How to Make a Perfect Summer Cheeseboard

There's nothing I love more in the summer than a giant fruit and cheese platter! So I'm showing you exactly how to make a perfect summer cheeseboard, including all my food styling tips so that your board is completely Instagram worthy! Best of all? It only takes about 10 minutes to throw together a stunning cheeseboard!

Jump to:

• Cheeseboard vs Charcuterie Board
• Components of a Classic 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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• Comments

Cheeseboard vs Charcuterie Board

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

Since this summer 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 Classic 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.
• Cured Meats - For this summer cheeseboard I went the vegetarian route, but if you include meat I recommend 2-3 types with different flavors (salty, spicy, sweet, etc.).
• Crackers & Bread - I love wandering around the cracker aisle at the grocery store looking for fun things to try! But I also love including a sliced baguette or some homemade sourdough.
• Fruit & Veggies - Use fresh seasonal fruit that pairs with the cheeses you chose! Dried fruits are also a fun addition. If you're doing a more savory board with a lot of meat, you can also add fresh veggies or items like olives or pickles.
• Jams & Spreads - Fresh fruit jam, honey, hummus, etc. 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!

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
• 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 summer board I used brie, manchego, sharp white cheddar, and herbed Havarti.

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 pita chips, breadsticks, sliced baguette, pretzels, etc.!

For this board I used water crackers, cheese twists, and these fun peach and pecan 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.!

Dried fruits like apricots or cranberries are also a great addition, especially depending on the season.

Preserves, honey, and other spreads are also great to put in little bowls to add variety and extra flavor to your board! I also love adding homemade berry compote!

For this summer board I used peaches, figs, strawberries, blueberries, and some fig preserves.

Nuts

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

• Candied pecans
• Marcona almonds
• Salted cashews
• Pistachios
• Macadamia nuts
• Walnuts

For this board I used roasted marcona almonds and salted pistachios.

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:

1. Start with the biggest, most important items and end with the small filler items.
2. 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 herbed Havarti is cut into small, thin rectangles.
• The white cheddar is cut into tiny cubes and then stacked to create height.
• I had two wheels of brie, 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 goat cheese 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.

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 and Bread

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 (like these cheese twists).

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.

I actually bought a baguette for this cheeseboard but totally forgot about it (oops). But you can arrange small baguette slices in the same way as the crackers. However, if the bread seems large or bulky, you can also just place some on a few plates next to the board or have it kind of spilling off the edges.

Step 3: Add the Meat

We aren't using any cured meats on this summer cheeseboard, but if you want to add some I'd do it right after adding the crackers. Just follow the same patterns of grouping and creating different textures!

Step 4: Fruits, Veggies, Spreads

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. For example, I sliced the figs in half to show off that gorgeous center instead of leaving them whole. But I left the strawberries whole for that extra pop of color from the stem.

I didn't use any pickles or olives on this board, but this is the point where I'd add those in as well!

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 5: Finish with Small Items Like 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!

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 pistachios and marcona almonds.

That's it!! Now you have a beautiful, dynamic 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 super light rosé or crisp white like sauvignon blanc! Some of my personal favorites for summer are the Natura Un-Oaked Chardonnay and Natura Rosé, and Biltmore Estate Sauvignon Blanc.

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

• Serious Eats Cheese & Wine Pairing Cheat Sheet
• Classic Wine & Cheese Pairings

Other drink options would be a fruity sangria, frosé, 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 cheeseboard!

1. 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.
2. Use lots of different shapes and textures! This is my favorite way to add interest to the board!
3. Make sure you have plenty of flavors! Cover all your bases from sweet, to salty, to tangy!
4. 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 olives or fruit!
5. 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!
6. Don't forget the wine 🙂

Cheeseboard FAQ's

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