Name: How to Make a Simple Cheese Board Appetizer
Prep time: 20 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: 4-5 types of cheeses (such as goat cheese, gorgonzola, cheddar, brie, oka); 1-2 types of cured meats (such as prosciutto and salami); Fresh fruit (such as pomegranate, persimmons and grapes); Dried fruit (such as apricots and figs); Assorted nuts (such as raw almonds and cashews); Dips and spreads (such as jams, hummus and honey); Marinated fruits and veggies (such as olives and hot peppers); Assorted crackers and bread; Fresh veggies to serve on the side (such as carrots and celery sticks)

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Putting together a cheese board appetizer is easier than you think! Follow these steps and tips to make a simple holiday cheese board to please all your party guests!

This post is sponsored by Dominion as part of the #foodloversunite campaign. As always, all opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that make Crumb Top Baking possible.

Overhead view of a fully assembled cheese board with bread and wine off to the side.

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Table of Contents

Ready-made platters save the day!
What you'll need to build a simple cheese board
What are the best cheeses for a cheese board?
Other cheese board essentials
How to assemble a cheese board
Other tips and suggestions
📖 Recipe

Ready-made platters save the day!

If you caught my last post, you know this holiday season I'm all about making entertaining as easy as possible. That's why I'm relying on my local Dominion store to have everything I need for last minute meals and entertaining, including ready-to-go platters and charcuterie. With their large selection of party platters and other deli items, I don't have to worry about putting together crowd-pleasing appetizers. Dominion makes it easy for me.

Photo of me picking up party platters at Dominion. — Picking up some platters at my local Dominion store.

Last weekend, my husband and I entertained some friends, but since it was a busy weekend for all of us, we decided to keep it simple. We all have different tastes, but we're all food lovers, so I knew a cheese board would please everyone, even my picky husband!

So, I headed to Dominion to pick up a cheese platter and vegetable tray, and a few other accompaniments to round out my vision for an awesome cheese board. Here's what I picked up:

Overhead view of items purchased for cheese board.

What you'll need to build a simple cheese board

4-5 types of cheese
1-2 types of cured meat
Fresh and dried fruit
Crackers and bread
Assortment of nuts
Spreads and dips
Marinated veggies

Let's break this down a bit more......

What are the best cheeses for a cheese board?

The best cheeses for a cheese board are the ones you enjoy or have on hand. Seriously, sometimes we make a board with just a few basics - like cheddar, swiss and goat cheese.

Other times, we go for more specialty cheeses, or at least ones that we don't buy regularly.

When we're entertaining, I like to go for 4-5 varieties with different tastes and textures. A good rule of thumb is to make sure you have a few different soft and hard cheeses.

On the board I'm sharing today, I've included:

White cheddar
Oka classic
Double cream brie
Herbed goat cheese
Gorgonzola

Side view of cheese, meats and fruit on a wooden board.

Other cheese board essentials

Cured meats: We usually go with prosciutto and hot genoa salami, but you can go with others that you enjoy. Just keep it to one or two different varieties as you don't want to overwhelm the cheese board with meat.
Fresh fruit: I've kept it seasonal on this board with persimmons and pomegranates, and I added in some red grapes. You can also go with apples, pears or clementines.
Dried fruit: Apricots and figs are popular choices.
Nuts: I added raw almonds and cashews to this board, but you can also go with savoury or candied nuts. Pistachios, pecans or walnuts work well too.
Spreads and dips: There are so many options with homemade or store-bought dips and spreads. I usually add my cranberry chia sauce (which has a jam-like texture), a white bean dip or hummus and honey. Choose what works for you and your guests.
Marinated fruits and veggies: Here's where you can add in a few salty, spicy or briny selections like olives, pickles, artichokes and hot peppers.
Crackers: These are a must! I included cranberry fennel crackers on this board, but other seedy crackers, pita chips or pretzels work well too.
Bread: While some people only include crackers, we always serve a sliced baguette on the side with our boards. This works well if you're feeding a crowd or enjoying a cheese board as a meal.
Veggies: It's not customary on a cheese board, but we normally serve veggies on the side. Cheese boards can be heavy, so some carrots and celery help keep things light and fresh.

Collage of three photos showing the cheese board being enjoyed by friends. — Enjoying the cheese board with friends!

How to assemble a cheese board

Before you start to think that a fancy cheese board is difficult to assemble, let me just say that once you have your key ingredients selected, putting together a cheese board is quick and easy.

This one took me about 20 minutes, and I was taking my time to prep it for photos.

Here are a few easy steps

Make sure you have a large board, platter or serving tray. You don't want it to be too big that you have to spend a lot of money to fill it out, but you don't want it to be too small that the cheese board looks overcrowded.
Start with the cheese and space it out strategically on your board.
Add in your meats around the cheese. You'll only have 1-2 varieties, but you can divide it up around the board in 4-5 places.
Next, place your small jars or bowls of dips and spreads on the board.
Lastly, add in the other ingredients to fill out the spaces around the cheese, meat and spreads. Stop when the board looks full. You don't want any empty spaces on the board, but you don't want the ingredients piled on top of each other.

Up-close view of assembled cheese board appetizer.

Other tips and suggestions

I usually estimate about 1-2 ounces of cheese and meat per person.
You can slice or cube some of the cheese before you add it to the board or keep it in wedges and add cheese knives to the board.
Keep it simple and don't overdo it with ingredients. For instance, instead of using 3-4 kinds of crackers, just stick with 1-2 different kinds, but spread them out around the board.
Don't worry about fitting everything on the board. I serve bread and veggies on the side, and sometimes the dips and spreads end up on the side too.
Stick with what you and your guests will enjoy. Don't just add items to the board because they look pretty.
Don't forget little serving spoons and forks, toothpicks, serving plates and lots of napkins. A cheese board is serious business, so make sure your guests have the tools they need to enjoy it!