A Gluten-Free Charcuterie Board that is perfect for holidays, entertaining, dinner, special occasions, or snack time. Cheese boards are versatile, fun and tasty. With gluten free ideas, this is a great option for hosting any gathering.
An entertainment go-to, this gluten free charcuterie board is great for hosting a crowd. It can feed many, and with these gluten free options, it’s a crowd-pleaser!
Jump to:
- What Is Charcuterie?
- Why Make a Cheese Board?
- How to Pick the Right Board
- Cheese: How Much & What Types
- Meats: How to Choose
- The Rest: Fruits, Nuts, Spreads, Honey, Salt, Etc.
- Gluten Free Crackers + Breads
- Building the Board
- What I Used on This Board
- Tips & Tricks
- Wine Pairings
- Wine Cocktails to Pair with
- 📖 Recipe
I absolutely love cheese boards! So much so, that I literally bought a book on different kinds of boards: That Cheese Plate Will Change Your Life.
It had been such a long time since I've made a cheeseboard, but I was inspired to make a fall cheese board that encapsulates all of the flavors of the fall with the beautiful bright reds of the season. This Gluten-Free Fall Cheeseboard hits the spot for fall-inspired appetizer recipes.
When I lived in New York City, charcuterie boards were always a treat. I would have them for dinner about once a month and on every special occasion.
I first introduced my family to a charcuterie platter when one Christmas I made us an epic charcuterie board for Christmas Eve! Since then, my parents started making their own charcuterie plate almost once a week!
They started having cheese boards so often, that the following Christmas my sister and I gifted our parents a customized cheese board from my dear friend at Bow + Harrow.
What Is Charcuterie?
A Charcuterie Board is a meat and cheese board. Charcuterie is a word derived from French: chair (meaning flesh) and cuit (meaning cook). It described French shops that sold pork products.
It is now a trendy and popular appetizer, treat or even meal. A combination of cured meats, cheeses, and mix-ins like dried or fresh fruit, breads/crackers and nuts or olives.
Now-a-days, you can buy cheese boards from restaurants, or even get themed boards!
Why Make a Cheese Board?
Cheese boards are the perfect thing to make for entertaining. This gluten-free charcuterie board also makes it easier to entertain for those with any type of gluten-intolerance.
The best part about cheese boards is that they can be versatile for seasons and themes. This specific board is centered around the Fall and features in-season fruit and flavors.
How to Pick the Right Board
Traditionally, charcuterie boards are assembled on a wooden platter of any shape and size. You can also use a plate, large cutting board, sheet pan, baking dish, or anything that has a flat surface. You can even make the charcuterie board directly on the table!
Cheese: How Much & What Types
There are many different types of cheeses you can use on a charcuterie board. Aim for 3-5 types of cheese for a board, and it’s best to choose at least one cheese that is familiar to guests. Cut cheeses in different ways: cubes, slices, or whole.
TIP: You will want to serve about 1.5 ounces of each cheese per person that will be grazing the cheese board.
Soft - Brie, Burrata, Goat Cheese, Stracchino or Mascarpone are great options.
Semi-Firm - Gouda, Muenster, Gruyere and Cheddar are all-time favorites. Cheddar is a classic familiar cheese.
Hard - Parmesan, Aged Cheddar, Manchego and Pecorino Romano are delicious options. Hard cheeses are most familiar.
Blue Cheese - Gorgonzola is a typical favorite for blue cheese lovers!
Vegan Cheese
There are vegan cheese options out there to make this a vegan charcuterie board. Or skip out entirely on the cheese and add extra dips like hummus, guacamole, salsas, etc.
Meats: How to Choose
You can’t really go wrong with any combination of charcuterie meats! It is best to choose 3 types of meat. A mix of shapes and sizes of meats works best - shaved meat combined with round whole slices and folded large round slices.
Ideas for meats:
- Salami
- Prosciutto (thinly shaved)
- Dry Cured Chorizo
- Sopressata
- Beef Jerky
- Calabrese
- Sausage
The Rest: Fruits, Nuts, Spreads, Honey, Salt, Etc.
Now the fill-ins! There are an endless amount of ideas for add on’s for a charcuterie board. Below are some of endless options:
Fruit: Dried and fresh are both great options. I like to do a combination of fresh and dried to give a variety of taste and texture. Try to use whatever fruit or vegetables are in season. Apples, grapes and berries are always great for a cheese platter.
Nuts: Adding nuts helps with a salty element and adding texture in the form of crunch. Try almonds, cashews, pecans, walnuts, whatever is your favorite! I like to add two nuts - one with a flavor and the other more traditional.
Spreads: Jam or fruit spread is always nice to add a sweeter element. Find a unique spread or use the traditional. Dijon mustard, hummus, guacamole or salsa are fun options too, depending on the theme of your board.
Pickled Items: Cornichons, olives, or other pickled vegetables are a great salty option
Fresh Herbs: Rosemary, thyme, sage, basil, to name a few! Use herbs that are in season.
