Easy Holiday Grazing Board

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A holiday grazing board is the easiest way to elevate your snack table if you've got friends or family coming over. When you're entertaining, the last thing you want to worry about is tedious appetizers - so instead, assemble a simple grazing board ahead of time and enjoy a glass of wine and a snack with your guests when they arrive!

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GRAZING BOARD BASICS

The best part about grazing boards is that there are no rules! Keep it simple and use this recipe as as a blueprint. Customize your board to suit your guests taste or your event. But don't get caught up in the details!
Use a variety of savory and sweet flavors. Try adding savory elements and sweet treats along with the traditional meat, cheese, and crackers. The sky is the limit when it comes to adding ingredients to a grazing board so get creative and don't be afraid to try something new! Try to balance out the richer items on the board - like meat and cheeses - with lighter items - like fresh fruits, vegetables, and nuts.
To keep the grazing board visually pleasing, try cutting the meats and cheeses into different shapes - cubes, slices, triangles, etc. - and arrange them in different ways across the board - piling some, fanning some out, placing some in neat rows. Also include bowls of different shapes and sizes to hold your accompaniments. This will create a nice variety of texture and height across your grazing board.
Remember this is a great way to use up what's in your fridge or pantry! Leftover olives, nuts, or the pesto hiding in the back of your fridge will all make great additions to the grazing board. A wide variety of items is going to keep your guests coming back for more!

SAVORY

Pick a few of your favorite savory bites to add to your grazing board. Some of my favorites include:

Olive Oil Braised Chickpeas
Easy Marinated Mozzarella
Whipped Feta with Chickpeas
baby dill pickles
almonds
walnuts
basil pesto
pitted olives
carrots
celery sticks
sliced bell peppers
sliced cucumber
cherry tomatoes
sliced radishes
hummus

Don't be afraid to add warm, freshly baked dips to your grazing board as well! Try my:

SWEET

My favorite part of the holidays is all the sweet treats! A grazing platter is the perfect place to showcase all of your favorite holiday goodies like:

homemade Christmas cookies
grapes
cherries
strawberries
raspberries
sliced pears
dried apricots
dried cranberries
dark chocolate
chocolate covered pretzels
toffee
mini candy canes
red hots

MEAT

You can totally keep your grazing board vegetarian and skip the meat, but I usually like to choose 2-3 from this list:

salami
prosciutto
pepperoni
sliced deli ham

CHEESE

Cheese can be a bit spendy depending on what kind you choose, so check your local grocery store for a basket of mini cuts of cheese near their specialty cheese section. Some stores will sell smaller cuts of their larger pieces of cheese and that's a great way to try new flavors without breaking the bank. I like to pick 3-4 from this list:

Fontina
Gorgonzola
smoked Gouda
Parmesan or Asiago
brie or camembert
goat cheese
aged cheddar
manchego

CARBS

You can use your family's favorites for this portion of the grazing board, but I love to include at least 2-3 from the list below:

crispy crackers - try a few different varieties
sliced baguette
homemade crostini
pretzels
pita chips
tortilla chips

WHAT BOARD TO USE

You don't need anything fancy to make a grazing board! Use whatever large serving platter you can find in the kitchen. Some of my favorites include:

Acacia wood cutting board (pictured)
rimmed baking sheet
large serving platter
round drink tray

If you don't have anything to use as a grazing board - or if you want to feed a large group - you can even lay a sheet of butcher paper on your countertop and build the grazing board right on there!

INSTRUCTIONS

Start with your anchor items, which are ingredients you can serve in little bowls, ramekins, or even shot glasses. These will act as the starting point that you'll arrange everything around. I find that this really helps with the presentation. Try to use odd numbers anchors if possible as those are most visually pleasing.

Then add any large wedges or slices of cheese. Fan some of the slices of cheese out around your anchors and place some independently on the board in rows.

Then add your sliced meats. To add some variety, try arranging the meats in different ways. Fanning some out around the anchors and rolling some up to create a textural variety.

Next, add your cubes of cheese and in this case, your Brie Christmas trees! Also, add any smaller sweet treats at this time - like chocolate-covered pretzels and cookies. This is a great way to fill in the smaller areas of the grazing board.

Finally, add your favorite crackers or bread along with a few festive sprigs of fresh rosemary or other fresh herbs. Serve with forks, cheese knives, toothpicks, and festive napkins, and enjoy!

CUTTING BRIE CHRISTMAS TREES

Cutting brie cheese into Christmas trees is super simple!

Start with a wheel of brie cheese.
Make 1 cut vertically down the middle, the one cut horizontally down the middle.
Then cut each of those quarters in half so you have 8 wedges.
Carefully use a paring knife to cut each wedge of cheese into a tree shape.
Start about ⅓ of the way from the top and cut two small triangle shape from either side of the wedge.
Then move down to the bottom ⅓ of the wedge and cut another triangle shape from either side. This will give you a cute little Christmas tree shape!

TIPS

Remember that you can make your grazing board as large or small as you want! You can make a small, simple grazing board for two or make a large one for a group of 40 or more! A good rule of thumb is to plan for about 3-5 ounces of meat/cheese per person. You could get away with less if you'll be adding lots of other snacky items like nuts, chocolate covered pretzels, or cookies! This amount will also vary depending on whether you're serving this as the main food at an event or as a quick snack before a big dinner.
Don't stress about making it look perfect. Symmetrical, perfectly curated grazing boards are not visually pleasing. The eye enjoys seeing a variety of textures, shapes, colors, and sizes so keep it random and whimsical and build the grazing board organically. You can always make adjustments to the arrangement on the board if you need to tweak anything.

FAQ

What should be on a grazing board?

You can combine a variety of savory snacks, sweet treats, meats, cheeses, and carbs to create a delicious grazing board! Switch it up to suit your guest's tastes with a wide array of items, or keep it super simple and stick to just a couple sweet and savory items. The beauty of the grazing board is that there's no cooking required and it's the simplest appetizer ever!

What is a grazing board called?

A grazing board can also be called a charcuterie board, cheese board, or snack board. Basically, it's a board, platter, or countertop arranged with a wide variety of meats, cheeses, snacks, and sweets that guests can graze on while chatting at a party or snacking before a meal.

What is the difference between a charcuterie board and a grazing board?

A charcuterie board is typically focused on a variety of meats and cheeses primarily with a few accompaniments - nuts, dried fruits, spreads - thrown in. A grazing board typically has a wide array of foods including meats and cheeses but also includes a variety of savory snacks and sweet treats.

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