Best Cheese Board Ideas For No Cook Holiday Entertaining

Take the stress out of holiday entertaining with these ideas for an easy Christmas cheese board. Sometimes simple is best and I’ve found that a cheese and charcuterie board goes a long way to satisfying guests. So here are some of the best cheese board ideas from sweets to savories and everything in between. Get tips for the best cheeses for cheese boards and what to serve with them. Best of all, there’s NO COOKING INVOLVED. It’s just assembly.

Thanks to Sprouts Farmers Market for sponsoring this post. As always, all opinions are my own.

One stop shop for best cheese board items

If you love to entertain, but don’t want to be a slave to the kitchen, head over to your local Sprouts Farmer’s Market and pick up everything you need for an epic cheese and charcuterie board. I love shopping at Sprouts for the best cheese board items because the selection is VAST. Not only do they have a beautiful variety of cheeses, but the array of charcuterie and cured sausage is bountiful and their organic fresh produce and HUGE bulk foods sections will easily round out your holiday or Christmas cheese board.

Any good cheese and charcuterie board should have an array of flavors AND textures. You don’t want it to be one-note because that’s not a cheese board, it’s a cheese course.

What to include on a Christmas cheese board

I’ll get into my specific suggestions in a moment, just consider that when you’re offering cheese and charcuterie, you want a selection that’s both eye catching and has enough variety to keep your guests interested. To do that I like to stick with these main tenets of flavors, textures and colors:

• Savory
• Sweet
• Briny
• Crunchy
• Soft
• Colorful (accented with greenery)

There is no best cheese for cheese boards — there’s only what YOU like! However, if you’re uncertain, I would start with a wheel of triple cream brie and go from there. Let’s be honest — EVERYONE LOVES BRIE.

What’s the best cheese for cheese boards?

• You want one or two universally appreciated cheeses on the board. Standbys like Brie and Camembert are always good. Port Salut (pronounced poor-saloo) is creamy, but not as soft as a triple creme brie.
• Add a wedge of a medium firm goats milk with a little extra flair to it, like the wine soaked variety I included here with the purple rind. It’s mild, medium firm and delicious with the other offerings.
• Or perhaps a crumbly Stilton or creamy French Roquefort. These will be more robust and assertive than the others, but they’re perfect paired with dried sweet-tart apricots.
• An aged English cheddar can be sliced or cut into cubes for easy snacking. We also like the ones studded with fresh cranberries for another fun option.
• Baked, marinated feta with olive oil, fennel seeds, chile flakes and citrus zest makes a really interesting addition. Crush the fennel in a mortar and pestle, mix with the other ingredients pour over the feta and bake at 300° for 20 minutes. Serve this one in a rimmed dish on the board.

We like a variety of cheeses on a Christmas cheese board, but you should also consider your guests. Some people have real aversions to certain cheeses, (my cousin hates soft goats milk cheese and feta for instance). Take your guests tastes into account and be sure to check out the selection at Sprouts. I hung out in their cheese department for about 30 minutes making my selections.

Charcuterie options

• Aged Salami and peppered sausages are always appreciated, but don’t forget to remove the papery wrapping on the salami BEFORE you slice it, otherwise your guests will be spitting out little strips of the inedible covering all evening.
• Rosettes of Prosciutto di Parma or very thinly shaved Country ham is wonderful on a Christmas meat and cheese board. They’re super salty and consequently pair well with the sweet offerings and of course with a cocktail.
• Don’t discount a slice or two of good pâté or foie gras. You don’t have to make your own though you might like this pate recipe or my grandmother’s recipe. Otherwise you can find beautiful slices of ready made pâté at Sprouts market in the refrigerated foods case.

Sweet and savory options

Savory

• Aside from cheeses and meats, you want to include other savory items.
• Marinated artichoke, cured olives and salted nuts (Sprouts bulk foods section has a gorgeous array of roasted, salted and even flavored nuts, and when they have a sale on bulk foods, it’s noteworthy!

Sweet

• Another way to add interest to your cheese board is with a selection of fresh and dried fruits, and/or chutneys. Sprouts has a vast display of dried fruits in their bulk foods area. And the fresh organic fruits and gourmet chutneys are dazzling.
• Specialty honey drizzled over cheese is another great option.
• Or buy one of those pretty fruit and nut jars that’s sweetened with honey (pictured above) for a delicious complement to the cheeses. (That’s what I did).
  
  

More cheese and charcuterie board ideas

Briny

• Olives – the briny flavor cuts through the fat of the cheeses and sausages.
• Giardiniere – those jars of pickled cauliflower and carrots with spicy peppers or pepperoncini are like bright pops of vinegary flavor.
• Pickles – I like the baby French cornichons.
• Tapenade -this soft, garlicky olive spread is a punch of flavor smeared on a cracker.

Crackers and breads

• We like at least 2 types of crackers, but they need to be different in texture, look and flavor. Try thin peppered crackers, stone wheat or herb flecked.
• Crispy breadsticks, (a.k.a. grissini) are a good choice.
• For a softer option, small cocktail breads or mini biscuits are delicious accompaniments.

Greenery

• Fresh herbs like thyme and rosemary sprigs will liven up the best cheese boards.
• Sprouts also carries fresh (not dried) bay leaves that are perfect tucked under a wedge of cheese or as a divider between your Christmas cheese board offerings.
• You can also use greenery from your own garden — just be sure to check for insects before using. (LOL!)

What type of board should I use?

There are no hard and fast rules for this, but consider how many guests you’re having and the quantity of cheeses, meats, etc. that are to be displayed on the board. The board above can easily feed 4-6 for a cocktail party.

PRO TIP: – for things like cured sausages, dips etc. Have extra already sliced and prepped in the kitchen for easy replenishing.

How to arrange the board

• Start by assessing your ingredients. Anything runny or marinated should be in its own container on the board. Put olives, spreads, honeys in a small bowls and arrange them on the board.
• Add the cheeses. For a wheel of brie, slice one wedge in the wheel, but don’t remove it. It just gives guests a guide as to how to proceed. For semi soft cheeses like a gorgonzola, place the wedge on the board (but not next to the other cheeses, and crumble a bit off the wedge, so it looks ready to dive into. Hard cheeses can be sliced or cubed for quick snatching.
• Fan or step sliced sausages in a wavy line, place blocks of pâté near the edge of the board for easy access, and tuck prosciutto rosettes two and three at a time in between any open spaces.
• Fill in the rest of the space with dried fruits, sliced wedges of fresh fruit and bunches of berries, grapes or slices of seasonal fruit.
• Tuck greenery into any vacant space.

More tips for creating a holiday character and cheese display

• Make sure the cheeses have been out of the refrigerator long enough to come to room temperature… especially brie or camembert or any other soft cheese because you want it to be at its oozy best.
• Charcuterie and pâté should be cool but not cold. Otherwise, it mutes the flavor. For a spectacular addition, try this creamy chicken liver pate.
• Jazz up a wheel of brie by topping it with honeyed nuts or a large dollop of chutney. It will mingle with the cheese and add luscious sweet/crunchiness or tangy/spiciness to the cheese.

More easy appetizers & hors d’oeuvres

• Smoked Salmon Cheese Ball with Everything Bagel Seasoning
• Roasted Grape Goat Cheese Crostini
• Creamy Tuscan White Bean Dip
• Grilled Shrimp Cocktail

For more inspiration be sure to visit your neighborhood Sprouts Farmers Market!

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