This festive Patriotic Charcuterie Board is the perfect appetizer to serve for Memorial Day weekend, Fourth of July, or any Summer event. Easy to make and customizable to your needs, this red white and blue charcuterie board is sure to wow your guests!
Charcuterie Boards are the ultimate appetizer to serve at any party! Easy to assemble, they look beautiful, and there's something for everyone to enjoy.
This Red, White, and Blue themed Charcuterie Board is perfect for the Fourth of July, Memorial Day, Labor Day, and or any summer gathering. Add an American flag or two for an ultra festive look. You can build a charcuterie board for any season or holiday. My Fall Harvest Charcuterie Board is a popular one.
For more summer entertaining ideas, check out my bacon-wrapped dates, blackberry brie tarts, honey-sweetened cornbread, and healthy sloppy joes.
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Ingredients
- Brie: Brie is a staple soft cheese to have on charcuterie boards. You can serve this warm straight from the oven and use it as a dip, or serve it cold to stack on crackers.
- White Cheddar: White cheddar is a fairly neutral cheese that most people enjoy. You could always use mozzarella or manchego in its place. I used this small star-shaped cookie cutter to cut out stars which give this board a festive patriotic look.
- Blueberry Cheddar: Having one seasonal cheese is a great option. Here we added a Blueberry Wensleydale cheese.
- Salami: Salami pairs well with both cheddar and brie, but feel free to use any other meat of your choice.
- Crackers: I chose two cracker options, Parmesan Garlic and Sea Salt, which are also gluten-free.
- Almonds: Neutral-colored Marcona Almonds allow the cheese and fruit to shine for that perfect red, white, and blue look. You could also use macadamia nuts to keep a neutral flow.
- Cherries: Cherries that happen to be in season this time of the year are a great addition to this cheese board.
- Blueberries: What is a patriotic cheese board without a pop of blue? Blueberries are the perfect option.
- Strawberries: Strawberries provide an additional pop of red, and pair lovely with the brie.
- Blackberries: Blackberries give this board texture and color.
- Honey: Honey is a staple for most charcuterie boards. It's a little hint of sweetness that pairs with the meat and cheese.
Instructions
Begin by placing the hard and soft cheese onto the board, spacing them evenly on opposite sides. (save the star-shaped cheese for the end).
Fold the meat into quarters, stacking and fanning each piece around the cheese. Leave some room to add a small number of crackers.
Next, add the spreads and nuts using condiment bowls. Place the bowls on opposite sides of the board.
Group each fruit option together and cluster the fruit around the bowls and through the middle, creating equal opposite sides.
Cut the white cheddar with a star-shaped cookie cutter, and then place the stars all around the board.
Fill in the gaps by bulking up each section as needed with extra fruit, crackers, or nuts.
Garnish with herbs such as rosemary, thyme, or edible flowers of your choice, tucking them into any extra gaps.
Patriotic Charcuterie Board Guide
Follow this guide to create the perfect patriotic charcuterie board, customizable to your liking.
- Meats: Choose 1-2 meat varieties for this board. Salami, Prosciutto, Smoked Ham, Soppressata are all great options.
- Cheese: Have a least one soft cheese (brie) and one hard cheese (English Cheddar) variety. During the holidays I love adding seasonal or festive cheese such as the (English Blueberry Wensleydale) that we added to this board.
- Other cheese options include Blue Cheese, Havaretii, Manchego, Goat Cheese, Parmesan, Mozzarella, Asiago, Gruyere, a Cranberry Cheddar Cheese, or a Blueberry Goat Cheese.
- Fruit: Choose 3-4 fruit options, seasonal is best. Berries, apples, grapes, watermelon, figs, and even dried fruit would work.
- Crackers: 1-2 cracker options work well for this board. I used both round and square shapes for a visual effect. These gluten-free Parmesean Garlic Crackers and Almond Flour Sea Salt Crackers pair lovely with all the flavors on this cheeseboard. If you are not gluten-free, feel free to use small breadsticks, or the ever-popular mini-fig and olive crisps.
- Nuts: 1-2 nut options help to fill the gaps on the board. Use a variety of different flavors such as honey roasted almonds, Marcona Almonds, or macadamia nuts.
- Spreads & Jam: 1-2 jam or spread options. For this board organic honey, blueberry jam, apricot jam, fig jam, or even a cream cheese fruit dip are all great options.
- Cheese Board and Knives: I love using a large cheese board when hosting a party. For a more intimate setting, you could use a smaller cheese board or even a wooden cutting board. Spruce up your board with elegant cheese knife options such as these, these, or these.
- Herbs: Although optional, dressing up your board with edible flowers, a spring of thyme, or rosemary creates a beautiful polished look.
Why You Will Love This Recipe
Charcuterie boards are a staple item to have at any event or party, and this patriotic board is no exception.
- Easy to Assemble - This festive snack board takes less than 30 minutes to assemble.
- Customizable - Depending on your allergen needs, likes, and dislikes, this board is easily customizable.
- Feeds a large crowd - This board could easily feed 6-8 people, which is perfect for parties! For larger parties, double the ingredients.
- Fun and Festive - This beautiful charcuterie board is guaranteed to impress your guests.
Tips For Success
- Have extras on hand and prepared: You can include extras served in bowls or platters alongside the board. Keep them in the fridge tightly wrapped and sealed and add them to the table when the board starts to run low.
- Do not add too much of one ingredient: Too much of one food may create waste and overflow.
- Cut out the cheese stars the night before and add them last: This is the most tedious part of creating the board, but it's definitely worth the time. You can always cut out the stars the night before and place them in a tightly sealed container until ready to use.
How much food do I need for this cheese board?
If using this charcuterie board as an appetizer, plan to get around 2-3 ounces of cheese and 1-2 ounces of meat per person. If you are using the charcuterie as a meal, then plan to get 4-5 oz. of cheese and 3 ounces of meat per person along with plenty of crackers, fruit, and nuts.
How far in advance should I assemble my charcuterie board?
Plan to start assembling the charcuterie board around 30-45 minutes before guests arrive.
Storage
Charcuterie boards are best served and prepared the day of, within 4 hours of serving.
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Recipe
Patriotic Charcuterie Board
Ingredients
MEAT
- 16 ounces salami, ham, or prosciutto
CHEESE
- 8 ounce wheel of brie
- 8 ounce blueberry cheese, or any festive cheese
- 8 ounces white cheddar or mozzarella
CRACKERS
- 12 ounces crackers
FRUIT
- 16 ounces strawberries
- 16 ounces cherries
- 12 ounces blueberries
- 12 ounces blackberries
CONDIMENTS
- ½ cup honey, jam, or spread of choice
- 1 cup almonds
- spring or rosemary, thyme, or florals to garnish
Instructions
- Begin by placing the hard and soft cheese onto the board, spacing them evenly on opposite sides. (save the star-shaped cheese for the end).
- Fold the meat into quarters, stacking and fanning each piece around the cheese. Leave some room to add a small number of crackers.
- Place both sets of crackers around the cheese and meat, separating the flavors.
- Next, add the spreads and nuts using condiment bowls. Place the bowls on opposite sides of the board. Group each fruit option together and cluster the fruit around the bowls and through the middle, creating equal opposite sides.
- Cut the white cheddar with a star-shaped cookie cutter, and then place the stars evenly all around the board. Fill in the gaps by adding extra fruit, crackers, and nuts as needed.
- Finish the board with added garnishes such as thyme, rosemary, or edible flowers.
Sarah says
It’s so beautiful! I can’t wait to try it.
Rebecca Taig says
Thank you so much Sarah.
Happy Fourth of July weekend! 🙂