Easter Charcuterie Board

This Easter Charcuterie Board filled with deli meats, carrot shaped cheese ball, crackers and more is the appetizer you want to bring to your next Easter party. It’s easy to make and delicious to share!

Easter is an egg-citing holiday. After all, who doesn’t love candy shaped bunnies and colorful eggs? To get in the spirit, I’m sharing this adorable Easter charcuterie board with a recipe of my favorite cheese ball for the perfect centerpiece of the grazing board.

Easter Charcuterie Board Ideas

A charcuterie board is a beautiful, appetizing way to serve a variety of meats and cheeses, along with other assorted finger foods, at any party. But to ensure that your guests are as impressed with the final product as you want them to be, there’s more that goes into a charcuterie board than just cutting up different meats and cheeses and dropping it onto a plate.

Here are some ideas of what to put on your Easter Charcuterie Board:

Pepperoni or Salami

So what goes on a charcuterie board? The “charcuterie” part of the board is the meat. Thin slices for small chunks work best and easy to put on a cracker. You’ll want at least three types of meat for your board—some pepperoni or salami (or both), prosciutto, and something else (sopressata, calabrese and capocollo are good choices).

Baby Dill Pickles

Pickles are an easy way to make your board feel complete, but be sure that you’re using the right kind. Sour pickles add a bit of acidity and saltiness, which work well with the rich cheeses and meats. They also tend to be smaller than traditional dill or sweet pickles; this allows them to fit better on the board and gives you more room if you want to add other items without stacking too much.

Olives

As far as charcuterie goes, olives are the stars. They’re affordable, versatile, and go beautifully with meats of all kinds.

Variety of Crackers

Crackers provide the base for your meats and cheeses to lay on, and are often placed throughout the board in clusters to help with portioning. The crackers can be any shape, size, or color—and can even come studded with cheese or herbs for added flair!

You want your choice of crackers to pair well with your selection of meats and cheeses. For example, if you’re serving peppered salami and sharp cheddar, a good pairing would be herb-flavored saltine crackers. If you’re serving cured chorizo and mild brie, an olive oil-based matzo would make a great addition. There are endless combinations to choose from—so have fun experimenting until you find what works best for you!

Grissini Sticks

Grissini are long, thin breadsticks made from wheat flour and yeast. They have a crunchy texture and are often served to accompany soups or salads in Italian restaurants. Grissini can also be made at home with just flour, olive oil, salt, water, and yeast. When making them at home, you can make the grissini any size you want by rolling them out into either long sticks or shorter little logs.

Cashews and Almonds

Include cashews and almonds to round out your cheese board. Cashews are a great source of protein and fiber, while almonds have protein, fiber, healthy fats and antioxidants. Both are highly nutritious snacks that add much-needed healthy balance to the other foods on the cheese board—especially if you’re planning on pairing with wine or beer. Plus, it a great way to fill up empty space on the board.

Cherry Tomatoes

Cherry tomatoes are usually a great choice. They’ve got the right size to be included without overwhelming other items on the board. Additionally, they pack an interesting and complex flavor that will add to your charcuterie board, not detract from it. Plus they look super cute when sliced in half!

Dyed Easter Eggs

These are a great addition to an Easter charcuterie board. They are simple to make and can be placed on the board for an extra pop of color.

Grapes

When pairing meats and cheeses, grapes a great option along with them. They add a bit of sweetness and flavor to the mix and a great way to fill up space on the board.

Easter Candy

This is totally optional as a charcuterie board is mostly meats and cheeses. But if you’d like it more Easter themed and some pops of color add some Easter candy such as jelly beans, Peeps, pastel M&M’s and other colorful candy.

Tips for Building Your Charcuterie Board

• Don’t go overboard. Focus on beautiful presentation, and don’t make it the main attraction of your presentation. Make it complement to the rest of your presentation.
• Use foods that you know everyone will like. You’ll have better luck getting people excited about items they’ve tried before, and won’t have them saying “I’ve never tasted that.”
• Alternate meats and cheeses. Look at the cut of meat or cheese as an opportunity instead of as a limitation. Use different meats and cheeses so there is a variety for guests to choose from and spread them throughout the board rather than all in one place.

Assembly

When you’re ready to assemble your charcuterie board, start with the base (such as this carrot shaped cheese ball) and then add the meats and cheeses. During the presentation process, pay attention to color balance and size. The simplest way to do this is by placing a variety of crackers in straight lines across the entire board. Add some meats on top of these crackers as well as underneath them so that they can be seen from all angles. Place cheeses around these edges so that it’s easy for people to pick up with a knife or cracker. If you’d like to add pops of color, place a variety of sweets and Easter-themed decorations throughout the board.

Enjoy your Easter feast!

Recipe