Thanksgiving Charcuterie Committee

This How to Make Thanksgiving Charcuterie Board includes everything you need to create a professional cheese board at home for just $60. All materials are sourced from Trader Joe’s, and step-by-step instructions show you exactly how to put them together to create a beautiful board for your Thanksgiving or holiday table.

Thanksgiving Charcuterie Board Tutorial

If you’re looking for the perfect Thanksgiving appetizer, look no further than this extensive menu featuring meats, cheeses, crackers, fresh and dried fruit, and snacks.

You can copy this charcuterie board step by step and serve it on your big day with confidence. (And all the holidays and parties that follow!)

Just change the decorations according to the season. Add mini pumpkins or dried cranberries in the fall, or swap out seasonal fruits like berries in the summer for a red, white, and green version of your festive holiday.

Even when you look at the finished board, you don’t know how much to buy, so we’ve prepared everything from a shopping list to exactly how to cut and arrange the cheese (hahahaha). Combine each ingredient into beautiful layers.

Once you get the hang of the formulas and methods, you’ll be able to design your own boards using the materials of your choice.

Board contents: Cheese board ingredients

3 pieces of cheese

Different types of cheese will please everyone. I like soft cheeses like brie, sharp cheeses like cheddar, and manchego and gouda.

3 meat

It’s easy because Trader Joe’s sells them in 3-packs. Look for a variety of flavors from mild to spicy

4 types of crackers

Choose 3-4 types: something cool like cheese straws, something neutral, and maybe something sweet.

dried fruit

TJ’s candied oranges are so delicious and pretty + dried apricots and cranberries are also great

fresh fruits

Crunchy apple and grape color

fig jam nuts

Truffle Marcona Almond = 100%. cashew nuts. Salted or smoked almonds. Almond chocolate!

fresh herbs

And the best part? The entire board cost only $60 at Trader Joe’s.

Charcuterie board shopping list

Yes, it all comes from Trader Joe’s!

The ingredients aren’t that fancy when they come in a box, right? But all the assembled guests will think this is the board of all boards.

Include:

Manchego Cheese Unexpected Cheddar Cheese Triple Cream Brie Cheese Fig Butter or other jam (Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Butter is also great!) Truffle Marcona Almonds (I use half) (6 ounces) 1 bag dried apricots (I use about half) ) – set aside the rest) Grapes of two colors (prepare a container of mixed grapes) 1 Honeycrisp apple Sweetened Dried Orange Slices (5 oz.) (These are so delicious, but you can also use fresh oranges) Spanish Meat Trio (6 oz.) Fresh Sage Fresh Rosemary Stone Ground Wheat Crackers Pistachio Pomegranate Crisp Cheddar cheese stick pita bite cracker

There is additional goat cheese in the photo, but I decided not to use it, but of course you can mix in any cheese, including blue cheese, herb cheese, cranberry goat cheese, etc.

board shopping tips

Choose from three different cheeses in different styles and flavors.

You can also consider serving the hummus in a small bowl or adding flavorful options like marinated artichokes or olives.

A small bowl with a few chocolate-covered nuts or dark chocolate pieces is also nice.

You won’t use all the crackers, nuts, and fruit on the board, but you can also keep a stash to the side to replenish as needed.

How to Assemble a Thanksgiving Charcuterie Board

Watch the how-to video on YouTube here.

Gather your equipment, prepare the fruit, and remove the crackers from the box

Chop and prepare on one board and assemble on a serving board. This will keep your serving board clean.

Therefore, you’ll need two cutting boards, a cheese knife, and a few prep plates to surround your ingredients.

prepare the cheese

Leave the brie whole and cut the cheddar cheese into cubes.

How to cut cheese triangles for charcuterie

Turn the manchego sideways and cut into triangles. Then stack them vertically. Once you have created your tower, you can turn it on its side so it looks like a zigzag on the board.

How to fold and roll meat

Roll the oval piece of meat to make a cigar.Fold the circular piece of meat to make a “flower.”

assembly

Once everything is unwrapped, cleaned, and cut, you can start assembling.

Step 1: First, secure the board with cheese.

Step 2: Add the meat in a meandering river pattern around the cheese, rotating the rolled “cigar” vertically.

Step 3: Add fruit

Stand the vines up as much as possible so that the vine stems are up in the air.

Place heaps of dried fruit around it.

Secure the corners with orange slices (I think they look really pretty!) and decorate with thinly sliced apples in a fan shape.

Step 4: Add crackers like fans, dominoes, and mountains in groups.

Notice how the breadsticks are halved and held as upright as possible.

Step 5: Fill the remaining empty spaces with nuts.

Step 6: Make a well in the brie and pour in the jam.

Step 7: Add fresh herbs to the remaining space.

Watch it build like magic.

charcuterie board tips

Board size

If you don’t have a board large enough, you can combine two boards or use a platter. Most of the cutting is done on the prep board, so the serving board is more for display.