Fall Dessert Cheeseboard ~ Barley & Sage

Name: Fall Dessert Cheese Board
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 10 min
Ingredients: 1 small wheel of brie; 4 ounces manchego; 4 ounces gruyere; 4 ounces goat cheese; 1/2 cup water crackers; 1/2 baguette (sliced); 1/4 cup fig toast crackers; 1/4 cup pretzels; 1 pear (sliced); 2 plums (sliced); 5 figs (sliced); 2 cups champagne grapes; 1/4 cup fig jam; 1/4 cup honey; 1/2 cup chocolate squares; 1/4 cup chocolate covered espresso beans; 1/4 cup roasted marcona almonds; 1/4 cup candied pecans

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It only takes 10 minutes to throw together this fall dessert cheeseboard loaded with fresh fall fruits, chocolate, candied nuts and cheeses!

I'll show you exactly how to create a fall dessert cheeseboard, including all my best food styling tips so that your board is totally Instagram worthy! It's perfect for birthdays, New Year's Eve, or just a casual girls night!

Jump to:

Cheeseboard vs Charcuterie Board
Components of a Dessert Cheeseboard
How to Choose a Serving Board
Where to Buy Cheese and Accouterments
Cheese and Accompaniment Suggestions
How to Assemble and Style a Cheeseboard
🍷 Wine Pairings
Cheeseboard Tips & Tricks
Cheeseboard FAQ's
More Recipes for Entertaining!
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Cheeseboard vs Charcuterie Board

Charcuterie is a French word for cured meats, such as salami and prosciutto. So a charcuterie board consists of cured meats and typically other accompaniments like cheese, fruit, nuts, etc.

Since this dessert cheeseboard doesn't have any meat on it, it's technically not a "charcuterie board" but you often see these terms used interchangeably. You can also refer to a cheeseboard as a grazing board, fruit and cheese platter, etc.

Components of a Dessert Cheeseboard

Cheese - You can't have a cheeseboard without the cheese! I recommend using between 3-5 different cheese depending on how many people you're serving. I typically go for cheeses that pair with sweeter flavors -- think creamy and mild like goat cheese, or brie.
Crackers & Bread - I love wandering around the cracker aisle at the grocery store looking for fun things to try! But I also love including mini cookies or pretzels.
Fruit & Chocolate - You can go for more traditional sweets like brownie bites or macarons, but I like to lean into the sweetness of the fruit! Use fresh seasonal fruit that pairs with the cheeses you chose! Dried fruits are also a fun addition. I also love using dark chocolate or chocolate covered raisins.
Jams & Spreads - Fresh fruit jam, honey, or caramel dip are all great options to add some variety!
Nuts - A few different types of nuts are a great way to fill in those empty spaces on your board and perfect for snacking! Candied nuts or chocolate covered nuts are also a great choice!

How to Choose a Serving Board

Being a food blogger, I have probably a dozen different serving boards. But there are lots of things you can use if you don't have a dedicated wood serving board!

Large serving platter
Cutting board
Baking sheet
Series of small plates and bowls
Sheet of parchment paper in the middle of the table

I've found gorgeous serving boards at places like TJ Maxx, Target, and even Walmart! You can also go the more expensive route and check out Pottery Barn, Crate & Barrel, or Anthropologie. These are a few of my favorite boards that I own!

Where to Buy Cheese and Accouterments

One of the most shocking things about becoming an adult, was realizing how expensive cheese is! Stores like Trader Joe's, ALDI, and Costco always have amazing deals on cheese, charcuterie meats, and other accoutrements! They're great places to shop for all your cheeseboard needs!

However, if you're feeling fancy and have money to burn, I love browsing the cheeses at Whole Foods, Wegmans, and specialty shops! You can also usually find some delicious artisan cheese at your local farmers market.

Cheese and Accompaniment Suggestions

The key to choosing what cheese and accouterments is variety! you want to include a variety of shapes, textures, colors, and flavors!

🧀 Cheeses

For the cheese, you always want to use a variety of flavors and textures! Like soft, hard, aged, etc. There are SO many different ways to categorize cheese (fresh, washed rind, semi-hard, etc.) But here's a short cheat sheet of some popular options:

Aged - Aged Cheddar, Gruyere, Gouda
Soft - Brie, Camembert, Goat, Burrata, Mascarpone
Hard - Manchego, Parmigiano-Reggiano, Edam
Blue - Gorgonzola, Roquefort, Stilton

I typically try to use at least from each category (except blue because I'm not really a fan).

For this fall cheeseboard I used brie, manchego, gruyere, and goat cheese. But I also recommend a whipped mascarpone or cream cheese dip!

🥖 Crackers

Crackers are another great way to add a variety of shapes and textures to your cheeseboard!

You can walk down the cracker aisle at any grocery store and find 100 different options depending on what you like.

You can also add pretzels, caramel popcorn, cookies, or biscotti!

For this board I used a few types of cracker, a sliced baguette, and these fun fig toast crackers that I found at a local shop!

🍇 Fruit & Jam

When choosing fruit for a cheeseboard, I always go based off what's in season!

For fresh fruits I like to use a combination of stone fruits and berries because they pair so beautifully with cheese! But you can also use apples, pears, melons, etc.!

Sugared cranberries or dried fruits like apricots or dates are also a great addition, especially for fall!

