A Grazing Board for the Holidays!

Share this post

What is it that makes a grazing board so good? I am obsessed with grazing boards and charcuterie boards and cheese boards and food boards in general!

And according to the internet, I am not the only one! There’s something special about putting everyday food on a board and eating it.

Maybe it’s because it’s so pretty? Or the variety? Or maybe it’s just the snack-y type of eating that people love. I know I, personally, live for snacks.

And food boards are basically just one big snack plate. Throw some food on a board, and I’m there for it!

Whatever it is that makes these boards so special, it’s also really fun to make one for the holidays!

I love to make a grazing board for the holidays, or a charcuterie board, or a brunch board, or even a dessert board!

This grazing board I am sharing today is a great idea for the upcoming holidays. It’s a nice little appetizer for people to snack on as they catch up or visit.

The large cutting board that I used here as my grazing board base is not sold anymore, but here is a similar one. I also have this large one! There are lots of great boards out there, and I love these two.

There really are no hard and fast rules (at least I don’t think so ha!) when it comes to making a grazing board. I’m laying out how I made this one here, to give you ideas for your own and show how I assembled it.

But if you don’t like something, or want to use different cheeses, crackers, fruits, or whatever- feel free! The sky’s the limit when it comes to making a grazing board (or any food board!).

How to Make a Grazing Board for the Holidays

Step 1

For the first step of the grazing board, I like to lay out the cheeses. I used some camembert, cheddar, and aged gouda for my cheeses. Typically it’s a good idea to have two or three cheeses with different textures and flavor profiles.

The cheddar and camembert here are more mild, while the gouda has a bit more sharpness to it. And then for texture, the camembert is a soft and creamy cheese while the other two are harder cheeses.

You can do “fancy” cuts if you want or simply slice and lay out. I tried to fancy mine up just a bit with the alternating slices of gouda (top right) and cutting out a small wedge of the camembert.

And the last tip for this step is to try to place your cheeses spaced out apart from each other on the board. This lets there be room for the other things that will go around them and gives it visual appeal since the cheeses are often the focal point.

Step 2

For the next step, I like to place my bowls of accompaniments. They are larger pieces of the board so it’s good to get them settled before filling in some of the other ingredients.

For my accompaniments, some go with the cheese- whole mustard, fig jam, and honey- and some are more for the “grazing” part of the grazing board- pomegranate seeds, tomato confit to go on sliced bread rounds, mixed olives, and seasoned olive oil for drizzling over anything.

I tried to create symmetry with the bowl placements…the three largest bowls I placed similarly to the cheese placement, except flipped so they crate a right side up triangle of sorts. Then I evenly spaced out the smaller bowls, placing one in the middle and the others by the cheeses.

I placed the cheese accompaniments next to the cheeses I thought they’d go best with, but you can play around with how you want it. The fig jam went next to the camembert, the honey next to the gouda, and the mustard next to the cheddar.

Step 3

Step three for this grazing board is setting out the meats. For mine, I used two versions of salami, a smaller one I cut into rounds (left) and a larger one that I folded up (right).

I just laid them out in the middle to create a kind of nice looking divide down the board. I curved them around a bit for visual interest. The larger salami I folded in half, and then in half the other way once more and laid them like that.

Depending on the size of your grazing board, I would usually recommend 2-3 types of meat.

Step 4

Now it’s time to lay out some of the medium sized grazing items. I added some sliced carrots, sliced pear, pickle spears, and sliced radish. Again, you can totally mix it up to your preferences!

I like to do little groupings of these items balanced out in the board. If I have two groups of something, I try to add it on opposite sides of the board, like the pears and pickles here.

I also keep extra on hand in the fridge or pantry (if it’s shelf stable) of each thing so it can be replenished as needed. That way you don’t have to worry about trying to fit large piles of snack-y items on the board!

Step 5

Time to add the crackers! I used two types of crackers- a flavored one from Trader Joes with dried fruit in it- and a plainer pita type of cracker. Then I added some lightly toasted French bread rounds as well.

