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    Home » Appetizers/Sides » The Perfect Halloween Themed Snack Idea – a Spooky Charcuterie Board!

    The Perfect Halloween Themed Snack Idea – a Spooky Charcuterie Board!

    Published: Sep 15, 2020 · Modified: Oct 29, 2020 by Andrea Howe · This post may contain affiliate links.

    3.5K shares
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    Charcuterie board on a black platter with spiders and skeleton hand on a gray board

    I’m so excited to share this Halloween charcuterie board with you all, because really, is there anything better than a beautiful and hearty charcuterie board for a low-key night at home or a fun and festive party? Charcuterie boards are basically just adult snack food, but when done right, it can have all the key food groups so that you can eat cheese and crackers and salami, and not feel all that bad about it, because you’ve really just had a well-rounded meal 😉 Read on to learn how I threw together this spread.
    Charcuterie board on a black platter with spiders and skeleton hand on a gray board

    What is charcuterie?

    The actual definition of charcuterie is “cold cooked meats collectively.” So, just like you can’t call champagne champagne unless the grapes used are from the Champagne region, you can’t call a charcuterie plate that, unless it actually contains prepared meats like salami, prosciutto and/or pate.

    A charcuterie plate/board typically has an assemblage of meats, cheeses, nuts and crackers, and more elaborate boards may also contain pickles, olives and sweets. I actually show you here how to make a perfect cheese charcuterie board, but this time I’m showing you with a fun Halloween twist.

    It serves as a great appetizer if done in sparing measure, but when really loaded up, it can work as a whole meal. I love to make full boards like this for either parties where there’s going to be a crowd and you don’t plan to serve an entire meal, or for a casual and easy dinner at home.

    With anything, you can of course go overboard and putting together a big board can be pricey, so you want to learn to stock up and store key ingredients when you come across them on sale or at discount stores (more on that later), so that all you really need to do when you want to throw one together, is buy a couple of meats and cheeses.

    Charcuterie board on a black platter with spiders and skeleton hand on a gray boardStep by Step Guide to Assembling This Halloween Charcuterie Board

    I’ll walk you through this Halloween charcuterie board but here is the basic rundown I use to assemble my board in order:

    1. Choose Your Serving Platters And Utensils
    2. Assemble Your Cheeses
    3. Then Your Meats
    4. Fill In With Olives, Nuts, And Fruit
    5. Last The Crackers (To Keep Them Crisp!)
    6. Finishing Touches – A few veggies maybe? Or a little more meat in places

    Choose Your Serving Platters And Utensils

    Start by deciding on the serving platter you’re going to use, and gather a couple of cheese knives if you’ve them, and small serving utensils like spoons and forks to help guests gather meats, nuts and olives. Small plates and cocktail napkins are a good idea as well.

     

    Choosing your cheeses

    Starting with a decent size round or rectangle board, I like to first place my cheeses.

    Pro Tip: When selecting cheese for a charcuterie board, I like to have a mix of hard, soft and maybe a crumbly cheese.

    Below I have a merlot skin asiago which is a hard and nutty cheese that tastes great all on its own. I usually pick up a small piece of Humboldt fog (it can be pricey), which is a goat cheese with a characteristic pungent blue streak and a creamy but slightly bold flavor. It’s made in Cypress Grove, California, so I don’t know how readily available it is all over the country, but if you come across it I suggest you pick it up. Such a yummy cheese!

    Charcuterie board on a black platter with spiders and skeleton hand on a gray board

    I feel like Brie is always a must just because it’s of course delicious, but it is also very familiar and safe for those who may be afraid to try more unusual cheeses, especially a stinky gorgonzola.

    And then a nice Irish cheddar is always a great addition, but this time I went with the pungent gorgonzola just because I thought it’s black speckled appearance worked well with the spooky vibe.

    Charcuterie board on a black platter with spiders and skeleton hand on a gray board Choosing your meats

    Any type of salami is always a good idea, as is a thin sliced prosciutto, which can be pricey so to save a tiny bit, I usually buy it from the deli counter instead of pre-packaged. It’s a splurge item, so even for a big party board I typically won’t put more than ¼ lb of prosciutto out, and let the guests fight over the paper thin slivers like wolves. 😉 A peppery thick cut hard salami is also fun because it offers up a heartier texture than the other thin sliced meats.

    When placing them on the board, I start by putting out several slices of each, but then add in more at the end to fill in holes, so make sure you only put out about ⅔ of each type of meat, and set aside the remaining pieces to fill in gaps as needed.

    Halloween Charcuterie board on a black platter with spiders and skeleton hand on a gray board

    Fill in items – nuts, olives and fruit

    Next, it’s time to put in some filler items like briny olives or cornichons to help offset the meats and cheeses, and mild fruits to help balance out all the saltiness.

    Fiber filled fruits like berries, apples and figs will also serve to aid with digestion, as noshing on cured meats, cheeses and crackers all night will do a number on the tummy if you’ve got a sensitive stomach like me hehe 🙂

    For a fun Halloween twist, choose purple and blue fruits (think blueberries and purple figs) and black olives for a dark spooky feel. 

    Charcuterie board on a black platter with spiders and skeleton hand on a gray board

    Last But Not Least – The Crackers

    Placing the crackers is one of the last ingredients I place because I want them to stay as crisp and fresh as possible, and if your tray is really jam packed, chances are if put out too soon, they may get soggy from touching other ingredients for too long.