Preserves, honey, salted caramel, and other spreads are also great to put in little bowls to add variety and extra flavor to your board!

For this fall board I used champagne grapes, fresh figs, sliced pears, plums, fig jam, and honey!

🍫 Nuts & Chocolate

Nuts and chocolate are a great way to fill in small gaps and add some crunch to your cheeseboard! Some fun options are:

Candied pecans
Marcona almonds
Pistachios
Macadamia nuts
Chocolate covered cherries, almonds, or espresso beans
Chocolate truffles
Your favorite chocolate bar

For this board I used roasted marcona almonds, candied pecans, dark chocolate squares, and chocolate covered espresso beans!

close up shot of fall dessert cheeseboard.

How to Assemble and Style a Cheeseboard

There are two main things to keep in mind when styling any sort of cheeseboard or grazing table:

Start with the biggest, most important items and end with the small filler items.
Use the principles of grouping and repetition to make your cheeseboard look dynamic and interesting!

Step 1: Arrange the Cheeses

When arranging a cheeseboard, I always start with the cheese! It's typically the largest item, so you want to make sure there's plenty of space for it.

Cut each type of cheese into a distinct shape and size, so that it's obvious they're all different.

The manchego is cut into large triangles and then fanned out.
The gruyere is cut into tiny cubes and then stacked to create height.
I had one large wheel of brie and a small wheel of goat cheese, so I left the small one as a complete circle and cut the second one into triangles but left it together in a circle. I turned one slice of brie on its side to create more visual interest and show off that creamy center.
If I was using whipped mascarpone or ricotta, I would put it in a small bowl and then sprinkle herbs on top or maybe a drizzle of olive oil or honey for layering.

Place the cheese into small groups and arrange each group of the same type in a similar manner. This guides the eye and helps indicate which groups are the same type of cheese.

fall cheeseboard with different cheeses arranged on top.

You'll also notice the cheeses are spread evenly across the board and none are touching each other. This is a small detail that will make your cheeseboard look clean and deliberate when it's finished.

Step 2: Add the Crackers or Other Large Items

Choose crackers that have unique shapes and textures! I try to always do at least one round cracker, on long rectangular cracker, and one that's more interesting or unique.

Arrange the crackers in small groups around the cheeses using the same principles of grouping! Again, be sure to spread the crackers out evenly across the board.

adding crackers and bread to fall dessert board.

Since I had large clusters of champagne grapes and bowls of jam, I went ahead and added those early too.

Step 3: Add the Fruits

For any jams or spreads, you can portion it out into small bowls and add it in with the fruit. However, if you have several bowls or they're on the larger side, you can actually add those at the beginning with the cheese to ensure there's space for them.

Fill the last big gaps with your favorite fruit! Be sure to cut the fruit in ways that add interest and color to the board.

You'll notice that many of the groups of cheese, crackers, and fruit are on opposite sides of the board. This helps the board look even and balanced! You just don't want to make it perfectly symmetrical as then it will look overly styled.

Step 4: Finish with Small Items Like Chocolate and Nuts

Since you're filling largest to smallest, at this point there are just some small gaps left around the board. These gaps are perfect for small items like nuts and chocolate squares.

I like to use 2-3 different types of nuts depending on how many empty spaces are left on the board. Try not to use nuts that look similar (like walnuts and pecans) as it can look confusing or cluttered. Nuts with distinctly different shapes or colors work best like these candied pecans and marcona almonds.

adding small items like chocolate and nuts to fall dessert board.

Finish with fresh herbs like sugared rosemary if desired!

fall dessert cheeseboard with fruit and chocolate.

That's it!! Now you have a beautiful, dynamic fall cheeseboard that is perfectly styled but still looks organic.

This styling method can be used for any large grazing platter or spread!

🍷 Wine Pairings

Now I'm not a wine expert by any means, but for a fruit and cheese platter, I love a crisp white like sauvignon blanc or a full bodied red like cabernet sauvignon!

Here are a couple great guides for choosing the best wine to go with your cheeseboard!

Other drink options would be a fruity sangria, aperol spritz, or fun cocktails! Who cares about the rules, just have fun with it!

Cheeseboard Tips & Tricks

If you skipped to the bottom, don't worry. These are my top tips for styling a beautiful Instagram-worthy dessert cheeseboard!

Work from big to small! This makes it easier to design a stunning board and also ensures you don't end up with awkward empty spaces.
Use lots of different shapes and textures! This is my favorite way to add interest to the board!
Make sure you have plenty of flavors! Cover all your bases from sweet, to salty, to tangy!
Include small knives, forks, and spoons for each item so that you can keep the flavors separate! I like to have a little knife for each type of cheese and spoons for any jams or spreads. You can also just have little toothpicks for items like fruit!
Have fun with it!! One of the best things about styling cheeseboards is that there are no rules and you have completely control over what you want to add!
Don't forget the wine 🙂

Cheeseboard FAQ's

How many types of cheese should I have on my cheeseboard?

It's up to you, but I typically you want to include a minimum of 3 and a maximum of 6.

How can I make a fancy dessert cheeseboard on a budget?

Stores like Trader Joe's, ALDI, and Costco always have amazing deals on cheese, charcuterie meats, and other accoutrements! They're great places to shop for all your cheeseboard needs!

What if I don't have a big wood serving board?

You can use any large serving dish, a cutting board, or even just a large piece of parchment paper to make your dessert board!