The bread rounds are great because they can go with the cheeses or with the snack-y items like the tomatoes. I usually do at least 2 types of cracker items but you could do 2-4 depending on the size of your board.

And I just placed them kind of randomly. I decided to mirror the meat divide with the bread rounds, since the middle of the board still had a bit of space to fill. Then I added in groups of each cracker on the corners and top middle of the board.

Step 6

We’re almost there! Now it’s time to fill in any empty space with our small filler items. I used nuts (pecans), dried fruit (cranberries and candied ginger), and a few garnishes like the rosemary and more pear.

Berries, other fruit, nuts or dried fruits are also great options for this step. Customize it as you please! We already had these fillers in our house, and they are delicious so we went with it. The nuts and dried fruit are great for grazing on and the garnishes add a little flair!

Basically for this step you just want to fill in the empty spaces with these items. Keep in mind again balance, and spread them out. If you use nuts for example, place some nuts in a space, then find a spot elsewhere and fill in some more nuts. Spacing out these fillers will make the board look nice!

Step 7

And finally, the last step is to add your tools! I added a few small cheese knives next to the cheeses and little spoons in the items that need to be scooped. Little mini forks went next to the items that need to be picked up like the salami or pickles.

Set out some plates and napkins and enjoy!

You now have a beautiful completed grazing board for the holidays!

And again, you can totally customize it to your tastes. Swap out the cheeses, meats, accompaniments if you want something different. It’s totally up to you- have fun with it!

Have you made a grazing board before? What are some of your favorite things to put on it?

xoxo

JOIN THE COMMUNITY

The Cozy Home Life Community is the place to be for people passionate about creating a cozy life! Share recipes, home decor, entertaining and holiday tips, and more cozy inspiration!

JOIN THE COMMUNITY

5 from 1 vote

Holiday Grazing Board

A grazing board for the holidays! Cheese, charcuterie, and snack board.

Print Recipe

Prep Time:45 minutes mins

Total Time:45 minutes mins

Ingredients

2-3 Cheeses. I used:

• Camembert
• Cheddar
• Aged Gouda

Accompaniments. I used:

• Mustard
• Fig jam
• Honey
• Pomegranate seeds
• Tomato Confit
• Seasoned olive oil

2-3 Meats. I used:

• 2 types of salami

Medium Sized Grazing Items. I used:

• Sliced carrots
• Sliced pear
• Pickle spears
• Sliced radish

2-4 Types of Crackers. I used:

• dried fruit crackers
• pita chip crackers
• sliced bread rounds lightly toasted

Fillers. I used:

• Pecans
• Dried cranberries
• Candied ginger

And Garnishes:

• A cut in half pear
• Rosemary sprigs

Instructions

• Lay out your cheeses, spread apart on the board.
• Place your accompaniments in bowls around the board, near the cheese and spread out to different corners.
• Set out your meats- I like to do a curving line across the board.
• Place your medium sized grazing items in groups around the board. Think about symmetry and place groupings opposite of each other or with complimentary colorings. Keep the groupings relatively small and keep extras on hand somewhere else to replenish as needed.
• Add the crackers. Place your crackers in groups to fill in some of the larger spaces on the board. Think opposite again and place the same cracker groups opposite of each (roughly) on the board for visual interest. I placed the bread rounds in a line in the middle like the meat.
• Fill in the empty spaces with your filler items and garnishes. Wherever there is an empty spot, place a little of one of your fillers or garnish to create little groupings spread out in the board. Fill until the empty spaces are used up.
• Lastly, add your cheese knives, little spoons and forks for people to use to pick up items! Set out some plates and enjoy!

Course: Appetizer, Main Course, Snack

Keyword: brunch, dinner, fall, holiday, party, winter

Servings: 6 -ish people

You May Also Enjoy:

How to Set Up an Easy Dessert Bar

How to Create a Fun Mother’s Day Brunch Board

The Best Cinnamon Fig Jam Buns

PIN for Later:

Share this post