    Halloween Charcuterie board on a black platter with spiders and skeleton hand on a gray board Adding the finishing touches

    If you’ve got space, I definitely recommend adding in a veggie or two to offer your guests something to cleanse the palate every so often. Something simple like blanched haricot verts, asparagus or raw carrots are all nice options because of their clean and fresh flavor.

    Once your ingredients are pretty well in place, see if you can fill in little holes with the rest of your meats. This is really only necessary if you want a really full looking board that looks like it’s exploding with food. Otherwise, leave it at that and start adding in some spooky garnishes.

    How To Make This Charcuterie Board A Little Spooky!

    Plastic spiders, skeleton hands to set on top of ingredients, muslin or other apropos Halloween-esque fabrics also work well to layer texture and add to the spooky vibe.

    No need to go over the top, but definitely have fun with this Halloween charcuterie board.

    Halloween Charcuterie board on a black platter with spiders and skeleton hand on a gray board

    Tips for assembling a charcuterie platter with ease and without spending a fortune

    • A Well Stocked Pantry: Keep your pantry stocked with non-perishables that make for fun ingredients when you find them on sale. Fancy crackers, nuts, jarred olives and little sweet treats can be picked up and stored for your next occasion.
    • Check Home Goods: Home Goods is a great place to stock up on unique snack items, especially jars of beautiful olives, chocolates and crackers, and are priced really well. Occasionally you may even find honeycomb!
    • Check Trader Joes: Trader Joe’s has fantastic prices on cheese and seasonal non-perishable snack items.
    • Get Your Meats From The Deli: Buy cured meats from the deli counter, as the prices are usually cheaper by the pound, and you can more easily stick to a specific budget by only buying what you need.
    • Buy Seasonal: Buy seasonally appropriate fruits, as in-season fruit will usually be a lot cheaper.
    • Quality Over Quantity: In my book, it’s quality over quantity when it comes to serving nuts. I stick with Marcona almonds and just serve those instead of trying to offer a few different varieties, as it cuts down on costs (nuts are expensive), and pretty much no one can resist them. IMHO, they are the greatest nut of all time so why mess with any others? 😉

    Halloween Charcuterie board on a black platter with spiders and skeleton hand on a gray board

    Above All Else – Have Fun With This Halloween Charcuterie Board!

    I hope you found some fun inspiration in this post, and will go out and assemble your next charcuterie board like a boss. Gathering ingredients is the fun part, so enjoy the process and don’t get stressed out trying to choose the perfect cheese or waste money buying the fanciest cured meats. Your guests will love and appreciate the effort no matter what the costs involved or how exotic the ingredients.

    And to make a platter shine, let your creative spirit take over and go for a natural and organic “thrown together” look versus one that looks like everything was perfectly placed. Have fun with it and enjoy your guests!

    Halloween Charcuterie board on a black platter with spiders and skeleton hand on a gray board

    Looking For More Halloween Inspiration? Check Out These Posts!

    Round out this Halloween Charcuterie board with one of these Halloween and Fall inspired post ideas!

    • Chocolate Hand Pies for Halloween
    • Our Simple Fall Decor
    • Apple Cider Moscow Mules
    • Royal Icing Halloween Spider Web Cookies

    Happy Halloween!

    Charcuterie board on a black platter with spiders and skeleton hand on a gray board

    Halloween Charcuterie Board

    An easy fun appetizer for Halloween! Make a spooky charcuterie board for your guests to devour.
    5 from 5 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Prep Time: 15 minutes
    Cook Time: 0 minutes
    Total Time: 15 minutes
    Servings: 8 servings
    Author:Andrea

    Ingredients

    • Cured and Smoked Meats
    • Assorted Cheeses
    • Assorted Crackers
    • Assorted Olives and Nuts
    • Assorted fruits fresh and dried
    • Assorted veggies optional
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    • Choose Your Serving Platters And Utensils
    • Assemble Your Cheeses
    • Then Your Meats
    • Fill In With Olives, Nuts, And Fruit
    • Last The Crackers (To Keep Them Crisp!)
    • Finishing Touches - A few veggies maybe? Or a little more meat in places.

    Video

    Notes

    Choose a hard, soft and mild spreadable cheese to get a nice assortment that will satisfy many tastes.
    Avoid very ripe cheeses if you're serving beyond your personal preferences. Some guest may not love smelly cheeses 🙂
    Keep extras close by so you can easily and quickly fill in as needed.
    Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Mention @Howe.We.Live or tag #HoweWeLiveRecipes!
    « 6 Simple Fall Decor Ideas
    Chocolate Hand Pies for Halloween »

    About Andrea Howe

    Andrea Howe is the recipe developer and photographer of Howe We Live. She is also a seasoned home cook of over 20 years, for her family of 5. Andrea has spent over 10 years in the food industry, writing for various publications including Babble and Disney. Her work has appeared in Real Simple, Taste of Home, Yahoo, Buzzfeed and ABC News.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Lisa G. says

      September 27, 2020 at 2:16 pm

      Love this Spooky Charcuterie Board. Where is the serving tray from?

      Reply
      • Dawn says

        October 26, 2020 at 10:57 pm

        I would love to know this too, been looking all over the internet with no luck!

        Reply
      • Andrea Howe says

        October 27, 2020 at 10:13 am

        It’s from Target, last year though!

        Reply
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    Welcome to Howe We Live. I’m Andrea, a passionate home cook and mother of 3. I’ve been cooking and writing about healthy eating for almost a decade, and my number one goal here is to help you develop the tools needed to throw together a great meal at home that is both delicious, and healthy-ish. All eaters are welcome here! Read More

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