Thanksgiving Charcuterie Board + Step By Step Instructions

November 27, 2024

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This Thanksgiving charcuterie board tutorial has everything you need to create a professional-looking cheese board in your home for just $60! All ingredients come from Trader Joe’s and the step-by-step instructions will show you exactly how to combine them to create a beautiful tabletop for your holiday or Thanksgiving table.

Thanksgiving Charcuterie Board Tutorial

If you’re looking for the perfect Thanksgiving appetizer, look no further than this hearty meat and cheese board, crackers, fresh and dried fruit, and hearty finger foods.

You can copy this charcuterie board step by step and serve it with confidence on your big day. (And all the holidays and parties afterward!)

Simply change the decorations with the seasons: add mini pumpkins and dried cranberries in the fall, swap in seasonal fruits like berries in the summer, or make the festive red, white, and green version.

When looking at a finished board, it’s hard to know how much to buy of everything, so we’ve done all the hard work for you and have everything from your shopping list to details on exactly how to cut the cheese (ha ha ha) and organize it . each group of ingredients in beautiful layers.

Once you master the formula and method, you can design your own boards using whatever ingredients you want.

What’s on our board: cheese board ingredients

3 Cheeses

A variety of different types of cheeses will please everyone. I like soft cheeses like brie, strong cheeses like cheddar, and manchego or gouda!

3 Meats

These come in packs of 3 at Trader Joe’s to make them easy! Look for a variety of mild to spicy flavors.

4 types of crackers

Choose 3 to 4 different types, including cool ones like cheese straws, neutral ones, and maybe sweet ones too!

dried fruits

TJ’s candied oranges are delicious and pretty + dried apricots or cranberries are great too

fresh fruit

Crisp apples and grapes in both colors.

Canned figs

Balls

Marcona almond truffle = 100%. Cashews. Salted or smoked almonds. Chocolate almonds!

fresh herbs

And the best part? The entire board is only $60 at Trader Joe’s!

Charcuterie Board Shopping List

Yes, it all comes from Trader Joe’s!

The ingredients don’t look so fancy on the boxes, do they? But all the guests will think that this is the board of all boards.

What to include:

manchego cheese
Unexpected Cheddar Cheese
Triple Cream Brie Cheese
Fig butter or other preserves (Trader Joe’s pumpkin butter is amazing too!)
Truffled Marcona Almonds (you will use half) (6 oz)
Bag of dried apricots (you will use about half, save the rest)
2 colors of grapes (get the mixed grape container)
A crisp apple
Dried and sweetened orange slices (5 oz) (they are VERY good, but you can also use fresh oranges)
Spanish Meat Trio (6 oz)
fresh sage
fresh rosemary
Stone ground wheat crackers
Pistachio and pomegranate crisps
Cheddar cheese sticks
Pita cookies

There is an additional goat cheese in the photo that we decided not to use, but of course you can mix and match any cheese, like blue cheese or herb or cranberry goat cheese.

Tips for buying boards

Try choosing three different styles and flavors of cheese for variety.

You can also consider adding small bowls of hummus or saltier options like marinated artichokes or olives.

A small bowl of chocolate covered nuts or a few dark chocolates is a nice touch too!

You won’t use ALL of the crackers, nuts, or fruits on the board, but you can also leave a bunch aside to replenish if necessary.

How to Build Your Thanksgiving Charcuterie Board

Watch the instructional video on YouTube here!

Gather your equipment, prepare fruit and unpack the cookies

Cut and prepare on a board and assemble on the serving board. This way, the serving board stays nice and tidy.

So, you’ll need two cutting boards, cheese knives, and some prep plates to gather the ingredients.

prepare the cheeses

Keep the brie whole and dice the cheddar cheese.

How to cut triangular cheese for sausages

Turn the manchego on its side and cut it into triangles. Then stack them vertically. Once you have a tower, you can turn it sideways so that it looks like zigzags on the board.

How to fold and roll meats

Roll oval meats into cigars
Fold the circular meats into “flowers”

Assembly

Once everything is unwrapped, washed and cut, you can begin assembly!

Step 1: Start by anchoring the board with the cheeses.

Step 2: Add the meats like a winding river around the cheeses, twisting the rolled “cigars” vertically.

Step 3: Add fruit

Lift the grapes as much as possible so the stem is in the air.

Place piles of nuts around it.

Anchor the corners with orange slices (I think they are so pretty!) and cut the apples into thin slices to display on a fan.

Step 4: Add cookies in groups and bundles, such as fans, dominoes, and piles.

Watch as the breadsticks are split in half and raised as high as possible.

Step 5: Fill the remaining empty spaces with nuts.

Step 6: Make a well in the brie cheese and pour in the preserves.

Step 7: Add fresh herbs to the remaining spaces.

Watch it magically build:

Tips for the charcuterie board

Board size

If you don’t have a big enough board, you can push two boards together or use a plate. Since you’ll be doing most of the cutting on your prep board, the serving board is more for display.