Valentine's Day Charcuterie Board you will Love (2024)

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There are so many things you can do for Valentine’s Day food. While there are lots of options, this Valentine’s Day Charcuterie Board should be at the top of your list. It is totally customizable and perfect for anyone you love.

What is a Charcuterie Board?

A traditional charcuterie board is a combination of your favorite meats and cheeses, surrounded by foods that pair well with them.

Oftentimes those items include nuts, fruit, vegetables, cookies, crackers and dips. The best part is that this is where you can get creative.

There are not any rules, so the sky’s the limit and you can customize it to be whatever you want it to be.

What do I put on a Valentine’s Day Charcuterie Board

The truth is that you can put anything on a Valentine’s Day themed board. To make a big impact go with items that are heart-shaped foods, red or pink colors and fresh items.

Guide for choosing food

Meats

A variety of meats is always the way to go. Slices of salami, prosciutto, soppressata and pepperoni are all great options. You can also go with your favorite meats from the deli section, like turkey or ham slices.

You can also elevate the look of the meats by folding them in different patterns or even making them into gorgeous andsimple salami roses.

Cheeses

Go with a variety of cheeses. I love to start with a wheel of brie but goat cheese and mozzarella balls are also a great soft cheese. I also suggest adding a hard cheese so that there are a variety of choices.

There are so many delicious cheeses and they can be found at almost any supermarket.

Starches

A typical charcuterie board always has a variety of everyone’s favorite crackers. You could also use baguette slices, pita chips or thin pretzels.

Fruits & Vegetables

Start with your favorite fresh fruit. Seasonal red produce like slices of apples, raspberries, red grapes, fresh strawberries and pomegranate seeds are a great way to put a holiday twist on the board. Of course you could always use a variety of dried fruit which is easy to find all year long {and shelf stable}.

Using seasonal veggies from a farmers market or the local grocery store is great because everything you find will be ripe and ready to use. I love using colorful vegetables like cherry tomatoes and go with the color scheme.

Dips

A good dip is a great idea to add. I always think of fruit dip when I am making a Valentine snack board but other dips, like hummus would also be a great addition. You can also never go wrong with savory dips like ranch or onion dip.

Accompaniments

Every good board has a few sweet treats, especially for Valentine’s Day. Make your life easier and go with store bought treats that everyone will love. Small heart-shaped macarons and candies that are in the shape of a heart {like conversation hearts or chocolate hearts} are especially wonderful this time of year.

Try to keep all of the desserts bite sized so that they don’t take up a ton of room on the board. TheseCookie Cupswith chocolate-covered strawberries andMini Chocolate Chip cookieswould be delicious additions if you wanted to make your own.

Cut finger sandwiches using a heart shape cookie cutter. You can also use a cookie cutter to shape your go-to cheeses. Adding a Monterey Jack heart to the board brings a fun touch in an easy way.

Final Touches

Using edible flowers and fresh herbs {like rosemary} are a fun way to add a nice pop of color to a Valentine’s Day Board. Add them at the end to give the appetizer board the perfect finishing touch.

Expert Tips

• Get creative with what you use as the base.Awooden boardis traditional but there are so many items you can use. Laybrown paperon the counter, use a marble slab or wood crate for other options. It would also be fun to arrange the items into a heart shape. You can also find a heart-shaped board.
• Know how many people you are serving and the size of the board you want to use before you go shopping.Both of these numbers will determine how much food you need to purchase and make shopping so much simpler.
• Always start with the larger and main ingredients first.Adding the meat products, cheeses and crackers first allows you to arrange all of the supporting ingredients around them.
• Look around the grocery store for heart-shaped treats. There are things you might not think of. Both a palmier cookie and pretzels are heart shaped. You will also find that the inside of a strawberry is heart shaped and that you can easily transform a cherry tomato into a heart.
• Usesmall bowlsto contain smaller items you don’t want rolling around the board.Using bowls for things like olives, pickles and fruit can keep everything in place and help with pulling it all together. You could also hollow out a red pepper to use as the bowl for a super festive touch.
• Go back and add in smaller foods like nuts and heart candies to fill in any empty spaces. To get a lush and gorgeous Valentine’s charcuterie board it should be bountiful and every inch should be covered.
• Always addserving utensilsto make grabbing items easier.Small spoons, cheese knives and tongs are all great additions.

Charcuterie FAQS

Do you love making Charcuterie Boards? Try these fun ideas…

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