When it’s Halloween party time, I like to entertain family and friends with a number of festive food options, including jack-o-lantern shaped pepperoni pizza pockets, Halloween punch, candy bar blondies and this fabulous and easy Halloween charcuterie board. Charcuterie and cheese boards are all the rage right now, and can be customized to create a festive appetizer for any holiday. This Halloween charcuterie board is a great way to feed a crowd before trick-or-treating, and also happens to be super easy to make. Serve your platter alongside other family friendly favorites including slow cooker hot chocolate, stromboli, bagel dogs or cheeseburger pie for a memorable meal.
Halloween Charcuterie Board Ingredients
Snack boards consist of multiple components to create the right balance between sweet and savory ingredients.
Meat: Choose some cured meats to go on your platter such as pepperoni, prosciutto, salami or Spanish style chorizo. Cheese: I look for an assortment of cheeses including a hard aged cheese such as parmesan or gouda, blue cheese, brie, goat cheese and cheddar. Be sure to choose at least one orange cheese to stay with the Halloween theme. Produce: I went with orange and black produce to be thematic, including blackberries, black figs, black grapes and I also found some small orange pickled peppers in the deli area that I filled with herbed cream cheese. I also used some cornichon pickles because they remind me of witch fingers! Green olives would also be a good choice. Nuts & Seeds: Pumpkin seeds are must for Halloween! Other great options for nuts include pistachios, walnuts, candied pecans or Marcona almonds. Herbs: I add a few sprigs of fresh herbs for added color, some fall choices include sage or rosemary. Crackers: Choose a variety of interesting crackers with different textures, such as rosemary crackers, a fruit and nut variety, and some plain water crackers. Halloween Treats: You can’t have a Halloween board without some festive treats! I used ghost shaped cookies, dark chocolate pumpkins, and small pumpkin shaped cakes. Any pumpkin shaped treat or Halloween candy such as candy corn or candy eyeballs will work well. Jams & Spreads: I typically offer at least one type of spread such as preserves or honey to accent the flavors of the cheeses. Here I used an apple cider jam to stay with the fall theme.
How Do You Make A Halloween Charcuterie board?
Start by placing your larger items on the board, such as wedges of cheese, jars of jam or small bowls of pickles. Next, start filling in gaps with crackers and fruit or veggies. Add in some Halloween treats and sliced meats, then nuts and seeds. Finally, finish by adding a few sprigs of fresh herbs, and some small Halloween decorations like plastic spiders or skeleton hands.
Tips And Tricks For Perfect Results
Don’t worry about finding the exact same items in these photos! Just do your best and look for things that fit the theme and that you think your friends will enjoy. When you’re out shopping, stick to ingredients that are primarily in black, orange, purple and green colors. You may need to go to more than one store to find everything you need. This board is primarily made up from items at Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods. Think outside the box, and be sure to check out the whole grocery store for ingredients, not just the deli. For example, I found the ghost cookies in the bakery, and the chocolate pumpkins in the candy section. Cut your meats and cheeses into different shapes and sizes for a more interesting visual effect. Use some pre-cut thinly sliced meats, then buy a whole salami and cut it into thicker slices or cubes. Cheeses can be served whole, or cut into thin slices or cubes. You can even cut cheeses into Halloween shapes such as pumpkins or coffins with a cookie cutter.
Make Ahead Instructions
You can assemble your board up to 8 hours before you plan to serve it. Keep the board covered and in the refrigerator until you’re ready to eat. If you’re making it ahead of time, leave off any wet items such as pickles or marinated peppers, and add them at the last minute. I also recommend leaving off the crackers until right before you serve, as is it possible that they can get stale or soggy in the fridge.
Your friends and family will be delighted with this Halloween charcuterie board, and you will be thrilled by how easy it is to make!
