Tastebud Tingling Halloween Grazing Board
You can’t go wrong with a tastebud tingling Halloween grazing board — to go along with your spine tingling festivities!
Make Ahead Means More Time for Fun!
Is Halloween in your neighborhood awesome? I hope so! Halloween in our neighborhood is the best! There are driveway fire pits, grills cooking up eats for tired parents, traveling wagons full of goodies for the young and young at heart, DIY haunted garages and so many costumed kiddos! It’s always a blast, and we look forward to it all year.
Halloween is one of those nights we like to graze instead of sitting down to a full blown meal. Friends often stop by before, during and after trick-or-treating, so having nibbles to offer and enjoy all evening just makes sense.
And, who wouldn’t love a spooky cheese + charcuterie board? The best part about it is that I can assemble it early and store it covered in the fridge until it’s time to nosh, leaving more time for Halloween hijinks!
Shopping List for a Halloween Grazing Board
Cheese + Charcuterie
Depending on the size of your clan, think 2 to 3 cheeses and 1 to 2 meat varieties. I like to have a soft/creamy cheese, a hard cheese and something a little more pungent or tangy on my boards. I’ll also try meats with different textures or flavor profiles to keep it interesting. On this board:
- Camembert (Wegman’s cave ripened)
- Aged gouda (Beemster Paradiso Reserve)
- Soft-ripened goat (Cypress Grove Humboldt Fog)
- Peppered salami
- Country pâté
Fruits + Veggies
I selected dried and fresh fruits I thought would lend to a dark and brooding mood. And, because this is in place of dinner, I added some veggies (we can be a little healthy, right?). Choose whatever suits your theme or mood. Here’s what I picked:
- Dried cranberries
- Fresh blueberries
- Fresh blackberries
- Tri-color baby carrots (I roasted them and they totally look like scary fingers!)
- Arugula + sliced radish (to make tiny open-faced sandwiches)
Accompaniments
Think mustards, jams, dips, nuts, pickles, olives — anything that compliments your cheese selection and that you love to graze on. I added:
- Marcona almonds with rosemary (Trader Joe’s)
- Coarse grain dijon mustard
- Homemade hummus
Bread + Crackers
I tend to offer a selection of both bread and crackers on a grazing board. Crackers are great for lighter eaters and the perfect vehicle for most cheese, charcuterie + dips. Breads hold up well for stacking lots of toppings and will fill your tummy. My selections:
- French baguettes slices
- Red Chili Scalloped Crackers (Trader Joe’s)
- Fig & Olive Crisps (Trader Joe’s)
- Raisin Rosemary Crisps (Trader Joe’s)
It’s also easy to make your own crackers…like these Rosemary + Sea Salt Crackers!
Assembling a Halloween Grazing Board
- Grab your board — it can be a sheet pan, a casserole, a square, a circle. It doesn’t really matter except that it should have a lip so your goodies don’t slide onto the floor. Select bowls to contain any accompaniments you want to keep corralled.
- Place your cheese and meat. I like to pre-cut hard cheeses. Sliced meats can be folded into quarters to add volume and visual interest.
- Add veggies + fill your bowls.
- Add fruits + nuts.
Note: You can place these items all together in one spot (carrots) or scatter them on opposite ends of your board (cranberries + almonds).
Finally, tuck in crackers, sliced bread, and garnishes like herbs…or SPIDERS!
The steps for creating this tastebud tingling Halloween grazing board are just guidelines — mix it up and have fun with it!
Add To Your Ghoulish Grazing Feast…
- Slow Cooker Chorizo + Black Bean Chili (another make-ahead recipe!)
- Spiderweb Halloween Cake
- Frozen Zombie Mocktails
Take your feast to go with a DIY Halloween Party on Wheels!
Pin for Later! Halloween Cheese + Charcuterie Board
