How to Make a Sweet and Salty Charcuterie Snack Board: Whether a date night at home, a party, get together or just a simple, fun meal a sweet and savory snack board is a great way to keep it simple, keep it fun and keep it tasty.
Who else loves a great snack board or charcuterie board filled with meats, cheese, chocolates, nuts, granola, fruit, olives, veggies… the possibilities are endless. Suffice it to say, place a charcuterie board in front of me and I’m one happy camper!
Today we are sharing some simple ideas for you to build an easy, colorful, and delicious board filled with foods that you love and to elevate your charcuterie and snack board creations to the next level. As always, mix and match with items that fit YOUR needs and preferences. Happy building and let’s get started!
Our first tip is that boards are not just for a group of people. A single serve board is rarely highlighted to we want to make sure that anyone who is looking to build a board for themselves, there are plenty of options and the best part….you only add things that you like, which is kind of awesome.
Using these four main components as a formula to build out your Sweet and Salty Charcuterie Snack Board:
- Meats
- Cheeses
- Salty Snacks
- Sweet Snacks
- BONUS FOCUS: don’t forget to consider various color and textures as you build your board, too!
How to Make a Sweet and Salty Charcuterie Snack Board:
Meats:
We use different types of cured meats like salami, prosciutto, capicola, summer sausage, but you can use any time of meat that you prefer. You can also use simple deli meats or even leftover slices of steak or chicken if you have those on hand from a recent meal.
Cheeses:
After the meats I like to select a few cheeses. You can choose a 1 big chunk of cheese, or a variety of small chunks, it really is personal preference. This can be any type of cheese that you and your guests enjoy. We have really been enjoying a variety of raw milk and goat cheeses from local farms on our boards. There is no 1 or 2 absolute cheese that you need to use, just choose cheeses that you enjoy and look forward to eating and if you want to be adventurous, try a cheese that is a little more out of your comfort zone to expand your options. Personally, I like adding a small bit of a raw blue cheese on my board. It has a unique tanginess that I love with bell pepper or an apple slice. I choose a very small portion at the store because I know I’m the only one who enjoys that in our house. Don’t be afraid to add an item to the board that you enjoy but others in your house do not. They can choose something else and you still get to enjoy your choice. This is a fun way to make your snack board a creative experience for the whole family.
If you are looking to try a new cheese, a lot of cheese departments have small leftover chunks of cheese in a basket costing anywhere from $1.50-4 dollars. This is a great way for you to try some new cheese without spending a boatload of money on one that you don’t like. It is also a great way to get a small piece of an expensive cheese for a great price.
For more ideas for types of meats and cheeses visit this FULL in-depth post for building a traditional charcuterie board. which includes more details on amounts and sizes along with various types of meats and cheeses to consider, dips you can make and more!
Don’t Forget Texture:
After you have your meats and cheese, we move on to the textures and colors. By textures we mean the add-ins like veggies, chocolate, granola, nuts, fruit, olives, roasted peppers, pickles, crackers. These are items we use to fill our boards. You don’t need a ton of each item just a handful or less and you can use your creative eye to balance the colors on the board. Maybe toss some edible flowers in there to break it up and add pops of color. Lastly, you can add a small jar of honey, a grainy mustard, a small bowl of hummus, or any creamy spread or dip you enjoy.
On our single serve board you’ll see in the photo below, we used a small round of a tangy goat cheese, topped it with some of the Balanced Bites Smoky Maple BBQ nuts and drizzled with some honey and it was the perfect combination of tangy, crunchy, sweet and savory. An absolute perfect bite!
Balance the Sweet and Salty:
We really like to add a few sweet things to balance out the savory and salty of the meats and cheeses. Our very own Tasty Yummies Spicy B dark chocolate bar makes for the perfect pairing with a slice of Manchego cheese. That subtle kick of spice at the end is out of this world delicious! All of our dark chocolates have the perfect, luscious bite that compliments a salty, savory cheese. Trust us, don’t knock this until you try it! We really like breaking off a piece of Tasty Yummies chocolate, even just the Tasty Yummies Basic B and combining it with a tangy cheese yummmm. Dark chocolate pairs really nicely with a variety of cheeses so don’t be afraid to experiment and see what your taste buds think. Head to the Tasty Yummies web store now to stock up on your dark chocolate!
