How to Make the Ultimate Cheese Board

Grey circle with the letters GFA grey circle with KF
Prep Time
10 mins
Total Time
10 mins

Want to make an amazing charcuterie board? I’m going to show you How to Make the Ultimate Cheese Board in less than 10 minutes! Learn how to assemble the best cheese board – from which cheeses to buy, to how to arrange everything on the board, to which wines to pair with your board! 

Looking for more cheese board ideas? Check out my tutorial on how to make an EPIC cheese board for the holidays.

How to Make a Cheese Board

I’m a Wisconsin girl born and raised. Cows. Farms. Cheese. Brats. Beer. That’s what most people think of when they think of Wisconsin. Well, that and the Packers! Duh!

I grew up on cheese. It was like its own food group. Cheese is in my blood!

There is nothing better than a slice of aged cheddar cheese that has a slight sharpness to it then melts in your mouth.

How to Make the Ultimate Cheese Board and which wines to pair it with! This appetizer recipe is easy to make and definitely a show stopper! | #ad #UndeniablyDairy

Cheese reminds me of home. It brings up all the fun memories I had growing up. Memories of driving past farms with the windows down and radio blaring. Of going to the Wisconsin State Fair and stuffing my face with Cream Puffs and fried cheese curds. Ya’ll have NOT had cheese curds until you’ve had Wisconsin cheese curds. And memories of driving back home from college on the weekends and passing the huge”CHEESE STAND” sign.

We are all about cheese. So I find it appropriate to take you on a “road trip” of some of my favorite cheeses, paired with meats and wines. Because sitting out back with a board of cheese to devour and wine to sip with friends is real enjoyment to me!

Have you ever thought. There has to be a trick to making those Cheese & Charcuterie Boards?

Well, I’m gonna show you a few tricks. It’s not as complicated as you think.

What to buy for a Cheese Board?

Step 1: Cheese

Pick out 3-4 cheeses. A soft cheese. A semi-soft cheese. A semi-hard cheese. And a hard cheese.

Today I picked aged sharp Cheddar cubes made in Texas! A stinky Gorgonzola cheese and extra-aged Asiago cheese from Wisconsin. The asiago was hands down my favorite! A rich and creamy aged white Cheddar cheese made in California! And a smoked Gouda made in Wisconsin! Wisconsin cheese for the win!

How to Make the Ultimate Cheese Board and which wines to pair it with! This appetizer recipe is easy to make and definitely a show stopper! | #ad #UndeniablyDairy

Once you have the cheeses picked – the main part is done. After all it is a CHEESE board. 🙂 When it comes to food, cheese is an easy wholesome choice, no need to pick reduced fat and all that jazz. Cheese is made from real, fresh ingredients and crafted for specific unique tastes. Whatever you pick is going to be great!

Step 2: Meat

Pick out a couple of cured meats to pair with the cheese. I went with a regular salty Prosciutto de Parma and Italian Dry Salami.

Step 3: The Vehicle.

You need a few ingredients that the cheese can be served on. Things like toasted baguettes, crackers, or breadsticks are great to include.

Step 4: Fruits & Nuts.

Pretty sure this is self explanatory, but just in case, here are a few examples. Raw Almonds, Raw Cashews, Honey Roasted Cashews, or Pistachios. As far as the fruits, grapes are always great, blackberries, strawberries, figs or any dried fruit. Just think of things you like and add those. They are great “space fillers” when you are putting the board together.

Last but not least.

Step 5: Other Additions.

This area is for any other sauces or vegetables you’d like to add. Things like, fig jam, honey, sun dried tomato pesto, roasted red peppers, marinated olives, artichokes, basil pesto or bacon jam. The list goes on. Basically all the “fun” stuff to add to your “vehicle” along with that tasty cheese!

And voila!

How to Make the Ultimate Cheese Board and which wines to pair it with! This appetizer recipe is easy to make and definitely a show stopper! | #ad #UndeniablyDairy

How to Arrange a Cheese Board

You don’t HAVE to include all of these items. Maybe pick one or two from each category or just go with steps 1-3 for a simpler board.

When assembling the cheese board, I like to place my cheeses on the board first. Since they ARE the star of the platter. On this platter I actually put some greens underneath the cheese to prop it up a bit. Then I placed the meats in different areas to contrast the cheese. Then the bread/crackers and lastly use all the other ingredients to fill in the space. Your goal is to make sure you can’t see the board. To make it look abundant and full of all kinds of goodies. So as soon as you bring it out your guest devour it!

