Need a stunning plant-based holiday appetizer tray? Make a vegan charcuterie board! I'll show you how with these simple tips for how to make the best charcuterie board and lots of vegan ideas for the charcuterie board of your dreams.
A charcuterie board is always a gorgeous way to present finger foods at a party, and I'll show you how to put together a show-stopping vegan charcuterie board.
An appetizer board can be an amazing vegan Christmas appetizer and is always the first to disappear at a party - no one misses the meat! (By the way, if you're looking for more holiday ideas, here are my favorite vegan holiday recipes.)
And yes, I am aware that a charcuterie board is traditionally made of smoked meats, but can't we all have a little fun with this? After all, keto people get to put food between two halves of a bell pepper and call it a sandwich... so this vegan snack board is closer to charcuterie than a bell pepper is to a sandwich 😉
How to make a charcuterie board
Below I'll go into detail about vegan charcuterie board ideas, but first let's talk about the basics of making the most amazing charcuterie boards ever, whether you're vegan or not.
To make a good charcuterie board, you need a variety of flavors, textures, and colors:
- You're going to want a great dip or spread recipe
- Some crunchy veggies
- Crispy crackers
- Soft cheeses (yes, vegan cheeses - I'll share a few recipes with you!)
- Something salty (olives? pickles?)
- Something sweet (fresh fruit? dried fruit? fruit preserves?)
- Perhaps even something tangy and and spicy
All these together make a nice balanced charcuterie board that no one will forget!
To make the best charcuterie board, pick 1-3 items from each of these category (lots of ideas below!) and give your guests lots of options to choose from!
The best charcuterie board to use
I like to keep things simple and assemble a charcuterie board on a large wooden cutting board. I don't need a separate serving dish laying around.
Heck, you can even assemble an amazing "board" on a large platter or tray, or even a plate. I promise you NO ONE will care as long as it's filled with tasty treats.
Of course, if you are having a special event and want to go a little extra, a large fancy board such as this one or this one would be fun to play around with!
But if you're in doubt, start with a smaller board or plate and stuff it with all the goodies below, that's the trick to an awesome looking charcuterie board.
How to make a charcuterie board look nice
The key to making a charcuterie board look nice is overstuffing it so it looks like all the food is practically spilling out. Nestle all the components next to each other.
Because of this, it helps to decide how many of the food ideas below you'll be using. If you are getting 2-3 from each category, then go for a large board. If you're only including 5-6 different foods total, then start with a smaller board or plate. It's better to refill the charcuterie board than to have it look empty.
And now, onto the vegan charcuterie board ideas!!
Vegan cheese for charcuterie boards
This is my specialty - vegan cheeses are some of the most popular recipes on this blog so I hope you add at least a couple types of vegan cheese to your charcuterie board!
The trick to making a charcuterie board looks super welcome and appetizing is to slice some of the cheese to make it look like someone already dug in. No one wants to be the first to cut into cheese on an appetizer tray!
- Herbed vegan cheese
- Vegan Pepper Jack cheese
- Vegan smoked Gouda
- Vegan cheddar
- Vegan feta
- Vegan mozzarella
And the best one of all - a vegan cheese ball! You can't have a vegan cheese board without it.
Dried fruit ideas for charcuterie boards
Dried fruits adds a little sweetness to a charcuterie board and pairs so well with some cheese and crackers. Here are some of my favorite dried fruits to use for charcuterie boards:
- Dried cherries (these are SO GOOD!)
- Dried figs
- Dried dates - or try these easy chocolate dates for a little treat!
- Dried apricots
I don't recommend raisins or dried cranberries that much because they're so tiny they are kind of hard to serve.
Vegetable ideas for charcuterie boards
Charcuterie boards can be totally healthy by offering a few vegetable options, such as:
- Broccoli florets
- Cauliflower florets
- Baby carrots (or cut up carrots)
- Cucumber - cut up or sliced
- Sliced radishes
- Celery
- Sugar snap peas
- Baby bella mushrooms (raw, sliced in half if they're large)
Vegan dips and spreads for charcuterie boards
You need a dip or spread (or both!) for a good charcuterie board. Here are some ideas:
- Vegan tzatziki
- Vegan cheese dip
- Easy vegan olive tapenade
- Beet baba ganoush
- Mushroom pate
- Avocado hummus
Check out my list of 30 vegan dips and spreads for more ideas!
Crispy and crunchy components for a charcuterie board
You need a little bit of crispy and crunchy textures on your board. Here are some favorites:
- Crackers
- Pita chips
- Walnuts
- Vegan candied pecans
- Macadamia nuts (if you want to get fancy!)
- Brazil nuts (I LOVE THEM! Some people dislike Brazil nuts but this is my second favorite nut, after macadamia nuts)
- Almonds
- Roasted cashews
Fruit and sweets for a charcuterie board
In addition to the dried fruit above, you can add some fresh fruit and other sweet flavors to a charcuterie board:
- Grapes
- Blueberries
- Halved strawberries
- Sliced kiwi
- Kumquats
- Raspberries
- Blackberries
- Fruit preserves, such as fig preserves (AMAZING with cheese), or get a variety of jams
- Dark chocolate popcorn balls
Salty and savory ideas for vegan charcuterie boards
We need a little salty to balance out the sweetness. How about some:
- Olives
- Pickles
- Tapenades
- Marinated artichoke hearts
- Pickled asparagus
- Roasted garlic onion jam
There you have it! All the ideas to make the best plant based charcuterie board that everyone will love!
Now here's your homework assignment: go assemble an AMAZING charcuterie board, take a picture, and tag Vegan Blueberry in it on Instagram (@theveganblueberry) and on Facebook (@veganblueberry). I LOVE to see your creations!
Happy dipping and snacking!!!
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