Fall Charcuterie Board + Ideas

The air is crisp, apples and squashes are in season, and pumpkin spice lattes are everywhere - it's time for fall charcuterie boards!

This tutorial will walk you through the seasonal produce and products to include as well as how to put together a balanced charcuterie board!

Fruit and/or veggies

Seasonal fruits and vegetables are the key to making a fall charcuterie board!

I'm a fan of the salty/sweet combo, so I often include fruits on my charcuterie boards. Fortunately - some of the best snack board fruits are in season in the fall!

Here are my favorite fall fruits for charcuterie boards:

• Apples
• Pears
• Grapes
• Figs (fresh or dried)
• Persimmons
• Citrus fruits (orange wedges, Cuties)
• Pomegranate
• Dried cranberries or apricots

On the veggie side, we're looking for seasonal fall vegetables that are easy to much on raw.

I'll be honest; my fall charcuterie boards are going to feature more fruits than vegetables, but here are a couple veggies you could include:

• Pumpkin and squash (most likely in the form of spreads or as decoration)
• Carrots (cut carrots or baby carrots)
• Pickled beets

Charcuterie

The most important thing for a charcuterie board? Charcuterie!

If you don't have cold cuts of meat on your board, it's not a charcuterie board (personal pet peeve, here).

Charcuterie can include:

• Salami
• Proscuitto
• Pepperoni
• Sopressata
• Capocollo
• Deli ham

Those would be the most traditional charcuterie, but in a pinch you can include other deli meats or proteins like:

• Sliced roast beef
• Deli turkey
• Smoked salmon
• Pâté
• Hard-boiled eggs
• Beef or turkey sticks, cut to smaller lengths if necessary

Cheese

Cheese is optional, here, but we all know cheese deserves a place on your charcuterie board (unless, of course, you're lactose intolerant).

Almost any cheese is game!

But here are a few go-tos for me:

• Sharp cheddar
• Goat cheese chevre
• Prairie Breeze
• Gouda
• Smoked cheddar
• Blue cheese (not too crumbly)
• Brie
• Baked Feta (like new Baked Feta Cheese with Cranberries)

Crackers and breads

When you think of fall, you probably think "cozy" - so for a fall charcuterie board, I think including some cozy carbs is the way to go.

You can use whatever crackers or crunchy snacks you'd like, but grab seasonal shapes (like leaves or pumpkins) and/or flavors (like gingerbread, graham, pumpkin spice) to put a seasonal spin on it!

Here are some favorites:

• Simple Mills Gluten Free Crackers
• Epic Provisions Maple Bacon Pork Cracklings
• Nuts (toasted or raw), particularly pistachios, walnuts, or pecans

Extras

Don't skip this! Oftentimes, these little "extras" that don't fit in another category are a surefire way to add seasonal flair to a charcuterie board.

• Fresh herbs like rosemary or sage
• Jams/jellies like fig jam, cranberry jam, or apple jam
• Stovetop Apple Butter
• Maple Pumpkin Butter
• Pickled veggies
• Drizzle of honey (I often use this over goat cheese or other spreadable cheeses!)

Consider the overall flavor of your board

Before you shop for your fall charcuterie board, take a few minutes to consider the flavor combinations your board will include.

For example, are you really feeling apples? Make sure the cheese you pick goes will with sliced apples and/or apple butter, like cheddar or blue cheese! On the other hand, you might skip pickled vegetables if you're leaning into apple flavors.

Likewise, if you found some fall-themed pumpkin spice crackers you'd like to include, the rest of the board might seem a little off if it's all savory (pepperoni, liver pâté, carrots).

Variety in textures & flavors takes a charcuterie board from good to great!

When planning out your board, plan for a variety in textures and flavors.

What the heck does that mean?

Soft, crunchy, crispy, spreadable textures. Sweet, salty, briny, toasty, meaty flavors. Adding a variety of these things (without going overboard) makes a "meh" charcuterie board into a "WOW" charcuterie board.

Think about it: a meat and cheese tray is just fine, but add crackers, sliced apples, and maybe some toasted nuts? Now it's WAY more appealing!

The additional tips below will help you plan accordingly!

- Pick 1-2 types of meat/cold cuts.

You don't need a ton of variety for meats/proteins, so choose your favorite 1-2 and roll with it!

How much: 1-3 ounces per person, depending on the overall vibe of the board.

- Choose 1-2 cheeses, ideally one soft and one hard.

I love pairing a soft, more spreadable cheese (like goat cheese or brie) with a harder cheese!

That said, you can pair classics like cheddar and swiss as well. Prairie Breeze is a favorite "fancier" cheese, and smoked cheddar also gets rave reviews!

If you or your guests are adventurous, incorporate a funky cheese. But for a smaller crowd (and a smaller charcuterie board), it's best to play it safe with your cheeses here!

How much: 2 ounces per person

- Include something crunchy.

Meat and cheese are both relatively soft, so balancing that out with something crunchy definitely makes a difference!

This is where sliced apples, nuts, and/or crackers shine.

A couple favorites of mine: sliced Granny Smith or Gala apples, toasted pecans or walnuts, herby crackers.

- Add sweetness with fruit or jams.

While this is optional overall, it's a great way to incorporate those warm fall flavors in a charcuterie board.

Plus, fruit has varied textures, so it can fill multiple dimensions of your board. Crunchy apples, sweet spreadable jam, or chewy dried fruits can all add different things.

For a smaller charcuterie board, one fruit/jam should be enough, but you can always add a little more if you'd like.

I often include sliced apple AND jam or dried fruit no matter how big my board is. Jam pairs well with spreadable cheeses, too!

- Bonus: a little brine goes a long way!

A little bonus tip: pickles or some other kind of fermented or pickled fruit/veggie adds some unique flavor (and can also add some crunch, too).

While I almost always include something briney for a Simple Small Charcuterie Board, it can be tough to work into a fall-themed charcuterie board.

Tips for styling

I wrote an in-depth guide to building an epic gluten free charcuterie board - that post has a deeper look into styling a charcuterie board.

But, here are the cliffs notes:

- Keep food groups apart: If you've got two types of meat, keep them apart. Same goes for cheeses and veggies.

You'll notice that on all the charcuterie boards on CJE, different meats are on different parts of the board, different cheeses are kept separate, etc. This not only is a visual cue that they're different (not all the meat is salami, for example), but keeps any part of the board from being too "samey."

- Meats and cheese are the anchors (usually): Place meats and cheeses first, then use all the other components to fill in.

The exception: I usually place any dishes (like small bowls of jam, for example) first, then add meats and cheeses around them.

- Fresh herbs, nuts, fruit, and/or pickles can fill in any gaps! You'll notice on many of my boards that the same nuts, berries, olives/pickles, or herbs show up in multiple places on the board. That's the secret to filling in some of those weird gaps and empty spots!