Charcuterie is a trend that keeps evolving. From simple cheese-and-cracker trays to eclectic-inspired boards, charcuterie keeps outdoing itself, pushing the limits of food service. Hence, it’s not surprising for charcuterie to be versatile enough to cater to certain types of diets such as veganism. 

This is what this article’s about - how to make a vegan charcuterie board. Today, no more drooling over eye-worthy food boards just because you’re a vegan or have a dairy intolerance. We’re making a DIY vegan charcuterie board a possibility.

How to Make a Vegan Charcuterie Board: Recipe

What you'll need

Tools:

• Wooden board: The board should be big enough to fit every food element selected but small enough to create an abundant illusion. 
• Cheese knife. A good knife set makes things easier!
• Small bowls and saucers.
• Include tiny spoons for dips.
• Parchment paper: If you have items that might stain your board like berries, you may place a parchment paper beneath the items. 
• Prepare toothpicks or thongs on the side in case some of your guests don’t like picking their food with bare hands.  

Food:

Dip options:

• Vegan cheese (hard and soft cheeses; your pick)
• Half a cup of hummus
• Half a cup of blackberry preserves.

Vegan meat/protein:

• Vegan Sausages 
• Vegan Ham 

Fruit options (choose 2-3):

• A pound of purple grapes
• A cup of cranberries
• Slices of apple
• Half a cup of olives

Vegetable options (choose 3-4):

• 2 carrots (sliced into sticks)
• 2 celery stalks (chopped into sticks)
• 1 bell pepper (sliced into sticks)
• 1 cucumber (sliced)
• Half a cup of pickles

Crunchy and sweets options:

• A box of whole-grain crackers
• 1 cup of your nut of choice
• A bar of dark chocolate

How to arrange a vegan charcuterie board:

1. Make your selection according to the number of options recommended for each food category. For example, for the vegetable options, you get to choose 3-4 of any options below the category. 

Note: Of course, these are just food ratio recommendations. If the number of food elements for each category isn’t your vision, feel free to rebel against it. 

2. Remove your purchases from their package. Refrigerate your vegan proteins in the meantime. Wash your vegetables, fruits, and other produce. Cut them up according to what the instructions say.

3. When arranging a charcuterie board, always try to arrange the food 30 minutes or less before the actual arrival of guests. Arranging the food way early lessens its freshness. If you try to preserve it by refrigeration, the food might turn too cold for consumption.

4. Put your dips on little bowls as well as other food elements you think are fit to be placed on bowls and saucers.

5. Once you’ve gathered and prepared everything, it’s now time to arrange them on the board. Arrange your snacks on the board starting from the largest to the smallest. Place stackable snacks like crackers in curves or in any direction you want them. 

Next, space out your bowls and saucers on the board. Fill out the extra spaces with snacks small enough to fit.

6. All that’s left to do is serve and enjoy! 🍽️

7. Store any leftovers in your fridge for your next charcuterie party. 

Benefits of a Vegan Charcuterie Board

There are more benefits to adhering to a vegan charcuterie theme than you think. Here are some of them:

1. No cooking is required. Yey to no burnt fingers. 🔥

2. Fun to put together. It’s almost like crafting a project except that you eat it after. 

3. Aesthetically pleasing. Think about the color patterns you’ll make and the dynamics of food texture! You don’t need to be a fine arts graduate to appreciate charcuterie.

4. Versatile. Vegan charcuterie board ideas can be appetizers, snacks, meals, potluck offerings, and more.

5. Healthy. Who says healthy food can’t be pretty?

6. Inexpensive. If you have leftover vegetables, olives, etc., you can still use them. 

When Can You Serve a Vegan Charcuterie Board?

1. When you want to create a very casual and relaxed dining atmosphere: Let’s say you’re having co-workers and boss over for dinner and you don’t want the evening to look like a conference. One sure thing to lighten things up is a nice array of vegan charcuterie. The food set-up is relaxing to look at but has an air of being impressive.

2. When a sizable portion of your guests are vegans: The popularity of vegan eating is rising and so is the demand for easy but enticing vegan recipes. It’s now a norm for hosts and hostesses to ask their guests whether they adhere to a certain diet like veganism.

3. Picnics: There is something rustic about a vegan charcuterie board that makes it the perfect food theme for picnics. Plus, packing the ingredients is easy.

4. Celebrations: The 2023 Grammys, one of the year’s biggest celebrations of excellent music, has a charcuterie spread placed for the likes of Beyonce. Good enough for the Queen, good enough for us.

5. Holiday gatherings: Need we say more? Put a new spin on your traditional holiday food theme by trying charcuterie.

6. Romantic dates: Impress your date with food that looks straight out of the Lord of the Rings elven set. Plus, it’s a good conversation starter. 

Don’t Stress

Above all, don’t stress about your ingredients or how your arrangements look. Charcuterie isn’t about perfection. The more scattered and the more varied your ingredients are, the more inviting your vegan charcuterie will look. 

Have you tried the pleasure of a vegan charcuterie board delivery? Platterful is a savior when it comes to preparing a fuss-free charcuterie board of any kind. As a provider of all-in-one charcuterie kits, charcuterie is delivered straight to your door. The only thing you need to do is open the box and get into the business of charcuterie-ng.

Our vegan charcuterie box option is filled with at least 13 all-vegan goods. It includes all the essential food items sourced from local artisan makers and more to add variety to your board. 

Here’s a video tutorial on how to prepare our standard Platterful vegan charcuterie kit.