I was wondering if you dip your apple slices in lemon juice so they won’t brown? Or is there something else I am not aware of? Wait, there’s lots of things I am not aware of, haha, but how to add fruit so it stays fresh and looking nice? Thanks again so much.

    Reply
    • Kath Younger says

      October 1, 2020 at 7:53 pm

      Haha I didn’t here but they were freshly cut. I think as long as you’re serving it within a few hours you don’t need to, but it certainly couldn’t hurt!

      Reply
  22. Mojoblogs says

    November 25, 2020 at 4:18 am

    One of the things that I love about charcuterie boards is that you can pour your creativity into it. And yours is really gorgeous. Thank you for sharing your process on making this.

    Reply
  23. Corey Francis says

    May 10, 2021 at 12:27 pm

    By far the best instruction on doing a Charcuterie Board ever!!! thank you for making it simple.

    Reply
    • Kath Younger says

      May 10, 2021 at 12:45 pm

      Thank you!

      Reply
  24. Diane Wrigley says

    February 5, 2022 at 8:54 am

    This looks absolutely stunning! I have a question about the Manchego. I see on your display, and I’ve noticed on others, that you leave the one end of the rind on, I’m assuming for a nicer presentation. I’ve read conflicting thoughts on whether the rind is edible or not. Some sites say it’s rubbed with oil; others say it has a wax rind. If it has a wax rind, what would guests do when they get to the edge? It would be a little awkward to have to nibble down to the edge and then leave on plate. I would love to make something similar to this, although on a much smaller scale. Thanks so much!

    Reply
    • Kath Younger says

      February 6, 2022 at 7:05 am

      Hi Diane! That’s exactly what I usually do – nibble to the edge and leave it on a plate or napkin. But you can def just cut it off if you’d like. Usually if it’s the wax kind, you can very easily peel it off. If it’s more of an oil stain, I just leave it and sometimes eat it!

      Reply

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