Every time I make a Cheese Board it magically transports me back to Napa. Sitting with my husband and friends, looking out at a vineyard and slowly being overtaken by the peace of that moment! I hope this cheeseboard transports you too! Life is too short to not be enjoyed. And let’s be honest. Cheese just makes people happy!

How to Pair a Cheese Board with Wine

Ok, last but not least. How to pair all these wonderful cheeses with wine!

Cheddar Cheese and Aged Cheddar pair well with Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Malbec, Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, and Merlot.

Blue Cheese or Gorgonzola pair well with Cabernet Sauvignon, Riesling, Chianti, Malbec, Pinot Noir, and Merlot.

Asiago, Parmesan or other hard cheeses pair well with Cabernet Sauvignon, Chianti, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Malbec, Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Shiraz and Merlot.

Gouda pairs well with Cabernet Sauvignon, Chianti, Champagne, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Malbec, Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Shiraz and Merlot.

Bon Appetit friends!

How to Make the Ultimate Cheese Board and which wines to pair it with! This appetizer recipe is easy to make and definitely a show stopper! | #ad #UndeniablyDairy

 

**Created with America’s Dairy Farm Families and Importers, in partnership with the Innovation Center for U.S.Dairy. However, like always all opinions are 100% mine! Thank you for supporting the brands that support Joyful Healthy Eats. ***

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How to Make the Ultimate Cheese Board

  • Author: Krista @ JoyfulHealthyEats.com
  • prep_time Prep Time: 10 mins
  • total_time Total Time: 10 mins
  • category Category: Appetizer
  • method Method: Assemble
  • cuisine Cuisine: American

Description

Want to make an amazing charcuterie board? I’m going to show you How to Make the Ultimate Cheese Board in less than 10 minutes!

Scale

Ingredients

  • 1 soft cheese (mozzarella, burrata, Brie)
  • 1 semi-soft cheese (Gouda, jarlsberg,blue cheese, Gorgonzola)
  • 1 semi-hard cheese (manchego, provolone, comte)
  • 1 hard cheese (Asiago, aged Cheddar, Parmesan)
  • 2 cured meats – salami, prosciutto
  • baguette slices
  • assorted crackers and breadsticks
  • nuts (almonds, cashews, pistachios)
  • fruit (grapes, figs, apple slices, pear slices, dried apricots, dried cranberries)
  • other (marinated olives, fig jam, roasted red peppers, stone ground mustard, sun dried tomato pesto)

Instructions

  1. Assemble ingredients all over the board until the cheese board is completely full and you can’t see the board.

Keywords: cheese board, how to make a cheese board, cheese board ideas, cheese and wine pairings, how to make a charcuterie board, charcuterie board ideas

IF YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE, BE SURE TO SNAP A PIC AND HASHTAG IT #JOYFULHEALTHYEATS. I LOVE SEEING WHAT YOU MAKE!

Want More Cheesy Recipes?

Patriotic Cheesecake Stuffed Strawberries

Sriracha Mac & Cheese

Classic Wedge Salad with Light Bleu Cheese Dressing

 

How to Make the Ultimate Cheese Board and which wines to pair it with! This appetizer recipe is easy to make and definitely a show stopper! | #ad #UndeniablyDairy

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This post is created with America’s Dairy Farm Families and Importers, in partnership with the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy however the views and opinions included are my own.

 

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19 Responses
  1. Rebecca P. G.

    Thank you for this post! It is very helpful for me to be able to put together an elegant platter for entertaining friends. I will post a picture for you soon.

  2. Sean Mahan

    Ultimate indeed! This cheese board looks so awesome that I want to make one right one. And devour it myself. Thank you for sharing your ideas!

    1. Krista @ Joyful Healthy Eats
      Krista

      I don’t blame you. Cheese boards rock! Sometimes we just make them for a fun date night dinner in and open a good bottle of wine. Bon Appetit Sean!

  3. Amy @ Little Dairy on the Prairie

    Oh my gosh! This looks soo good! I wish I was sitting there eating it with you!

  4. Patricia @ Grab a Plate

    Mmm! I’m with you: I.Love.Cheese! I’ve have cheese curds, though! This is a lovely board, and with your guidance, so easy to put together!

  5. Erin @ The Speckled Palate

    I just love how you broke this all down for us and made it easy! Also, I cannot wait to give this a try at my house!

  6. Ashley | Spoonful of Flavor

    Ultimate is right! You can’t go wrong with a cheese board. I could sit and snack on this all day by myself.

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