Building a perfectly simple charcuterie board doesn’t have to be difficult or expensive. Here’s how to make a cheap DIY charcuterie board!
I love a good charcuterie board. What is it about having an array of meats, cheeses, and fruits that make us so happy as adults?
Honestly, it’s probably because charcuterie boards are basically adult lunchables, and we all loved those as kids.
Now that you’re all grown up, you know the value and the “wow” factor that a charcuterie platter brings to a party. If you can put one of these together successfully, your family and guests will be really impressed.
Unfortunately, these things can get quite expensive if you’re not paying attention. That’s why I’m here to guide you through the easiest way to build a simple charcuterie board on a budget! So let’s get started on this cheese and meat platter!
Jump to:
What does charcuterie mean?
Charcuterie is a French word that means “a store selling cold cooked meats”. Basically, the difference between a regular cheese board and a charcuterie board is that the cheese board does not have meat, and the charcuterie board does.
Ingredients
Meats – Salami, summer sausage, Prosciutto, pepperoni, and even deli ham work really well on charcuterie boards. Stick with 3-4 different meats to keep your budget in check.
Cheeses – A good balance is having a mix of spreadable cheeses and firm cheeses. Boursin, Brie, and goat cheeses are great for spreading over crackers. Firm cheeses like cheddar, pepper jack, Colby jack, parmesan, Havarti, gouda, bleu cheese, and swiss are great options, too. If you have Babybel cheese or miscellaneous cheeses in your fridge, throw them out there, too! Your guests will love the variety!
Fruits – Fresh or dried fruits work really well for DIY charcuterie boards. Fresh grapes, olives, cherries, pears, apples, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries go really well with the meats and cheeses. Dried fruit like figs and apricots pair well with saltier foods as well.
Nuts – Walnuts, almonds, and pistachios work amazing and add a nice texture variety to your charcuterie platter.
Spreads and Sauces – I love using homemade pesto, homemade fruit spreads, and honey on my charcuterie platter. It keeps the cost down because I usually already have these ready to go. Shop your pantry and see if you have any random unopened apple butter, fancy mustards, or homemade jams you’ve received as gifts laying around.
Crackers and Bread – 2-3 options for crackers or sliced baguette is just fine. I personally love putting out toasted baguette slices, one or two types of crackers, and some pretzels. It is so inexpensive but guests really seem to enjoy the variety.
Instructions
- Start by placing the ingredients that you have in bowls down first, arranging them in various places on your board.
- Add the softer cheeses, such as brie, bleu cheese, and Boursin cheese, arranging them wherever they fit well on the wooden board.
- Arrange the meats around the board. I try to place meats on each side of the charcuterie platter so guests can grab from every angle.
- Next, add the crackers and sliced baguette.
- Start to fill in the gaps with the dried and/or fresh fruits, nuts, pretzels, etc.
- Fill in any gaps with small pieces of cheese, nuts, or more dried fruits.
Money Saving Tips
- Buy in bulk: Nuts and dried fruits are often available for much cheaper in the bulk bins of your grocery store. Not only are they usually less expensive per pound, but you can also buy the exact amount you plan on using.
- Shop your pantry first: I’m willing to bet you have unopened jams, fruit spreads, fancy mustards, honey, nuts, dried fruits, and/or crackers hidden away in your pantry. Go through there and see what you can use, just make sure to try everything just in case something has gone stale or isn’t expired. Raiding your pantry will save you a lot of money!
- Go discount shopping: Some of the best places to get ingredients for your cheap charcuterie board are Grocery Outlet, Winco, Aldi, and other discount grocery stores. You can save yourself a ton of money by taking advantage of those discounts, and your guests will never know!
- Make it yourself: If money is tight, you can make your own pesto and fruit spreads that will save you a ton of money, but still impress your guests!
- Plan on 3-5 oz meat and cheese per guest: You can keep the cost down by going by this rule of thumb, especially if served as an appetizer. If you are serving this as more of a meal or around a mealtime, plan on buying more like 6-7 oz per guest.
