how to build a vegan charcuterie board
Charcuterie boards are perfect for a light meal when you’ve had a big lunch, or something to nosh on pre-dinner when entertaining. Traditional charcuterie boards are easy—you buy an array of meats and cheeses, some soft, some medium, some hard…throw in crackers, olives and perhaps seasonal fruit. Vegan charcuterie boards can be a little tricky—I tend to lean toward Mediterranean fare when preparing them.
I love getting creative and making something that looks colorful and vibrant. You don’t have to do a solely vegan board, you can add some cheeses for those without dietary restrictions—in fact, depending on my guests, most of the time I do!
These steps are just a guide to get you started. Don’t let them limit you—use your gut!
Bon appetit,
xo Mary
How to Build a Vegan Charcuterie Board
Find a suitable round or rectangular board (wood, marble or slate) and grab a few small bowls for your accoutrements.
Utensils. Knives if appropriate, small spoons, toothpicks if serving olives or small pieces of fruit.
Start with a few spreads—some sort of hummus (ie. easy homemade hummus), baba ganoush, vegan nut cheese, olive tapenade or all of the above.
Choose a carbohydrate base. You could do crackers, bread, pita. In my case, I bought some gluten-free bread from my favorite deli in Kensington.
Colorful seasonal veggies. You have a lot of options here. I love veggies so I went a little overboard. It’s best to use something with a crunch and that can easily be dipped into the spreads. I also like to have variation in color.
Something savory. Spiced nuts, walnuts, almonds, pistachios or whole olives if you aren’t doing tapenade.
Something sweet. I usually opt for fresh fruit but preserves or honey would be great too if you are serving cheese.
Set the mood right. Light some candles, poor some white or light red wine and enjoy.