Gluten Free Crackers + Breads
There are fewer gluten free options for a charcuterie board, but no fear! A gluten free charcuterie board is made by adding gluten-free breads, crackers and other options.
Ideas for Gluten Free Accompaniments:
Gluten Free Baguette - thinly sliced at an angle
Gluten Free Crackers - Try: Mary’s Gone Crackers, Simple Mills Gluten Free Crackers, 34 Degrees Gluten Free Crisps, Hu Grain Free Crackers, Crunchmaster Crackers, Breton Gluten-Free Crackers
Rice Cakes
Building the Board
- Prep. Start with bowls for dips, sauces, olives and nuts.
- Cheese. Cut cheeses in different shapes and sizes - cubes, slices, whole, blocks.
- Meat. Try folding meats in different ways (half, in fourths, keep whole, or crumble them together)
- Add Ins. Next is adding all of the fun bits and pieces: nuts, dried or fresh fruit, olives, dips, sauces, chocolates, etc.
- Bread + Crackers. Scatter around or leave in bowls to the side.
- Garnishes. If desired, add little herb garnishes wherever they fit.
What I Used on This Board
For this board, I wanted to use Fall fruits and colors like blackberries, apples and pears to add brightness and also a nice punch of fruity flavor.
Cheese: Manchego, Dill Havarti, and Cheddar
Cured Meat: Dry Salame, Soppressata, Prosciutto
Fresh Fruit: Apple, Blackberries and Pear
Dried Fruit: Dried Apricot and Dried Figs
Nuts: Pumpkin Pie Spiced Pumpkin Seeds and Pecans
Savory: Olives
Dips/Spreads: Fig Spread and Flakey Salt
Gluten-Free Crackers: Simple Mill’s Garlic + Herb, Mary’s Gone Crackers
Tips & Tricks
Focus on the balance of texture, colors, shapes and sizes
Incorporating one of each: Sweet, Savory, Spicy and Salty.
Label cheeses so people know the options.
Add a cheese knife for each cheese. Different kinds of knives are better for different types of cheese.
When to take out food
Remove cheese from the fridge 1-hour before serving so that cheese can come to room temperature.
Remove meat from the fridge 15-minutes before serving.
Wine Pairings
Pairing wine and cheese is probably the best part of a charcuterie board. If offering wine with your charcuterie board, offer at least one type of white wine and one type of red wine to let guests decide.
The stinkier the cheese, the sweeter the wine to pair it with.
Softer cheeses pair best with sparkling or white wines that are lighter in flavor.
Sharp or aged cheeses pair best with full-bodied wines to compliment flavors. A strong wine will overpower a mild cheese.
According to Vine Pair and Wine Folly, these are the best wine and cheese pairings:
- Port and Bleu Cheese or Stilton
- Prosecco and Parmesan
- Cabernet Sauvignon and Aged Gouda or Aged Cheddar
- Chardonnay and Gruyere
- Rioja and Manchego
- Riesling and Ricotta
- Rosé and Havarti
- Malbec and Aged Cheddar or Aged Gouda
- Pinot Noir or Champagne and Brie
- Merlot and Monterey Jack
- Pinot Grigio and Mozzarella
- Sauvignon Blanc and Goat Cheese
Wine Cocktails to Pair with
- Rose Sangria with Berries
- 5 Ingredient Red Wine Sangria
- Fall White Wine Sangria
- Cranberry Vanilla Chai Sangria
- Raspberry Sangria
📖 Recipe
Gluten-Free Charcuterie Board
Ingredients
Cheese
- 6 Ounces Manchego
- 6 Ounces Dill Havarti
- 6 Ounces Cheddar
Cured Meat
- 3 Ounces Dry Salame
- 3 Ounces Soppressata
- 3 Ounces Prosciutto
Fresh Fruit
- 1 Apple
- 10 Blackberries
- 1 Pear
Dried Fruit
- ¼ Cup Dried Apricot
- ¼ Cup Dried Figs
Nuts
- ¼ Cup Pumpkin Pie Spiced Pumpkin Seeds
- ¼ Cup Pecans
Savory
- 1 Cup Pimento Olives
Dips/Spreads
- ½ Cup Fig Spread
- Flakey Salt
Gluten-Free Crackers
- Simple Mill’s Garlic + Herb
- Mary’s Gone Crackers
- Good Thins Cracker
Instructions
- Prep. Start with bowls for dips, sauces, olives and nuts.
- Cheese. Cut cheeses in different shapes and sizes - cubes, slices, whole, blocks.
- Meat. Try folding meats in different ways (half, in fourths, keep whole, or crumble them together)
- Add Ins. Next is adding all of the fun bits and pieces: nuts, dried or fresh fruit, olives, dips, sauces, chocolates, etc.
- Bread + Crackers. Scatter around or leave in bowls to the side.
- Garnishes. If desired, add little herb garnishes wherever they fit.
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