Along with our dark chocolate we have added some of Diane’s Magic Blend Granola from Balanced Bites to our boards available in regular gluten-free with oats or grain-free without. Be sure to check out the Balanced Bites website for all the granolas, nut mixes and spices you need!! The big chunks in that you get in the bags are the perfect addition to our Sweet and Salty snack board. It adds a bit of sweetness and it’s another really great crunch for texture. Granola is also a great addition to a board if you have any little ones that you are working on expanding their palate. They can grab a chunk of granola, and maybe they will venture over to try a piece of cheese, a sliced pepper, or something else that you have available on your board that they wouldn’t typically eat.
Adding in dark chocolate, seasoned nuts, and granola to our savory items created a perfectly satisfying snack for us.
Crackers, chips, crisps and a crunch is always nice for both texture and salty. Our choice is a gluten-free or grain-free cracker and we generally prefer the flavor plain to really let the meats and cheeses shine. But you can really have fun here. Who doesn’t love a cracker, a thick slice of cheese, a piece of meat, drizzle of honey and a dollop of grainy mustard! That is a great bite if you ask me!
Other Options for Sweet:
Besides chocolate or a sweet granola you can add fresh or dried fruit, we love fresh berries or dried fruit like mango, apricots, figs, dates or apples. You can also try dark chocolate covered stuffed dates to take this to the next level. You might also enjoy some mini cookies or your family’s favorite colorful candies. Get creative and have fun.
Customize the Sweet and Salty Charcuterie Snack Board to Your Likes:
One of my favorite parts about building a board is that they are SO easily customizable to lots of varying dietary needs and preferences. If you are doing a Whole30, AIP, FODMAP, diary-free or even low-carb, you can easily add ingredients that fits your food profile needs. Just because you are doing a Whole30 doesn’t mean you can’t make your own snack board. Even though cheese is not compatible, there are tons of different items you can use. Double up on fruit and veggies, nuts, olives, dairy-free spreads and dips – these are all great additions for those that are not doing dairy. Nitrate free, no sugar added, cured meats are becoming easier and easier to find at a variety of grocery stores. There are many options of gluten free cracker options available along with grain-free. Sheep milk and goat milk cheeses are great options for those who may be sensitive to cow dairy.
The key is to build a board to suits your needs and you can’t go wrong when you do that.
Most of the time are boards are a no cook, no bake but if you are looking for an addition that requires a little baking, we made some goat cheese stuffed dates wrapped in bacon to take the board to the next level. Delicious and simple!
How to Make Goat Cheese Stuffed Dates Wrapped in Bacon for your Sweet and Salty Charcuterie Snack Board:
1.Take 12 pitted dates, use a small spoon or your fingers and stuff with goat cheese (blue cheese also is a great option).
2.Take 4-6 uncooked bacon strips and slice into 2-3 in strips. Wrap the bacon around the stuffed date.
3.To secure I used a toothpick. You can always place seam down if you don’t have toothpicks.
4.Place on a baking sheet. Bake at 350º F for 30 minutes.
5.Remove from baking sheet and place on a paper towel to soak up the extra bacon grease and let cool a bit.
6.Place on your Sweet and Salty Charcuterie Snack Board. These are great fresh out of the oven as well as room temperature.
If you want a snack before dinner, putting together a simple, small Sweet and Salty Charcuterie Snack Board is a great option. Use a chunk of cheese you have on hand, some sliced cucumbers, sliced bell peppers and apple and that is a snack that can tide you over for a little while. The perfect balance of fat, protein and carbs. You don’t need to get all fancy pants and make a huge spread. Sometimes a few slices of cheese and veggies on a plate does it best.
If you don’t feel like cooking, you have some cured meats, cheeses and add in’s available, make a board for dinner! If you’re having people over and want to offer some munchies, make a board for them! If you are watching a movie and want a snack…make a board! A board doesn’t need to be just meat and cheese. Put whatever food you want on a board, make it pretty….or not, and just enjoy it.
We want to give you some no cook options and we hope that this helps. The key is to build a board with food that you enjoy, your family enjoys, or your guest will enjoy. Don’t be scared to branch out and mix sweet and savory items on your board. Have fun building and please share your Sweet and Salty Charcuterie Snack Board creations with us!
