October 27, 2021
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Charcuterie boards are often large, bountiful plates that span the color wheel full of meats, cheeses, fruits, nuts, jams, breads… Ok, my mouth is watering. Anyway, if you find yourself longing for a heavenly spread but no crowd, here are some ideas for personal, mini charcuterie boards so we can create and enjoy them anytime we get the craving.
Mini Charcuterie Board: The Basics
You can get fancy with personal sized boards; there are tons of options available online at Amazon, Crate & Barrel, Etsy, and even in the aisles of Target and Aldi from time to time. Or, choose to keep it simple and reach for a dinner plate or other worthy vessel that you have on hand. For an individual plate, you’ll want a something that is about 5 to 8 inches wide. Plan to include at least 3-4 slices of meat and at least 2 ounces of cheese per person plus a sprinkling of any extras like fruits, nuts, chocolate, olives or schmears of hummus, dips or peanut butter as some ideas.
Lunch Charcuterie Board
This board from Budget Bytes looks like a typical lunch spread out in a dish, but what a delight to take a break with!
This board from Simply Made Recipes takes lunch up a notch by adding crackers and two types of cheese to typical lunch items.
Tired of boring, repetitive lunches? Mix it up and treat yourself with a lunch mini charcuterie board! It may be as easy as swapping your bread for some crackers, slicing or rolling up your lunch meat and cutting your cheese into bite sized chunks. Throw in some almonds and a handful of fruit and you’ve made your typical lunch into a charcuterie board!
Jarcuterie
This jarcuterie by sheri silver is a great example of how beautiful and portable they can be.
It’s a charcuterie board loaded up into a jar! These premade snacks are personal, no sharing spreads that are portable. They are perfect for a post pumpkin patch snack, picnic, poolside lunch break or tail gating. Start by adding smaller items like nuts, fruits or olives, then add meats and cheeses and top with favorite cracker or breads and a fresh herb sprig. Skewers, toothpicks and even mini pretzel sticks allow you to build up and add edible beauty to your jar.
Cracker Boards
This mini charcuterie cracker by ice.cheeseboards is loaded with savory and a pinch of sweet sure to delight all of your taste buds.
Crackers and bread slices make the cutest mini charcuterie boards! They allow for loads of flavor on a bite sized, edible plate. Here, you can explore pairings and have fun making tiny creations. Premake a variety of combinations or create a mini board with small bits of your selections and build as you eat. Load a slice of baguette with slices of spicy sausage and sharp cheddar cheese, a dollop of plum marmalade and sprinkle of pecan pieces or top a rosemary cracker with tomato jam, a slice of pepperoni, a ball of fresh mozzarella, dribble of olive oil and pinch of basil. Then mix them up!
Kids Mini Charcuterie Board
This board by 3 Boys and a Dog has a variety of kid friendly foods thoughtfully laid out on a plate, built for a toddler.
Mini charcuterie boards can really make a snack or meal fun and interesting even for your pickiest eaters. Let them join in on the creation and you might even get your little artist excited to try something new- maybe. Add foods like mini corndogs, peanut butter and jelly pieces, slices of their favorite lunch meats or pizza rolls. Then, choose from a handful of fruit like grapes, dried apricots or sliced bananas. Pieces of cheese or veggies like carrots and celery can add a little more variety to their plate, if they are so willing.
It's good to keep in mind, too, that charcuterie boards can be a great way to eat healthy. If you stick with a mini charcuterie board and make sure to select a balanced mix of fruit, vegetables, protein and dairy, you can easily get a nutrient-packed lunch or snack that tastes as good as it it nutritious. Mini boards can also make portion control simple. Only fill the board up with what fits and make sure that a good part of the board is loaded up with fresh fruits and veggies. Charcuterie can be a great choice for meals and makes it simple to get the whole family involved in loading up boards that suit their specific tastes and preferences.
Happy board building!