- Use cheaper ingredients: Pretzels, baguettes, pepperoni, basic cheeses, grapes, apples, and almonds are some of the least expensive ingredients you can purchase for your charcuterie platter. Balance the platter out with a few fancier things, but make these your primary ingredients to keep the cost under control.
FAQ
To make a charcuterie board ahead of time, arrange all the ingredients on your wooden platter, cover tightly, and refridgerate for up to 2 days.
Keep in mind that apples and pears will brown, so be sure to either dip them in lemon water, or wait until right before you serve to cut them up.
Technically, a charcuterie or cheese board shouldn’t sit out more than 2 hours.
A hack to get around this is to put out about half what you have available, and at the 2 hour mark, replinish your charcuterie platter with fresh ingredients from the fridge.
Nutritional Info
Charcuterie boards are not even close to the healthiest thing you can eat, but they are really fun and can be made healthier by the addition of nuts, fruits, veggies, healthy jams and sauces, and whole-grain crackers.
Total nutritional content per serving is:
- Calories: 617 calories
- Protein: 34 grams
- Sodium: 1321 mg
- Carbohydrates: 26 grams
- Fiber: 2 grams
*This nutritional information is an estimate and calculated based on the ingredients used to create the recipe. The nutritional value of your ingredients may differ slightly. Furthermore, this food is not intended to prevent, diagnose, cure, or treat any disease.
Pricing Info
Here’s a list of everything I bought for this easy charcuterie board:
- 6 oz Pack of assorted meats ($2.98)
- 5 oz Turkey pepperoni ($4.48)
- 7 oz Summer sausage ($2.99)
- 5 oz Bourson cheese ($2.98)
- 7 oz Cheddar cheese ($4.48)
- 8 oz Brie cheese ($3.31)
- 5 oz Bleu Cheese ($3.55)
- Baguette ($1.89)
- Crackers ($1.99)
- Dried apricots ($1.23)
- Things I found in my pantry: Honey, chia seed jam, pretzels, water crackers, almonds, and homemade pesto.
Total cost: $29.88 or roughly $3.73 per person
Related Recipes
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Tried this recipe? Please leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating in the comments below! I would really appreciate your feedback!
Recipe
Simple Charcuterie Board for Under $30
Ingredients
- 6 oz assorted meats
- 5 oz turkey pepperoni
- 7 oz summer sausage
- 5 oz Bourson cheese
- 7 oz cheddar cheese
- 8 oz brie cheese
- 5 oz bleu cheese
- 1 large baguette sliced
- 1 package crackers of choice
- 8 oz dried apricots
- honey, pesto, olives, pretzels, nuts, fancy mustard, jam, fresh fruits, vegetables, and other ingredients in your pantry.
Instructions
- Start by placing the ingredients that you have in bowls down first, arranging them in various places on your board.
- Add the softer cheeses, such as brie, bleu cheese, and Boursin cheese, arranging them wherever they fit well on the wooden board.
- Arrange the meats around the board. I try to place meats on each side of the charcuterie platter so guests can grab from every angle.
- Next, add the crackers and sliced baguette.
- Start to fill in the gaps with the dried and/or fresh fruits, nuts, pretzels, etc.
- Fill in any gaps with small pieces of cheese, nuts, or more dried fruits. Pour yourself a glass of wine and relax!
Video
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If you end up making this and loving it, take a photo and tag me on Instagram! I’d love to see your versions of my recipes! And feel free to rate it down below in the comment section. I would really appreciate it!
You can create a fancy-looking charcuterie board on a budget by using simple ingredients, raiding your pantry first, and shopping smart! Now, go pour yourself a glass of wine, and let’s build a simple charcuterie board together!
xoxo Megan
So great!
I’m so glad you loved it!
I love that this can be made for under $30! It looks delicious!
Hi Alyse, thanks so much for the feedback! I love a good charcuterie board but hate the expensive price tag so I’m glad you feel the same! 🙂