Talking party food, friends! Specifically, appetizer boards (aka no ovens needed)! I’ve decided that designing appetizer boards is equivalent to creating little works of art! They’re so much fun to pull together with your favorite cheeses, crackers, fruits, veggies, etc. There really aren’t any rules (ok, not many) when it comes to appetizer boards which is good because I hate rules. Simply, these food displays are the perfect accompaniment to a football game, political debate (ha!), dinner party, casual weeknight party, or any occasion that calls for delicious food and conversation. I’ve even been creating “mini” versions to serve my two year old and she loves helping me plate everything!
As we learn on the Everygirl, it’s key to make friends with your cheesemonger to create fabulous appetizer boards! You can certainly find a huge variety of great cheeses directly in the market without visiting a cheesemonger too, but if you want help pairing cheeses, then he/she will help! As a rule, be sure to include a good variety of textures from soft cheeses to spreadable to hard too.
You might see a gorgeous appetizer board you want to recreate but not have a clue what all the items are? Enter The Little Epicurean. This talented blog has tons of great ideas for a meat and cheese appetizer board!
I love the seasonal focus that Honest Cooking put on their Winter Cheese Board. Winter fruits like blood orange give the appetizer board of pop of color and winter is indeed a fabulous time to gather around a fire and enjoy a delicious arrangement of appetizers!
As Jordan Ferney of Oh Happy Day points out, it’s always a great idea to add something green to your appetizer board. Try rosemary, chives, thyme, or even arugula! One of my own favorite appetizer creations is a cracker topped with white cheddar, an arugula leaf, and a drizzle of honey. I always make sure those items are on my own appetizer boards.
While most appetizer and cheese boards are paired with wine, Lori of Foxes Love Lemons created a cheese board perfectly paired for — beer! She wins an award from my husband who is already asking me to recreate this perfection. She has lots of great tips for which cheeses pair well with beers so go check out her post.
First of all, how pretty is a round appetizer board? And what I think this board shows you is that you do not have to have a billion different foods on your board. A few simple ones displayed tastefully is all you need! See more from Style Me Pretty of this board by Fashionable Hostess!
One of my favorite tips for appetizer or cheese boards is that you don’t have to serve them on a wooden board like you most often see. Oh no, remember how I don’t like rules? Right. I do, however, love cake stands. They’re the perfect size for small cheese plates. You could even display a variety of cake stands at different heights to hold different appetizers for a unique display!
With the holidays upon us, I had to share this adorable Christmas tree appetizer board! The kids will especially love the cute shape and easy bite-size fruits and cheeses! This might actually be a way to get your toddler to try a new foods. What other fun shapes could you make? Perhaps ghosts or jack-o-lanterns at Halloween, wouldn’t that be cute? (Kraft)
Appetizer boards don’t have to just contain cheese and crackers. Present your friends with a beautiful plate of veggies and dips like hummus! I love this board from Always Order Dessert!
A great tip to remember is serving spreaders and knifes if you have spreadable type cheeses or cheeses that are hard to cut. Guests will not be too pleased when their little cracker breaks in half when trying to use it as a knife, trust me. Make it easy on them and put some pops of gold in there like this cheese plate from Cupcakes and Cashmere!
Who knew an appetizer could be oh so pretty? I love the floral additions to Design Love Fest’s crudite board! Wouldn’t you love a display like that? Wowza!
Doesn’t this appetizer board remind you of a gorgeous fall evening with friends? I love the cafe string lights, red wine, and delicious fall foods. For assembly tips for this fall appetizer board, head to Pioneer Woman!
Remember when I was talking about using cake stands for your appetizer boards? Here you can see it in action! I love the idea of a “vertical cheese board” because it adds visual interest! It’s perfect for tight spaces too. See more of this board on Stone Gable!
This Greek inspired antipasto platter is just to die for gorgeous! Half Baked Harvest is quite the talent when it comes to displaying appetizers in a beautiful presentation. You will definitely learn some great tips for recreating the look for your friends and family!
I think this appetizer board from Saveur is actual art. How crazy pretty is this plate? I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to recreate this masterpiece for an upcoming party. Heck, I’d love a mini version for an easy dinner!
Another crudite platter, friends! So the focus is on the fruit and veggies rather than mostly cheeses. I really love this because you can easily add in seasonal produce. I also love how Tastespotting calls it quite fittingly… a PARTY BOARD. How perfect?
Hummus makes everything better, right? Anett Velsberg nailed it with this amazing Hummus Crudité Platter! The colors are so vibrant and the foods look delectable. You’ll definitely impress your friends with this display.
I hope you’ve been inspired by these 17 appetizer boards! So now it’s your turn and be sure to tag @Pizzazzerie on all social media channels to share a pic of your own appetizer board!
Impressive. Now I need to figure out how to pick and choose to create my own.
Yes, they’re a blank canvas and so fun to create!
Beautiful collection of ideas. Cheese boards are one of our favorite treats and even the little ones love them.
Thanks so much, Jacqueline!
Wow, what a wonderful creative beautiful collection of cheese board ideas. Thank you