Your guide to the ultimate vegetarian cheese board. From the crunchies to the savories and everything in between, it’s really as easy as 1, 2, 3! With this foolproof system for building an epic vegetarian cheese platter, you’ll be out of the kitchen and impressing your guests in no time!
If you’ve spent 5 seconds on any social media app in the past year, you know what I’m about to talk about. Yep, charcuterie boards/cheese boards/the cheese platters of many names. No matter what you call them, cheese boards are a delight. An assortment of finger foods with a million different flavor combos — who wouldn’t love them?
But the truth is, I’ve always been a bit intimidated by these boards. There are just so many types, and how in the heavens are you supposed to just know which cheeses pair with which whats (you know?).
To make it simple, I decided to start following a formula where I break it down into food types, and then I assign each one a number. The number indicates how many types of that food to include. It’s a formula that hasn’t betrayed me yet, so I’m sticking to it!
What goes on a cheese board?
This 1-2-3-4-5 formula creates the ultimate vegetarian cheese board. It provides the perfect ratio of cheese to cracker options, involves some fruit and veggies, and even throws in a fruit compote! Here’s how it breaks down:
- One fruit compote
- Two savory things
- Three fruits and/or veggies
- Four cheeses
- Five crackers and/or breads
Reader rating
“The system worked well and made my charcuterie board a success with my guests!” —Jennifer
How to build your cheese board
A good cheeseboard is just as much about the presentation as it is about the ingredients on it. So in order to make sure everything fits well on your board, we’ll build it backwards: 5-4-3-2-1!
Five Crackers or Breads
These are the base of everything on the cheeseboard, so don’t skimp out here! I love using a variety of different textures and flavors. Pita chips, nutty crackers, fluffy breads… you can’t go wrong!
Four Cheeses
You may be thinking “that’s a lot of cheese.” You are correct. But too much cheese? Heck no. Traditionally, to get a lot of flavors and textures up in there, you’ll want to go with:
- something old
- something new
- something goat
- something blue
Check out our cheese variety guide to help pick your cheeses! To make it easy for enjoying, cut up any of the firmer cheese into bite-sized pieces so they can be easily paired with the crackers, no cutting required. Feel free to change things up here too (like by adding air fryer mozzarella sticks or gouda cheese crisps).
Three Fruits or Veggies
Something light and fresh, like crunchy apples, strawberries, sliced cucumbers, sliced bell peppers, or grapes to balance out the salty cheeses makes for the perfect combination. I went with a couple types of grapes along with a red apple and a cucumber (both sliced thin for easy stackin’).
Two Savory Things
Go with two savory goodies like marinated olives, salted nuts, or even vegan pepperoni. This is my favorite part of the boards because it’s a small step that adds so much variation and flavor!
One Fruit Compote
Finally, add a fruit compote such as cranberry sauce, apple butter, or jam!
Charcuterie Board Assembly Tips
- When placing the different foods, I like to space them out to make sure that the different types of items are intertwined together and I don’t wind up with bread or fruit “pockets,” so to speak.
- To make it easy for guests to enjoy, place nice pairing items side by side. This could mean bread next to a spreadable cheese, or plain crackers next to a cheese with a bite!
Pro tip: Two classic pairings are gouda with nutty or grain crackers and cheddar with plain crackers. - Finally, take color into account when placing items. By arranging colorful items in different spots throughout the board, the colors look well balanced and almost too good to eat! Take a peek at the image above and notice how the fruit and veggies are spaced out for flavor balance but also for cohesive color placements.
Want a portable version of this cheeseboard? Checkout our On The Go Charcuterie!
Ingredients
Five Crackers or Breads
- Use a variety of textures and flavors such as flavored crackers, chunked sourdough, and pita triangles
Four Cheeses
- Something old such as aged gouda, parmesan, sharp cheddar, or any hard cheese
- Something new such as mozzarella, brie, or any soft/semi-soft cheese
- Something goat such as soft or hard goat cheese, or something funky-ish like feta
- Something blue such as soft or hard blue cheese
Three Fruits or Veggies
- Sliced fruits and veggies bring a pop of crunch and flavor such as apples, grapes, bell peppers, cucumbers, etc.
Two Savory Things
- Use a variety of textures and flavors such as olives, nuts, plant-based pepperoni
One Fruit Compote
- Choose a sweet or spicy compote such as pepper jelly, cranberry sauce, apple butter, etc.
Instructions
- Crackers/Breads: Cut or slice bread that requires cutting. Arrange crackers and breads onto your cheeseboard, spacing them out in little piles on the board to fit other ingredients in between.
- Cheeses: Cube or slice cheeses that require cutting. Arrange cheese on the board, trying to arrange cheeses next to crackers or breads that go well together.
- Fruits/Veggies: Slice fruits and veggies that require cutting. Arrange them on the board in the free spaces between the cheese and crackers.
- Savory: Place savory ingredients into bowls as needed (such as olives). Arrange them on the board in the free spaces.
- Compote: Place compote in a small bowl and place on the board.
- Serve: Fill in any gaps in the board with leftover ingredients. Set cheese knives and toothpicks around the board as needed for serving.
GW says
Love the cheeseboard instruction. You really make putting together a quality board easy. I always just threw on whatever. Shout out to your Castillo sponsor. I loved their garlic and creamy Havarti both of which I found for $1.80.
Sarah says
Thanks, GW! 🙂 It really is so easy, and as long as you have some savory, sweet, fruity, and cheesy whatevers, you’ll be good to go! And isn’t that garlic one so great?
Jennifer johnston says
The system worked well and made my charcuterie board a success with my guests!
Jan says
I appreciate this clear formula and tips. They make very good sense and will be easy to follow.
Yvette Housen says
This is my first attempt at a cheese board. Here you broke it down and made it simple to execute. Thank you.
GW says
5-4-3-2-1. That is a great rule. I always just tossed it together.
And it showed. Thanks