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.

Easy Holiday Grazing Board

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A holiday grazing board is the easiest way to elevate your snack table if you have family or friends 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 with your guests when they arrive!

Author: Kylie
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 0 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Yield: 2-40 people
Category: Appetizer
Method: No Cook
Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Savory

Sweet

homemade Christmas cookies
fresh or dried fruit
dark chocolate
chocolate covered pretzels
toffee
animal crackers
mini candy canes
red hots
mini candy bars

Meat

salami
prosciutto
pepperoni
sliced deli ham

Cheese

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

Carbs

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

Instructions

Start with your anchor items. This includes anything in a small bowl or ramekin. These will act as the starting point where you’ll arrange everything around. I find that this really helps with the presentation. Try to use odd numbers 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. 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. Serve and enjoy!

Acacia wood cutting board

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Notes

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.