Easy Mini Charcuterie Board

Building a perfectly mini 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 or charcuterie skewers bring 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:

• Ingredients
• How To Make A Small Charcuterie Board
• Choosing a serving board
• Can I make a charcuterie board ahead of time?
• Money Saving Tips
• FAQ
• Nutritional Info
• Pricing Info
• Related Recipes
• Recipe

Ingredients

Meats – There are a lot of great choices when choosing meats for your charcuterie board. All of these work really well, but with 3-4 different meats to keep your budget in check.

• Salami
• Summer sausage
• Prosciutto
• Pepperoni
• Deli Ham

Cheeses – A good balance is having a mix of spreadable cheeses and firm cheeses. Spreadable cheeses are great for crackers and firm cheeses work perfectly for pairing with meats and breafs.

• Boursin
• Brie
• Goat cheese
• Cheddar
• Pepper jack
• Colby jack
• Parmesan
• Havarti
• Gouda
• Bleu cheese
• Swiss
• 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 because they pair so well with meat, cheeses, and crackers!

• Fresh grapes
• Olives
• Cherries
• Pears
• Apples
• Strawberries
• Blueberries
• Raspberries
• Blackberries
• Dried figs
• Dried apricots

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.

How To Make A Small Charcuterie Board

1. Start by placing the ingredients that you have in bowls down first, arranging them in various places on your board.
2. Add the softer cheeses, such as brie, bleu cheese, and Boursin cheese, arranging them wherever they fit well on the wooden board.
3. 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.
4. Next, add the crackers and sliced baguette.
5. Start to fill in the gaps with the dried and/or fresh fruits, nuts, pretzels, etc.
6. Fill in any gaps with small pieces of cheese, nuts, or more dried fruits.

Choosing a serving board

No, you don’t necessarily need a wooden to marble charcuterie board to serve meats and cheeses to your friends! If you don’t have a wooden board, you can use:

• A large serving platter or plate
• A cookie sheet: this works great because there are raised edges, keeping everything on your charcuterie board where it should be!
• Parchment paper: just roll it out on the counter and set everything on top of it!

Can I make a charcuterie board ahead of time?

To make a charcuterie board ahead of time, arrange all the ingredients on your wooden platter, cover tightly, and refrigerate 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.

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! They may even be asking where you got your small charcuterie board ideas from!
• 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

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

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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