A good charcuterie board needs six kinds of things: cured meat, cheese, something crunchy, fresh fruit, something sweet, and something sharp and briny to cut through the richness. Most shopping lists stop at olives and cornichons for that last part. Add a bowl of pickled crimini mushrooms and the board tastes finished: whole caps, sharp and savory, the bite you want between a slice of salami and a piece of aged cheddar.
Below: what to put on a charcuterie board in one short list, all the charcuterie board ingredients category by category, how much charcuterie to buy per person, the 3-3-3-3 rule, a printable shopping list for eight, and how far ahead you can shop and build.
What to put on a charcuterie board: the short list
For a board that looks generous and tastes balanced, buy:
- 2 or 3 cured meats, one sliced thin and one you can cut into rounds.
- 3 cheeses with different textures: one hard, one soft, one wild card.
- 2 kinds of crackers or bread, one plain and one with seeds or herbs.
- 2 fresh fruits, such as grapes and sliced pears or apples.
- 1 dried fruit and 1 nut.
- 1 or 2 sweet things: honey, fig jam or a few squares of dark chocolate.
- 2 or 3 briny things: olives, cornichons and a jar of pickled mushrooms.
The briny things do more work than their share of the board. Fat and salt need acid to stay interesting past the third bite, and that is what a pickle brings. Golden Grove makes five pickled mushrooms, and each suits a different part of the board:
- Crimini for salami and aged cheddar. Whole caps that hold their shape on a toothpick.
- White shimeji for soft cheese, burrata and prosciutto. Bright, delicate clusters, best served in a little bowl.
- King oyster for aged Gouda or Comté. Meaty coins with truffle oil in the jar.
- Shiitake for smoked meats and sharp cheese. The most savory of the five.
- Black shimeji for a goat cheese and a crisp apple. Savory and tender, in apple cider vinegar.
For a board for eight to ten, one jar of crimini and one of white shimeji is plenty, and a Build Your Variety Pack lets you mix them in one order and keep the rest for the next board.
"Bought these for a small cheese board and everyone kept asking where the mushrooms were from. The crimini were the first jar we finished."
— Chris M., Golden Grove customer
Charcuterie board ingredients, category by category
Cured meats
Prosciutto, Genoa salami, soppressata, chorizo, mortadella, coppa or bresaola. Choose one that is sliced paper thin (prosciutto folds into ribbons), one sliced salami for rounds and stacks, and one with spice. Charcuterie technically means cured and cooked meats, so pâté and rillettes count too.
Cheeses
Mix textures and milks. A hard cheese (aged cheddar, Manchego, Parmigiano, aged Gouda), a soft one (Brie, Camembert, a triple crème), and one surprise (a blue, a fresh goat cheese or a smoked cheese). Take hard cheeses out of the fridge about 30 minutes before serving so their flavor comes through.
Crackers and bread
A plain water cracker for the soft cheeses, a seeded or rosemary cracker for the hard ones, and sliced baguette or crostini. Breadsticks add height. Keep crackers away from anything wet, or they go soft.
Fresh fruit
Grapes are the classic. Sliced pears and apples, figs, berries and pomegranate seeds all work in season. Toss sliced apples and pears with a squeeze of lemon so they don't brown.
Dried fruit and nuts
Dried apricots, figs and cherries; Marcona almonds, candied pecans, pistachios or walnuts. They fill the gaps and add chew and crunch.
Sweet things
Honey with blue cheese, fig jam with goat cheese, quince paste with Manchego, and a few squares of dark chocolate. Put sticky things in small bowls with spoons.
Pickles, olives and other briny things
Olives (Castelvetrano for mild and buttery, Kalamata for rich), cornichons, pickled mushrooms, marinated artichokes, pepperoncini or roasted peppers. This is where a board gets its contrast. Drain jars in a sieve for a few minutes so the brine doesn't run into the crackers, and serve each in its own little bowl. For which small pickles to choose and how many to buy, see the best pickles for a charcuterie board.
Mustard and spreads
A grainy mustard for the salami and pâté, and a soft herbed cheese or whipped ricotta to spread.
Garnishes
Rosemary and thyme sprigs, edible flowers or a few basil leaves. They make a board look finished and cost almost nothing.
How much charcuterie per person
As an appetizer, plan on about 2 ounces of meat and 2 ounces of cheese per person. Before a big holiday meal, when you don't want anyone too full for dinner, 2 to 3 ounces of meat and cheese combined is enough. If the board is the meal, double the appetizer amounts.
| Guests | Meat (appetizer) | Cheese (appetizer) | Pickled mushrooms |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 8 oz | 8 oz | 1 jar |
| 8 | 1 lb | 1 lb | 1 to 2 jars |
| 12 | 1.5 lb | 1.5 lb | 2 jars |
A jar of our pickled mushrooms holds 250 g (about 9 oz) once drained. As one of two or three briny things, one jar covers a board for six to eight with some left for the week.
The 3-3-3-3 rule
If you'd rather not plan, use the 3-3-3-3 rule: three cheeses, three meats, three starches and three accompaniments. It gives you variety without a huge shopping trip. Make one of the three accompaniments something pickled, and the board has the contrast it needs.
Printable charcuterie board shopping list for 8
- Prosciutto, 6 oz
- Genoa salami, 6 oz
- Soppressata or chorizo, 4 oz
- Aged cheddar, 6 oz
- Brie, one 8 oz wheel
- Blue cheese or goat cheese, 4 oz
- Water crackers, 1 box
- Seeded crackers, 1 box
- 1 baguette
- Grapes, 1 lb
- 2 pears or apples
- Dried apricots, 1 cup
- Marcona almonds, 1 cup
- Honey and fig jam
- Olives, 1 cup
- Cornichons, 1 small jar
- 1 jar of pickled crimini and 1 jar of pickled white shimeji
- Grainy mustard
- Rosemary sprigs
How far ahead to shop and build
Buy hard cheeses, whole salami, crackers, nuts and jars up to a week ahead; sealed jars and crackers keep longer. Buy sliced meats, soft cheese and fresh fruit a day or two before. Slice and arrange the board up to a few hours ahead, cover it and keep it in the fridge, then add crackers and bread just before serving. Once it is out, perishable food shouldn't sit at room temperature for more than two hours.
Charcuterie board questions
What are the essential ingredients for a charcuterie board?
Cured meat, cheese, crackers or bread, fruit, something sweet like honey or jam, and something briny like olives or pickled mushrooms.
How much meat and cheese do I need per person?
About 2 ounces of each as an appetizer, and double that if the board is the meal.
What goes on a charcuterie board besides meat and cheese?
Crackers, bread, grapes, figs, dried apricots, nuts, honey, fig jam, olives, cornichons and pickled mushrooms.
Do pickled mushrooms go on a charcuterie board?
Yes. They are briny like an olive but savory, and they cut through salami and rich cheese. Serve them drained, in a small bowl, with toothpicks.
How do you pronounce charcuterie?
Most Americans say shar-KOO-tuh-ree. It is the French word for a pork butcher's shop and the cured and cooked meats it sells.
Is it cheaper to make your own charcuterie board?
Usually. You pay only for the ingredients, you can buy exactly the amounts above, and leftover jars, nuts and hard cheese keep for the next board.
The short version
Buy two or three meats, three cheeses, two crackers, fruit, nuts, something sweet and something briny, about 2 ounces each of meat and cheese per guest. The briny part is what makes a board taste finished, so start with a jar of pickled crimini, or build a variety pack with crimini and white shimeji. For holiday layouts, see our Thanksgiving charcuterie board and Christmas charcuterie board ideas.